Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Jonas glanced sideways at Natalie, who was crouched next to him with her wide eyes fixed nervously on the outside. She looked like a spooked little puppy, ears perked, her entire body wound tight with tension.
He shifted his position, sitting up straighter, his legs planted firmly on the ground. Leaning forward, elbows propped on his knees, he rested his chin lazily on the back of his hand. His voice dripped with mockery as he drawled, “What is this—yoga practice?”
Startled by his words, Natalie suddenly realized how far forward she’d been leaning, precariously close to toppling over.
She pushed herself back quick’y, resettling into a more stable crouch. When Jonas didn’t follow up with more jabs, she dropped her head, trying to into herself and become invisible.
Even though her mind was sw voiced her concerns, not only
After a few moments, her perip
g with unease, she didn’t dare ask him anything. Experience had taught her that if she
1 she get no reassurance, but she’d likely become the target of more of his biting ridicule.
vision caught Myla returning from the SUV’s trunk, carrying supplies. Natalie instinctively shuffled a bit closer in that direction, seeking a sense of security.
Myla’s bright eyes still gleamed with the renaline of recent action. It finally clicked for her why Jonas had told her to slow down after the car crash.
Without hesitation, Myla plopped herself down by the fire, completely at ease. She unzipped her bag and began dumping its contents onto the ground–milk cartons, energy drinks, bread, compressed biscuits, cigarettes, and various other odds and ends.
“Boss,” Myla called, tossing an energy drink toward Jonas.
He raised a languid hand, catching the bottle with effortless precision before tossing it onto the mat beside him. Another quick grab intercepted a pack of compressed biscuits Myla had just thrown his way. His gaze wandered, almost absentmindedly, landing on Natalie, who was crouched near Myla.
She had perched herself on a rock, hugging her knees. But apparently, the position wasn’t very comfortable because she shifted, rising slightly to squat instead.
Her head tilted to one side, and her large, glistening eyes locked onto Myla, filled with childlike curiosity and expectation. She looked like a kitten waiting to be fed–utterly harmless, utterly dependent.
Myla picked up a pack of compressed biscuits, intending to hand it to Natalie, but paused mid–turn when she caught those trusting, doe–eyed stares. Myla instantly set the biscuits down and instead grabbed the lone raisin bread and a carton of milk, holding them out to Natalie.
A soft snort sliced through the quiet moment.
Natalie jolted upright, her back snapping straight as she whipped her head around toward the sound.
Jonas was unscrewing the cap from his water bottle, his movements slow and deliberate. Tilting his head back, he took a long drink, his Adam’s apple moving in a hypnotic rhythm with each swallow.
The dim firelight cast flickering shadows on his chiseled features, amplifying his air of unrestrained, lethal allure.
But just as Natalie’s gaze lingered on him, the spell was broken by his cold, cutting voice. “What are you, a peacock doing a mating dance?” he said after putting down the bottle.
The words were cryptic, harsh, and seemingly out of nowhere, but Myla understood instantly. Jonas was referring to the raisin bread. She had a notorious sweet tooth, while Jonas had zero tolerance for anything sugary. That particular bread had been set aside just for herself.
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Chapter 15
But Myla couldn’t bring herself to let Natalie gnaw on dry, flavorless biscuits when it was clear the girl had probably never experienced real hardship.
‘Of course, the boss doesn’t have a shred of sympathy for women. It’s no wonder he doesn’t get me, Myla thought, brushing her nose with a faint smirk.
She quickly tore open a bag of compressed biscuits, took a bite, and muttered through her mouthful, “Just changing it up a bit.”
Natalie, utterly clueless, glanced between the biscuit in Myla’s hand and the one Jonas was holding.
Finally, her gaze dropped to the untouched raisin bread in her own hands. The realization hit her like a flash of lightning ‘Wait… is this moody tyrant icalous?‘
It seemed entirely possible t someone as petty as him must
The thought made her stoma
talie. ‘In his eyes, I’m nothing but an outsider. Ms. Carr gave me the only bread, and
stewing over it.‘
with nervous energy. Without overthinking it, Natalie sprang to her feet, strode over to Jonas, and crouched down in fro… of him. She extended the unopened bread toward him like a peace offering, her posture almost reverent.
The moment Natalie moved, Jonas noticed. He thought, ‘Didn’t she just look like she’d rather eat dirt than come near me? She was practically crawling toward Myla arlier, like I wouldn’t notice.
‘And now she’s back, sticking to me like glue? This little spy isn’t even trying to sell the act properly.’
He couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge her, though. Just as he picked up his biscuit, the bread appeared in his line of sight.
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