CHAPTER 52: CHAPTER 52: NATALIE VAUGHN DOESN’T SEEM LIKE SOMEONE WHO’S BEEN KIDNAPPED

The man’s path was too obvious, allowing Natalie Vaughn to effortlessly sidestep his attack. As she did, she casually tied the belt of her trench coat into a knot behind her back.

When she fights, large items can restrict her moves.

The man’s eyes were wide with rage as he swung the knife wildly in the air without any form.

"You’ll die a horrible death! It’s all your fault! You’ve ruined our lives!"

He roared while lunging fiercely at Natalie.

Natalie’s brows knitted tightly; she couldn’t quite comprehend what he meant by saying she ruined his life.

The man had clearly lost his mind, with eyes full of angry red and a chaotic mix of emotions.

It wasn’t hard for Natalie to dodge his attack.

She swiftly raised her leg, kicking the man’s wrist holding the knife. Seizing the moment of his pain, she quickly stepped forward to pin his hand behind his back with force.

"Who the hell are you?"

The man’s face twisted in pain as he spat at Natalie. This time, she caught on quickly and dodged completely, increasing the pressure on his hand, showing clear disdain.

"Don’t talk? Then I’ll have you locked up for a few more days."

The security in this neighborhood was good, and with the man’s recent shouting, it wouldn’t take long for someone to come.

Suddenly, the man held down by Natalie looked up with a strange smile. Her intuition kicked in, and she glanced back just in time to see a fast-approaching, blurry figure.

Natalie subconsciously held her breath and raised her hand to defend, but the person was too fast, managing to touch Natalie with something.

The cloth covering her nose was thoroughly soaked with some unknown amount of drug, and even though Natalie reacted quickly, inhaling only a tiny bit, her mind was already becoming muddled.

Her grip weakened significantly, allowing the man pinned to the ground to break free. While Natalie still had a bit of consciousness, he delivered a hand chop to her neck.

She passed out completely.

The man chuckled sinisterly.

"So what if you’re skilled? Didn’t I still get you in the end?"

On the other end of the phone, Phoebe Quinn had the speaker on, paying attention to the commotion. When she couldn’t hear Natalie’s voice anymore, panic completely took over.

By the time the others arrived, the neighborhood’s security and staff had already called the police and were checking the surveillance footage.

Phoebe’s hands were shaking as she watched the footage, only managing to stay upright with Aaron Channing’s support.

"I think I’ve seen that guy before."

Phoebe stared at the figure in the surveillance footage, trying hard to remember, but it only felt familiar without any concrete memory.

Until James Vaughn arrived and saw the pictures Natalie had sent him on his phone.

"I ran into him with Nina at the mall before. He was stealing, and we caught him on the spot."

Saying this, Phoebe immediately took out her phone and called Damian Quinn.

James watched the surveillance footage with a grim expression, saying nothing the entire time.

Those two men clearly came prepared, knowing Natalie was skilled in karate, thus resorting to such a deplorable method.

When Damian arrived, James had already sent people to track the vehicle, but because it was rush hour, there was no trace. They could only rely on Damian’s contacts at the traffic bureau to track it through surveillance.

"The guy’s named Shawn Lowe. Last time, he was detained for seven days for theft."

"What’s his relationship with Natalie?"

James appeared calm, but his voice was tight, and a low-pressure aura hung around his brows.

Phoebe’s eyes trembled slightly.

"Could it be because Nina caught him?"

James scoffed, clearly not buying such an absurd claim. Just because Natalie assisted in catching him, he went to the lengths of stalking and even recruited an accomplice with drugs?

It obviously didn’t make sense.

"Shawn Lowe has a girlfriend who was an internet celebrity. Last time he stole the bag, it was for her."

"Was?"

James frowned, keenly aware of Damian’s wording.

"Seems like she offended someone a while back and got blacklisted."

James’s expression darkened as he pulled out his phone to call Felix Langdon, confirming that Shawn’s girlfriend was indeed one of those blacklisted due to an internet incident involving Natalie at a bar fight.

Felix’s methods were ruthless, often pushing people to the brink.

No wonder they wanted revenge.

Felix, upon hearing this news, immediately dropped what he was doing and rushed over, calling Zane Thorne all the way.

...

Natalie woke up in a vast, pitch-black room.

The room had no windows, only a door for entry and exit. The lights were off, with the only brightness coming from the light slipping in through the crack of the neighboring door.

When Natalie attempted to lift her hand to rub her throbbing temple, she realized her hands and feet were bound by something.

Within a short moment, Natalie had recalled everything.

Her eyebrows knit slightly, still not understanding the deep hatred the man held against her.

The room was too dark, and there was nothing she could do, so she leaned back in the chair, closing her eyes to ease the pounding headache from the cold, showing no sign of being kidnapped at all.

About five minutes later, the door opened, and someone turned on the light in the room, prompting Natalie to shut her eyes tightly from the sudden brightness.

"Oh, you’re awake?"

Natalie opened her eyes, staring icily at the man before her.

No fear, no dread, just a calm and indifferent gaze fixed on him.

Shawn Lowe snorted coldly.

"Let’s see if you can remain this calm later."

Natalie shifted her hands behind her, feeling the tightness of the bindings and tried wiggling them a bit, but the fiery pain at her wrists stopped her.

"What do you want? Money? Or—"

Natalie paused, expression unchanged.

"My life."

Shawn couldn’t stand the way she maintained her calm, superior demeanor. She was the kidnapped one, but she wasn’t acting like it.

She should be angry, scared, begging for mercy.

So Shawn stepped forward, raising his hand and delivering a harsh slap.

Slap—

The sound echoed through the room.

Natalie’s head was snapped to the side from the slap, her cheek immediately swelling, the taste of blood in her mouth.

But she remained silent.

Shawn’s eyes were bloodshot with rage, raising his hand for another slap, hitting so hard his own palm hurt. Yet, Natalie still didn’t make a sound, even as her ear buzzed and blood trickled from her lip.

"You’ve got guts. I don’t want your filthy money, I want your dignity, to make your life worse than death, living in pain forever."

"You people with power don’t even glance at others, ruining lives at will. Your hearts are black, and your blood is cold."

"People like you value face and reputation the most, right?"

"I’m going to make you an object of public scorn."

Shawn roared, emotions stirred, chest heaving.

He pulled out the camera he had prepared, setting it up facing Natalie, even using a light directly on her face.

"Look at the camera? Aren’t you great at facing the camera?"

"What do you think your fans will think seeing you like this?"

Natalie pushed her tongue against her cheek, swallowing the blood in her mouth, gazing up at Shawn.

She had a rough idea of the grudge between her and this madman.

Thinking this, Natalie curled her lips, smiling.

Calm yet arrogant.

"If I had the power to blacklist you, how long do you think it would take for them to find me?"