Addicted to His Sweet Love

As soon as Natalie Rivera entered the living room, her father, Garrett Rivera, walked up to her and slapped her face hard. The loud slap sound echoed in the living room.

She was bombarded with a torrent of verbal abuse.

"Natalie, how dare you run away from the wedding? Don't you know that if it weren't for the kindness of the Braxton family, our family would have gone bankrupt because of you?"

Garrett's slap was so hard that Natalie couldn't help taking a few steps back and was dizzy for a moment.

After she regained her composure, she faked nonchalance and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. Then she looked at Garrett with eyes full of sarcasm.

"Dad, you clearly know who is supposed to marry into the Braxton family. If Flora and Alisha didn't drug me and played a sly trick on me, would I run away from the wedding?"

Yesterday, Natalie was supposed to marry her boyfriend, Rowley O'Brien. On the other hand, her half-sister, Alisha Rivera, would marry Jarvis Braxton. However, before she got in the car, Flora Rivera, her stepmother, drugged her with an aphrodisiac and swapped her for Alisha.

Fortunately, she realized that something was wrong before it was too late. She jumped out of the car halfway and met a kindhearted stranger who sent her to the hospital. Otherwise, she couldn't imagine the consequences.

After all, it was said that Jarvis was disabled because of a car accident. He was cruel and had a sadistic personality. Rumors had it that he was married thrice, and the three brides died on their wedding nights.

At the thought of this, Natalie had a lingering fear. Her eyes became even colder when she looked at Garrett.

Garrett felt uncomfortable with Natalie's questioning. He was so embarrassed that he avoided eye contact with her. At the same time, he was guilty.

He must admit that as the years went by, he was becoming more and more afraid of Natalie.

Particularly, he was afraid of her eyes.

Every time Garrett looked into Natalie's eyes, he seemed to see her mother, making him feel very uncomfortable and want to escape.

"What kind of attitude is that? I'm your biological father, not a criminal. How dare you talk to me in such an interrogating tone?"

Upon hearing this, Natalie smiled sarcastically.

"Really, Dad? If you still remember that you are my biological father, why would you leave me at the mercy of a man like Jarvis Braxton? You let Flora use me to replace her daughter in marrying into the Braxton family."

Natalie knew that Flora couldn't do such things without Garrett's acquiescence.

"Natalie, what are you talking about?" When Flora heard her name being mentioned, she was dissatisfied. She walked forward with her head and shoulders down, pretending to be aggrieved. "The Braxton family only said they wanted a Rivera girl to marry Jarvis. They didn't say which girl specifically. Besides, the Braxton family is one of the wealthiest and most influential families in Bloridge. You should thank your father and me for choosing such a good family for you to marry into."

Natalie felt like she had heard the funniest joke. She asked in a raised voice, "Since you think the Braxton family is so good, why don't you let Alisha marry Jarvis?"

"That's enough!" Garrett snapped. "Alisha is not in good health. If she marries him, how can she stand the suffering? You are her older sister. What's the big deal if you replace her to marry him?"

Natalie was not surprised to hear those words from him anymore. She could only smile bitterly.

Every time she had a conflict with Flora and Alisha, Garrett would always defend them. He never cared about her feelings at all. Over the years, she knew that Garrett was biased. But she didn't make a fuss because she still held a glimmer of expectation and hoped that he would also give her even a little bit of fatherly love. But in the end, she was only disappointed.

Natalie raised her head stubbornly to prevent her tears from falling. Then she said in a hoarse voice, "Dad, have you forgotten that Alisha is not your only daughter? I am also your daughter. My mother died many years ago. Do you even know how I got through it these years? Why can't you think of me too?"

"Flora is your mother now," Garrett said angrily.

"No! My mother died a long time ago."

Natalie's voice was even angrier than Garrett's. It was as if the grievances she had suppressed for more than twenty years exploded at this moment.

Flora and Alisha came into their house and lived with them since she was eight years old. Since then, she was never allowed to eat at the dining table ever again. She rarely had a full meal, and she could only eat leftovers. After high school, she started to fend for herself. She did several part-time jobs to pay for her tuition fees. Her father was a rich businessman, but she could say that Alisha's dog lived a better life than her.

Alisha enjoyed the halo of a rich lady. She wore clothes and accessories from famous brands and often went to high-end clubs to have fun. Natalie, on the other hand, had to wear cheap clothes and take the subway and bus to work. No one in the entire Bloridge knew that Natalie was Garrett's daughter. All they knew was that Garrett had a daughter named Alisha.

