HEIRS OF THE HIDDEN FLAME

SUDDEN CARSTOP

***

Nathan and Gwen were in the back seat of her car, and her driver was driving them over to Nathan’s destination. Gwen felt that it was the least she could do since Nathan saved her grandfather’s life.

“I am sorry for everything that happened back there; that stupid doctor came and destroyed your formation. When my grandfather was pronounced dead by that doctor, I thought you were the one who did it because the doctor was putting the blame on you, and I also believed it. I am sorry about that; I shouldn’t have doubted you,” she apologized calmly.

“I don’t care about that; what matters is that I was able to save your grandfather just like I promised I would,” Nathan replied in a nonchalant tone. He was not there when they were passing the blame on him, so he didn’t care about anything that she was apologizing for.

Hearing that Gwen took a liking to him, as she felt that Nathan was a genuine and good person who didn’t care about what others thought of him. She wanted to associate herself with Nathan and get to know him more.

Determined to make amends, she seized the moment. "Nathan, would you like to join me at a charity dinner hosted by the Smith family? It's at Belloberg. They're announcing a partnership that involves NewLife Pharmaceutical Group, but there's something else. I think you should be there."

Hearing NEWLIFE Pharmaceutical Group, Nathan was shocked, as that was Karina’s company. Nathan wondered how Gwen knew about her company and whether she had been investigating him. He knew that if she had been investigating him, it would pose a threat to Karina.

Nathan arched an eyebrow. "Are you investigating me?"

Gwen met his gaze, noting the apprehension etched in his features. She understood the gravity of his question and the underlying fear of exposure that shrouded him. With a calm demeanor, she replied, "No, Nathan. I'm not investigating you, per se. I was merely cautious. You see, after Deltrey introduced you, I felt it was necessary to ensure that the person being brought into our circle wasn't a potential threat."

Nathan understood where she was coming from and didn’t want to ask any further questions, but he wasn’t sure if he would attend the party.

“I understand you; I can’t blame you for your research on me,” Nathan replied softly.

Silence enveloped them for a while until Gwen, cautiously treading into uncertain territory, decided to broach a different topic. "So, about the charity dinner..."

Nathan turned his attention to Gwen, his guarded expression softening slightly. He sensed her tentative approach and decided to reciprocate by engaging in the conversation. "Yes, the charity dinner. What about it?"

Gwen hesitated before speaking, her voice carefully measured. "I heard there's going to be a bid for a partnership announcement. Do you have any interest in the outcome?"

Nathan paused for a moment, his gaze distant as if lost in memories. "I'm divorced. My interest lies more in ensuring my business doesn't collaborate with certain families."

Gwen furrowed her brow, sensing the weight behind Nathan's words. "I understand. Is there a particular family you're trying to avoid?"

Nathan's gaze sharpened, a flicker of concern in his eyes. "I'd rather not see any involvement from the Atwood family, especially from Alex Atwood's relatives."

Gwen's response was immediate and firm. "Don't worry. No one from the Alex Atwood family will even be allowed at the dinner party."

Nathan's guarded expression softened, a sense of relief washing over him. "Thank you for ensuring that."

Gwen nodded with a determined look in her eyes. "It's my duty to make sure the event runs smoothly and safely for everyone involved. You have nothing to worry about regarding Atwood's."

The tension seemed to ease between them as understanding settled in. Nathan's guarded demeanor softened slightly, and Gwen felt a sense of reassurance in having addressed his concerns.

The conversation between Nathan and Gwen had taken a turn, with the revelation of Nathan's divorce lingering in the air like an unexpected revelation. Sensing a change in Nathan's demeanor, Gwen's mind worked quickly, recalibrating her approach.

"You know what, Nathan?" Gwen said, her voice tinged with newfound warmth. "Why don't you let me treat you to dinner tonight? It's the least I can do after everything."

Nathan hesitated, caught off guard by the sudden shift in the conversation. He had intended to delve into the intricacies of the Smith family's involvement in his parent’s murder case. However, Gwen's offer took him by surprise, and after a moment's consideration, he found himself agreeing. "That sounds nice. Thank you, Gwen; I will go to dinner with you."

