Chapter 5: The Wedding Night

The media, wary of crossing Harui, couldn't fathom why the entertainment titan would intervene for Natalie.

Even Lucy was puzzled by the unexpected success of their plan, initially bracing for a prolonged tussle with Timi: "Natalie, tell me, is another company poaching you?"

"Not at all." Natalie glanced at Terrance beside her and responded, "Someone is indeed supporting me from the shadows, but it’s not the right moment to disclose who."

Lucy burst into laughter, assuming Natalie leveraged her family's clout, utterly oblivious to her becoming the tycoon Terrance's impromptu bride.

"Are you leveraging this incident to break away from Timi?" Terrance inquired, slicing his steak with an air of elegance.

"No... Walking away now would let them off too easy. I want to see them fall from their pedestal," Natalie stated calmly. "Besides, I'm planning my comeback, even though my popularity has waned. Timi still has its uses."

Terrance continued, "Your drive is motivated by anger. What if one day the hatred fades?"

"I don’t backtrack on my decisions, and I don’t entertain regrets," Natalie assured him staunchly. "I can love wholeheartedly, and I can destroy just as passionately."

Terrance remained silent but his interest in Natalie deepened. She wasn't naive but brilliantly astute, choosing transparency even with her darkest facets—a sign of trust.

"I've arranged a suite in this hotel for the night; going home lacks flair..."

Natalie blushed at his suggestion but nodded in agreement: “As you wish…”

While Evan was embroiled in damage control, juggling media and partners, and preoccupied with Serena's pregnancy, Natalie was the last thing on his mind, her whereabouts a mystery to him.

After a romantic dinner, Natalie followed Terrance into the presidential suite, which was also, quite intentionally, a honeymoon suite. She felt an unexpected warmth for the thoughtful gestures he had taken the time to arrange, gestures another had never contemplated.

Sensing Natalie's nervousness, Terrance shrugged off his jacket and turned to her: “I’ll take a shower first. If you have second thoughts... our wedding night can wait indefinitely.”

Grateful for his consideration, Natalie watched him enter the bathroom. Yet, why should she make Terrance accommodate her whims when they were already married?

With resolve, Natalie entered the bathroom to Terrance's surprised gaze and embraced his robust form: “I have no regrets.”

“Be certain, because once you're mine, there's no turning back,” Terrance warned, his low, seductive voice a siren song of intoxicating promise.

“I am certain.”

With that, Terrance no longer held back. His arms encircled Natalie's waist and his lips claimed hers passionately, fingers trailing under her gown, now damp from the spray.

Natalie's senses reeled under his kiss, one of such compelling force that it bordered on magical, her rational thoughts dissolving.

Beneath the cascade of the showerhead, her eyes locked onto Terrance's handsome features, the diamond-like mole on his earlobe, and the fervor in his gaze as he consumed her, piece by piece.

Yet when the moment of ultimate vulnerability arrived, he refrained from claiming her fully, instead wrapping her in a towel and carrying her to the rose-strewn bed. As his tall frame covered hers, he took precautions, but upon entering her, he encountered an unexpected resistance...

Natalie's cry of pain prompted Terrance to withdraw and envelop her in comfort.

He had assumed, given her history with Evan and in the entertainment world, that this would not be her first time. But the feel of her proved him wrong—she was unacquainted with intimacy.

"What's wrong?" Natalie asked, noticing his pause, her flushed cheeks radiating irresistible allure.

"Perhaps another time," Terrance replied, pleasantly surprised and simultaneously regretting his mistaken assumptions.

"Did I disappoint you?"

"If I’d continued just now, you would have been hurt," he admitted, donning a robe and returning to bed, striving to quell his desires. He didn't want her first time to be anything short of perfect. "Why didn't you tell me you were inexperienced?"

"How could I say such a thing?" Natalie nestled into his shoulder, "You were bound to find out."

"And what does this mean for us? Did we... or didn't we?"

"No matter the outcome, you are Mrs. Mo. You can't escape that," he said, lifting her in his arms to the bathroom to check for any injury.

Natalie couldn't help but laugh at his concerned demeanor: "You're nothing like they describe you."

"And how do they describe me?" Terrance asked as he filled the bathtub, preparing a bath.

"As a callous emperor of entertainment, ruthless and inhumane."

"To others, perhaps," Terrance admitted seriously, "But to you, my wife, I will show my truest self."

"But, Natalie, you must understand one thing," he cautioned.

"I tolerate no betrayal. Dishonesty is a deal-breaker with no second chances."

Rising comfortably to meet his gaze, Natalie replied playfully, "What a coincidence, I feel the same."

That night, they reached only halfway to consummation, but their hearts drew closer together. By morning light, Natalie awoke to an empty chill beside her.

She thought Terrance had left, but found him in the living room, elegantly reviewing documents, waiting for her.

"There are fresh clothes for you in the bathroom. Get ready, and we'll depart."

Natalie nodded and proceeded toward the bathroom when Evan's call came through.

She hesitated, but Terrance's raised brow was tempting: "Would you like me to answer?"

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***