Filed to story: The Return Novel (Natalie & Bryce) PDF Read Online Free >>
Samuel Samuel was having coffee alone downstairs, Vivian having gone home. It took the hotel manager a lot of effort to find him. When he finally saw Samuel, he walked up to him and said, “Mr. Hammond.”
Samuel looked up and saw the manager in front of him. The manager looked worried and was sweating profusely. Samuel raised his eyebrows and said, “How can I help you?”
The manager wiped the sweat off his forehead with his pocket handkerchief and said, “Mr. Claire, that is, Mr. Bryce Claire, is up in my office, and he would like you to go up there. He sent me to fetch you, if you would be so kind.”
Samuel pursed his lips and looked puzzled. Grace was looking for him right now, so he hadn’t left the hotel after all. The manager was looking at him expectantly, so he stood up and said, “Lead the way.”
Bryce had been waiting impatiently, his face a mask of tension. When Samuel arrived with a smile on his face, Bryce shot him a humorous look. Samuel said cautiously, “Hello again, Bryce. What can I do for you?” He had no idea what Bryce wanted.
Bryce said coldly, “I need you to do a big favor for me.” There was no trace of humility in his voice; he just expected Samuel to fall in line with his wishes.
Samuel frowned and said huffily, “Well, what exactly is it you want?”
Bryce took a sip of water before saying bluntly, “Go up to Howard’s room in the presidential suite, knock the door down, and save the woman inside.”
Samuel almost laughed. He wondered for a second whether there was something wrong with Bryce. Was he drunk? Maybe. What was he talking about? But then he looked at the cold light in Bryce’s eyes and realized that he was sober and deadly serious. He looked at Bryce for a few seconds before nodding silently, then he turned and left.
In the doorway, he seemed to have thought of something to say. He paused and looked around at Bryce. “You’re sure you want me to do this to your cousin?”
Bryce didn’t even look at him but just said in a low voice, “Do it.”
Samuel made his way up to the presidential suite, guided by the hotel manager. He knocked on the door politely and listened. There was silence inside the room. No response. He knocked on the door again, but there was still no sound from inside. He raised his eyebrows and felt rebuffed, his anger rising. He got ready to put his shoulder to the door but then hesitated and signaled to the manager to open the door with his master key. The manager did as he was asked. The door swung open, and he stepped inside.
Howard, who had his shirt off, looked back over his shoulder at Samuel, his face frozen in shock. Samuel looked at the bed and saw Natalie lying there. Her face was streaked with tears, and her body was limp. She looked like she didn’t have any strength left. Her eyes were closed, and she was mumbling, “Leave me alone, leave me alone,” over and over.
Howard raised his hand towards her. Samuel gasped and cried out, “Howard, you’d really hit a woman?”
Natalie opened her eyes doubtfully. She saw Samuel step forward, grab Howard’s hand, and force it down to his side. Howard shook Samuel off and glared at him, growling, “Mind your own business. Do you really think you can interfere in my matters?”
Samuel said quietly, “Somebody needs to stop you, that’s for sure.”
Howard snorted and said, “You and Bryce make a good couple—a couple of Boy Scout types out to save the world, huh?” His voice was full of hatred and spite for him and Bryce, spite that seemed to have been locked inside him, festering for a long time.
Samuel frowned. “What kind of dirty business are you up to? Don’t you think that decent people would want to do something about it?” He hadn’t wanted to come up here, but now that he saw what Howard had been doing, he felt more angry and disgusted than he had ever been in his life.
Howard was putting his shirt on now, muttering, “This is a pile of crap.”
Samuel stepped towards the bed and looked at Natalie. She watched him approach, her body trembling. The refreshed tears on her cheeks and her eyes were red. With a sigh, he took off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Her dress was a little torn but still intact, and the suit jacket covered it. He lowered his voice, afraid of scaring her, and said softly, “Don’t be afraid. You’re safe now. It’s okay; it’s over.”
Natalie’s vision blurred with tears, then her eyes gradually focused on his face. He smiled gently at her, and she nodded, heartened.
Howard couldn’t control his anger. He spat out, “What a cozy little scene. The errand boy and the wayward maiden.”
Samuel frowned and looked contemptuously at him, saying, “I advise you to control yourself. The police will be here soon.”
Howard’s face filled with disbelief. “What? You called the police? You son of a bitch!”
Samuel shrugged, turning back to Natalie to look at her injuries. He no longer cared about Howard. Howard was wringing his hands and looking from side to side like someone acting out a mad scene in an opera. Finally, he said shrilly, “Is Bryce in the hotel too? Was it him that called the police?”
Samuel retorted angrily, “Do I need any more reason for calling the police than what you’ve done? Why should I need to take orders from someone else to do it? I recognize a louse when I see one, and I have big enough shoes to tread on it.”