When She Rose From the Ashes (Natalie and Jensen) novel Chapter 172

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Chapter 172 Guess Who Runs This Place

The two children clung to Natalie, playing with her for a while before she started helping them pick out a kindergarten.

Baron came out of the gym, took a brisk shower, and then joined his wife and kids for a bit of playtime.

Neither of them spoke about the storm quietly brewing beneath the surface.

Part of it was to keep the children from worrying; part of it was because they both believed they could handle it.

After lunch together, the children were taken off for their nap.

Baron still had work to attend to, so he headed to the Ocean City branch of Grant International Holdings.

Natalie, meanwhile, called Chris.

“Chris, take the Stone family men and come with me to Cloud Cafe.”

She had never intended to face Jensen alone.

Five years ago, she had been foolish.

Back then, Jensen had been her salvation; her only light.

She never imagined that in the end, she would nearly die at his hands.

All the love she had poured out meant nothing to him.

This time, she was determined to guarantee her own safety.

After all, she wasn’t alone anymore.

Chris obeyed Natalie’s order without question.

Yvonne was left behind to watch over the kids.

When Natalie arrived at Cloud Cafe, Jensen was already there.

He had been picturing what the woman he loved most might look like now.

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Chapter 172 Guess Who Runs This Place

That fire had been so severe; surely her skin had been burned.

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In such a short time, it would be nearly impossible to undergo skin grafts. Finding matching skin would be even harder–even with the Witch Doctor, it seemed unlikely.

But it didn’t matter. No matter how Natalie had changed, he would never let her go.

Jensen’s gaze stayed locked on the door of Cloud Cafe, his anticipation growing unbearable; anyone who looked remotely unusual caught his

eye.

But after more than half an hour, she still hadn’t appeared.

The old Natalie would never have stood him up.

She would have arrived half an hour early, saved him a seat, even ordered his favorite cappuccino.

So this was what waiting felt like.

For the first time, Jensen experienced the same anxious anticipation Natalie had once endured.

Then the wind chime above the café door jingled.

At the sound, Jensen’s head snapped up–only to be utterly stunned by what he saw.

Two rows of men in black strode swiftly into the cafe.

Chris cleared the place in a matter of seconds.

The spectacle made Jensen frown slightly.

The fact that he hadn’t been cleared out along with everyone else meant only one thing, Natalie had to be behind this. But how? Where had she found the kind of power to clea cafe?

ut an entire

As he wrestled with the thought, Chris bowed respectfully toward the entrance. “Miss, you may come in.”

The wind that rushed in as the glass door swung open rattled the chimes; Jensen’s grip on his cup tightened to the point of strain.

The figure that stepped in on high–heeled combat boots shattered every image he had prepared himself for.

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Chapter 172 Guess Who Runs This Place

Not a fragile silhouette wrapped in scarves; not a shrunken figure hiding in shame.

She was a bloodstained blade wrapped in a battle cloak.

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A black double–breasted coat whipped in the draft, its military–grade leather belt cinched tight to carve a sharp, aggressive waistline. A silver fox–fur collar framed her cold, perfect jawline; her ink–dark hair was slicked back, twisted into a razor–sharp knot at the back of her head, exposing her smooth brow and two fierce brows slashing toward her temples.

With every strike of her boots against the marble floor, the sharp metal heels rang out, freezing the café’s air in an instant.

Jensen’s Adam’s apple bobbed uncontrollably.

The countless burn scars, contracted skin, and graft marks described in those medical reports dissolved like smoke.

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