Chapter 14
Chapter 14
55 vouchers
“Natasha, you’re insane! You actually burned down your grandma’s house.” Madeline’s voice was on the verge of breaking.
They had expected Natasha to get angry, maybe even fight for the house, but they never imagined she’d be ruthless enough to torch the only memento her grandma left her.
When she got the call from the fire department that morning, she could hardly believe her ears.
“That was the place where your grandparents fell in love! How could you be so heartless? You said it meant everything to you, and you’d take care of it forever. And now look what you’ve done!” Madeline shouted.
Officially, it was labeled an accident, but they all knew–Natasha did it on purpose.
It couldn’t be a coincidence, She’d just beaten up Olivia last night, and today the house went up in flames.
Because they were going to give the house to Olivia, and since she couldn’t have it, she decided to destroy it.
For the first time, Madeline realized just how extreme her youngest daughter could be.
Natasha chuckled. “So, you all knew exactly how much it meant to me? And yet you still chose to go against Grandma’s wishes.”
“We had our reasons.” Madeline faltered.
“I don’t care about your reasons.” Natasha raised her voice. “To me, burning it down is still better than gifting it to a murderer.”
“Natasha! Watch your words!” Madeline shrieked, heartbroken. “Your grandma’s death was an accident–why can’t you accept that? Olivia is also your grandma’s granddaughter. Why would she ever harm Grandma? Don’t let jealousy cloud your judgment.”
Natasha didn’t want to argue. She had no proof, and they wouldn’t believe her anyway.
Madeline kept ranting. “Do you even realize arson is a crime? That house meant so much to Olivia, and you beat her up so badly she ended up in the ER last night…”
“Umhmm, Natasha cut her off. “Then call the cops.”
Silence reigned. Then, furious and helpless, Madeline added, “You know damn well we won’t call the cops. Natasha, what’s gotten into you? You are not the daughter I knew.”
Natasha had indeed called their bluff. If the house had already been transferred to Olivia, things might’ve been different,
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Chapter 14
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But since it was still under Madeline’s name, Madeline’d never be petty enough to report her own daughter for burning down a worthless house during a memorial visit.
The scandal would be humiliating. The Clark family couldn’t afford that kind of shame. This whole thing would have to be swept under the rug.
Natasha’s voice was laced with ice. “Perfect, then let’s start over and get to know me again. From now on, Natasha won’t be the one you can emotionally blackmail anymore. Don’t provoke me. I can be way more vicious than you think.”
The mother–daughter talk ended on a sour note.
Putting down her phone, Natasha sat frozen for a few seconds before turning to Alexei, who had dropped his smile and was staring at her intently.
“See? Arson isn’t a threat to me, so scram already,” she said.
“So you saved me not because you were forced, but because you were into my looks?” Alexei had a knack for missing the point.
The tense atmosphere lightened, leaving Natasha momentarily speechless. “Seriously, has anyone ever told you you’re completely full of yourself?”
“Well, now you did.”
“Like you heard, I might have some… unwelcome visitors soon. So this place won’t exactly be quiet,” Natasha replied, indicating he should leave.
Alexei changed the subject. “You know, revealing family drama in front of strangers isn’t the
smartest move.”
With that, he lowered his voice. “All alone–perfect for murder and body disposal.”
Natasha rolled her eyes. “I’d haunt you after I die.”
“Never haunted by a female ghost. If you’re offering, Miss Clark, I wouldn’t mind a little ghostly
romance.”
“You’re seriously twisted.”
“Takes one to know one.”
Amid the banter, Alexei ended up staying.
Watching Natasha, who looked fierce but only gave him a harmless, kitten–like kick before storming off to her room for a nap, Alexei smirked.
Showing mercy to a demon? That was just asking them to push their luck.
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7:38 pm
Chapter 14
*****
55 vouchers
While Natasha and her patient were sound asleep in her tiny apartment with the curtains tightly drawn, the outside world was in an uproar because of them.
The incident of beating up Olivia hadn’t even been settled yet, and in just one night, Natasha dropped another bombshell.
Thankfully, years of dealing with her antics had built up some resilience; otherwise, Andrew might’ve needed even a trip to the ER.
He just couldn’t understand how the sweet, adorable little girl from back then had turned into such a headache. Even during her silent, withdrawn phase, she was easier to handle than this rebellious, defiant version.
Was she really that determined to make life hard for Olivia? But weren’t we just trying to atone for her mistakes? Otherwise, how bad would the rumors get?‘ he thought to himself.
With a dark expression, Andrew ordered Thomas, “We have to teach her a lesson this time. Freeze all her cards–cut off her money. Let’s see how she keeps causing trouble without cash.”
Then, remembering Olivia still lying in the hospital bed, he added, “Olivia’s suffered enough this time. Once she recovers, arrange a proper global dance tour for her. And give more funding to her dance troupe.”
“Got it,” Thomas replied, equally annoyed.
Natasha’s messes always ended up in his lap. Today, he’d have to make a trip to Scrushire to clean up the aftermath.
The old mansion was burned down, and he worried about how Olivia’s health might be affected.
He called his assistant. “Cut off all of Natasha’s cards. Not a single cent for the next six months. And find me some top doctors abroad–get them here to give Olivia a proper rehab program. How’s she still this fragile after years of treatment?”
The assistant blinked. “Sir?”
‘Cut off her cards? But hasn’t her account been frozen since she moved out five years ago? What card?‘ he wondered.
At that time, Thomas got busy with the company stuff, and everyone in the Clark family just assumed someone else would secretly support Natasha. Olivia even said she gave her sister a few million.
As time went on, Thomas totally forgot about unblocking the card. He thought all these years, even though Natasha was always causing drama at home, she was still getting money like usual. So he looked down on her rebellious attitude even more.
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Chapter 14
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All these years, Natasha never once crawled back for money. But since Thomas clearly didn’t give a damn, the assistant sure as hell wasn’t gonna remind him to fund her.
Plus, cutting off Natasha’s card every other day was basically standard practice in the Clark family.
Sick of the same old tired tactics, the assistant filed it away without a second thought.
As for Olivia, even though he thought being able to run, move, and dance didn’t exactly count as frail, since Thomas was worried about her, he had to do his job and call up some doctors.
Thinking about how the young lady could pull off big jumps on stage but ended up in the hospital every other day offstage, he decided to line up a few extra docs.
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