Mrs. Moore

Predator and his prey

Hearing those words Natalie looked at her grandfather in annoyance, while he looked back at her awkwardly.

She snorted. “I could do anything you say with just one word, Pappy, but not this.”

This matter was related to her happiness, her life. She didn’t want to be too rash about this. If Theodore Moore ended up being anything like Xander Moore, it would be a tragedy for her.

Stewart was in no position to keep this discussion going on after hearing her say that. His plan was to have his granddaughter meet Theodore Moore and see if they could get some sparks going, but now that Natalie was so reluctant, Stewart thought he shouldn’t interfere anymore.

“Alright, I won’t mention this anymore, but Theodore’s a nice young man, so—”

“Pappy! I won’t visit you anymore if you keep this up.” Natalie interrupted him with a frown on her face.

“We should go out now. Leaving Mr. Moore alone in the living room is no way to treat a guest.” She added in order to end the discussion.

“You silly child…” Stewart Gordan was helpless, so he gave up on this prospect for now.

When Theodore saw them coming out, he looked at Natalie and smiled. He decided to break the ice first, “Sir.”

“Sorry for that, Theodore. It’s not every day you come here, and yet we’ve been discourteous.” Stewart felt embarrassed, since he was the one who invited him over. “Serve the meal for us, Fay.”

Natalie and Theodore were invited to have a meal together, later they spent the rest of the afternoon in Stewart’s house.

When Theodore received a call, that marked the end of his visit.

No matter how shameless he looked, Stewart thought his granddaughter was a great match for Theodore, so he wanted them to have another chance at getting to know each other better. “It’s getting late, Natalie, so you should go back too. Will you mind sending her home for me, Theo?”

“Pappy!”

“I’ll be honored to.” Theodore replied, then he looked at Natalie with a smile. There was an irresistible charm in his smile.

Natalie frowned, for some reason she disliked Theodore treating her this way, but now that he had said so, she couldn’t refuse him, or else it would be rude.

Natalie smiled awkwardly, “Sorry for troubling you, Mr. Moore.”

“Not at all.”

They went out after saying goodbye to Stewart, but not long after that Natalie bade Theodore farewell. “I don’t want to trouble you Mr. Moore, so I’ll hail a ride back.”

“You seem to really hate me, Ms. Smith.” Theodore smirked and with an arched eyebrow he asked, “Or could it be that you are trying to avoid your feelings for me?”

Natalie was annoyed by his shameless thoughts and clarified, “Don’t take this the wrong way, Mr. Moore but I just think we should maintain some distance between us, considering we’re not related. Plus you seem to be busy with something important waiting for you, so I won’t be bothering you now, Mr. Moore. Good day!”

Natalie was about to leave, but Theodore quickly grabbed her hand.

Theodore squinted, feeling delighted after seeing her blush with anger. “It’s nothing urgent, and I have promised Mr. Gordon that I’d send you back safely, so I can’t go back on my word now. Besides, abandoning a lady at the side of the road is not what a gentleman should do.”

Although Theodore seemed like an agreeable person, in all actuality, he could be quite stubborn and bossy. The man tightened his grip on her hand, unwilling to let her go. Natalie looked angrily at her arm that he had grabbed, and her face distorted.

“Let me go, Mr. Moore!” She spat angrily.

“Fate blows in random directions, Ms. Smith. If you can’t seem to outrun it, why don’t you face it?” Theodore probed. There seemed to be another meaning in his question.

Those words reminded Natalie of something she had read once, ‘One must not wait for the wind to change its course, but adjust their sails to reach their destination’. Knowing she could not rid herself of this man right now, Natalie bit her lip and stopped struggling.

When Theodore noticed she wasn’t struggling as much anymore, he let her arm go.

“Please get in, Ms. Smith.” Theodore gestured. Natalie looked at him angrily, but still she complied, making Theodore break into a smile.

“Seatbelt.”

Even though Natalie had gotten into the car, she didn’t want to have any contact with Theodore. After telling him the address, she did not speak with him anymore, apart from for the occasional reminders when Theodore took a wrong corner.

Theodore Moore wasn’t an i***t, he could see her distaste for him. When they came to her complex, the man glanced at her. “The deal still stands, Ms. Smith. Call me anytime when you want to pull the trigger.”

Natalie pursed her lips. “You seem to be a successful man Mr. Moore, and you’re still an eligible bachelor. I believe just one word from you and the whole of X City’s ladies would line up to be your partner. You don’t have to waste your time on me.”

“That’s what you think, not me.” Theodore tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, then he unlocked the doors. “Now that we’re here, I shouldn’t bother you anymore, Ms. Smith.”

Theodore Moore knew his way around people, so the man was patient with his prey. He understood when to strike and when to retreat.

Natalie stepped out. “Thank you for sending me home, Mr. Moore, but I can’t accept your deal. I’m sorry. I just got out of a hellhole, so I don’t want to subject myself to another one.”

“How do you know I’m a hellhole before you even tried, Ms. Smith?” He smiled. “It’s late, Ms. Smith.” He added before giving her a chance to respond.

Natalie closed the door and saw the car zoom off before turning around. The moment she did, Natalie froze.

She looked at the man standing not far away from her. He was in a suit, looking energetic. She felt her heart squeeze, and her face paled. The façade she had been keeping up for the whole day almost crumbled at this moment.

She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her flesh, but she felt numb to the pain. All of her attention was now on the man before her.

Xander had been watching her for awhile now. He watched as she got out of that black Cayenne,without taking his eyes off her. He had noticed the dark silhouette of a man driving the car.

He had initially thought about how awkward it would be between them after the breakup, and how she would hate him for doing what he did. However, he did not expect her to get over him in such a short time and get together with another man.

For some inexplicable reason, Xander felt annoyed and somewhat angry when he saw Natalie stepping out of that car. He kept staring at her for a while looking displeased, before questioning “Who was the man who sent you back just now?”

Natalie felt amused. How dare he interrogate me after cheating on me with my sister?

”That has nothing to do with you now, no?”

“How can you say it has nothing to do with me Natalie?” Xander was furious. “Do you know what you’re doing? I know Wendy and I have hurt you, but you can only accept it now that it has happened. You don’t have to go and hook up with the very first man you see. It’s degrading!”