Their Villain, The Mogul's Beloved

Chapter 12

When the chaos finally settled, night still pressed down hard.

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A policewoman, worried Natasha might crack, offered to take her to the hotel, only to be shooed away with a “I just want to be alone.”

Natasha stood frozen before the rubble heap, minutes bleeding out, before finally dragging a leg gone pins and needles.

At her car, just as her fingers brushed the door handle, a rustle in the weeds alarmed her.

Calmly, she popped the door, grabbed the pocket knife from the glovebox, and slow–stepped toward the shadows.

Parting the overgrown weeds, she froze. Under a sky speckled raw with stars, a man lay sprawled— all sharp edges and icy stillness. Even flat on his back, she could tell he towered. Looming frame, stupidly perfect build.

His eyes—the kind that’d pull one in and swallow one whole–were shut tight. Blood, now dried and cracked, streaked across his face. Made those already cut–glass features look carved from Arctic stone–detached, refusing to soften.

Most importantly, Natasha knew this man.

She nudged the unconscious man with her toe. “Tsk. Who’s this poor little stray?” She drank in the blood–streaked, broken beauty for precisely three heartbeats before spurning on her heel and walking away.

But halfway through her turn, bone–white fingers snaked out and locked around her ankle–cold as grave dirt.

The man had opened his eyes sometime ago, staring at her in amazement with his deep eyes. “To treat your savior so cruelly? Miss Clark is really heartless.”

‘Don’t all girls have soft hearts and strong morals?‘ he wondered.

Natasha wasn’t surprised that he knew her name. When the police chief scrambled out, sweating bullets, to greet him that day, she knew this guy wasn’t just anyone.

So what?

She snorted. “Every damn crime show screams it: Never pick up stray men on the roadside. And hey, Mr. Savior–has nobody told you you’re giving off major fugitive killer vibes right now?”

‘Seriously, what kind of saint bleeds out in a weed pile at midnight?‘ she said inwardly.

Alexei, who’d personally dumped two men into wolf dens tonight, let out a dark chuckle. “Damn

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Chapter 12

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right I am. But since when did a killer and an arsonist not make a match made in hell?”

His eyes pinned Natasha’s suddenly stormy face. Though flat on the ground, being looked down upon, he had an air of superiority that could see through people’s hearts.

though she was fuming, Natasha still

casually tossed the guy who had intentionally draped his arm over her

gentle

you really not going to the hospital?” she

need. Someone will

severe–looking wounds, hesitating whether to say

me?” Alexei’s brow arched, mockery dancing in his

Just don’t need you bleeding out on my property, terrible

do kick the bucket, my

live ass outta here?” Natasha practically had “Get out, now!” flashing neon on her face, her nose scrunched, lips pressed

into a smile. “No, because I need to give

Natasha’s face fell.

break to catch his breath, he pushed through the pain and casually scoped the whole apartment–leaning on walls, testing locks,

at the phantom pain–yet

he surveyed the apartment?

it out

in knowing more about him; she just wanted this

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Chapter 12

enough; she didn’t

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finished spinning around and collapsed onto the rug in front of the sofa, dizzy and exhausted, Natasha was already in the

many things happened

the only thing she felt when she got back to

on the table. Only then did she dawdle over to take a look at the guy

passed out from losing so much blood, but he stayed alert and kept an eye on his surroundings,

really committed a crime, or someone was after him for

heir,

bother bending down, kicking

safe environment, Natasha had changed

legs swayed a little, and

she tried stepping on his chest with her smooth red–painted toes

still beating

stepped harder on

to do this to him ever since back in the car, when he was scaring her with all the terrifying punishments his

back at him.

hand

let out

revealed a hint of guilt mixed with forced

and no patient could

wake up soon, her foot might end up on

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