CHAPTER 14: CHAPTER 14: THE MAN PINCHED HER ARM

Natalie Vaughn’s hand wasn’t seriously injured, but a band-aid wouldn’t suffice anymore, so Quentin Donovan simply wrapped her hand in gauze.

Throughout the process, Quentin Donovan muttered to himself. Even the manager beside him felt the wound looked a bit scary, and even Zane Thorne frowned at the sight of the blood on her palm.

Only Natalie Vaughn seemed unfazed.

Zane Thorne watched her calm reaction, remembering that night in the bar when she directly splashed a drink in a man’s face. Alone, facing a group, she was this bold, without a trace of fear.

Fighting must not be anything new to her.

However, on Natalie Vaughn’s hand, the wound looked somewhat ’shocking’. Everyone thought Natalie must be in great pain, and Quentin glanced at the bloodstained cotton ball.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, don’t you feel any pain?"

Your hand’s torn up like this.

Natalie Vaughn’s eyes moved slightly, and she raised her hand, carefully observing the gauze Quentin had wrapped around it.

"Not as nice as Aaron Channing’s wrapping."

Quentin Donovan:...

"Then take it off yourself; I’m only doing it for your parents’ sake."

With that, he really reached to pull off Natalie Vaughn’s bandage, threatening to undo it. But his dramatic act didn’t scare Natalie Vaughn; she allowed Quentin Donovan’s actions, leaving him in a dilemma of whether to take it off or not.

Zane Thorne saw he was being too rough, constantly tugging on Natalie Vaughn’s arm, frowned, and kicked Quentin Donovan.

"Are we competing or not?"

Quentin Donovan took the opportunity to stop, releasing Natalie Vaughn’s hand.

"Of course we’re competing. Nina, who do you think will win between the two of us?"

Hearing this, Natalie Vaughn curiously looked at Quentin Donovan.

"Are you any good?"

At this, Quentin Donovan’s face went dark.

"You don’t believe me? I own this club, and you dare question the owner’s skills???"

Natalie Vaughn shrugged.

"Isn’t it enough for an owner to just have money?"

Natalie didn’t actually think Quentin Donovan was incapable. On the contrary, given his attire and past conduct, archery was indeed something he seemed capable of. It’s just that Zane Thorne’s earlier performance was too impressive, casually shooting a few arrows with such precision...

What would happen if it were a serious competition?

Quentin Donovan, fueled by Natalie’s words, felt a sense of competitiveness ignite within him. Rolling up his sleeves, he had the manager bring out his exclusive equipment, then provocatively looked at Zane Thorne.

"So, what’s the wager?"

Zane Thorne’s eyes brimmed with interest.

"What are we betting?"

Quentin Donovan made an audacious demand.

"I want your new car."

Zane Thorne agreed without hesitation.

"I don’t want much, just 5% of the shares here."

Quentin Donovan:...

Back when setting up this club, he asked Zane if he wanted to invest, and Zane rejected him outright. Quentin had thought Zane didn’t have faith in the venture; turns out he was waiting for this.

"Wow, you’ve got quite the appetite."

Zane Thorne raised an eyebrow.

"Scared?"

Quentin Donovan was provoked into a fury.

"Scared of nothing."

With that, he put on his protective gear and asked Natalie Vaughn again.

"Nina, who are you betting on to win?"

His eyes were unusually earnest, filled with hope. Natalie studied him for quite a while, and just when Quentin thought he had swayed her, Natalie raised her hand, pointing at Zane Thorne.

Quentin Donovan:...

Zane Thorne’s expression didn’t change much, but there was indeed a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Seeing Quentin Donovan’s wounded expression, Natalie couldn’t hold back her laughter.

"Go for it, Tanna!"

’Tanna’ was Quentin Donovan’s nickname, originating from his habit of always having a lollipop in his mouth.

Quentin Donovan was particularly dissatisfied with this nickname, crouching to ruffle Natalie’s hair until it was a tangled mess, finally feeling somewhat appeased.

Natalie Vaughn:....

"Second Master Donovan, go to hell."

Quentin Donovan curled his lips into a smile, suddenly much happier.

Zane Thorne watched the interaction from the side. Knowing Quentin Donovan for over a decade, it was a first seeing him this tolerant with a girl. He wasn’t mistaken; despite Natalie not being very polite, Quentin’s face and eyes were filled with fondness.

Zane squinted slightly, unable to resist assessing her for a bit longer.

Quentin Donovan noticed, paused for a moment, then smiled broadly.

"James Vaughn must be lucky to have such a sister."

Quentin Donovan had been tightly controlled by his brother growing up, always wanting a sister to experience being a big brother. That’s why he often visited the Vaughn Family when young, always looking at the little child following James Vaughn with nothing but envy. But unfortunately, Natalie had always ignored him.

Hearing this, Zane Thorne’s brow arched slightly.

He understood Quentin Donovan’s meaning.

Without further words, they moved to their positions. The coach took on the role of referee, solemnly holding a whistle.

Ten arrows each in total.

Both scored a ten-ring with each shot.

Natalie watched from the side, genuinely surprised. She hadn’t expected Quentin Donovan and Zane Thorne to be so evenly matched. It seems their carefree images had deeply ingrained themselves, making people overlook their serious capabilities.

In the end, they tied.

Quentin Donovan excitedly bragged in front of Natalie.

"Nina, you bet on the wrong person."

Natalie was the type who, once convinced, never hesitated to offer her recognition and admiration.

"Didn’t expect you to have such skills."

But....

Natalie looked up at Zane standing beside her, feeling like he hadn’t shown his full potential.

Quentin, satisfied, magnanimously offered the 5% share to Zane, and naturally, Zane’s new car to him as well.

Zane had come to let Natalie experience it, but with her hand injured, she couldn’t continue. After this match, they didn’t plan to carry on.

Seeing Natalie a bit dissatisfied, Zane rarely initiated a suggestion.

"If you want to play, come back when your hand heals."

Natalie’s eyes curved, with a light smile hanging on her lips.

"Will you still teach me?"

Zane was momentarily taken aback. Knowing Natalie’s learning ability, she’d already grasped most of it earlier, so what was left to teach?

Natalie raised her eyebrows.

"I also want to score ten-rings with each shot."

But more so, she wanted to see Zane’s stern face while having to teach her.

Tsk, an impartial coach, just the thought of it excited her.

Zane glanced at Natalie’s hand. For a newbie in archery, more than half an hour of continuous activity was already a significant burden on the arm. Natalie might not feel it now, but delayed muscle soreness would surely catch up with her.

Thinking about it, the man suddenly pinched her arm.

Natalie Vaughn: ???????

"What’s up?"

Seeing the surprise in Natalie’s eyes, Zane realized what he had done, frowned as if he couldn’t understand his own actions, and withdrew his hand, standing up to avoid meeting her gaze.