Beyond The Contract

Chapter2

Nathan didn't reply to the message; he rushed to table number 7 and sat in his rightful place before a woman whose face showed deep resentment. It was as if Nathan had made an unforgivable mistake.

Her face was scowling, with a gaze that kept looking Nathan up and down. The woman wore a simple black dress with a sardonic expression on display.

"You're finally here," she quipped, folding her arms across her chest. "You know what, I've been waiting for half an hour. Is respecting other people's time too hard for you? You can't keep your word at all. Your first impression isn't good at all, Nathan.”

Nathan flinched at her tone but tried to remain calm. "I'm sorry, Casie, I-" Nathan tried to explain everything, including the woman's cell phone, which had been unavailable since he arrived at the cafe.

However, Casie cut him off. "Sorry? That's all? And what's this? Such ordinary clothes? Shouldn't a man on a blind date try to look decent? You look like a fringe person." The woman pointed at Nathan's body.

Nathan swallowed hard, trying to remain polite even though the insult bothered him. "I didn't know it was going to be so formal. But I came anyway."

"Yes, by being late and dressed like a delivery boy," the woman added sharply. "And I hear you're a... what? Nurse? In gynecology? Are you aware of your job?"

Nathan nodded slowly. "I am. I work at the hospital as an obstetrics nurse.”

Cassie snorted sarcastically. "Gosh, I don't even know what's more pathetic. You're a man in such a job, or I'm wasting my time here. You're such a disappointment! I regret waiting for you."

Before Nathan could reply, the woman grabbed a glass of water from the table and, with a swift movement, poured it over Nathan's face. "Goodbye, nurse!" she said sharply before stepping out with a loud clack of her high heels.

Nathan sat transfixed, water still dripping down his face. His consciousness seemed to have gone with the wind. Some of the café patrons looked on with sympathetic glances, while others laughed mockingly. Nathan regained his senses; he took a deep breath, dried the water on his face with the scarf he was forced to use, and then stood up to leave.

As he exited the café, the night was getting more relaxed. He strolled towards the bus stop, but his steps halted when he heard a loud noise near a narrow alley.

"I told you, I'm not interested!" a woman's voice broke the silence of the night.

Nathan turned to see Laura, the woman he had mistaken for his blind date, surrounded by three rough-looking men. They approached threateningly; one tried to pull Laura's bag, and another stroked her cheek.

"Hey!" exclaimed Nathan, stepping forward without a second thought.

The three men turned their heads simultaneously, staring at Nathan with displeased looks. "What's your business, huh?" snapped one of them.

"Your business is to leave now before I make sure you regret it," Nathan replied firmly.

One of the men laughed sarcastically. "Look, here comes the hero. Wanna be a hero, huh?”

Before Nathan could answer, the man threw a punch. Nathan, whose military instincts were still sharp, easily dodged and twisted the man's arm, making him grimace in pain. The other two advanced, but Nathan took them out quickly and skillfully.

The three men finally ran off, cursing as they clutched their wounds. Laura stood transfixed, clearly shocked by what had just happened. She had almost lost everything. Now, she had survived that terrible threat.

"Are you okay?" asked Nathan as he looked at her.

Laura nodded slowly, although still in shock from what had just happened; Laura was breathing heavily. "Yeah, I'm... I'm fine. Thank you. You saved me."

Nathan just smiled a little. "Glad I could help." he continued to look at Laura, worried that she had been abused before he caught her in the act.

After calming herself down, Laura wiped her slightly dirty clothes. "As a token of gratitude, let me do you a favor. I can introduce you to a big company in this city. With your skills, I believe you deserve a better job.”

Nathan shook his head. "It was a nice offer, but I love my job now."

Laura looked confused. "Seriously? I mean, you're an obstetric nurse, right? Wouldn't you like to try something more... conventional?"

Nathan smiled. "I know my job sounds unusual, especially for a man. But I find fulfillment there. My experience working there... it's irreplaceable."

Laura was silent, amazed by Nathan's sincerity. This man was an anomaly in her life, full of cunning and power-hungry people.

"In that case," Laura continued, "how about I give you something more practical? I want to give you some money as a token of gratitude."

Nathan chuckled. "I appreciate your intention, but I can't accept it. Helping you is enough for me. I'm sorry I wasn't quick enough to return the scarf you left behind. I'm sorry it got wet." Nathan returned it.

Laura stared at Nathan with an inexplicable look. People like him exist? she thought. She then smiled faintly. "Well, then, I owe you one."

After parting ways with Laura that night, Nathan returned to his small apartment. He felt exhausted, not only from the incident at the café and the alley but also from the frustration of his blind date gone wrong.

However, when he opened the door to his apartment, he was immediately stunned. On the sofa in his living room, the woman from his blind date was sitting haughtily, playing with her cell phone as if nothing had happened before.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice a mixture of confusion and annoyance.

Cassie glanced at him with a satisfied expression. "We're not done yet, Nathan. You think you can ignore me?"

Nathan stood in the doorway, trying to process this absurd situation. Meanwhile, elsewhere, Laura sat in her office, reading a report from her assistant about a man named Nathan Carter. A faint smile appeared on her face.

Laura

clutched her wet scarf. She said, “He might be the man I'm looking for.”