The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus)

All she knew was that her heart was like a stormy sea, churning within her. Her palms were sweaty, and she had no idea what to say at this moment.

Hadn't she promised herself that she would leave him once Magnus stood up? Yet, why had he gifted her a house, even promising her a honeymoon? Was he being sincere? Did he truly not want Kendra, or the girl in the portrait, but only her, Natalia?

"I..." Natalia's gaze met Magnus', words stuck in her throat. Overwhelmed by a storm of emotions, she was unable to articulate her feelings.

She stared at Magnus, silently pledging to herself: if Magnus did not abandon her, she would never leave him. Their destinies were now inextricably intertwined.

Magnus chuckled at her expression, but just as he was about to say something, an ear-splitting noise erupted next to them. The French doors in their room were suddenly shattered by a sharp object, sending shards of glass flying in all directions.

"Watch out."

The sudden danger startled Natalia. Before she even had a chance to react, a strong arm wrapped around her waist. The next moment, she found herself securely nestled in Magnus' arms.

Instantly, he maneuvered his wheelchair, swiftly retreating with Natalia in tow. Amidst the chaos, Natalia caught a glimpse of bullets piercing through the French doors, igniting sparks as they hit the wall. Magnus, hugging her tightly with a determined expression, diminished her fear considerably.

In a few moments, he had led Natalia behind a decorative wall, safe from the view of their attackers.

"Sir, they have a sniper. It seems they came prepared," Linden reported, pulling out his own gun and firing back at their attackers. He managed to provide enough cover for Magnus and Natalia to retreat to safety, before swiftly moving to Magnus' side.

Hearing this, Magnus' brow furrowed. "Of course they came prepared. How else would they know I would be at this villa today?"

He had never anticipated that his surprise for Natalia would turn into such a nightmare. It seemed that the villa was far from the safe haven he had imagined it to be.

Upon realizing that they were on Andersen Corporation territory, Magnus had no doubt who was behind the attack. "Lucius." Magnus clenched his teeth, internally vowing, "I've given you countless chances, ye you persist in your folly. Don't blame me for striking back. Let's see who will fall first."

"Sir, take Miss Natalia to the secret room immediately. Chase and the others will be here soon." Linden advised, pushing the wheelchair towards the elevator. Natalia, still in Magnus' arms, was too shocked to react.

At this point, Linden's main concern was Magnus' safety.

If it weren't for Magnus's concerns that he'd make Natalia uncomfortable with too many people around, he wouldn't have reduced his entourage. If there were more people with him, the situation wouldn't be so critical right now.

Their adversaries had already started firing from across the way. Once they saw that their goal hadn't been accomplished, they'd definitely rush over, making the situation even more dangerous.

When Natalia heard Linden's words, she didn't even wait for Magnus to respond. She immediately jumped down from his arms. "Linden, protect Magnus, I'll be fine. Their target isn't me, and they definitely won't go so far as to harm me,"

She couldn't afford to drag Magnus into danger. During their last encounter in France, he had been injured while protecting her. She couldn't let history repeat itself. In Natalia's entire life, there weren't many people who had genuinely treated her well. Magnus had already been very good to her, so she couldn't be so selfish as to bring trouble to him.

But Magnus, hearing Natalia's words, was immediately aggravated. He quickly pulled her back into his arms, whispering harshly in her ears, "Don't be ridiculous. Have you forgotten how they tried to throw you into the sea last time? Do you think they would spare you now that you're married to me?"

He continued, "Stay put. I will never let my woman face danger."

Knowing how ruthless and cruel Lucius could be, Magnus wasn't willing to let Natalia face danger.

"Lucius wouldn't hesitate to strike a fatal blow by killing Natalia. She is my woman, Magnus' woman. If she falls into Lucius' hands, he wouldn't hesitate to retaliate." Magnus thought to himself. "But..." But at this point, Magnus was still resolutely protecting her. Didn't he worry about his own safety?

Before Natalia could finish speaking, Magnus, who had no intention of listening to her, reached out and gently pressed her head into his chest. Turning to Linden, he said decisively, "Tell Chase to bring reinforcements quickly, and close all entrances to the villa. We'll retreat to the basement for now. They won't dare to invade immediately."

Since this villa was Magnus' future home, its security measures were top-notch. The only reason that the average panes hadn't been replaced with bulletproof glass yet was because they hadn't moved in. This gave Lucius the chance he needed to strike.

"Right away, Mr. Magnus," Linden replied, not daring to question Magnus' instructions. Without wasting a moment, he turned to make a call to alert Chase and his team.

However, just as Linden hung up the call, the window that had been shattered by the bullet was suddenly struck by a fireball. With a thunderous bang, their room was instantly ablaze.

Natalia was only aware of a wave of heat rushing towards her. Before she could react, someone tackled her to the ground.

Landing awkwardly on the floor, Natalia hit her head hard, causing a sharp pain. It took a minute or two for her to recover. When she did, she found that their room had been completely destroyed by the fireball Decorative elements here and there had caught fire and were burning fiercely.