The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus)
Chapter 60

She couldn't believe what was happening. She was sure she hadn't crossed anyone, yet here she was, kidnapped and stranded in the middle of the ocean.

It was the dead of night, and the boat was aimlessly drifting on the sea. Back at Melfort, Hector had rallied with the authorities and set out a fleet of speedboats, racing across the ocean towards her at a breakneck pace.

At the stroke of three in the morning, they finally spotted the boat. Hector immediately ordered an increase in speed to approach the vessel. Unbeknownst to those on board, an additional passenger had secretly boarded the boat at one in the morning. This man, tall and looming with a mask covering his face, had stealthily climbed aboard from a different direction, remaining completely unnoticed by the two kidnappers.

The mysterious man silently picked the lock to Natalia's cabin with a thin piece of wire and gazed at the girl, bound, and leaning against the wall. His eyes, hidden behind the mask, emitted a chilling glow. The two kidnappers were completely unaware of the authorities closing in on them and the stranger already on board their vessel, privy to all their information. They closed their eyes for a quick rest. Suddenly, one of the kidnappers shouted, "Someone's approaching! They've caught up to our boat!"

The one named Johnny sprung to his feet, sprinted to the window, and saw Hector preparing to board their ship. "Wake up!" He shouted to his accomplice. "Someone's followed us. We need to throw the girl overboard and make a run for it. Hurry!"

The other kidnapper jumped up. "Damn, they're really here," he grumbled. With that, they rushed into Natalia's cabin.

Natalia heard the door open and felt herself being lifted up. "Where are you taking me?" she demanded. Weren't they taking her to England? Had they changed their plans? Were they going to throw her overboard?

"Let me go! Who ordered you to kidnap me?" Natalia shouted. She was determined to replace out who was behind this, even if it was the last thing she did.

"You don't need to know," one of them replied with a regretful look on his face. "Today is your last day. We were going to take you to England, but now that we've been followed, you have to die."

As they dragged Natalia to the edge of the boat, the authorities had already boarded. Spotting the kidnappers, they drew their guns. "Freeze!"

Johnny saw that their pursuers were the police. In a panic, he shoved Natalia overboard, drew his own weapon, and fired a shot. The authorities dodged and returned fire as Natalia fell into the water. The masked man, witnessing Natalia's plunge, immediately jumped into the sea to rescue her.

With her hands and feet bound, Natalia swallowed a few mouthfuls of seawater and choked, slowly sinking down. The masked man quickly caught her, held her close, and covered her mouth with his, providing her with much-needed oxygen.

After a while, Natalia opened her eyes and saw the masked man who was kissing her. She tried to struggle but didn't have the strength. However, his familiar scent made her think for a moment that he was Magnus.

The two of them slowly floated upwards. Natalia's strength finally gave out, and she passed out again. The masked man held her close and swam to the surface, climbing onto the speedboat that Hector had brought. He quickly carried her into a cabin and started to perform chest compressions. Once again, he covered her mouth with his, sucking the seawater out. It didn't look like he was performing CPR, but rather like he was passionately kissing her. It was as if he wanted to swallow her whole.

Seeing Natalia slowly regain consciousness, he finally let go of her. Before Natalia could open her eyes, he bent down and gave her a lingering kiss. After stripping her out of her wet clothes and wrapping her in a blanket, he left the cabin.

Hector and the police, with a kidnapper in custody, boarded the speedboat and saw the masked man exiting the cabin.

"Where's Natalia?" Hector immediately asked.

"She's fine, still asleep," the masked man replied in a cold voice. He was tall, even taller than Hector, his deep eyes staring down at Hector from behind the mask.

"I'll go check on her. Thanks for saving her," Hector said, heading towards the cabin door.

The masked man blocked his path. "No need. She's sleeping. Besides, she's only wrapped in a blanket. It's not appropriate." His voice was cool and detached.

Hector was taken aback. "Who are you? Why were you on the kidnapper's boat? Are you involved in Natalia's kidnapping?" He then recalled the man's previous words and reacted with shock. "You undressed her?!" He glared at the masked man, his anger flaring.

"Do you want to be the one to undress her?" The man sneered. "I'm Magnus' bodyguard. I was ordered to protect her." He walked off to the control room to steer the speedboat, leaving Hector in stunned silence.

"I'm her boyfriend! I should have been the one to help her change," Hector shouted back, but the masked man only laughed.

"Boyfriend? Natalia is Magnus' lady. What kind of boyfriend are you?"

Meanwhile, Natalia had woken up. She looked around, realizing she was lying on a bed, and wrapped tightly in a blanket. Through the dim light, she saw a figure by the door. Who was it? The one who had jumped into the ocean to save her. And the one who had kissed her in the sea. No, that was him giving her oxygen! But then, he kissed her again after pulling her up.

And he had undressed her!

Who on earth was he? She saw the figure turn around, revealing a man with a wolf mask. His eyes peered through the mask, staring straight at the door as if trying to see into her heart. Natalia's heart skipped a beat. Who was this man?

She simply shut her eyes and fell asleep in no time, as she seemed to be running a fever, the faint sounds outside filtering into her hazy consciousness.

Hector wanted to check on Natalia, but after being warned off by the masked man a few times, he figured it would be inappropriate to intrude while she was undressed. He couldn't help but question the man steering the boat. "Why do you hide behind a mask, sir? Why not show your true face?"

The man remained silent as the speedboat was cutting across the ocean like an arrow in flight.