Chapter 51 Natalie’s Shows
Rafael’s POV
“What happened?” I asked Natalie’s friend, Fello, over the phone, attempting to suppress the furious tone in my voice as I drove recklessly.
Fello replied amid her sobs, fear evident in her trembling voice, “I don’t know. She started acting strangely, and now we couldn’t make her leave the dance floor. And… and…” She hesitated, as if she was in a dilemma.
I yelled impatiently, “What’s wrong, Fello? What happened again?”
“Some… there are some men trying to pull her to one of the rooms,” she said, and I cursed, “Fuck.”
“We tried to talk to the security men, but they weren’t very helpful. They said they can’t interfere while the girl is doing this on her own,” Fello said, breaking down into loud sobs.
“Please, Rafael. Come as soon as you can,” Rebecca’s terrified voice came through the speaker. She paused for a second, then added with a broken voice, “I’m afraid you’ll be too late if you don’t.”
Her words spurred me to increase my speed. I couldn’t comprehend why Natalie would do such a thing. There must be a reason. Who was that man? My eyes darkened as I considered the possibility of her having any kind of relationship with him.
“Rafael, watch out!” Debbie exclaimed as I pushed the speed to the extreme. She had been in my study room when Natalie called moments ago. Debbie had come to inform me that her father’s employees, who were responsible for the last shipment of medical equipment we imported as a joint deal, had informed her that customs had found heroin powder tucked into packages inside the baby milk cans. They suspected an employee from my company was behind this. She came to inform me before the police started investigating the case.
“Is it possible that she had an affair with the guy that Fello mentioned?” Debbie asked, then she stared at my face and added, “Oh God, Daniel doesn’t deserve that. He’s a good guy, and he adores her.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I growled at her, slamming the steering wheel with my fists. Despite appreciating her good heart and honest concern for Natalie, which drove her insistence on coming with me, I couldn’t tolerate her logic right now.
However, she didn’t speak after that for the rest of the journey, and I appreciated her silence.
I was on the verge of collapse. Why the hell was everything falling apart at once? The speed at which I reached the bar was incredible. I was certain the police would be at my door in the morning.
I stepped out of the car, and Debbie followed, pleading, “Rafael, please wait. Don’t do anything reckless.”
I passed through the main door of the nightclub after the guard checked my identity card, though I was impatient with such procedures.
I froze the moment I stepped inside that damn nightclub. I couldn’t believe my eyes. My blood froze in my veins for a second, then it started boiling like a wild volcano.
Natalie was the star of the party tonight, seemingly determined to entertain every man in the venue at the expense of her own dignity. She danced in the middle of the floor, nearly naked, wearing only her underwear. The drunken men surrounded her like flies drawn to honey, while others, sober enough to handle their phones, filmed her and posted the spectacle on social media.
“Yeah, bitch! Take that bra off,” a man shouted, while another rushed to her, exclaiming, “Let me help you take it off for a better view, slut.”
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget that scene for the rest of my life. Those words will be etched in my mind forever.
I dashed forward and smashed that fucker’s face. He tumbled to the ground like a ball, his screams muffled by the loud music. I quickly took off my jacket and covered her body with it, shielding her from the leering eyes and the phone cameras that were now focused on us.
She blinked as she saw me, her lips curling downward as if she was about to cry.
“You’re here?” she stammered, reaching out to touch my beard.
I skipped her touch and bent down to lift her into my arms.
“Do you think she will be okay?” Fello asked, walking quickly to catch up with my fast steps, while the crowd gathering around the dance floor continued to film the whole scene from afar.
“I tried to talk to the security men to get the camera records to identify who the man was, but they refused,” Rebecca mumbled.
Yes, the cameras! I should get the records.
Natalie was struggling in my arms, trying to make me put her down.
I turned my head towards the three women who were walking behind me: Rebecca, Fello, and Debbie.
“Which booth were you sitting in?” I inquired.
“That one,” Rebecca replied, pointing to a booth in the right corner of the place. It was still empty, reserved under their names for tonight.
I walked over and seated Natalie down. She grabbed me by the neck and whispered in a pleading tone, “Please help me, I’m suffering. It hurts.”
She was pulling my head down and raising her body desperately in need. My eyes darkened. How could she try to do such a thing in public?
I raised my head towards the girls and ordered, “Fello, Rebecca, come with me to the security office and show me the man in the camera record. Debbie, could you look after her until I finish? Jack is on his way here.” She nodded and assured me, “Sure, go and don’t worry, I’ll take care of her until you come back.” Then she gently combed Natalie’s hair with her fingers and added with a tender voice, “Natalie is like my younger sister.”
I felt pangs of remorse. Debbie had always been by my side, supporting me, yet here I was intending to let her down. The man who would marry her would truly be lucky to have such a considerate girl. She didn’t even complain when Natalie tried to kiss me moments ago.
I smiled at her gratefully and walked towards the security office. However, we didn’t find much. The man was careful; he avoided showing his face clearly in the camera footage.
I slammed my hands onto the table in frustration. I hated the feeling of helplessness.
“He was avoiding my camera the entire time when I was on the live feed. I tried to engage him on my Instagram live to gain more views and followers, but he avoided showing his face,” Rebecca concluded.
With every passing minute, I became more convinced that the man had framed Natalie.
“I want the names of every guy in his twenties or thirties who entered this club tonight,” I growled at the security officer.
He nodded, his voice trembling, “But you need permission from the club owner, sir.”
I grabbed him by his shirt and roared between clenched teeth, “I don’t give a shit! Give me the damn list now, or I’ll burn this whole building down on your heads.”
He hastily uploaded the list of today’s visitors onto a flash drive. Once he finished, I stormed back to the booth where I left Natalie and Debbie. My heart sank when I saw a crowd of people gathering around the booth.Content rights belong to NôvelDrama.Org.
I hurriedly pushed some people aside to reach the booth. My eyes widened when I saw the two girls; Natalie and Debbie, on the floor. Natalie was on top of Debbie, hitting her and pulling her hair, while Debbie was trying to get Natalie off of her. However, Natalie was kicking and punching endlessly.
I could hardly believe my eyes. Was that really my Natalie? What the hell happened to her?
I promptly pulled Natalie up. She was half-naked, which made the scene even more shameful.
Debbie looked at me with a bleeding look and said in a shaky voice, “I’m sorry, Rafael. I tried to make her calm down, but she insisted on going with a stranger. When I tried to prevent her, she made a scene and hit me.”
Debbie started crying, her face full of scratches.
“Liar, she’s lying. She slapped me,” Natalie said, her voice shaky from the alcohol.
“I yelled at her, “Stop, Natalie! You’ve done enough for one night,” it was the first time I yelled like that at her.
She stared at me in a daze, then at Debbie. Before I could react, she slapped Debbie across the face.