Echoes of a Forsaken Heart (Natalia and Hamilton)

Tess noticed Hamilton was unusually enthusiastic.

Back in the days at Ivy Gemstone, the sight of Hamilton would send shivers down her spine, but now that she was out, she felt less intimidated by him. "Mr. Fowler, are you waiting for someone here?"

Hamilton let out a dry laugh, his gaze settling on Natalia.

"Yes, waiting for someone."

Tess added, "Then you keep waiting, I'll head out with the boss."

But Hamilton suddenly spoke up.

"Hold on a second."

Natalia shot him a warning glance.

Yet, Hamilton merely chuckled.

"Ms. Jenkins, are you folks at NorthSuburb planning to take up that new development project from the government? We could collaborate on that."

Tess blinked in surprise, "Mr. Fowler, you're quite informed. We just had a meeting today to look for partners."

Hamilton kept his unwavering gaze on Natalia.

After a pause, Natalia didn't say much more.

"Let's talk."

Then, she turned to Tess, "You go ahead, Tess."

Tess nodded, "Alright then, I'll be off. Boss, Mr. Fowler, see you."

It wasn't until Tess had left that Natalia gave Hamilton a stern look.

Hamilton just laughed, "I was just trying to save you a few steps, you know?"

Natalia didn't respond, simply getting into the car.

As Hamilton helped her with the seatbelt, his eyes inadvertently fell on her lips.

Natalia, realizing his intentions, quickly pushed him away.

"Hamilton, we're still in front of my company. If you don't want rumors flying around tomorrow, you better behave."

Hamilton looked genuinely frustrated.

"Natalia, are you really that scared of what people might say about us?"

Natalia was silent for a moment, "Hamilton, you've never been the subject of gossip and rumors, so you'll never understand why I'm hesitant." Their future was uncertain at this point.

She didn't want to end up being talked about as someone who tried to 'climb the social ladder' and failed, even though she was the passive one in this relationship. Hamilton felt a pang of guilt. He had never really considered these things, always acting without restraint, forgetting that Natalia was different.

Remembering the rumors Natalia had faced made Hamilton feel even more remorseful.

"I'll be more careful in the future," he promised, then defensively added, "But the reason I'm so public is that I'm sure we'll end up together. Don't you trust me?" Natalia gazed out the window. It wasn't that she didn't trust Hamilton.

She doubted her own endurance.

Though Hamilton said all she needed to do was take the first step, and he'd handle the rest, it seemed troubles always found her.

Without saying much more, she just looked at him, "How's your recovery going?"

Hamilton grinned, "All good. Need a check-up?"

With that, he grabbed Natalia's hand and placed it on his abdomen.

If not for his recent injury, Natalia would have wanted to smack him for being so frivolous.

Pulling her hand back, she scolded, "Get straight back to the hospital after dinner, got it?"

Hamilton laughed, "Yes, ma'am. Whatever you say."

They hadn't booked a restaurant in advance. Considering Hamilton's condition, Natalia chose a place known for its healing cuisine.

The restaurant had a unique design, with lantern-lit corridors and an antique charm.

With the weather warming up and flowers blooming, they chose a small pavilion to dine in.

"Do you like it here?" Hamilton asked softly.

Natalia nodded. She'd always had a soft spot for anything classical, probably influenced by Tatiana.

"Then let's come here more often?"

"Bro!" Just as Hamilton spoke, they heard someone call out.

Turning, they saw Anita standing not far away, with Delilah by her side.

Hamilton's expression darkened, but before he could speak, Anita dragged Delilah over.

"Bro, what a coincidence seeing you here!"

Hamilton responded coldly, "You've said hello, now you can leave."

Anita retorted, "Bro, what's with the attitude? Delilah here was so concerned about your health, she even came to learn about healing cuisine." Without waiting, Anita pulled Delilah to sit down, then turned to Natalia.

"Ms. Jenkins, fancy meeting you here. Let me introduce myself, I'm Hamilton's sister, Anita, and this is Delilah," she gestured towards Delilah. Delilah didn't wait for Anita to finish, "We've met, haven't we, Ms. Jenkins?"

Anita looked surprised, "Where have you met?"

"At the hospital," Delilah said, extending her hand towards Natalia.

"Ms. Jenkins, nice to see you again."

Before Natalia could respond, Hamilton took her hand into his.

"Don't go shaking hands with just anyone; you'll have to wash them later."

"Bro, how can you say that!" Anita was instantly annoyed.

Hamilton's gaze was stern as he looked at the two women.

"Do I need to ask you to leave?"

"Bro, why can't you see the effort Delilah is putting in for you?"

Anita was cut off as Delilah stood up, pulling her back.

"Anita, let's not disturb them further. We were intruding on their dinner."

She smiled apologetically at Natalia, "Sorry for the interruption."

Then, turning to Hamilton, "Sorry, Hamilton, Anita was just being impulsive. Don't be mad."

Anita was clearly reluctant to leave, but one look at Hamilton's stern face and she had no choice but to throw Natalia a furious glare before storming off.

It wasn't until the pair had left that Natalia finally managed to extract her hand from Hamilton's grasp.

"Upset?"

She glanced at him.

Hamilton appeared somewhat wronged. "I didn't even glance her way."

A slight bitterness tugged at Natalia's heart.

Even though she knew it wasn't Hamilton's fault, she couldn't help feeling a bit sour.

"Let's just grab some dinner."

The food was actually decent, but to Natalia, everything tasted a bit bitter.

By the time they finished eating, an hour had slipped by.

Stepping out of the restaurant, Natalia told Hamilton, "You should head back to the hospital."

But Hamilton, undeterred, led her to his car. "Let me drive you home."

Natalia wanted to refuse, but the words just wouldn't come out.

Upon reaching her apartment building, Hamilton looked up at the dark windows, then held Natalia's hand tighter. "Let me come up for a bit."

Natalia shot him a warning look. "No way, the doctors will be making rounds soon. You better go back!"

Hamilton, however, shamelessly followed her. "I'll walk you to your door."

Natalia retorted, "I know the way."

"I don't feel good leaving you here."

Casting him a glance, Natalia eventually let him follow.

She led the way into her apartment.

Hamilton, with no hint of hesitation, followed her in and immediately pulled her into an embrace.