The Scorned Heiress's Hidden Empire (by Jade Quinn) novel Chapter 155

Chapter 155 Hellish Training

Chapter 155 Hellish Training

But then he thought, ‘She’s only nineteen, and she’s already made it this far. The hard work and sacrifice she must’ve put in is probably a hundred times more than anyone else.’

His fingers at his sides curled slightly, and a hint of heartache flashed in his eyes.

Liam smiled proudly and looked at Natalie. “I won’t keep you from your training. Come by my office in a bit.”

Natalie nodded, and the group followed Liam as he led them away.

Madison exchanged glances and a slight nod with an elderly lieutenant general, who looked to be in his sixties or seventies but was still sharp and energetic.

If you looked closely, you could tell the two shared a resemblance.

Once everyone else had left, Natalie turned around to face the group behind her.

“Fall in!” she barked.

Her voice was sharp, slicing through the silence on the field like a knife.

The forty-five trainees snapped into action as if they’d been shocked, moving instantly.

No more whispering, no more zoning out, no more heads down lost in thought. They came running from every corner of the field, each finding their spot in the formation and standing at attention.

They moved faster and more unified than ever before.

Natalie stood at the front of the formation, hands shoved in her pockets, standing tall and proud.

Her gaze, no longer calm and distant, radiated the commanding presence of a chief instructor. She swept her eyes from the first row to the last, slow and unhurried, making their hearts race.

“Alright, listen up. I’m Natalie, your chief instructor for the next two months,” she announced.

As she spoke, a barely-there smile appeared on her lips. This was the first time any of them had seen Natalie smile.

But that smile sent chills down their spines.

Natalie looked at Colton in the ranks and called out, “Colton.”

“Yes, ma’am!” he replied.

“Step out!” Natalie ordered.

Colton took a deep breath, jogged out and stopped three steps in front of Natalie.

He stood tall, eyes forward, fully aware of what was about to happen.

The bottom two in the assessment are out.

Ezekiel had already been carried off. Now it was Colton’s turn.

Natalie fixed her gaze on him, letting the silence hang for a couple of seconds.

Colton clenched his fists so hard his knuckles went white, nails biting into his palms. It hurt like hell, but he refused to let go.

“Your shooting is excellent,” Natalie said, her tone neutral.

“Forty-nine out of fifty. That’s SWAT team level, and you’d be in the top three here,” she continued.

Colton swallowed hard, never expecting Natalie to give him any praise.

He thought she’d just say, “You lost. Pack your stuff and get out.” But she didn’t.

Instead, she started with his strengths, which made it even harder for him to take.

“But-” Natalie paused, and Colton felt his heart drop like a stone.

Natalie held the silence for a moment, and Colton’s heart sank even deeper.

“Your physical endurance is terrible. In the ten-kilometer load march, you were fifth from the bottom. On the 1300-foot obstacle course, you had to climb the wall three times before you finally got over it. You were the last one out of the mud

crawl.

“You dropped after thirty pull-ups. Your arms were chaking hy the time you hit one-fifty push-ups. No matter how good your aim is, without stamina, you won’t even gr Successfully unlocked!

“The enemy won’t wait for you to catch your breau peiore coming at you. rour teammates aren’t going to carry your gear for you. And your knees won’t stop hurting just because you can hit your targets.”

Chapter 155 Hellish Training

Her calm voice laid out his shortcomings, but every word felt like a needle in Colton’s skin.

But what really floored him was just how well Natalie knew his situation.

“Skills are like bullets, and stamina is your gun. No matter how good your bullets are, if your gun isn’t up to par, you won’t be able to fire a single shot.

“With your current stamina, you can’t even make it through ten kilometers. So what are you gonna fight with?”

Natalie spoke every word with purpose. After just a week, she had everyone in the camp figured out, not just Colton, but every single trainee.

Colton pressed his lips into a thin line.

He knew it himself. His stamina was so poor it dragged down his shooting, so weak he ended up second to last, so lacking he didn’t have what it took to stick around.

He used to think as long as he could shoot straight, that was all he needed, that nothing else mattered.

But now he realized, in this training camp, “good enough” just didn’t cut it.

Not enough means not enough, period.

Natalie looked at him. “Pack your things. The bus leaves this afternoon.”

Colton snapped to attention and saluted.

As he lowered his hand from his forehead, his fingers were trembling.

He turned and started walking toward the dorm. After a few steps, he stopped and looked back at Natalie.

“Chief Instructor,” Colton called out.

Natalie looked at him.

“I’ll be back next year. Next time, I won’t let my stamina drag me down,” he said.

With that, he saluted her again and jogged back to the dorm.

Natalie watched him go, saying nothing.

Ezekiel, just patched up and limping out of the infirmary, was totally confused. ‘Huh?

‘Chief Instructor Natalie?

‘Wait, the chief instructor is actually here?’

He was standing in a spot where he couldn’t see the front of the formation, so he hobbled forward a couple steps to get a better look.

‘Why is Natalie up front?’ Ezekiel thought, his mind reeling.

‘Wait… Chief Instructor Natalie? Natalie?’

Suddenly, it hit him. His eyes nearly popped out in shock.

‘Holy crap, Natalie’s the chief instructor?!’ Ezekiel thought, totally blown away.

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