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Chapter 8 Why Did You Hit Me

Even though Nathaniel and Aurelia always seemed lovey-dovey in front of Reed at the Heilbronn Villa, Marcus could tell something was off between them. Today, his suspicions were confirmed when Aurelia showed up at the hospital, badly hurt and all alone, with no one to sign her in. Marcus figured their relationship wasn't as perfect as it looked, so he thought Aurelia should make the call about the kid herself.

Marcus had other stuff to deal with. The parking lot was pitch black as Norman parked his car. Just as he was about to get out, a bunch of guys in black appeared out of nowhere and surrounded him. They moved so fast that Norman didn't even have time to react before they shoved him into a black van.

"Who are you?" Norman asked, his voice shaking with fear.

"Shut up!" one of the guys snapped, then blindfolded Norman with a black cloth and stuffed a nasty sock into his mouth to muffle his screams.

With Norman's muffled cries, the van sped off into the night. His heart pounded as he tried to figure out what he'd done to deserve this. 'I haven't done anything lately. Is this a kidnapping?'

The van soon stopped, and Norman was dragged out and taken into a dark, damp basement. In the struggle, the sock fell out of his mouth, and he could finally speak.

"What do you want?" Norman's voice trembled with fear.

"To teach you a lesson for messing with the wrong people," one of the guys said coldly, and then they all closed in on him.

One of them kicked Norman hard in the stomach.Norman doubled over in pain, instinctively protecting his stomach with his hands, his face twisted in agony. Then another guy grabbed his hair, yanked him up, and punched him hard in the face.

Norman cried out in pain, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his cheek swelling up instantly, and his vision blurring. The beating didn't stop. They took turns hitting him, their fists and kicks landing all over his body.

One guy grabbed his wrist and pulled him up, while another swung a punch that hit him square in the jaw, making Norman's head snap back. He almost lost his balance, his vision spinning.

"Pathetic," one of the guys sneered, then delivered another heavy punch to Norman's ribs, leaving him gasping for air.

Norman tried desperately to fight back, but he was no match for the guys in black. One of them stepped on his shoulder, pinning him to the ground, while another punched him hard in the back. Norman felt a sharp, unbearable pain.

Each blow filled Norman with despair. He couldn't figure out who he'd pissed off recently. Besides giving Aurelia a hard time, he hadn't done anything.

He thought, 'It can't be that bitch Aurelia who sent these guys to beat me up, right? No way.' Even though Aurelia wouldn't personally go after Norman, someone else might do it for her.

As time went on, Norman's strength drained away, and his mind started to fog up. The guys in black didn't let up; they kept pounding him with fists and kicks until he couldn't fight back anymore. He crumpled to the ground, bruised and battered, waves of pain washing over him.

Meanwhile, one of the guys in black was recording the whole thing on his phone and sent it to Aurelia.

Aurelia, asleep in the hospital, was jolted awake by her phone vibrating. She groggily opened her eyes and saw a message notification. She opened the video and saw Norman surrounded by the men in black, his face a mess, writhing in pain.

Aurelia felt a weird mix of confusion and satisfaction, a smile creeping onto her lips. Seeing Norman suffer gave her a twisted sense of relief and pleasure.

Then, another message popped up from the sender: [Ms. Semona, if you're not satisfied, we can keep going, but causing a death would be a hassle.]

Aurelia: [Who are you? Why are you helping me?]

Felix: [Doesn't matter. Just know we're following your orders. If you need anything, contact me. I am Felix.]

Felix was a mystery. No matter how much Aurelia pressed, he wouldn't spill, so she eventually gave up. For now, Felix seemed to be on her side, but who knew what the future held.

Aurelia memorized the number, planning to dig into who Felix really was once she was out of the hospital and back on her feet.

Aurelia was always cautious. She had plenty of enemies and serious beef with the Thompson family. Plus, as Nathaniel's wife, she was the easiest target if anyone wanted to mess with the Heilbronn family.

If Felix was just pretending to help her to get close and then kidnap her when she let her guard down, anything was possible. So, she figured it was best to find out who Felix really was.

While she was still mulling over Felix's identity, the door to her room opened again. It was Marcus.

"Marcus, you haven't left yet?" Aurelia asked.

"I was about to, but there's something I need to tell you, so I came back," Marcus said, making Aurelia curious. 'What could be so important that Marcus had to say it in person?' she wondered, looking at him with sparkling eyes.

Marcus handed her an early pregnancy report. "Take a look."

"Pregnant?" Aurelia repeated, her voice barely a whisper. She couldn't believe it. Her hand instinctively went to her abdomen, a rush of emotions hitting her hard.

"Yes, after the examination, it's confirmed that you're pregnant," Marcus said flatly.

Aurelia's mind went blank, overwhelmed by a flood of emotions. She never thought she'd get pregnant under these circumstances. If it had been just yesterday, she would've been thrilled to share the news. But it happened to be found out today.

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