The Year She Stopped Being Crazy for Him novel Chapter 89

After reviewing the contract, Natalie said, "Looks good to me."

Quinn reviewed it as well, and finding no issues, they officially signed the paperwork with the coordinator.

Since Kara had missed her previous chance to perform due to her injury, she didn't want to lose this opportunity and signed as well.

As they left the building, Quinn turned to Natalie. "Are you upset that Kara's involved?"

Natalie smiled lightly. "You don't get to be happy about every detail of a job. Honestly, I'm already very satisfied with how things are going."

"Alright. As long as it doesn't affect your mood. In our line of work, your emotional state dictates the dance."

Natalie smiled. "It won't affect me, don't worry."

For the next few days, Natalie bounced back and forth between the dance studio and the research lab.

She had plenty of time to rehearse, and since she already had a solid foundation, learning her solo half without needing to coordinate with a partner went quickly. She only needed to carve out about two hours a day.

She usually went to the rehearsal studio at night.

One evening, she found herself staring out the studio's glass windows.

She suddenly remembered what Hassan had said that day at the Carlson Group headquarters—that he could see this exact spot from his office.

The building opposite hers was brightly lit. As Natalie stared, she froze. Hassan's office lights were on, and she could even make out his silhouette.

Natalie turned sharply and yanked all the blinds shut.

Two days later, Natalie received a frantic text from Tilda.

"Natalie! The Carlsons are trying to send my mother to jail! They're saying she was the one who kidnapped you!"

When Natalie read the message, her mind went completely blank. She couldn't process how this was even possible.

She immediately rushed to the hospital. Several police officers were stationed outside the room, their expressions stern. "Please do not interfere with an active investigation."

"You don't believe it?" He glanced at the police. "Show her the evidence."

An officer produced a bagged phone. "This phone was recovered from your grandmother's former residence. It contains messages sent to a foreign IP address coordinating your kidnapping, with a ransom demand of five million. Given your grandmother's severe illness and the massive amount of money required for her treatment, the motive aligns perfectly."

Natalie stared at the phone, shaking her head frantically, her voice sounding frail and desperate. "That's impossible. She stopped using that phone ages ago! Where did you even find this?"

Gardenia stepped forward. "I happened to buy your grandmother's old house recently. My son was playing in the rooms and accidentally found it. We didn't think much of it, but when the police asked if I had any enemies following their investigation, I remembered the phone. I never expected it to actually be evidence."

Natalie lunged forward, raising her hand to slap Gardenia across the face. "You did this on purpose! How is this possible?! My grandmother would never hurt me!"

Before her hand could connect, the man clamped down on her wrist. His voice was unsettlingly calm. "Natalie, stop being naive. She had every reason to do it. Not only is she sick, but her son is drowning in gambling debts. She wanted to use you for ransom, but she didn't anticipate someone rescuing you halfway through."

Natalie shook her head, all the color draining from her face. "Impossible. I don't believe it! You're trying to frame her!"

The fact that Gardenia was the one who 'found' the phone was suspicious enough on its own!