And now, Flora and Alisha even framed Natalie and took the man she loved away.

What was more, her biological father even shamelessly said Flora, that vicious woman, was her mother. Wasn't it ridiculous?

Flora could see that she had already achieved her goal. She stepped forward, pretending to ease the situation, but in reality, she was adding fuel to the fire. "Garrett, don't be angry with Natalie anymore. I won't take this grievance to heart. I don't want to make you and your daughter at odds."

"You see now, Natalie? Flora is even defending you." Sure enough, Garrett became more impatient with Natalie. "Now that the Braxton family has called off the wedding, you don't have to marry him. This matter ends here! Go back and change your clothes. Don't make a fool of yourself here. I have something to deal with in the company, so I have to go now."

After saying this, Garrett left without a second glance at Natalie.

Natalie was so disappointed with her family that she didn't want to stay any longer. She turned around and was about to leave. But suddenly, two strong servants grabbed her and pressed her down firmly to the floor.

Then Flora walked to her with a smirk. Since Garrett was not there anymore, she finally revealed her acerbic face.

"You damn woman! You did not only run away from the wedding but also came home to complain. You must be courting death!"

The servants were so strong that Natalie was forced to kneel on the floor. She stared at Flora coldly and snapped, "Flora, aren't you afraid of being punished for what you have done?"

Flora smiled complacently and replied, "Alisha has already secured the position as Mrs. O'Brien. What do I have to be afraid of? Natalie, you gave birth to another man's child a few years ago. I guess Rowley doesn't know it yet. If he knows, do you think he will still marry you?"

"It was you and your daughter who set me up back then."

As soon as the biggest secret in her heart was exposed, Natalie's face turned pale. She struggled hard, glaring at Flora.

She indeed gave birth to a child five years ago, but the child died after it was born. And she didn't know who the father of the child was.

But she didn't have the courage to tell Rowley about this.

"So what if we set you up? Even if you tell others about it, no one will believe you'" Flora said coldly. But the smile on her face suddenly became brighter. "By the way, I have another thing to tell you. Your child did not die. He is an adorable boy."

Natalie was so shocked that she blurted out, "Where is my child?"

Flora was pleased to see Natalie's embarrassed and anxious look.

She squatted down with a smile and pinched Natalie's chin. Then she said with a malicious look, "Do you want to know? If you kneel down and beg me, I will tell you."

"There's no way I will do that." Natalie glared at Flora, gnashing her teeth.

Flora was so irritated that she let go of Natalie's chin and ordered the servants, "Teach her a lesson and throw her out."

After saying this, she turned around and left.

But since Natalie was still Garrett's daughter, the servants didn't dare to beat her hard. They just warned her and threw her out of the house.

Natalie stood on the street and didn't know where to go.

One day had already passed, but Rowley hadn't contacted her yet. When she thought that he might have ceased to be faithful, her heart ached.

Then it began to rain, making her even more depressed.

She urgently needed to vent her sorrow and despair, so she took a taxi to La Lune, planning to drown her sorrows in alcohol.

As soon as Natalie arrived at the restaurant, she ordered a lot of beer and began to drink one glass after another.

She didn't know how much she had drunk, but she already felt dizzy. It was as if the whole world was spinning. In the end, she collapsed on the chair.

At the thought of Flora and Alisha ruining her happiness and Rowley abandoning her, she felt like her heart was about to explode in so much sadness.

Since Natalie drank too much, she felt a little uncomfortable now. She was about to rush to the bathroom to vomit when she suddenly saw a familiar figure.

It was Rowley.

Her eyes lit up, and she immediately sobered up a little. She stumbled to chase after him.

She needed to explain everything to him.

Natalie finally caught up with Rowley and stopped him at the entrance of the restaurant, eager to explain what had happened last night.

"Rowley, it's all set up by Flora and Alisha. Please take me to your parents to explain it to them. Let's tell them that everything was just a mistake so that we can put everything on the right track."

"It's too late," Rowley said expressionlessly, looking at Natalie.

Natalie was stunned for a moment. Then she grabbed his arm more tightly, acting like a drowning person trying to catch at a straw.

"Rowley, don't you want to marry me?"

A bad feeling surged in Natalie's heart. Since Flora had set her up blatantly, she must have other leverage in hand. Otherwise, Rowley would have come to her for an explanation.

Rowley looked around as if he was checking something. Then he pulled Natalie to an empty corner where no one could see them.

"Natalie..." Rowley hugged Natalie. "I heard that you married into the Braxton family. I've been worrying about you all night. Are you okay?"

