Fake Mate Beta Rises to Alpha Heiress (Natalie and Landon) novel Chapter 245

Chapter 245 Didn’t Correct Them

Natalie’s POV:

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Back in the hotel suite, exhaustion and chill washed over me. I pushed through to take a shower. The water ran over my skin, but couldn’t ease the heavy worry and sadness inside.

“Leonardo…” I whispered his name without thinking, the sound lost in the water.

Images of him flashed in my mind-relaxed at home, smiling slightly, or focused on work. We had so many plans, so many ordinary, precious days waiting for us. He couldn’t be in danger. And I couldn’t afford to fall apart here.

Only when I was drying my hair did I see the mountain of messages on my phone, from the company, Matthew, and Lily.

Matthew’s message showed he had typed and deleted something. In the end, he’d only left a simple line, “Project review may be delayed a few days. Don’t worry.”

How could I not worry? The new drug launch was a critical battle. So many people were waiting for me to fail. But right now, I truly couldn’t focus on everything. I had to gamble that Matthew was on my side. But I wasn’t completely unprepared.

For this drug project review, I had set the permissions to require all shareholder signatures. The authority I delegated to Matthew only represented my personal share. Even if he signed a problematic report, the responsibility would fall on the entire company.

Also, to ensure the project went smoothly, I had secretly set up a temporary review feedback group. They would report any issues in our private chat in real time.

I’d formed this group just days ago. Even Lily didn’t know about it. The chat had already flagged that the tax review data looked off. But Matthew hadn’t signed the approval report yet. He was already having the data rechecked.

With Penelope and Samuel targeting me at every turn, I was extra cautious with every major company project. Even if I stumbled into a trap, I made sure I had a way out.

If not for Leonardo’s accident, I wouldn’t have been so rushed. The signing authority probably wouldn’t have fallen to Matthew.

Now it seemed Matthew’s message to me was on Penelope’s orders.

Then… was Leonardo’s accident really just an accident?

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Chapter 245 Didn’t Correct Them

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I called Lily back. Her worried, tearful voice came through the phone. “That’s good. I’ll tell you immediately if anything changes. Natalie, please take care of yourself. Come back as soon as

you can.”

Lily’s words warmed me. They reminded me I wasn’t fighting alone.

Lily told me Samuel had deliberately let her see his contact with Penelope, leaking news about Matthew. Was it to stir trouble? Or a deliberate leak? Maybe both. Samuel was hard to read.

I reassured Lily, told her about my safeguards, and warned her seriously again to stay away from Samuel. That man was elegant but venomous.

After handling all that, weariness and chill swept over me again. I curled up on the sofa. thinking about Penelope and Leonardo’s “accident.” My thoughts grew fuzzy.

In my sleep, I fell into a chaotic, terrifying scene-Penelope ordering someone to hurt Leonardo. I tried to stop it, but couldn’t move. I could only watch. Despair coiled around my heart.

Just as I was about to suffocate in the nightmare, a warm, solid presence wrapped around me from behind. It felt so real, like someone’s arms holding me, driving away the cold and darkness. The scent was so familiar it made me want to cry.

“Leonardo…” I murmured, jolting awake.

My eyes opened. I found myself in bed, covered with a soft blanket. I didn’t remember moving from the sofa. The room was quiet. A sliver of sunlight slipped through the curtains and fell on my face.

I checked the time. It was already late morning of the next day. Had I slept for nearly twenty hours?

I jumped up, looking for my phone. It had died from a lack of charge. Forget it. I needed to get to the hospital.

After a quick freshen-up, I left the hotel. At the entrance, I saw a small crowd gathered. They held a banner with words thanking Leonardo. It was the little girl he saved, Ivy Bell, with her family and other villagers.

Victoria was there, too, holding a camera, conducting interviews, and taking notes. As the spokesperson for this charity project, her presence was understandable. She was getting material to publish later.

But the next conversation I overheard made me pause.

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18:36 Fri, Jan 16

Chapter 245 Didn’t Correct Them

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Ivy took Victoria’s hand and said, “Victoria, I hope Leonardo gets better soon. I wish you and Leonardo lots of happiness!”

Someone added, “Yes, Ms. Thompson, we’re all so sorry about Mr. Sanchez’s injury. We hope he recovers soon. Please take care of yourself.”

Recently, many online rumors had been spreading about a romance between Victoria and Leonardo. The villagers chimed in one after another, clearly seeing Victoria and Leonardo as a couple.

“Don’t worry, everyone. Leonardo will be fine,” Victoria said. She didn’t correct them. She just smiled, accepting their good wishes, “Come on, everyone. Gather together. Let me take a picture.”