Reborn From Oblivion

From the moment Dustin walked into the room, Nathalie couldn't help but fixate on his face. Even though he was nearing fifty, he carried himself with a refined elegance. His broad, almond-shaped eyes, prominent nose, and the glasses perched on his nose gave him an intellectual charm you wouldn't usually associate with a businessman.

Dustin settled into the chair, his demeanor distant and aloof. "Mr. Rowland said you wanted to see me? Miss Nathalie, we barely know each other. What do you want from me?" His voice carried a hint of impatience.

Oddly enough, Nathalie felt a wave of relief as she noticed she didn't see any trace of herself in his features. She launched into her questioning, "Mr. Lincoln, typically, I'd visit the Stewart family to meet an elder like you. But as you can see, my health isn't great, so traveling isn't ideal. I have an urgent issue to address, so I asked you to come here."

"I have a few questions for you, Mr. Lincoln. I've heard you're quite the scholar. Which university did you attend?"

"Oakwood College."

Nathalie's heart sank. "The Stewart family has always been a big name in the entertainment industry. Was your major related to that, Mr. Lincoln?"

Dustin replied confidently, "Yes, it was indeed related to the entertainment industry."

Nathalie was taken aback. She remembered Miranda telling her how her biological father was not only brilliant and charming but also a physics whiz.

"What a shame. Oakwood College is renowned for its physics department, yet you went for the lesser-known film studies. Quite unfortunate."

"Nothing unfortunate about it; everyone has their own interests."

Nathalie studied Dustin's eyes. It was clear he had no love for physics, suggesting it wasn't his field.

"Did Dustin also graduate from Oakwood College?"

"Yes."

"And what did he study?"

"My father studied finance."

Nathalie was stunned.

Dustin added, "Though, he did dabble in physics. I never got why he studied it since it didn't really help his career later on."

The weight of realization hit Nathalie hard, and her face clouded over.

So it was Regan who studied physics at Oakwood?

But Nathalie couldn't wrap her head. around it. Her mother, so beautiful kind, and smart-how could she have fallen for such a despicable man?

BUMS

Even if she was in a bind and Dustin helped her out, he shouldn't have coerced her mother to repay the debt with her body. It made her biological father seem vile and her mother naive and foolish.

She let out a dry laugh.

Finally, she understood where her own foolishness with Cameron came from.

"What's so funny?" Dustin asked, clearly annoyed.

Nathalie met his gaze. "Go ask your dear father what he did to my mother back at Oakwood College."

Her fists clenched, emotions boiling over as she shouted, "Tell him, karma's real, and it's coming for him."

Dustin's face went pale.

He stood and stumbled out of the room.noveldrama

Nathan, waiting by the door, came in after Dustin left.

"Nathalie, don't let this upset you." He wrapped her in a gentle embrace.

Nathalie cried in his arms, "How could I be related to such a disgraceful father? I feel so humiliated."

Nathan reassured her, "He's the one who should be ashamed, not you."

The revelation had hit Nathalie hard, shattering her self-esteem.

But Nathan stood by her, patiently consoling her, "Sis, just pretend he never existed. Haven't you always lived that way? Let this be just a blip. From now on, you have me, and that's all you need."