Chapter 163 Not a Man 

Another way!? 

Without needing to think, Natalie knew it wouldn’t be a good option. 

In the next moment, she heard Cedric say, “From today onwards, what I say goes. How does that sound 

to you?” 

“Do you think that’s possible?” 

“Why wouldn’t it be? Right now, you have to listen to me, don’t you?” 

Natalie gritted her teeth, wishing she could tear this man apart. 

Cedric stood up. He looked at her infuriated expression, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her forcefully. 

Natalie struggled, but the strength of his grip left her with nowhere to escape. She despised it–every 

touch, every kiss! 

Just the thought of him being intimate with other women made her want to scratch his face. 

Finally, he let her go. 

Natalie was about to raise her hand to strike him when she saw the threatening smirk on his lips. 

In the end, she managed to control her trembling hand. 

He patted her cheek, touched her jawbone, and said, “Behave, hmm?” 

Natalie wished she could break his hand, but she couldn’t! 

Watching the man arrogantly leave her presence and head towards the office door, Natalie closed her 

eyes. 

Unable to hold back, she asked, “Cedric, if it weren’t for my uncle, would you forcefully take me to the 

operating table?” 

In her previous life, that was the case–the difference between having her uncle’s protection and not 

having it. 

Even though she already knew the outcome from her past life, she couldn’t help but ask. 

The man turned back to look at her. “If I wanted to, even ten Stephens couldn’t protect you.” 

Such arrogance! 

As the door closed, the man said, “I’ll pick you up after work.” 

Natalie was about to curse viciously, but the man’s cold and stern departure made her swallow the words. 

As Cedric left, Karina entered. 

“What’s going on?” she asked, observing Natalie’s troubled expression. 

Natalie looked at Karina and asked, “Do I look like someone who’s easy to bully?” 

Karina was a bit puzzled by her question. 

Easy to bully? 

No, definitely not! 

When she confronted Cedric and the other Johnson family members before this, Natalie looked like a 

fierce tiger. 

“Has something happened?” Karina inquired. 

Actually, from the moment Cedric appeared here today and said Natalie would return later, Karina had 

been curious! 

During this time, since Natalie took over as the president of Sylvan Gems, she hardly had time to manage 

the studio’s affairs. 

Most of her time was spent at Sylvan Gems. Natalie didn’t mention the situation there, obviously concerned that information might leak from Karina to her uncle. 

Natalie explained, “The new products on that side have been confirmed, and I’m not that busy anymore. 

These days, I’ll be working on the Apex Global project here.” 

“Alright, that sounds good.” Karina nodded. 

The designs for Apex Global were personally crafted by Natalie, and currently, only a portion of the 

finished drawings had been produced. 

After all, the drawings she handled had specific dimensions that she understood better than others, 

making it difficult for anyone else to do the work. 

Therefore, no matter how busy Natalie was, she had to handle the designs for both Premier Garden and 

Apex Global herself. 

Karina left the office, leaving Natalie alone. After rubbing her face, Natalie began to work on the Apex Global designs. 

Just then, her phone vibrated. Glancing at the number, she noted it was Irwin’s. 

She answered, “Hello.” 

“Are you busy?” 

“Not really. Um.. When are you coming back?” Natalie asked tentatively. 

In reality, she wanted to say that Cedric was behind Irwin’s trip abroad. 

But considering Cedric’s character, if Irwin found out, given Irwin’s formidable methods, it could lead to a clash between two powerful individuals, possibly resulting in chaos. 

So, she swallowed the words that had been at the tip of her tongue. 

If she didn’t say it, it would remain a battle between only her and Cedric, 

If she said it, everything would change and potentially cause more trouble. 

She didn’t want to see that happen. 

“The situation here is a bit tricky. I won’t be able to return for a while. I’ll see you once I’m back, okay?” Irwin explained. 

“Sure!” Natalie didn’t refuse, silently hoping Irwin would return soon. 

Not because she missed Irwin so much, but mainly because Cedric instigated Irwin’s trip abroad. If Irwin came back, it would mean the situation was resolved. 

When Natalie didn’t refuse, there was a momentary pause on Irwin’s end, followed by a light laugh. “Rest assured, I’ll be back soon.” 

“Okay…” 

They didn’t talk much after that, but the warmth in the man’s voice brought Natalie an unexpected sense of reassurance. 

After ending the call with Irwin, Natalie thought momentarily and decided to call Stephen. 

It seemed like he was busy, as it took a while before he answered. When he did, his surroundings were silent. 

“I thought you would call me once you arrived at Sylvan Gems, Stephen commented. 

Natalie asked, “The issue isn’t a big problem, is it?” 

“It’s not, but it’s just a bit troublesome,” Stephen replied casually. 

However, Natalie still felt anxious. 

She knew the international influence of Sylvan Gems in the jewelry industry. If something happened to Sylvan Gems, especially considering its popularity among wealthy circles abroad, the consequences 

would be severe. 

The news was being kept under wraps currently, and there was no sign of any information leakage. 

However, with Cedric causing such a disturbance, who knew what awaited them in the future? 

After all, secrets never remained secrets in this world! 

Whether in her previous life or this one, Natalie endured the most pressure from public opinion. She was well aware that it was far from a pleasant experience. 

With billions of people in the world, how could one block all the leaks?! 

“Is everything okay on your end?” Stephen asked Natalie. 

Natalie replied, “Don’t worry, everything’s fine.” 

While she claimed that everything was fine, the situation with Cedric…! 

The next moment, Stephen said, “Karina mentioned that Cedric came to see you again?” 

Ugh, Karina! 

“Yes.” 

“About remarrying?” 

Natalie didn’t know how to answer that question. At the moment, it seemed that the situation between 

Cedric and her wasn’t as simple as remarrying. 

“Uncle, you don’t need to worry about these things.” 

“Nat, you need to use your brain a little more.” 

In Stephen’s tone, there was a hint of concern for Natalie. After all, she was a girl. 

Regardless of the position she stood in, from Stephen’s perspective, the most worrying issue was relationship problems. 

I know what you’re worried about. Don’t worry, I won’t!” 

Natalie had experienced both life and death with Cedric in her previous life. 

No matter what happened between them now, Natalie couldn’t let go of the despair and hatred from her 

past life. 

“Well, I still have a meeting to attend, so I’ll hang up first!” Stephen didn’t say much, indicating that he was 

busy. 

Although he spoke about Sylvan Gems’s situation casually, in the context of a big corporation, such investigations were not something to be proud of. 

After the call ended, the world suddenly quieted down. 

Stephen rarely attended meetings before, but Natalie’s recent two calls with him were during meetings! 

It was clear that Cedric was quite capable. 1 

Natalie wondered what methods he had used to keep her uncle at bay. 

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