Dumping Him for His Uncle (Natasha and Zachary)

Zachary completely ignored Natasha's yelling and carried her all the way to her

room.

Natasha blushed faintly and avoided his gaze after being put down.

"You should get some rest. If you get scared, just call me." With that, Zachary turned and left the way he came.

Natasha mumbled as she entered the room, "It's just a few dead bodies. What's the big deal?"

Natasha had done her fair share of experiments back in school. During the period when she was learning human anatomy, she was so busy that she'd eat her sandwiches inside the operating room.

Nonetheless, it seemed that it was still uncertain when she could return to Cendale.

She changed into some casual clothes and messaged Amelia and Xavier. Before leaving Cendale, Natasha had wrapped up all her work, so Amelia just reminded her to take care of herself.

Not long after, there was a knock at the door.

Xavier looked her up and down for a while. "Are you okay?"noveldrama

Natasha smiled wryly. "I'm fine. I just twisted my ankle a little. You should be careful too."

Although those bodies had fallen right in front of her, she had no real

understanding of the case. She also wasn't sure if the police on the ship would be able to crack it in the short term.

As the two of them were talking, Quentin appeared at the door.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but have you seen my assistant?" he asked anxiously.

Natasha had only seen his assistant once when they first boarded the ship together. Since then, there had been no sign of him.

Natasha and Xavier shook their heads in unison.

"Alright, then. I'll try calling him again," Quentin responded.

Watching Quentin leave in a hurry, Natasha felt a growing sense of unease. "I heard there were 12 bodies. Do you think "

Before she could finish, Xavier quickly covered her mouth. "Don't jinx it. From the sound of it, the murderer clearly planned this. It's unlikely that these were just random murders."

After all, it couldn't be a coincidence that all of the victims just happened to end up on the same ship.

"You do have a point," Natasha said as she pushed his hand away with visible distaste.

Xavier turned his head and saw Zachary standing at the door. "Mr. Foster, you really do have a lot of free time, don't you?"

In Xavier's mind, a successful entrepreneur like Zachary ought to be swamped with work. Yet every time Xavier showed up around Natasha, the latter was somehow already there. It was the kind of coincidence he found hard to ignore.

"Don't say it like that. Mr. Foster, did you come to see me about something?" Natasha asked.

She hadn't forgotten. It was Zachary who helped her return to her PhD studies and secure the Cendale project. She couldn't just act like none of that mattered, even if those things were done of his own volition and not because she asked him to.

Zachary glanced at Xavier.

Though nothing was said, Xavier could read the situation well enough. Despite how much he resented their connection, there was little he could do. With a sigh, he quietly stepped out of the room.

Natasha gestured toward the chair in front of her, and only then did Zachary slowly walk in.

"It's just the two of us now. Was there something you wanted to say?" Natasha asked again.

She had always maintained a subtle, ambiguous distance with Zachary, and he seemed to understand that unspoken line as well.

"It's nothing serious. I just came to bring you some medicine," he said.