Their Villain, The Mogul's Beloved novel Chapter 7

It wasn’t too bad, honestly. The thugs got the worst of it.

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If not for the guy who showed up–some shady dude with a slick lawyer–Natasha and her rescuer might’ve been the ones facing assault charges from those creeps.

The cop, a grizzled vet, still shivered thinking about those punks‘ battered state. Whoever did it was a total badass.

Everyone just assumed it was Alexei.

In their eyes, Natasha was just a quiet, gorgeous girl. No way she could be that vicious. Even Alexei played along, taking the credit.

But the cop smelled family drama and leaned in, twisting the knife. “Oh, it was rough.

“She was a mess when we got her–blood everywhere, head busted, arm jacked up. Barely said a word. Imagine being cornered at night by a bunch of tatted–up dirtbags hitting on you. Who wouldn’t be scared shitless?

“All alone, no family to call, just curled up in a corner, only talking when we pushed her. Broke my heart.

“She tried calling a few times, but no one answered. Said she’s on her own. That guy’s lawyer bailed her out. We thought she was an orphan–didn’t wanna pry. Turns out she’s got family. So, where were you all last night?”

The question hit like a jab, and the Clarks flushed red with shame.

They’d figured Natasha was just throwing a fit over her ruined engagement. With Olivia’s health crisis eating at them, they had no patience for her drama, so they all–without a word–turned off their phones.

Lucas’s mind flashed to last night’s call. Natasha’s voice, shaky, saying she was being followed, begging for help.

And he’d just told her to quit screwing around.

How scared and alone she must’ve been.

He remembered their promise: always answer, never go dark. He’d failed her.

His chest felt like it was caving in, guilt crushing him.

Andrew cleared his throat. “Let’s have Natasha over for dinner. Make her favorites.”

Noel, rattled that this wasn’t just Natasha’s usual antics, shifted, half–ashamed, half–annoyed. “They

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8:17 pm

Chapter 7

nab those creeps, right?”

The cop nodded. “Locked up tight.”

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Thomas’s face was stone–cold. “We want those punks hit hard. And the guy who helped my sister- got his number? We’ll stop by to thank him.”

He decided to send a fat check. The guy stepped up when they didn’t.

The family nodded, on the same page.

*****

Meanwhile, as the Clarks grilled the cop, Alexei, the “good Samaritan,” was flipping through a thick file on Natasha.

His fingers turned the pages, eyes sharp and unreadable.

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