Dumping Him for His Uncle (Natasha and Zachary)

Natasha could only sigh and rub her forehead at Xavier's response.

But when she looked back down at her book, her thoughts refused to settle. Zachary's explanation kept echoing in her mind.

She felt conflicted. He'd asked her to be his girlfriend not that long ago, and now he was acting so distant, so cold.

Then, she caught herself. "Why do I even care how he feels about me?" she thought, irritated.

Forcing the entire conversation out of her mind, she tried to focus on her book again.noveldrama

The wind picked up as the ferry changed directions, sweeping across the deck.

Natasha stood by the railing, the sea breeze brushing her cheeks with a faint, salty sting.

She took a deep breath, feeling the gentle sway of the ship beneath her feet. A mix of anticipation and nervousness bubbled in her chest.

This was her first time attending such a prestigious academic conference. She'd prepared thoroughly but still felt anxious about facing some of the top minds in the medical field.

"Don't stress about it. Worst case, you crash and burn," Xavier said casually.

Compared to Natasha, he was far more relaxed. No matter how high-stake the situation, he always managed to keep his cool.

"Easy for you to say. You're emotionally bulletproof. If I can walk away from this having learned something, that's good enough for me," Natasha muttered.

As long as nothing went horribly wrong, she figured that goal was within reach. "This is some material related to the theme of the conference. It lines up pretty well with your argument. You could probably expand on it a little," Xavier said, pulling out a few documents like a magician.

Natasha stared at the pages, stunned.

"Where did you get this?" she asked immediately, suspicious.

Given Xavier's status, there was no way he should've had access to this kind of information unless he'd done something shady.

"Relax. I got it through official channels!" Xavier said, wearing a look that practically screamed "trust me". Whatever Natasha had been about to say, she swallowed.

As unlikely as it seemed, Xavier didn't strike her as the type who'd go to shady lengths just to get his hands on some documents.

After returning to her room with the materials, Natasha ran into her sweet-faced roommate coming out of the bathroom.

The girl glanced at the folder in Natasha's hands but tried to pretend she wasn't curious.

"The staff dropped off some fruit earlier. Want some?"

Natasha smiled and politely declined, then settled on her bed and pulled out her laptop.

Though the room had two single beds, a folding screen stood between them for privacy.

Natasha had the bed behind the screen, and unless it was absolutely necessary, the other person was expected to ask before crossing over.

But the girl kept finding excuses to wander into her space, and Natasha was starting to get annoyed.

"I'm Elena Duncan. You can just call me Elena," she said cheerfully.

"Where are you from, Natasha? You don't look like you're from Cendale."

"This pineapple is sweet. You sure you don't want any?"

Anyone with a hint of social awareness would've known to stop prying by now. Natasha sighed and closed her laptop, clearly giving up on getting anything done.

After taking a few bites of fruit, Elena finally seemed to calm down a bit.

But not long after, Natasha felt an odd discomfort in her stomach. Setting her work aside, she got up and headed to the bathroom.

The moment she stepped out, Elena slipped behind the screen.

Just as she picked up the folder, Natasha reappeared, standing right behind her. "Having fun with your little game?" she asked, her voice ice-cold.