Nathan hoped that he would get to know her and get some clues at the dinner with her. Suddenly, the driver stopped the car. Nathan and Gwen wondered whether they had arrived at their destination as they looked at the driver.

The driver yelled as he turned to look at them. "Please, Mr. Nathan, I want you to save my wife’s life!”

Nathan and Gwen looked at each other in confusion. “What’s going on? Please explain,” Gwen was curious to know what was happening, as she was sure they hadn’t gotten to where they were going.

The driver was a man who was in his late 40s. He had dark hair and brown eyes; his name was Reynold.

“The thing is, someone kidnapped my wife and daughter; he forced me to find an opportunity to bring Mrs. Gwen to a location that he sent me; we are now halfway through the journey to the address they sent me." Gwen’s eyes opened wide; she was flabbergasted and wondered how she had gotten herself into such a situation. And now all her family bodyguards were still at the hospital.

“So, what do you intend on doing? Were you planning to take me and Nathan to the location the kidnapper’s sent you?” Gwen eyes opened wide, he wanted to know what Reynold’s plan was for the whole situation.

“Yes, because I overheard the bodyguards talk at the hospital that Nathan has magical powers, so when I saw that you wanted to drop him off somewhere, I felt it was the right opportunity to take you two to the location, because Nathan could use his magic to kill the men that are planning to ambush us there and rescue my wife and daughter,” Reynold explained with a look of fear in his eyes.

They could tell that he feared the whole situation.

Gwen and Nathan put two and two together and realized that Reynold stopped the car midway through the journey to let them know about what he had planned to do. Gwen and Nathan went quiet.

Reynold begged, palms pressed together. “Please save my wife and daughter!”

Nathan felt that this situation was an unnecessary one and that he shouldn’t involve himself in the whole thing. “I don’t think I can help you guys out in this situation,” Nathan said, tilting his head and looking at Gwen.

“You should handle this all by yourself; this mess has nothing to do with me."

Hearing that, Gwen quickly took out her phone and called one of the family bodyguards that was at the hospital. After a few rings, the guard answered the phone.

“You guys are fools and dimwits! I can’t believe y’all were spreading Nathan’s information all over the place!” She yelled into the phone.

“I am sorry, ma'am. I didn’t intend on doing that."

“Just get all the other guards to come and meet me at the coordinates I am going to send to you. I have an urgent situation."

"Okay, ma’am, I will get the others, and we will be on our way." After that, Gwen ended the call as she sent her coordinates to the bodyguard. He looked at Reynold with anger in her eyes.

"I don't think you will go unpunished for this situation that you have put me and my family into. I am going to make sure that I rescue your wife and daughter, but you are going to be fired from being a private driver forever. I am going to see to it that you don’t work as a private driver for anyone again in your life."

For a job like a private driver, loyalty and trust are the most important factors. Now that Reynold has broken both, he should face severe consequences for what he did, but Gwen was being considerate and didn’t want to go to the extreme, mainly because the kidnappers were after her and not the driver. The driver knew that he couldn’t complain about what Gwen wanted to do; all he wanted was for his family to come back safely to him. He didn’t care about his job anymore.

Nathan, on the other hand, wanted to leave the scene, but he felt he should stick around for a while because he could tell this situation would be big for Gwen to handle alone. Since he was the one she offered to take to his destination, he would feel bad if he left her in such a situation.

Nathan was also not happy with Gwen's decision to just fire Reynold, because Reynold now knows the type of powers he possesses, and if he goes free, he might publicize everything to the world, revealing his identity and all that he does. Although Gwen’s bodyguards were the ones that spread the information, he knew he wouldn’t have to worry about them since Gwen had called them to order, plus he knew the doctors in the hospital would have been cleared out a long time ago, so there was no need to worry about the Smith family or the bodyguards publicizing him for the time being. He knew once the driver got fired, he would be the biggest factor in his instability.

Nathan knew he had to kill the driver after he got fired, but he can’t let that or his position be known. He made up his mind that he was going to let his subordinates kill the driver later.