Addiction to Temptation: His Mischievous Sweetheart Captivates Him-Chapter 174: Vivi

Natalie Vaughn’s voice was cold, her gaze disdainful. She despised these scumbags, who, relying on having an extra leg, vent all their temper on women.

Throwing them in the trash can would be an insult to the trash can.

Natalie’s demeanor only provoked the middle-aged man further into a rage.

"You bitch, why are you meddling?"

As he spoke, he signaled to the people around him to start handling her.

Natalie adjusted her hair and pulled her hood up, roughly covering half her face. The last time in the bar, she got into a fight and caused a scene.

The middle-aged man’s friends were all incompetent and physically weak, their punches were flimsy and easily blocked by Natalie.

When the fists proved ineffective, they grabbed nearby beer bottles, just like last time; indeed, scumbags are surprisingly consistent.

Natalie was fine on her own, but she was concerned about Phoebe Quinn behind her and the victim lying on the ground; she feared they might be caught in the crossfire.

"Yana, help this lady to the side."

Phoebe Quinn did as Natalie instructed.

"Nina, be careful by yourself."

Natalie just curled her lips slightly; dealing with these men alone was more than easy for her.

Besides, Natalie wasn’t alone.

The bodyguards kept a certain distance, and upon detecting the bar’s anomaly, they had already rushed over. Natalie wasn’t someone who loved playing hero, she just couldn’t tolerate injustice. Since she witnessed it, she couldn’t just stand by.

Sometimes, silent witnesses also constitute a form of harm.

Natalie didn’t want to stir up trouble. This wasn’t Astra City, and Zane Thorne had been very busy with work lately, so she only stopped after rescuing the bullied woman.

The people in the bar, seeing Natalie with bodyguards, cast curious glances. Natalie frowned and pulled her hat down lower.

Phoebe Quinn tightly protected the victim next to her, but Natalie’s gaze swept over swiftly and paused.

That face was not unfamiliar to her.

"Yana, let’s go."

This bar was no longer a safe place to stay.

The two of them took the victim back to the hotel where Phoebe Quinn was staying. The woman had been hit on the head and remained groggy and unconscious the entire way.

The doctor was already waiting at the door, and after fifteen minutes of examination, confirmed it was just a temporary dizziness.

"This lady probably hasn’t been eating well for days, which is why she’s feeling unwell."

Natalie furrowed her brows.

"Does she need a CT scan?"

"No need at this level," the doctor replied.

Natalie nodded, and once the doctor left, Phoebe Quinn spoke up.

"Nina, do you know her?"

Phoebe was too familiar with Natalie; she could discern Natalie’s emotions with just one expression.

"I’ve met her once before."

In fact, this was her second time saving the woman. Peculiarly, Natalie usually never remembered the people she helped, but the moment she saw the woman’s face in the bar, it clicked.

A tall, slender figure in a bright red dress that should have been vibrant but looked as forlorn as autumn leaves.

Natalie never believed in fate; she thought all coincidences could be manipulated. Just like how she developed an interest in Zane Thorne and then tried every possible way to meet him, creating what people called "fate."

But thinking about it now, how could it not be a form of fate? If James Vaughn had never seen Zane Thorne in Altara Hospital, he wouldn’t have thought to learn about the Thorne Family’s son, leading to Natalie and Zane’s blind date.

If it weren’t for Phoebe’s passion for racing, if she hadn’t skipped class in her senior year to watch a race and remembered the champion, she wouldn’t have grown curious about Zane Thorne and agreed to the date.

So, Natalie looked at the woman leaning against the sofa, deep in thought.

Once, twice, would there be a third or fourth time? Natalie didn’t know, but she had an intuition that this woman appeared before her for a reason.

About half an hour later, the woman finally regained some clarity. As she looked up, she saw Natalie sitting across from her, and her pupils contracted instantly. Natalie’s face was hard to forget once seen.

Natalie did not miss her reaction.

"Do you know me?"

The woman’s expression froze slightly, then she nodded after shaking her head.

"You... saved me last time too."

But if that were all, her reaction seemed overly peculiar. Why would her gaze be evasive when facing someone who saved her twice?

Phoebe Quinn handed the woman a cup of hot water.

"The doctor checked you and said you’ve just not been eating well these days, so you’re feeling uncomfortable."

The woman took the hot water with both hands and nodded, terrified.

"I really... thank you all so much. Without you, I wouldn’t know what would have... happened."

Perhaps she would have been beaten up in the bar, or left half-dead there, or even humiliated and violated.

Thinking of this, the woman’s hands holding the cup began to tremble.

Natalie, who had been observing her closely, subconsciously furrowed her brow more and more. No matter how she looked or thought, she found the woman strange.

After finishing the cup of water, the woman regained some strength and prepared to leave.

"I’m really grateful today, I don’t know how to repay you."

As she spoke, she bowed deeply toward Natalie, a full ninety degrees.

Natalie couldn’t handle this kind of gesture.

"No need to repay."

If it wasn’t her, someone else would have stepped in.

When the woman reached the door, Natalie suddenly called out to her.

"May I ask your name?"

The woman’s body seemed to stiffen. She still faced the door with her back to Natalie. The back she had tried to keep straight seemed slightly bent due to Natalie’s question.

Her slender shoulders appeared to be trembling.

Noticing this, Natalie’s curiosity deepened, and she explained,

"I’m not good at remembering people, but miss, I remember you—is it too much to ask for a name?"

How could it be too much? Natalie had saved her twice.

The woman seemed to take a deep breath, turned around, and finally met Natalie’s clear eyes with courage.

"Vivi, you can call me Vivi."

Natalie was silent for a moment due to the complex and inexplicable emotion in her eyes.

"Vivi."

Natalie softly repeated the name in her mind but couldn’t associate it with anyone she knew.

"I’ve arranged a car for you; it’s waiting downstairs."

Vivi forced a smile, her voice hoarse.

"Thank you."

Once the woman left, Phoebe couldn’t help but ask in confusion.

"What’s going on?"

Natalie shook her head.

"Yana, do you believe in fate?"

Phoebe was surprised to hear the word ’fate’ from Natalie.

"Nina, what’s going on with you? You never believed in it before."

Natalie smiled lightly.

"That was before; didn’t you always say there’s a fate between Zane and me?"

Phoebe understood.

"Indeed, love can change a woman."

Natalie smiled, not denying it, but thinking of that woman from earlier, the smile faded from her lips.

"Vivi, Yana, have you ever heard this name?"

Phoebe picked up a fruit from the table and took a bite.

"There are many with that name, is there something special about this person?"

"Just a feeling, a feeling that I should have some kind of connection with this woman."

Phoebe put down the fruit in her hand.

Natalie’s intuition was always accurate.

"Vivi? I remember the Warren Family has a side branch lady by that name, but they never hang out with us."

Because they aren’t in the same league.

Natalie shook her head, the connection she spoke of wasn’t that kind.