HEIRS OF THE HIDDEN FLAME

ASSAULT CLAIMS

As they sat in the car, including the bodyguard in the backseat, Gwen started the car and drove off. “What was that back there? You were so determined,” Gwen said with her gaze focused on the road.

“Yeah, that pendant holds a significant meaning in my life. I am sorry if the behavior turned you off,” Nathan replied. He didn’t want to let any of them know that the pendant was the Tinder. It’s very important for him to get to the truth about who killed his parents.

Though Gwen was dissatisfied with Nathan's earlier behavior, she wasn't angry with him. She understood that there were times when immediate action was necessary, and Nathan's actions had shown his determination to recover the pendant.

“I completely understand,” she said calmly.

Nathan had a lot of questions for Gwen; one was how Gwen knew about him and various other questions, but he knew this was not the time to start asking those questions; he wanted them to get to their destination first.

***

Meanwhile, Karina had rushed downstairs because her mother had called her, and Mrs. Blackwood wasted no time complaining about the altercation that had just taken place.

“Nathan was a big bully a few moments ago; he slapped James multiple times before leaving with a random woman who I had no idea who she was,” Mrs. Blackwood expressed her displeasure.

“What? Are you sure Nathan did such a thing?” She asked curiously.

“Of course, would I ever lie to you? Look at your brother’s face." Karina looked at James's face and saw that there were traces of hand marks on his cheeks, which signified that he was slapped. Karina couldn't help but feel conflicted. She had wanted to believe in Nathan's innocence, but seeing the marks and the security guard testifying to witnessing the whole thing with other employees that passed by pointed to her ex-husband being the aggressor.

Karina's heart sank as she listened to the accounts of those who had witnessed the confrontation. She had stood by Nathan's side, wanting to protect him from unfair accusations, but now the evidence seemed overwhelming. She could have never imagined that Nathan would do such a thing to his brother or even insult his mother, because over the course of their marriage, Nathan has never once gone against them in that manner.

And hearing that he went away with a woman, some of them had no idea who she was. Karina felt a sinking realization that her actions to protect Nathan might have been ironic. Her trust in him was waning as she contemplated his recent behavior. Even though she separated from him to further improve the success of the company and protect him, which no one knew about, she had believed that Nathan was a genuinely kind person.

“So, what are we going to do to Nathan for what he did? We can’t just let him go without paying for what he did to James,” Mrs. Blackwood complained, gazing at Karina.

"Mom, don’t worry, Nathan will pay for what he did. I am not going to let him off for what he did; I will handle it,” Karina answered boldly. She was done trying to justify Nathan’s actions and wanted to take everything for what it was.

Alex Atwood's persistent pursuit weighed heavily on Karina's mind. He was determined to annex her company, and his unscrupulous methods left her worried about Nathan's safety, which was why she had to temporarily divorce him for his own good. She knew she couldn't let Alex's ambitions jeopardize Nathan.

She couldn't allow Alex's tactics to harm Nathan, and now that Nathan's recent actions have cast doubt on her belief in his character, she never believed that he was capable of such. But Karina didn’t let anybody in on her plan of temporarily divorcing Nathan, as she was still deeply in love with him.

***

Gwen and Nathan finally arrived inside her big house. They were seated on the couches in the large living room, opposite each other.

Different thoughts and emotions were going through Nathan’s mind. The recent events, particularly Karina's decision to divorce him, had left him deeply perplexed. He couldn't help but feel that something was off about the whole thing, that there were aspects of the situation he was not paying attention to. As he thought about the whole divorce, he then recalled that he had been neglecting Karina’s company recently, mainly because he has been uncovering new clues about his parents' deaths and has been occupied with all that, including interrogating Deltrey, the president of the company that created the bomb used to bomb his parents’ plane.

He felt that, amidst all these crises, he was not paying attention to Karina and what might have been going on with her. He quickly took out his phone and sent a message to the private group chat that he created for his subordinates. "Please, I want you all to investigate Karina’s company. I want to know what has been going on that I don’t know about,” he sent.

He didn’t feel that she just suddenly wanted to divorce him out of nowhere because of Alex; he felt that something deeper than that might have led to the divorce, and he wanted to uncover all the secrets to know what actually happened.

At this point, Gwen interrupted Nathan, “I heard that you have the best medical skills; will you be able to save my grandfather’s life from his illness?” Gwen asked calmly.

“I can’t make any promises, but I will do everything in my power to save your grandfather. I will have to see him first before I know what to do,” he answered.

Gwen felt relieved by his words. “I will take you to him soon, but before that, I would like to ask.” Before she could complete the sentence, Nathan cut her off.

“Wait, you have already asked a question; before you ask another, I feel it’s my turn to also ask you some questions, don’t you think?”

Gwen nodded. “Go ahead, ask your questions."

"First, who recommended me to you as a doctor to treat your grandfather?” Nathan asked curiously. Nathan was curious to know because, even though Lothric was a larger city than Beloberg, it was not the capital or economic center. Gwen was just the eldest daughter of one of the richest families, so there was no reason for Gwen to recognize him.

“It was Deltrey Hamel, president of Hamel Group, who recommended you as a doctor for me,” she answered. Nathan’s eyes opened wide, and he wondered why Deltrey would recommend him to her, someone that he kidnapped and bullied for answers.

‘If Deltrey was the one who recommended me to her, he must definitely be up to something; is he trying to set me up?’ Nathan thought.

His cellphone started ringing loudly in his pocket. He looked at the caller and saw that it was Karina. He wondered what she wanted from him as he excused himself from Gwen and went out of the living room to answer the call in the hallway.

“What do you want?” Nathan asked right away.

“Why did you hit my brother? You slapped him several times, and there were multiple witnesses. Why would you do such a thing to James?” She questioned me curiously.

“You should have asked your brother what he did to me,” he answered bluntly. He didn’t want to sound rude towards her. But he thought she knew him better than to assume he did what he did without any solid reason.