Chapter 5 5. Plan to Escape

In the car, Natalie felt her legs go numb. She roughly removed her stilettos, making Dante smirk. He wanted to see how far she could go with her pretense.

Women who make it in the modeling industry are not weak. They were sometimes cunning, seductive, and deceptive. Dante was very wary of those types of women.

The car was moving toward Manhattan. Natalie didn't say a word to Dante during the ride because she was in a bad mood. After nearly an hour, they finally arrived at a five-star hotel in the city center.

Dante watched Natalie, who still hadn't put on her stilettos. She looked so reluctant to move, as if she wanted to stay in the car. "Why aren't you wearing your shoes yet?"

"Tell me what your plan is, who we're meeting, and what I should do," Natalie replied with a flat expression. If she wanted to escape, then she had to know the situation.

The man raised the corner of his lips. He reached into his coat pocket for something. A beautiful diamond ring appeared in his hand. "Nothing special. I just wanted to show my fiancée to someone else."

He took Natalie's left hand, putting the ring on her finger. The corners of his lips turned up even wider when he saw her sharp gaze. It was clear she didn't like his gift.

"You'll do it, won't you?" asked Dante, his hand caressing the nape of her neck.

"You won't let me refuse," Natalie replied sarcastically.

Dante smiled in satisfaction. He suddenly squatted down and grabbed Natalie's ankles. Slowly, he put on her stilettos, even though he knew they weren't her size. His demeanor was gentle, as if he truly considered her his queen.

Natalie hated him even more just because of that. Dante was toying with her. He was torturing her in a gentle way. It was more cruel than just hitting her.

"You need to be nice, sweetheart. I'm not someone who doesn't know how to pay others. If your acting is satisfactory tonight, I will certainly give you a reward," he whispered in a sweet way.

However, Natalie wasn't going to be fooled. A man's words are always full of lies, especially a man like Dante. Why trust a criminal? It is better to risk her life to escape.

"What's your name?" asked Natalie, her amber eyes looking straight into Dante's gray eyes. "I've earned the right to know, haven't I?"

Dante smiled beneath her feet. His hands squeezed her thighs sensually. "My name is Dante. Ramadante Vittorio."

"You're Italian." Natalie had guessed it long ago. Dante's good looks were not American.

"One hundred percent."

They stared at each other with their hidden thoughts. Until someone tapped on the car window. Natalie immediately turned her head and pushed Dante's hand away.

"Okay, that's enough introductions. We're already late," Dante said as he opened the car door. He got out and opened the door on Natalie's side. His hand led her out.

Natalie was being nice, letting Dante take her hand and treat her like a real couple. She endured the pain in each of her footsteps. The glittering stilettos were stiff. The longer she walked, the more her heels and fingertips chafed.

She forced a friendly face as she passed people, not asking a single question when Dante led her to the ballroom on the top floor. The better she acted, the more she felt her intentions were well hidden.

Alex and two bodyguards followed them from behind. That level of security would be difficult for Natalie. However, she would try to create a moment.

The large, luxurious hotel ballroom was already crowded with people. Many men in ties and women in beautiful dresses had gathered. They were all clapping to celebrate someone's birthday.

Dante's arrival was late, and it caught the attention of several people. A middle-aged man who had just blown out his birthday candles immediately exclaimed, "Dante, come here!"

Dante hugged Natalie's waist and brought her to the center of attention. He lazily extended his hand to Charles. "Happy birthday, Charles."

Charles smiled broadly. He asked everyone to enjoy the party, then turned back to Dante. His attention was immediately drawn to a beautiful woman in a maroon dress who was none other than Natalie.

"Who is this beautiful woman?" Charles asked curiously.

Natalie pretended to smile embarrassedly. "He just proposed to me last week."

"Really?" Charles felt surprised. He looked skeptically at Dante. Then he looked at Natalie with a furrowed brow. "How much did he offer you?"

"You mean...." Natalie didn't understand.

"Don't mind him." Dante kissed her cheek. "Even though I didn't invite anyone, that doesn't mean our engagement is fake, does it?"

Natalie's brow furrowed, wondering what was going on between the two men. Dante gave her a sharp look, so she nodded. "It was done simply, but Dante never plays games with me."

She showed her diamond ring proudly to Charles. "I'd kill him if he just played me," she said lightly. Her words were somewhere between honest and joking.

Dante looked down and smiled mockingly. His hands squeezed her waist. "My future wife is very possessive," he commented.

Charles sighed. "All right. So, what's her name?"

"Cavendish Smith," Dante replied. "She brought you a present."

Charles wasn't the only one surprised. Natalie was too. At that moment, Alex came in carrying a gift box of unknown contents and handed it to Charles. "Please."

Charles looked at Natalie with a beaming smile. "Thank you, Miss Smith."

Natalie just nodded and smiled slightly. She had no idea Dante had prepared for such a thing. However, it had nothing to do with her. She would just go with the flow.

"You don't disappoint me, Dante. Then come with me. I won't break my promise," Charles said.

Dante took Natalie's hand and squeezed it. He leaned over, whispering in her ear, "I would be very happy if you would wait for me here."

"I will," she replied, her lips lifting into an alluring smile.

The corners of Dante's eyes narrowed. He turned and looked at the two bodyguards, who were faithfully following them. "Take good care of her. Don't let anything happen to her."

"Understood."

Finally, after kissing Natalie on the cheek, Dante and Alex leave to follow Charles somewhere. Natalie watched them until they were completely out of sight. She looked down and smiled coldly.

During the party, Natalie just sat in a chair, drinking champagne. Her legs hurt, so she didn't want to walk around and hurt herself before her escape plan got underway.

The two bodyguards kept a close eye on Natalie. They were wary of her running away. However, until Dante returned, there was nothing out of the ordinary about her. She was just chatting with people who wanted to make her acquaintance.

Her actions may have been strange, but she managed to keep their guard down. Dante silently observed Natalie from afar. His eyes narrowed. "She's so obedient."

"Someone named Lucas Alexander has sent her to you. She shouldn't have run away before her goal was achieved," Alex commented.

"Did you confirm the situation in Los Angeles?" Dante asked.

Alex nodded. "It's confirmed. There is no Natalie Hale in any prison. Your guess wasn't wrong."

"It's hard to hide a beautiful woman," Dante commented indifferently.

"I don't understand. That woman seems to hate us and is not happy to be among us. Could it be that that guy named Lucas released her from prison just to get $50 million? There may be no other intentions."

Dante swirled the wineglass in his hand. His gaze suddenly met Natalie's. He lifted the corners of his lips and then said to Alex without taking his eyes off her, "Don't think too simply if you don't want to die so soon."

Alex just frowned. Meanwhile, Natalie stood up from her chair and stepped closer to them. "Good to have you back. I need to go to the restroom," she said.

Dante moved his hand forward, allowing her to leave. The two bodyguards looked at him skeptically. "Do we need to follow her?"

"Bryan, you follow her. Jayde, stay here." Dante gave instructions, and they nodded obediently.

Natalie no longer cared about whatever was behind her. She walked with quiet steps towards the restroom. Bryan followed behind her, but she wasn't scared or panicked. One bodyguard was no big deal to her. She was sure she could escape.