The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus) novel Chapter 83

Natalie attempted to push Marcus away, but he swiftly seized her wrist instead. "Mr. Langley, just endure it for a moment," he said coolly.

Her patience snapped, and she raised her hand to slap him. She couldn't tolerate his antics any longer.

But Marcus, faster than her fury, caught her wrist mid-air. "Don't be impulsive," he said, his voice low but firm.

"Remember, Mrs. Langley Senior is still in Aunt Charlotte's hands."

Natalie exhaled deeply, her mind spinning with frustration and restraint. After a beat, she finally relented. "Fine, then let go of me."

Marcus loosened his grip, though his hand lingered lightly around her waist. "Relax. I'm not even touching you. You're just overly tense."

Natalie glanced down, noticing that his hand barely grazed her clothing. Yet earlier, she could have sworn she felt the warmth of his palm.

She wondered if she was imagining things and truly that on edge.

"What are you two... doing?"

The voice startled them. William, who had walked ahead, turned back after realizing they had fallen behind. His eyes widened as he took in the scene, a mixture of surprise and bemusement flickering across his face.

"Nothing," Marcus replied smoothly, withdrawing his hand as if nothing had happened.

Standing together, Marcus' height and Natalie's disguised form created an oddly harmonious image, a juxtaposition that was difficult to ignore.

William's gaze lingered on them, his expression inscrutable, as though he was holding back a knowing smile.

Natalie rubbed her arms uneasily, feeling uncomfortably exposed under his scrutiny.

Marcus' sudden whims and threats were infuriating, and yet she couldn't outright defy him.

This wasn't her territory. In Dithoria State, Marcus was the unchallenged kingpin, and the Walker family's influence was both elusive and immense. She had no desire to stir up trouble; her only goal was to rescue her grandmother from Charlotte's clutches unharmed.

If Charlotte used Grace to threaten her further, Natalie knew she might need to rely on Marcus. It was a reluctant but necessary option, a favor she could bargain for with the debt Charles owed her.

"Uncle William, Nathaniel, let's go!"

Marcus nodded and casually brushed his finger against Natalie's.

Natalie stared blankly, her mind briefly blank with disbelief.

William chuckled knowingly. "Emma should be coming down soon."

"Uncle William, I need to discuss something privately with you. Could Mason take Nathaniel outside for a stroll in the meantime?" Marcus asked smoothly.

As he spoke, he reached out to adjust Natalie's collar. "Go wait outside. It won't take long."

Natalie nodded. "Alright," she replied. Without a second glance, she turned and bolted.

Being forced to act out this charade of ambiguous intimacy was utterly exhausting.

Distracted, she dashed out the villa door and collided directly into someone's chest.

Before she could stumble back, strong hands steadied her. "You okay?" the man asked.

Natalie rubbed her forehead, scowling slightly. "Why is his chest so solid?" she thought to herself. "I'm fine."

The man replied, "I'm Mason. Marcus asked me to show you around. Come on, let's take a look around the place."

Before she could react, Mason slung an arm around her shoulders with easy familiarity. "So, are you the school heartthrob or something?"

"Mason, let go of Mr. Langley," came Timothy's sharp voice from behind them.

He walked over, his gaze fixed on Natalie's face. "Mr. Langley is not someone you can casually touch."

"Ah! Why not?" Mason ruffled his hair, grinning. "We're all guys here. Putting an arm around each other is normal, isn't it?"

"Trust me."

Natalie seized the opportunity to slip out from under Mason's arm. She couldn't help but notice that the Walker brothers were exceptionally tall. The two in front of her, along with the movie star Lincoln, were all towering at around 6'2" or even taller.

At 5'6", even with height-boosting insoles, Natalie fell far short of Marcus and the Walker brothers.

But Marcus ignored her, extending a hand toward Natalie. "We're leaving."

Natalie slapped his hand away without hesitation, nodding briefly at the Walker siblings before briskly putting distance between herself and Marcus.

Marcus sighed, letting his hand fall to his side. "He's in a mood. I'll go cheer him up."

Without another word, Marcus walked away, chasing after Natalie's retreating figure.

Emma stood frozen, her mind spinning. After a long pause, she turned to Timothy. "Timothy, is Marcus…?"

"Exactly what you're thinking," Timothy replied with a sigh, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "Emma, have you considered choosing someone who truly loves you?"

"No, I won't." Emma bit her lip, her eyes welling with tears.

She had loved Marcus for so many years. She was his fiancée. Even if he liked men, she wasn't willing to give up.

"But Marcus has already asked Dad to annul the engagement," Timothy said heavily. The message he had received earlier from their father confirmed it. Marcus' private conversation had been about breaking off the engagement.

"Marcus doesn't get to decide that," Emma said firmly. She blinked back her tears and forced a smile. "Timothy, the Holdens won't accept a man."

"I'm confident."

"But didn't you see how Marcus and that boy interacted earlier?"

"They didn't do anything inappropriate," Emma replied.

"And that's exactly why it's even more ambiguous," Timothy said.

She took a step closer to Timothy, her gaze locking with his. "Timothy, have you ever truly loved someone? Loved them so much it seeped into your bones? So much that every little thing they did was etched into your memory, staying with you no matter how hard you tried to forget?"

Her eyes glistened with tears, yet she smiled faintly, as if trying to hold on to her composure.

"Even if you knew they didn't love you, you couldn't help but love them. Even knowing it was like a moth flying into a flame, you couldn't stop yourself."