CHAPTER 10: CHAPTER 10: HER HAND HASN’T FULLY HEALED YET

After the meal, the two ladies left together, leaving Zane Thorne and Natalie Vaughn alone.

Before leaving, Mrs. Thorne specifically reminded Zane.

"Get along well with Nina, take her around, and cultivate some feelings."

After speaking, she held Natalie’s hand.

"Nina, Zane is a bit rough around the edges. Just feel free to order him around if you need anything."

Hearing this, Natalie raised an eyebrow and looked at Zane standing by her side. It was rare to see a hint of helplessness on his face; it seemed like he was under family pressure too.

Natalie responded sweetly.

"Don’t worry, Mrs. Thorne, I won’t be too hard on him."

This made Mrs. Thorne burst into laughter, and even Mrs. Vaughn chuckled, tapping Natalie on the nose.

"Don’t be too naughty. I’ll allow you to come back a bit later tonight, but don’t stay away for days; your dad misses you."

Natalie wrinkled her nose, knowing full well that her dad must be missing her since she hadn’t returned for a few days. But she did it on purpose, still annoyed by the sudden arrangement for a blind date by her family.

After seeing the ladies off, the smile on Natalie’s face faded away, nowhere near as obedient as before?

Zane wasn’t surprised at all.

"You put on quite a show."

At least at the dining table, the words obedient and sensible definitely suited her.

Natalie suddenly understood why Zane spoke so little; too much talk could be annoying.

"You could say less."

Almost as if telling him to shut his mouth if he couldn’t speak well.

Zane found such a lively Natalie more interesting; obedient as she was, it wasn’t as dynamic and amusing as now.

"Where do you want to go?"

Zane had cleared his schedule for the day, and since there was still an afternoon, he couldn’t just send Natalie back home now; otherwise, he couldn’t face his family.

Natalie raised her eyebrows slightly and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I want to go to your bar."

Hearing this, Zane looked down at Natalie’s eyes, and she didn’t shy away or hide her little thoughts. Zane chuckled; nothing more than holding a grudge because he didn’t show up that night.

"The bar only opens in the evening. Pick another place."

Natalie shrugged.

"Then you choose."

The restaurant was in the mall, making it easy to leave. Seeing her favorite brand’s new arrivals on display, Natalie went in directly without caring about the man beside her.

Clearly, Natalie was a valued customer, and the sales assistant immediately gave her full attention.

Zane didn’t follow her in and just stood outside. He couldn’t figure out what Natalie was thinking now, but it was his first time accompanying someone shopping for clothes.

The thing men are least skilled at is waiting. After only a minute, he began to feel a bit restless.

His urge to smoke kicked in.

Zane instinctively reached into his pocket but realized there was no way to light up here, furrowing his brows.

Natalie had already changed her outfit.

A black casual shirt paired with brown wide-legged shorts and shiny black lace-up ankle boots. She had undone two buttons, revealing her delicate collarbones and worn a simple silver necklace. She tucked one shirt corner into her shorts and rolled up the sleeves casually.

She had taken off the pearl hair accessory, letting her slightly wavy hair drape over her shoulders, showing off her long neck.

This ensemble was sharp and chic.

Zane glanced with some impatience, but after seeing Natalie’s outfit, his gaze lingered.

While her previous obedient style was beautiful, it felt like something was missing. The current straightforwardness, complemented by the bright red lips, was simple, stylish, and dashing.

Zane thought this was the real Natalie.

Those captivating eyes now intentionally showing indifference added some distance, yet the alluring corners of her eyes hinted at seduction.

The contradictory blend of emotions created an inexplicable allure.

Zane couldn’t help but fix his gaze on Natalie’s eyes for a moment.

Without the long dress, Natalie felt much lighter. This was the style she was comfortable in. She walked up to Zane, meeting his examining eyes.

"How do I look?"

Her brows raised boldly and directly.

Zane’s gaze shifted downward, landing on Natalie’s knee, which still had bandages.

Yet Natalie’s open display, confident and flamboyant, turned the original wound into a fashionable detail.

Zane didn’t understand much about fashion; he just knew that Natalie looked great like this.

However, seeing the confidence on the corners of Natalie’s eyes, Zane didn’t let her self-assurance run wild, just giving an appropriate comment.

"Not bad."

Hearing this evaluation, Natalie’s confidence remained unscathed; she trusted her own taste, only attributing it to Zane’s lack of appreciation.

Natalie obediently handed over the bag containing her original dress to Zane, as Mrs. Thorne had instructed her to feel free to order him around.

Zane glanced at her, lowering his eyes, as Natalie curved her eyes into a smile.

"Holding a bag shouldn’t be difficult, right?"

Indeed, it wasn’t hard, but for some reason, Zane felt that if he spoiled her this time, she’d be even bolder in the future.

Zane pondered this while unconsciously squeezing his left wrist with his right hand.

Seeing this motion, Natalie took a step back.

"If you don’t want to hold it, don’t. Just don’t think of using force."

Zane was momentarily stunned, looking down at himself, slipping his right hand into his pocket before lifting his gaze to Natalie.

Natalie didn’t seem genuinely afraid; she was just giving both Zane and herself a way out.

Her arrogance was genuine, and her occasional boldness, too. But it depended on the person in front of her; she was just acting on a whim earlier.

Zane watched the young lady straighten her back and stride forward, a smile tugging at his lips as he leisurely followed behind.

This time, Zane opened the car door for Natalie.

Natalie was a bit surprised, glancing at him, and Zane, feeling she was dragging things out, grabbed the bag from her hand and tossed it into the back seat, urging her to get in quickly with his eyes.

Suddenly, Natalie’s mood lifted. She bent down, got in the car, and adeptly fastened her seatbelt. When Zane got in, she eagerly asked.

"Where are we going for fun?"

She had changed her clothes specifically for the afternoon convenience. She believed Zane’s choice of entertainment would be interesting.

Zane stared at the smile on Natalie’s face, not clarifying but instead driving off.

The car eventually stopped at a shooting club.

As a child, Natalie had only gone shooting once with James Vaughn. That time, she mishandled it and injured her hand, which resulted in James getting severely scolded by Mr. Vaughn, and Natalie was forbidden from playing with such things again.

Natalie no longer remembered the sensation of shooting, but looking at the club’s decor reignited some interest.

Besides professional archery, the club also offered various competitive firearms and world-famous guns.

Zane was a regular and was greeted by the manager himself.

"Mr. Thorne, glad to see you. What would you like to try today?"

Zane replied, then turned around. Natalie was already dazzled by the sights, her eyes sparkling. Seeing this, Zane let out a soft laugh.

The manager was quick-witted, immediately approaching Natalie.

"Miss, what would you like to try?"

With that, he began to introduce the options to Natalie.

Zane sat down and handed a bottle of water to Natalie.

"Her hand is not fully healed yet, so choose something a bit lighter."