Chapter 162 Compulsion 

The man’s rough fingers teased her lips. Being so close to him, Natalie could see the anger in his eyes! 

Unlike how cruel he was to other people, he would only, at most, be angry at her. His methods of dealing 

with people had always been chilling! 

“Tell me, where did the well–educated and reasonable Ms. Walker go?” 

It was fine not to bring it up, but Natalle struggled even harder when this man mentioned it. 

“Let go of me! Release me, you…! 

“Mmph!” 

It hurt! 

The man continued his attempts. 

His breath and scent… It was exactly the same! 

But his temper… 

After a long while, with Natalie in pain and tears streaming down her face, the man finally let her go. He 

haphazardly patted her after doing so. 

“What the hell are you doing?!” 

Natalie was furious! 

“Did you turn out like this because you have your uncle’s support?” 

She was acting like a little tiger! 

At this moment, looking at Natalie, there was nothing left of her previous gentle and generous demeanor. 

“Get lost!” 

She didn’t want to see this man now. Every part of her body ached. 

He was retaliating against her for her previous antics! 

Nat, are you sure you want me to leave now? How do you think Sylvan Gems will be after I walk out that 

door? 

Natalie trembled at his words, forgetting even this recent incident. Both of them had the ability to forget 

Just like Cedric back then. 

Seeing Natalie suddenly acting up, he felt like she had become a different person. 

But at that time, he didn’t have time to care. 

After a series of events, Cedric believed that she had become like this because of Stephen’s support. 

Now Natalie looked at Cedric. She tried her best to endure the anger boiling beneath her skin. 

Calming herself as much as possible, she said, “There are no problems in Sylvan Gems at all. Even if the Industrial and Commercial Bureau and the tax authorities come, so what?” 

As she spoke, the man glanced at her. Turning around, he returned to her desk. He picked up one of the 

files he had brought and threw it near Natalie’s feet. 

“So confident, hmm? Why don’t you take a look at this?” 

Seeing how assured he looked, her initially firm heart wavered for a moment. Still, she bent down to pick up the documents scattered on the floor and examined them in her hands. 

Although she didn’t fully understand them, a comparison of before and after gave her an idea of the 

Issues. 

“You…! These things!” 

“Someone within Sylvan Gems brought them out. They can’t be fake!” 

“You have people in Sylvan Gems too?” 

Natalie raised her voice. The anger she had suppressed was now surging again. 

The man took out a cigarette, lit it, and said, “Is it so surprising?” 

No, it wasn’t! 

In just a short time after returning to the Johnson family, this man had eliminated all the branch families. 

and took the position of deputy chairman! This demonstrated his cunning and capability. 

When he put his mind to something, there was nothing he couldn’t achieve. 

But thinking about how Cedric had people in her uncle’s company, Natalie wanted to return to Sylvan 

Gems Immediately to find that person. 

She wanted to tear the person to pieces right now! 

“What are you trying to do?” 

With all that had happened today, it was clear that he had prepared all of this for her. 

She initially thought that things between her and Cedric would end with their divorce. 

But looking at it now, it seemed that their divorce was the beginning of another grievance between them. 

The man took a puff of smoke. “I just mentioned the conditions a moment ago, didn’t I?” 

*This is just a design studio. How could I have the ability to provide you with two pieces of land of equal 

market value?” 

“Are you saying you can’t afford to compensate?” 

“Did I steal it from you? Is it my fault that the designs from your design department weren’t selected?” 

Silence filled the air. 

The man stared at her intently and said nothing. However, his gaze made Natalie’s heart tighten. 

She didn’t want to argue with him at this critical moment, but he had proposed entirely impossible 

conditions. 

After a while, the man broke the silence. ‘It seems like I’ll have to personally deliver the original copies of 

these things to the tax authorities!” 

“This isn’t…” 

“It has nothing to do with you. You’ve only been in the position of Sylvan Gems’s CEO for a few days, 

haven’t you? Besides, you’re just a small fry. You wouldn’t dare do something like this, right?” 

“If you know that, then why…” 

“But it has everything to do with Sylvan Gems!” The man said and raised an eyebrow at her. 

Natalie fell silent. She wasn’t stupid; these were all remnants left behind by the previous CEO. Originally, 

she had planned to sort it out after this busy period. 

But who would have thought Cedric would get hold of it? 

It seemed that Sylvan Gems’s internal affairs needed a thorough overhaul. 

She closed her eyes and said. “Back then, I only helped design the plans for Premier Garden and Apex 

She was telling the truth. 

Premier Garden and Apex Global were collaborating with her studio. 

I 

“If you insist on compensation, I can only repay you with what I earned from these two projects!” 

As she spoke, she felt the pressure around her intensify. How could project earnings compare to design 

fees? 

It was like comparing a drop in the ocean, 

“But you’re quite capable, aren’t you?” Cedric looked at her, mocking her completely with his words. 

Undoubtedly, his words now were a complete mockery. 

Previously, she had collaborated with Apex Global and Premier Garden and had ruthlessly snatched away 

his projects! 

Now, this man was backing her into a comer with no way out. If she didn’t give him something today, it 

was clear that he intended to drag it out and wouldn’t let it go easily. 

Natalie looked at the man before her. 

They had been lovers for seven years and married for three. They had love, but it came with deep–seated 

resentment from a lifetime ago. 

Now, they had added another intersection to their complicated relationship. 

And that was their career! 

In the business world, they were rivals. 

“Hmm?” The man noticed her silence, his tone becoming solemn. 

Natalie wanted to say something, but she couldn’t find the words. 

She took a deep breath and asked, “What do you want?” 

Projects were absolutely irretrievable, and Cedric absolutely couldn’t hand over those documents to the 

relevant authorities. 

In such a situation…! 

“Are you asking me? The man took a puff of smoke. The look in his eyes intensified, adding more 

pressure to the already oppressive atmosphere. 

Natalie remained silent and just stared at 

The man pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray and casually took a sip from her cup on the desk. 

If it were before, Natalie would have surely exploded with anger, but now she couldn’t. 

This man made her realize that standing at the peak didn’t mean no one could surpass you. 

Beyond every mountain, there was another, and beyond every sky, there was another sky. Among the strong, there was always someone stronger. 

Previously, she had confronted this man with all her might, leveraging the support of her uncle. 

Now, he was pressing down on her with unprecedented ruthlessness. 

“Does that mean you can’t repay those two pieces of land?“. The man placed the cup down and looked at 

her, his eyes seeming to say that he had everything under control. 

“Fine, so you can’t. Why don’t we come up with something else,