Wife by Day, Boss by Night by Thalia Quillspeak

Chapter 201
Natalie gasped for air as she sat up in bed, fumbling for the lamp switch. Her
hand found the bottle of painkillers she kept on her nightstand, which was a
constant companion. She washed down a pill with a gulp of water from the glass
on her desk.
As she lay back down, she noticed the sweat from the pain had drenched her
shirt. Out of habit, she reached for her phone to check the time, only to
remember Brian had smashed it into pieces.
Maybe it was for the best. After all, Natalie had been trying to figure out how to
get rid of the tracking app he had installed without arousing suspicion. As the
painkillers kicked in, her hand's throbbing eased, and she drifted back into a fitful
sleep.
Outside her room, a bodyguard addressed his employer in a hushed tone. “Mr.
Howard...”
Brian motioned for silence with a finger to his lips, listening to Natalie resettling in
bed. After a moment, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Natalie was asleep, her face creased with discomfort as if she could still feel the
pain. Brian stood by the bed, his gaze lingering on her for a long moment before
quietly sitting at the edge. Bagot had mentioned Natalie’s hand was injured. Brian
gently picked up her bandaged hand sticking out of the covers. The dressing was
poorly done, stained with blood seeping through the gauze.
He unwrapped the soiled bandage to find her fingertips swollen at the cuts. She
hadn't taken any antibiotics. Even after all these years, she still didn’t know how
to look after herself.
He redressed her wounds with care. As he let go of her hand, Natalie stirred. He
looked up, his eyes meeting her calm face. She didn’t wake but seemed to be
caught in a nightmare, her body shuddering slightly.
1
“Brian...” she murmured in her sleep.
Brian froze, a wave of protectiveness washing over him. He took her into his
arms and whispered into her ear, “I'm here.”
Reassured by Brian's familiar voice, even in her dreams, Natalie relaxed, and
soon her breathing evened out as she found a more comfortable position and fell
into a deeper sleep.
When she was a child, the little mute girl he remembered would often have
nightmares and climb into his bed, seeking the safety of his presence. Only then,
wrapped in his scent, would she find peace and fall back asleep.
Brian gently smoothed out the furrows on her forehead before planting a kiss on
her brow.
She had no idea how jealous he felt whenever he saw another man near her.
Even if she hadn't lied and there was nothing between her and Gavin, Brian
couldn't stand her closeness to any other man. The thought of Michael wanting
Natalie to be part of the James family was
Chapter 201
unbearable.
He knew how men thought. Any pretense of friendship was just a covetousness
for her body.
Natalie could only belong to him. He wouldn't allow them the chance to get close
to her.
When Natalie awoke, she found Rosie in her room, her presence as bright as the
morning sun.
Trying to sit up, Natalie winced at the pain in her hand and instinctively glanced
at it, only to notice that the bandage seemed neater than before.
“Rosie, did you redo this?” Natalie asked, surprised, looking up at her friend.
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Rosie was unpacking a bag of
breakfast goodies when she replied
: : “
with a hint of annoyance, “You say
: p
that as if I can't put on a decent
" :
bandage.” The content is on
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chapter there!
After a pause, Rosie glanced at Natalie's hand. “I did it just like that yesterday.
Maybe the bow got squashed while you were sleeping.”
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Natalie examined her hand again. No
bow, no fraying. She only saw the
kind of bandage someone
inexperienced like Rosie would
attempt with a bow. The content is
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chapter there!
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> oS o
Despite Rosie's insistence that she
had wrapped it just so the night
: )
before, Natalie couldn't shake the
feeling that something was off. But
5 , 5 G
since she hadn't paid much attention,
she let the suspicion slide. The
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the latest chapter there!