The Year She Stopped Being Crazy for Him novel Chapter 210

Natalie was swiftly escorted to Hassan's office.

As she walked in, the first thing she noticed was Gardenia sitting in the lounge area, her eyes red from crying. Tissues, tea, and pastries had been thoughtfully arranged on the table in front of her.

The tall, long-legged man stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows. He had already discarded his suit jacket. The top two buttons of his white dress shirt were undone, and his sleeves were casually rolled up to his elbows, revealing his forearms. Though his posture seemed relaxed, it radiated a deeply restrained, dangerous power.

Zeke stood nearby, briefing him on the online fallout. "The PR department is already on it. We've suppressed the trending topics. Several media executives called to inquire, so I've arranged lunch and dinner meetings for you to smooth things over."

Hassan gave a curt hum of acknowledgment, turned toward Natalie, and closed the distance between them.

Zeke exited the office, pulling the door shut behind him.

Natalie casually dropped into a single-seat sofa. Hassan took the couch opposite her, while Gardenia remained seated between them. Gardenia lowered her tissue, looking as though she had managed to compose herself. "Natalie, you were the one behind all of this today, weren't you?!"

"No," Natalie replied simply. She shifted her gaze to Hassan. "So, you called me up here just to interrogate me?"

Hassan tossed a stack of documents onto the coffee table. His wrists were sharp, his fingers long and elegant. Once upon a time, after they had made love, Natalie's favorite thing to do was trace those very fingers. They would interlock their hands, his long joints lightly brushing against the back of her hand, sending a gentle, tingling warmth through her veins.

In those tender moments, it was so easy to sink into the intoxicating illusion that they were deeply, irrevocably in love.

But now, those same elegant fingers tapped ruthlessly against cold, unforgiving documents as he demanded, "You contacted X-Mark Media last night and paid for bot farms. Didn't you?"

"Yes," Natalie admitted. "But I had nothing to do with what happened today. Don't you know why I bought them in the first place? I had someone look into it. The mob trashing me online was a coordinated attack by paid trolls."

"But I wasn't the one who did that!" Gardenia cried, her emotions flaring up again. "And you decided to take your revenge out on me?! Natalie, you've gone way too far."

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