Natalie thought that Rowley was worried about her, so she hurriedly said, "Rowley, I am-"

But before she could finish her words, he interrupted her, "That's good. Natalie, I'm sorry. After I take full control of the O'Brien family, I will surely marry you."

"What do you mean?" Natalie asked in confusion.

"Natalie, when I found out that the bride last night was not you, it was already too late," Rowley said guiltily. "And Alisha promised to help me take control of the O'Brien family. But don't worry. As long as I take charge of the O'Brien family, I will divorce Alisha and marry you."

Natalie stared blankly at Rowley, feeling he was a stranger.

She was not a fool not to understand.

Rowley was just an illegitimate child, so he had no right to take over the O'Brien family.

It turned out that he married Alisha because she had agreed to help him seize power.

Natalie didn't want to think why Rowley was sure that Alisha could help him. But when she looked at his face, she felt like her heart was being cut by a knife.

"You chose to abandon me for power?"

"Hey, don't say that. Don't think it that way, okay? I'm doing this for our future. I want to give you the best in life. You should know that I love you. But in this case, there's nothing you can do to help me. I can only rely on Alisha this time." Rowley held Natalie's shoulders. "Give me one year. No, half a year. By then, I will marry you."

Natalie felt so desperate at the moment. This was the man she had loved for a year.

He was a liar who abandoned her for power and position.

With this realization, Natalie shook off Rowley's hands and said coldly, "No, thanks. I must have been blinded, and I have backed the wrong horse in the past."

She knew she had been abandoned, so she had already prepared herself mentally. But she didn't expect she would find it hard to bear it when she heard from his mouth that the reason was she couldn't help him.

"Natalie..." Rowley was about to coax Natalie again when he saw out of the corner of his eye that Alisha was coming. He quickly distanced himself from Natalie, and his attitude drastically changed. "I am your brother-in-law now. How can you shamelessly seduce me?"

Natalie was stunned for a moment. But when she saw Alisha, she understood everything.

She sneered and laughed self-mockingly.

She couldn't believe she had fallen in love with a man like Rowley.

"Rowley, I've been looking for you." Alisha walked over to them with her head held high. Then she held Rowley's arm intimately and looked at Natalie provokingly. "Hey, Natalie, you are here too. Why are you so drunk?"

Natalie didn't look at Alisha at all. Her eyes, filled with disappointment, were fixed on Rowley.

But Rowley didn't dare to meet her gaze. Instead, he turned his face away.

Natalie was heartbroken, but she still kept her back straight and sneered, "Rowley, my dear brother-in-law, I wish you get what you want. Good luck."

Her gaze made Rowley feel like he had been slapped in the face. His face flushed, burning hot.

"Natalie, that's enough! Stop making a scene here." Rowley had already lost his patience, and his voice raised angrily. "I must thank God that I didn't marry you. Otherwise, I would regret it. I will never marry a drunk shrew like you. Please bear in mind that I am Alisha's husband now. Don't pester me shamelessly again."

After saying this, Rowley left, leaving the two sisters behind.

Natalie stared at his receding back with eyes filled with tears.

Seeing Natalie's pale face, Alisha smiled mockingly. "Natalie, do you think you are worthy of competing against me for Rowley? How can you deserve to marry into the O'Brien family? You only deserve that lame and ugly man who is doomed to die young. It's just a pity that the Braxton family let you go so easily."

"Alisha Rivera!" Natalie said through clenched teeth. "Why are you so arrogant in front of me? Who do you think you are? I am the legitimate daughter while you are just a mistress's daughter. Your mother is a mistress, and so you are. Oh, well, Rowley is also an illegitimate child. You two are a perfect match."

If this was in the past, Natalie would never say such harsh words to Alisha, even if she was furious. But now, she didn't need to restrain herself anymore.

Alisha's face turned livid with anger. "I dare you to say that again! Your mother is the mistress, not mine. Dad fell in love with my mother first. Your mother only snatched him away from her. You and your mother are bitches. You are even more shameless! How dare you try to take my man away from me!"

As Aisha spoke, she started to hit Natalie with her hands.

Natalie had suffered injustice and abuse in the Rivera family for more than ten years. And now, she was set up by Flora and Alisha. She could no longer hold back her anger, so she threw caution to the wind.

She rolled up her sleeves and fought back with all her might.

After his work, Jarvis returned to the hospital to see the runaway bride he had helped yesterday.

But when he entered the ward, he found that the bed was neat and clean. It was as if that woman had left for a long time.

