The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus)

It was in the afternoon when Magnus slowly opened his eyes to find the girl by his bedside quietly reading a book. He smiled faintly, reassured by her presence upon waking, "My lady." Natalia, looking up from her book, swiftly rose to her feet upon seeing him awake. "You're up. Are you hungry? Is your wound hurting?"

The concern in her eyes made him feel special as he reached out to hold her soft hand, "I feel fine."

Natalia held out her small hand, sat down beside him and touched his forehead with her other hand. She felt that his temperature was normal, which put her mind at ease. "I've made some chicken soup. Let me get you some."

Her soft gaze made Magnus momentarily lose himself, "Sure."

Natalia gently withdrew her hand and left the room.

Magnus watched her retreating figure, his heart fluttered. Ever since the death of Jamie, he'd been a thorn in the family's side. No one had ever taken such care of him. During the year when his leg was shattered, his first love had cared for him for half a year, but he was irritable and often lost his temper with her. She left him when he went to France six months later. Since then, he had harbored resentment towards women, as his mother had never shown him any warmth or affection.

But this girl had stayed by his side and cared for him after he got injured. How could he not be moved?

Natalia returned with a bowl of soup, "Can you eat by yourself?"

Magnus reached for the bowl, but upon hearing her question, he quickly withdrew his hand, "No. I can't use my hand."

"Then I'll feed you."

That was exactly what Magnus wanted, "Okay."

The girl helped him sit up against the bed and, scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew on it gently, and brought it to his lips.

Magnus opened his mouth slightly, accepting the spoonful of soup. He felt like a baby.

Natalia blew on each spoonful before feeding him. Magnus felt a wave of warmth rush through him as he watched her rosy lips purse while blowing on the chicken soup.

Damn it! He was aroused at the sight of her blowing on the oatmeal. Since that night at the Andersen Family Estate, he hadn't had a chance to make love to her. Now with his shoulder injury, it was even more impossible. The thought of this ignited a spark of anger in him.

He quickly turned his head to look elsewhere. After a while, the bowl of soup was finally finished. Magnus licked his lips; the soup was really delicious.

Natalia stood up, "Your body isn't fully healed yet, so you can't have too much. For now, this is all you can have. You can eat more tonight." Actually, he wanted her to feed him more.

Natalia took the bowl away. Magnus leaned back on his bed, picking up his phone to call James, "Did you find out who was behind yesterday's incident?"

"We've found out. Who else would it be? Obviously, it's Lucius' men. Recently, I heard he's been cozying up with a Mexican gang. He's preparing for next month and can't wait to kill you." There were sounds of a woman from James's end.

Magnus frowned, "Is my life that easy to take? And another thing, don't get STDs." He hung up after saying this.

James was taken aback. Damn, was Magnus cursing him to get sick? Watching the two women on him, he abruptly pushed them away, "Get out!"

As Magnus put down his phone, Natalia came in, "You should change your clothes. I'll help you to the bedroom to sleep. It's too cramped here."

Magnus looked at the clean pajamas she brought and the bed. It was indeed a bit small. It was fine when he was alone, but it would be a bit cramped if he were to share it with her. He cooperated with Natalia to put on the pajamas. Her movements were gentle, fearing she might touch his wound. He looked down at her, her forehead slightly sweaty from the tension and her cheeks flushed.

He turned his head and gave her a peck on the cheek. Natalia was startled; looking into his dark eyes, her face turned even more red.

"My lady, come here." He used his uninjured hand to pull her towards him.

Natalia, fearing she might touch his wound, leaned in, "What is it?"

Magnus pulled her into his arms, one hand holding her chin, "Let me kiss you.”

Natalia's heart fluttered. She didn't dare to push him away and closed her eyes to let him kiss her.

He touched her lips, lightly biting them. Natalia immediately opened her eyes, seeing the playful smile on Magnus' face.

"You closed your eyes even before I kissed you. My lady, do you enjoy my kisses that much?" He laughed wickedly. If it weren't for his injury, Natalia would have slapped his hand away and pushed him off. But he was injured, and it was for her.

Before she could reply, his lips covered hers again. His kiss was domineering yet gentle, capturing her. His hand from her chin moved to encircle her waist.

Natalia was at a loss, her mouth slightly open; he took the opportunity to slip his tongue inside, entangling hers. His breaths became heavier. Natalia melted into his lap, her hands not daring to touch anything else, so she clung to his pajama top.

The kiss lasted about ten minutes before Magnus let her go, watching her blush, he chuckled, "What a good girl, I like this."

Natalia quickly moved away, helping him onto his wheelchair, pushing him towards the bedroom.

The bedroom was on the second floor. Natalia kept her head down, unable to look at his face. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She admitted that she was lost in his kiss.

She reassured herself that it wasn't infatuation, just human instinct. The attraction to beautiful things was natural. He was handsome and she couldn't resist him. Plus, he got injured trying to save her.

Magnus lay on the bed in the bedroom. Watching her flee, his laughter echoed in the room, hardly looking like a man who had been shot in the shoulder.

As Natalia left the room, she saw Linden coming in from outside. Seeing her flushed face, he immediately walked over, "What's wrong, young miss? Is the Mr. Magnus awake?"

"Yes, he's awake. He had a bowl of soup, he's fine."

Linden nodded, "Ever since he was confined to a wheelchair, he's been targeted and attacked by unidentified individuals. Mr. Magnus, with his kind heart, is being tormented even in this state." Natalia looked at Linden, "Who is it? Who wants to harm him? Why?"

Linden pondered for a while, "It's probably the other members of the Andersen clan. Seeing the him alive and well, they might fear he could rise again, possibly reclaiming his position as CEO of Andersen Corporation."

Upon hearing his words, Natalia suddenly understood what Linden meant. It must be Lucius.

She sat silently on the couch, gazing at the trees outside the window. How could Lucius be so heartless to find someone to put his own brother down after what had happened to him? She never expected that Kendra's beloved and Kendra herself, were both so selfish. They indeed made a perfect match.

In the following days, Natalia took meticulous care of Magnus. He relished the close attention from her, from bathing, dressing to feeding him. Like a mischievous child, he reveled in the girl's servitude.