CHAPTER 2: CHAPTER 2: THE THORNE FAMILY’S UNRULY SON

When Natalie Vaughn deliberately softened her voice, it was warm and smooth like water, akin to a hidden stream in the mountains, gurgling with a hint of seduction.

The bartender couldn’t bear it, backed away with an exaggerated reaction, unable to remove his gloves in time, and pinched his tingling earlobe.

It turned out that the girl in front of him was looking for the boss.

With professional ethics, the bartender instantly became vigilant. He had seen all sorts of people in the bar, but it was the first time he encountered someone like Natalie Vaughn, who appeared pure and harmless on the surface but could silently captivate a person, perhaps with other intentions lurking beneath.

He knew he couldn’t afford to mess with someone like her.

So, he put on a polite smile.

"Sorry, we’re not privy to the boss’s whereabouts."

Upon hearing this, Natalie Vaughn knew she couldn’t get any information from him. She wasn’t discouraged; instead, she found it interesting.

Zane Thorne...

Natalie sipped her drink and remembered.

Wasn’t Zane Thorne the person who was rumored about a few years ago? The rebellious son of the Thorne Family who raced cars like he was playing with his life. In this circle, there were plenty who indulged in the pleasures of the world, but few played with life-threatening things like this.

With this thought, Natalie raised her eyebrows.

Why would a rebellious racecar driver suddenly retire at the peak of his career? Could someone like that really be arranged for a blind date by his family?

She took another sip of her drink; the taste was indeed good. Natalie thought, running a bar as a racecar driver was truly different; not only was the bar unique, but even the people inside were trained to be so obedient.

Natalie knew her own drinking capacity and didn’t indulge. She rested her chin on her hand and slowly began to observe.

The second floor was for private rooms. Natalie moved to a position with a better view, observing carefully.

There were a total of four private rooms, and the windows of the other three were tightly closed, except for one that was completely open. Natalie’s vision was excellent, and she could even see the smoke swirling inside.

She didn’t like the smell of smoke, and just as she was about to look away, she saw a hand resting by the window of that room, holding a lit cigarette between the fingers.

For some reason, Natalie looked several more times.

Her position, though not as good as the private rooms, was still the best spot on the first floor. She tilted her head up, squinting slightly.

In the dim light, the hand with smoky curls around it was large, and she seemed to see the bulging veins on the back of the hand. Obvious veins, like a dragon lurking in the deep sea, exuded power and domination, sexy yet dangerous.

The cigarette was almost burned to the end, yet the person made no move.

Natalie thought, smoking and drinking were probably ways many people used to relieve worry. She didn’t look much longer, but the moment she lowered her head, she felt as if being watched.

Vaguely, Natalie felt this strange sensation came from the private room she had stared at for so long. Right, she had looked for so long, it wouldn’t be surprising if those inside had noticed.

Natalie didn’t look up again, but the image of that hand surfaced in her mind once more.

She wondered if the cigarette eventually burned the person.

Today, Natalie came with a sense of luck; even James Vaughn could only find a few pages of information on Zane Thorne. If she were to investigate, she’d likely find nothing. It didn’t matter if she couldn’t meet the person, but she had to do something.

Thus, whenever there was a chance, Natalie asked the waitstaff about Zane Thorne’s whereabouts, almost asking everyone within half an hour.

As expected, she found out nothing.

But Natalie didn’t care. Given how tight-lipped these people were, the matter would surely reach Zane Thorne’s ears, and that’s exactly the effect she wanted.

She was waiting for Zane Thorne to come find her.

However, Natalie didn’t wait for Zane Thorne, but instead, some men with restless intentions.

Natalie wore a little white dress, always with a faint smile on her face, sometimes sitting properly, and sometimes playfully crossing her legs, like a little white rabbit straying here.

Alcohol, lighting, coupled with the men’s so-called protective instincts, most of the men’s gazes had been on Natalie for a long time. The bold one finally approached, holding a glass of wine.

"Miss, can I buy you a drink?"

Natalie swirled the wine in her goblet, its beautiful color dazzling.

Though a smile lingered on her lips, her eyes were filled with endless indifference.

The man in front had a cautious look in his eyes, unique to deceiving a little white rabbit, along with a pityfulness fueled by men’s innate wickedness.

Natalie had seen it many times and just found it dull.

"Sorry."

Rejecting one, there would be more. Each arrogantly believed that their tactics were sufficient to deal with a well-behaved girl like Natalie. When someone tried to make a move, Natalie’s face turned cold, and she directly splashed the wine from her glass onto that person’s face.

In an instant, the area erupted into a commotion. The man, losing face because of Natalie, naturally wasn’t going to let it go.

But Natalie, far from being intimidated by the man, lifted her chin, full of pride.

"Touch me again, and I’ll cripple your hand."

Provoked, the man raised his hand, angry and embarrassed, genuinely intending to hit a woman in front of everyone.

Natalie wasn’t afraid, still appearing confident and proud. She had complete confidence in herself, ensuring her safety.

There was no need for Natalie to take action; bar security had already come over to restrain the man and escort him out.

After such a scene, those men coveting Natalie realized that the little white rabbit in front wasn’t a true little white rabbit.

Upstairs, in the completely open-windowed private room, Dean Dempsey watched the events downstairs with a smile, saying to the man sitting on the sofa.

"Mr. Thorne, that young lady is quite interesting. I heard she’s here today to find you, aren’t you going to meet her?"

In the darkness, Zane Thorne squinted at the girl in the white dress on the first floor through the smoke, recalling the photo his mother had shown him.

Quiet, sensible, well-behaved, gentle.

These adjectives his mom used had little to do with the girl downstairs with her leg crossed, sipping drink after drink.

Zane Thorne retracted his hand, poured himself a drink, and remained silent.

Dean Dempsey didn’t say more, but it was the first time he saw a woman come to find Mr. Thorne at the bar, his gaze couldn’t help but land on Natalie Vaughn.

...

Natalie Vaughn enjoyed drinking occasionally, but only when accompanied by friends; sitting dumbly alone in a bar for so long was a first for her. The more she thought about it, the more boring it felt.

Could Zane Thorne really not be here today?

By this time, she was too lazy to return to school, so she took out her phone, called, and waited for Phoebe Quinn to pick her up.

Phoebe Quinn was swift; Natalie didn’t wait long before receiving a call.

"Nina, I’ll be there in ten minutes."

Natalie hung up, finished her last sip of wine, and got up to leave.

For some reason, she suddenly looked up at the second floor, noticing that the hand was still resting by the window, but the cigarette was no longer there.

Natalie tapped her chin lightly, contemplative, intending to go upstairs, only for a waiter to stop her.

"Miss, the upstairs private rooms are full."

Natalie raised an eyebrow and pointed to the completely open-windowed room.

"I’m looking for your boss."

The waiter froze for a moment. He hadn’t mentioned that the boss was in that room, so how did this lady know? Great, the boss deliberately stayed concealed; would he be blamed now?

"Miss... the boss isn’t here today."

Seeing his reaction, Natalie snorted coldly. She had only wanted to bluff out of curiosity and hadn’t expected to actually find out.

So, Zane Thorne was really in the bar today, hiding upstairs and watching the scene unfold?