At this moment, a nurse passed by the ward. Jarvis stopped her and said, "Hello, miss. Where is the patient in this ward?"

The nurse replied, "You mean Natalie Rivera? She left early this morning. But she said if someone comes and looks for her, I'll just give this note to that person."

As she spoke, she took out a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Jarvis.

Jarvis raised his eyebrows while taking the note from the nurse. And when he saw the phone number written on there, a playful smile appeared on his face.

Yesterday was supposed to be his wedding with Natalie Rivera. But he felt bored and didn't want to play nice with his family who harbored malicious intentions, so he drove around randomly. Unexpectedly, he met his bride on the road, who asked him for help pitifully.

He never meddled in other people's business. But this time, he somehow felt pity for the woman when he saw her in a mess.

He did not only save her but also took her to the hospital in person and arranged everything well.

He didn't expect the woman would leave without saying goodbye.

"Jarvis, the Rivera family is playing with fire. How dare they offend you like this? Are you really going to let them go just like that? Besides, your bride has run away. Are you still in the mood to care for a stranger in the hospital?" Lamont Henderson, Jarvis's good friend, nagged as he trotted behind Jarvis after parking the car.

Jarvis glared at him. "I asked you to keep an eye on this woman. But you couldn't even do such an easy task. Why do you have time to worry about my business?"

"Jarvis, you are being unreasonable," Lamont cried out aggrievedly. "That woman is a living person. What can I do to her? Tie her up to prevent her from running away? Besides, you just picked that woman on the road. She is not your bride. Why do you care so much about her?"

Jarvis glanced at Lamont speechlessly. Then he walked away, totally ignoring Lamont.

Lamont didn't know that the woman who ran away under his nose was Jarvis' bride.

"Hey, Jarvis, where are you going? Your wife married that brat from the O'Brien family. How can you not do anything?" Lamont protested as he hurriedly caught up with Jarvis, who was getting farther and farther.

He was really surprised. This was not the Jarvis he knew.

No man in the world would let go those who stole his wife or killed his father.

"Stop talking nonsense. Go inform my grandfather that I have called off the wedding. Tell him not to make things difficult for the Rivera family."

Lamont's eyes widened in disbelief. "Jarvis, what do you have in mind?" He was confused, not knowing what Jarvis was thinking.

"You don't need to know." Jarvis then changed the topic. "After you finish it, prepare a cheap car for me."

Lamont was even more confused. "What are you going to do with the cheap car?"

Jarvis smiled playfully. "Pursue my future wife."

*

Natalie was still in La Lune, having a fight with Alisha. And she had the upper hand at the moment.

She rode on Alisha and was about to give Alisha a heavy slap across the face. But the phone in her pocket rang.

Natalie took it out and answered it without even checking who was calling.

A familiar, pleasant male voice came from the other end of the line. "Where are you now?"

"La Lune," Natalie replied subconsciously.

"Come to the door of the restaurant after ten minutes. I want to talk to you about what happened last night."

The man then hung up the phone without waiting for Natalie to respond. Natalie held the phone in a daze. She finally remembered who the man was.

She got up from Alisha, looked down at the latter's swollen face, and sneered, "It seems that Rowley doesn't take you seriously at all. Alisha, don't forget that things obtained through deception don't last for long."

Alisha went mad and shouted angrily, "Natalie, you lunatic! This isn't the end. I swear, I won't let you go!"

"Sure. I will wait and see." Natalie straightened her clothes and walked toward the door.

She and Alisha had been holding grudges against each other for so many years. So what happened yesterday was not the only grudge between them.

This fight made now made Natalie feel much better.

She was sad not because she was set up by Flora and Alisha.

What happened last night didn't make her very angry either.

The most unforgivable thing in her heart was Rowley's betrayal.

She had been looking forward to marrying him. However, he abandoned her for power and suddenly became her brother-in-law.

The loved she valued a lot meant nothing in his eyes.

Natalie was still under the influence of alcohol, so she felt dizzy. She sat on the ground and waited for the man who had called her just now.

After a while, a car stopped in front of her.

Natalie was too drunk. As soon as she saw the car, she opened the door, lay in the seat, and rambled nonstop.

Jarvis looked at Natalie lying in the back seat, and the corner of his mouth twitched. But there was a rare trace of tenderness in his eyes.

"Thank you for saving me last night. My stepmother tricked me into marrying a lame and dying man. No way! I would never marry him. Fortunately, you saved me. Thank you very much," Natalie said, half-drunk and half-sober.

What did she say? She would never marry him?

Jarvis couldn't help smiling playfully when he heard this.