Chapter 1776 Ashton And Joseph
A chill ran down my spine, and I abruptly recalled Nathaniel messaging someone when I went into the car a few hours ago.
Now that I thought about it, I realized that he had planned for everything. Bringing me to the factory for a tour was a lie, and having Ashton intervene in the business was a lie too. He wanted to use this opportunity to make me see Ashton hurt for his choice.
So that was what he meant when he said that everyone had to pay the price for their choice.
His words were not only directed to the people on the island but also to me.
I was foolish enough to presume that Nathaniel would stick to the rules and protect the man I love; I was foolish to assume that Nathaniel would be too preoccupied with the game to care about Ashton. As it turned out, I had underestimated how cruel he could be.
He wanted to play the game, but he also wanted to kill Ashton.
What do I do now?
My hands shook. Before I could think of anything, I slapped Nathaniel.
Smack!
At that very moment, the world fell silent.
One observant employee who witnessed the scene dropped his jaw and nearly made a mistake in his work. Despite recollecting himself, he could not wipe away the look of shock on his face.
No one thought that their god—Nathaniel Hall—would be treated in that way.
Nathaniel’s face was turned to the side by the force of the slap, and he did not turn his head back as he went still for a moment.
When the numbness of my palm traveled up my arm, I finally sobered up a little.
Oddly enough, the most genuine reaction was my only way of getting away with things when I was around Nathaniel.
I nervously gulped before shooting him a glare. “You deserved this.”
It was then Nathaniel came back to his senses and turned to me. As he grimly stared at me, he cracked his stiff neck.
If I were to let my fear appear on my face at that moment, I would lose. Thus, I gritted my teeth and steeled myself for what I was going to say next. “The game is over. I’m not going to play this anymore. It’s a waste of my time to play a game with someone like you—someone who has no principles and won’t even stick to the rules.”
“When have I not stuck to the rules? I promised that I would leave Ashton alive. Is he not alive right now?” Nathaniel narrowed his eyes as he studied me. “So can I assume that you’ve made a mistake slapping me?”
For a moment, I was so taken aback by his words that no words formed in my head.
However, Nathaniel did not urge me for a quick reply. Instead, he abruptly reached out his hand to grab my chin.
He then leaned his face closer to mine. For a second, I thought his breath was as cold as he was. “Since you’ve done that, you’ll have to endure the punishment. Now, coax me in front of everyone else.”
I thrashed, but that only made him tighten his grip on me. A pang of pain shot up into the top of my skull, and I was forced to relent and mutter, “What do you want?”
“It’s simple.” Nathaniel smiled. “Kiss me. Hug me.”
I frowned when I heard that before silently letting my eyes flick toward Ashton.
At that, Nathaniel tightened his grip and used pain to force me to pay attention to him. “I’ve fulfilled many of your requests, and you should do the same. You shouldn’t reject me. Otherwise, I’ll have to use another way to resolve this misunderstanding.”
With that said, he turned to grin at Ashton and Joseph with a homicidal look in his eyes.
It was right then I realized what kind of situation Ashton was trapped in. He would sacrifice everything to save the one he loved, and so would I.
“Okay.” I dropped my arms and let them hang beside me before closing my eyes. After a heavy sigh, I continued, “I’ll do as you say, so let go of me.”
Instantly, Nathaniel released his grip on me and started caressing me gently instead. “I love the way you are right now.”
What way? The way I’m forced to submit to him even though I feel nothing but hatred? The way I have to let him order me around as if I’m his maid? Forget it. I can’t always have the upper hand in this. That’ll only raise his suspicion.
“Let’s start then.” Nathaniel patted my cheeks before retracting his hand. He then hunched over and waited to receive his reward from me.
