Echoes of a Forsaken Heart (Natalia and Hamilton)

After enduring a long-haul flight that spanned over a dozen hours, the team finally arrived in Ylandia the next day.

Stepping off the plane, Natalia hardly had a moment to gather her bearings when she spotted Killian emerging from the ranks of their security detail. She paused, taken aback.

For a moment, she found herself staring at Killian, momentarily lost for words.

"Why are you here?"

Killian cracked a smile. "Mr. Fowler was concerned about your safety, so he had Minister Dawson arrange for me to join the security team."

Natalia quickly grasped Hamilton's intentions.

This trip, after all, was not one where safety was a concern.

The Department of Defense had assigned personnel to accompany them, and even the Foreign Affairs Department had arranged for personal bodyguards. Hamilton's decision to send Killian was likely due to his unease about her working alongside Ryan.

"That man," Natalia couldn't help but grumble inwardly.

Yet, she said nothing more.

Killian had arrived, and it wasn't as if she could simply send him back.

Ryan, descending from the plane, made his way towards Natalia until his eyes landed on Killian, causing him to momentarily hesitate.

"Who's this?"

Killian, with a friendly smile, extended his hand to Ryan.

"Mr. Holzer, I'm Ms. Jenkins' personal bodyguard."

Ryan glanced at Natalia.

Sighing slightly, Natalia didn't bother with an explanation, merely handed her luggage to Killian.

"Let's get going. Since you're here, stick to the protocol and don't break any rules."

Killian nodded promptly.

Ryan, trailing behind the two, managed a bittersweet smile.

Hamilton, always playing it safe.

Swallowing his bitterness, Ryan stepped forward to catch up.

Their accommodation was arranged by the consulate.

After checking in, Natalia reached out to Hamilton on her phone.

The phone rang several times before he picked up.

Natalia hesitated, suddenly remembering the time difference.

"Did I wake you?"

Hamilton's voice, laced with amusement, answered, "Waiting for your call, how could I be asleep?"

His voice, deep and tender, sent Natalia's heart into a flutter.

Holding the phone, she suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

Hamilton softly inquired, "Natalia, where's my sunset?"

Suppressing the turmoil inside her, Natalia responded, "I'll send it to you," and was about to hang up.

But Hamilton quickly interjected, "Hold on."

Natalia paused.

Hamilton chuckled, "While you're abroad, no looking at other handsome men or giving out your contact info."

Natalia retorted, "Hamilton, I'm here on business."

Hamilton hummed in acknowledgment before adding, "And don't get too cozy with Ryan, especially no inviting him into your room, got it?" Natalia, exasperated, "Hamilton, Ryan and I-"

"Ryan, Ryan, doesn't the guy have a name?"

Out of words, Natalia sighed, "Can you stop being so jealous?"

With that, she hung up, sending Hamilton the sunset pictures she had taken.

Hamilton, looking at the photos on his phone, felt a pang of longing so intense it ached.

After a day's rest, the negotiations began.

Their mission involved both a businessman's rescue and the retrieval of cultural artifacts.

Caspian and Ryan were to negotiate the businessman's rescue, while Natalia and Alfonso handled the artifact retrieval negotiations.

Unexpectedly, just before the negotiations began, Natalia's original partner, a young translator, was hospitalized due to acclimatization issues.

And, as if by fate, Delilah, who had been previously eliminated from consideration, just so happened to be in Ylandia.

After some deliberation, the Foreign Affairs Department decided to have Delilah step in.

Delilah, seeing Natalia, couldn't resist a smirk, "Ms. Jenkins, what a coincidence to meet again."

Natalia gave her a glance but said nothing, supporting Alfonso into the meeting room.

Natalia, as the lead translator, was supposed to kick off the proceedings, with Delilah handling brief interjections.

However, Delilah seized the initiative right from the start.

Alfonso frowned at this development.

Natalia bit her lip but did not interrupt.

Delilah, smugly eyeing Natalia, thought she had seized a golden opportunity.

But she hadn't anticipated the negotiations taking such an unfavorable turn.

The talks hit a deadlock within minutes, with the opposing side denying any illegal acquisition of the artifacts.

They even mocked the team's claims, suggesting an obsession with claiming any ancient artifact as their own. Alfonso's expression darkened as he eyed the eight bronze artifacts encased in glass, his displeasure evident. At that moment, Natalia spoke up.

"Mr. Spiegel, may I say something?" She maintained formal address in this official setting.

