CHAPTER 51: CHAPTER 51: NATALIE VAUGHN IS FOLLOWED

The weather in Astra City changes too quickly. Previously, just a thin long shirt was needed, but now wearing a sweater barely wards off the chill.

The sky suddenly turned cold.

During this period, Natalie Vaughn has been familiarizing herself with the script, while also learning from acting and martial arts teachers, leaving her utterly busy.

Fortunately, she had already discussed her graduation thesis with her tutor, so she doesn’t need to return to school at this time. She picked a day and completely moved into the apartment at Rivermark.

Phoebe Quinn heard that she’s preparing for a film and plans to accompany her for a few days.

Natalie put down the script, rubbed her temples, changed clothes, and prepared to go downstairs to the supermarket to buy groceries.

There has been so much going on lately that she hasn’t properly gathered with Phoebe and Aaron Channing.

The three of them aren’t particularly good cooks; the only thing they manage is preparing ingredients, setting up a pot, placing the hot pot base inside, and cooking a hot pot.

As soon as she opened the door, the wind rushed into her loose sweater. Natalie shivered and sneezed unexpectedly.

Even after getting caught in the rain and being on her period, she hadn’t fallen ill, but staying up late these past few days had worn her down.

Natalie went back inside to grab an extra coat before heading out the door.

The convenience of a high-end neighborhood lies in its accessibility to all necessities, with the supermarket offerings nearly equivalent to those of large mall outlets.

Feeling listless, Natalie lethargically loaded the items onto the shopping cart, following the list that Phoebe had written.

She purposely chose to shop when people weren’t off work yet. Since not many people lived in the community yet, the supermarket was quite empty.

Besides Natalie, there were only a few scattered individuals in such a large space.

Feeling increasingly cold, Natalie pulled her coat tighter and furrowed her brow, puzzled as to why so many things were needed just to eat a hot pot.

The wine Phoebe wanted was placed on a higher shelf, so Natalie let go of the cart, stood on tiptoe to reach it, but lost her balance and bumped into the wheels, causing the cart to slide away.

Seeing this, Natalie abandoned her effort to grab the wine and quickly chased after the cart.

The floor of the supermarket was so slippery that the cart slid quite a distance before finally stopping after bumping into someone.

Natalie’s gaze darkened, and she immediately approached.

"I’m sorry, are you alright?"

The person who was hit wore a baseball cap and a mask, dressed in a black trench coat, with a slender figure, looking tall and elegant. As she got closer, Natalie faintly heard a few coughs.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Oh no, did I hit a sick person?

"Sir, do you need me to take you to the hospital?"

Julian Sutton looked down at the worried girl in front of him and raised his hand to cover his mouth, coughing a few more times.

"I’m fine."

His hand was as thin as his body, so much so that Natalie almost thought the wind could blow the man in front of her away.

"Are you sure you’re okay?"

Natalie asked multiple times as Julian bent over, coughing.

"If you could... please help me get... some pomelo and pear syrup..."

The sentence was spoken haltingly, and just listening to his coughs was heart-wrenching.

Natalie promptly took down the jar and handed it to him.

As their hands touched, the man’s hand was startlingly cold. Natalie looked up and took a few more glances, only then noticing the man had pretty eyes.

They were typical phoenix eyes, narrow and slanted upwards at the corners, his eyes moist from coughing, like a living, breathing sick beauty.

Julian nodded in thanks and turned to leave.

He was so tall and so thin.

Natalie thought, if such a man lived in ancient times, he would surely be an exquisitely beautiful recluse amidst a peach orchard.

Such a small episode wasn’t something Natalie dwelled on, and she continued selecting ingredients. By the time all the shopping was done, nearly two hours had passed.

It was almost dark.

Natalie pushed the small cart she brought along back home, while calling Phoebe.

The call was quickly answered.

"Nina, I just met with Aaron Channing, and we’re heading to your place now."

Natalie’s brows furrowed.

"You guys are too slow."

"It’s not my fault; Aaron had a patient come to him, which took a while. Have you finished shopping?"

"Yes, it took me two hours, you’re quite the chooser."

Natalie pushed the cart with one hand and talked on the phone with the other, feeling somewhat at ease.

As she reached a corner, Natalie stopped, adjusted her coat against the wind, and casually glanced at the glass across from her.

Her gaze paused, and Natalie brought the phone in front of her, pretending to check messages, taking a picture of the figure reflected in the glass, then sending the photo to James Vaughn.

She had noticed this person in the supermarket, following her but keeping a certain distance, not getting too close.

"Yana,"

Natalie maintained her composure with a flat tone.

"Someone’s playing a game of cat and mouse with me."

"What?"

Phoebe was taken aback.

Natalie lifted her eyes to observe the hidden figure behind her, chuckling lightly.

"This cat is too dumb."

Phoebe caught on.

The cat and mouse trope was a game they played as kids. Back then, the world was noticeably chaotic, with frequent kidnappings orchestrated by family rivals.

Natalie and Phoebe were clever from a young age, once teaming up to fool a group of kidnappers.

"Any idea who it is?"

"Not sure."

Phoebe’s heart skipped, sensing a foreboding feeling.

"Nina, don’t act rashly, wait for us to arrive."

There hadn’t been any kidnappings for years, so why was there suddenly someone following her?

Phoebe had no clue, while Aaron Channing, who overheard the entire conversation, immediately hit the gas.

Natalie lowered her head, her right foot kicking at the small stones on the ground absentmindedly.

This neighborhood wasn’t heavily populated, mostly wealthy individuals who purchased homes just to keep them vacant. The greenery was still small, making it easy to notice someone tailing her.

Natalie mulled over it, unable to figure out which fool had been sent this time.

She started leisurely pushing the cart again, not heading straight home but circling the neighborhood.

Finding a relatively open spot, Natalie stopped.

The call wasn’t disconnected.

She turned to focus on a specific shrub.

"Come out."

Her expression was calm, gazing slightly downward, and her tone carried a touch of impatience due to recent fatigue.

There was no movement from the other party, so Natalie casually adjusted her hair and asked.

"Do I have to drag you out?"

There was a rustling sound from behind a not-so-big tree, and a somewhat familiar man stepped out.

Natalie squinted her eyes, thinking for a moment before remembering the man in front of her as the thief caught in the mall with Damian Quinn that day.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Released so quickly?"

Logically, he should have stayed detained for about fifteen days after stealing items worth tens of thousands of dollars.

It had only been a week.

The man glared viciously at Natalie, stepping closer and spewing foul words.

"Bitch, you won’t die well."

Natalie frowned, puzzling over why this man harbored such deep-seated hatred for her to the point of causing trouble right after being released from custody.

She then recalled how, on the day in the mall, the man had the same hatred in his eyes.

"What deep-seated grudge do I have with you?"

The man remained silent, suddenly taking a big step forward, his hand that had been tucked within his clothing pulled out.

Natalie’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He was holding a knife.