Alfonso was taken aback.

The negotiation team, hearing her request, showed visible concern.

Delilah's smirk widened, thinking Natalia was out of her depth.

Yet, what no one expected was Alfonso's nod of approval.

With Alfonso's consent, Natalia began to eloquently detail the origins and historical significance of the artifacts in fluent English.

Delilah frowned, then laughed dismissively, assuming Natalia was making it up since these artifacts had never circulated in the domestic market. How could she possibly know their history? Was she hoping to deceive simply because they were foreigners?

The negotiation team grew anxious.

"Natalia, if you're unsure, don't just make things up."

However, Natalia showed no signs of slowing down.

The members of the negotiation team were getting anxious, and just as they were about to interrupt Natalia, Alfonso suddenly stopped them.

He realized that Natalia wasn't just rambling on.

Before coming here, he had done his homework on the set of ancient bronze vessels they were discussing. He even knew that they had once appeared in an underground market back home. But, he had no evidence to prove it.

Natalia's confident speech, however, made him wonder if this young lady had some kind of proof.

Indeed, just as everyone was getting more anxious, Natalia suddenly pulled out her phone and found a series of photos.

The photos clearly depicted the ancient bronze vessels in question, taken at an underground antique market.

The room went silent. Even Delilah, let alone Alfonso, was taken aback.

He scrolled through the photos for a while, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Kid, where on earth did you find these pictures?"

"I was going through various antique enthusiasts' Twitter accounts while preparing for this negotiation. I found these photos on one of their feeds."

"When I realized our negotiation was about these vessels, I saved the photos. I only meant to use them as a reference, but I never imagined they'd actually come in handy."

Alfonso looked at Natalia, nodding in admiration, "Well, well, well! Kid, you've really taken us by surprise."

After that, Alfonso immediately paused the negotiation to contact the Twitter user.

Delilah's face turned sour, as if she had swallowed a bug.

Eventually, with the Twitter user's testimony, it was confirmed that the bronze vessels had indeed been smuggled out of the country.

Moreover, no customs records of these artifacts leaving the country were found.

The opposing party had to admit that the artifacts were acquired illegally.

With the illegality of the acquisition proven, the negotiation for the businessman's rescue gained significant leverage.

The negotiation stretched over several days.

Towards the end, Alfonso frequently sought Natalia's opinion on matters.

Natalia did not disappoint, showcasing her diplomatic talent once more when the other party demanded financial compensation for returning the artifacts.

Her method of applying subtle pressure while making promises was masterfully executed, displaying both grace and strength.

After the negotiation concluded, the process was jointly published online by the Foreign Affairs Department and the museum.

Natalia, who played a crucial role in the negotiation, became a trending topic once again.

The "beautiful translator" buzz had just died down when it was revived, alongside hashtags like "Great Nation's Prestige" and "Treasures Come Home," all related to Natalia. Delilah, seeing Natalia's rising popularity online, was filled with jealousy.

She hesitated for a moment before calling Westley.

"Westley, was it true that Hamilton was coming to Ylandia? What time exactly? I want to go pick him up."

That evening.

Hamilton's plane landed at Ylandia Airport.

After not seeing her for several days, he hurried here as soon as he was allowed to see visitors.

Just as he walked out of the arrival gate, he heard a familiar voice.

Turning around, he saw Eveleen Schafer standing not far away.

"Why are you here?"

Eveleen's eyes were filled with tears.

"I heard you were coming to Ylandia, so I came to pick you up. You came to see me, right?"

Hamilton's gaze turned cold, "How did you know I was coming?"

Eveleen didn't answer, instead running to hug him, "Hamilton, don't treat me like this. It's been so hard for me here. Let me go back, please?"

Hamilton forcibly removed her from his embrace.

"Eveleen, don't force me to restrict your movements."

Without looking back, he left.

Eveleen watched Hamilton's retreating figure, her eyes filled with tears of despair.

She had been told Hamilton was coming to see her!

Natalia escorted Alfonso back to his room, then headed to her own.

As soon as she opened her door, she was suddenly pulled inside.

Then, a passionate kiss landed on her lips.

Natalia instinctively tried to struggle.

But the familiar scent stopped her.

She paused, then tiptoed to wrap her arms around the man's neck.

Hamilton felt her response and his breath hitched.

He lifted her in his arms and headed to the bathroom.

Once there, he pressed her against the wall.

"Missed me?"