The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus)

"No way," Olivia shouted as she dodged and sprinted out of the room. "Natalie, act like a lady for once! You're not at the Langley residence anymore, so stop dressing like you're headed to a funeral."

Natalie paused and glanced down at her exposed arms and legs. The scars that used to cover her skin were now gone, thanks to the healing creams she had been using. Her porcelain skin could pull off any color now.

"Nat, come on already!" Olivia called from the doorway, poking her head back in. "Stop overthinking and just come out."

"Alright, alright," Natalie replied and followed her out.

They took the elevator down to the first floor, and as soon as the doors opened, Mason was already there waiting. Meanwhile, dressed in an all-black tracksuit, he stood beside several large bags filled with gear for fishing and camping.

"Morning, Nat, Olivia. Did you sleep well? Gorge already has breakfast ready, so let's eat. Oh, and Marcus called me. He's on his way now. If we eat quickly, we can head out right after," Mason said.

"Perfect!" Olivia grinned. "Mason, look at Nat today. Isn't she stunning? I dressed her!"

Mason gave Natalie a good once-over, then nodded with approval. "She looks amazing. Nat is a knockout, and my girlfriend clearly has magic hands."

He made sure to compliment them both-no one was left out. Then, he added, "Alright, breakfast is waiting."

With that, the three of them headed into the dining room. William and Charlotte were easy-going parents who did not insist on family meals. With their children busy, it was hard to gather everyone, so whoever woke first would eat first.

Besides, William and Charlotte retired early and spent most of their days relaxing. Occasionally, they would visit the company if boredom struck, but overall, they were content with their peaceful lives.

Moreover, they had finally found Natalie, their biological daughter. However, she did not like staying home.

As a result, William's and Charlotte's affection rarely had a chance to be shown in conventional ways. Nonetheless, despite not being clingy or needy, Natalie never doubted her parents' love even though she spent a lot of time apart from them.

In fact, she cherished her freedom, and her parents happily gave her space to live life on her own terms. They trusted that she would remember she always had a home and parents who loved her deeply. If she ever felt tired of being independent, all she needed to do was return home.

Gorge's breakfast spread was hearty and nutritious. He fussed around Natalie, grumbling about how she had lost weight again during her recent trip.

"Ms. Walker, please don't go traveling for a while. Just stay home and relax," Gorge urged. "I'll cook for you every day until you're nice and healthy again."

Natalie could not help but laugh. "Thanks, Gorge. I'll take a break for a bit, but I think I'll skip the 'nice and healthy' part. Staying at a healthy weight is enough for me."

Natalie had never been obsessed with being overly thin. She had been drained of blood too often when she was young at the Langley residence. Afterward, Federrick had carefully treated her. Perhaps that was why her metabolism had completely changed. No matter how much she ate now, she never seemed to gain weight.

Thanks to Federrick's treatments, her health improved dramatically. Still, if she ever overworked herself, she needed extra rest to recover, which was why she took long breaks between taking on patients.

"Ms. Walker, Mr. Holden has arrived," the helper respectfully informed her.

Natalie immediately stood up. "I'll go meet Marcus."

"Ms. Walker, Mr. Holden knows his way around our home quite well," Gorge reminded her gently, following behind her. "If someone needs to greet him, I can go. You really should finish your breakfast first."

"Thanks, Gorge," Natalie said gratefully, though she did not slow down for even a second.

Soon, Natalie greeted Marcus at the front door. Instead of his usual suit, Marcus wore a casual and comfortable outfit-a plain white T-shirt, black joggers, and white sneakers that matched Natalie's, almost like a couple's style.

"Did you have breakfast yet?" Natalie asked with a smile. "Come join us."

"Gorge, bring an extra plate and utensils, and prepare something Marcus likes," she instructed.

"Yes, Ms. Walker," Gorge immediately replied, rushing back to the kitchen. After all, Natalie's boyfriend could not leave the Walker residence hungry.

Natalie took Marcus by the arm and led him to the dining table. From the moment Marcus saw Natalie, he could not take his eyes off her.

She looked incredibly beautiful

today, so beautiful that he found it hard to look away. Even though she had kept things simple, with comfortable clothes, fresh makeup, and no perfume, somehow, Marcus thought she seemed soft and sweet, as if she naturally smelled wonderful. noveldrama

"Marcus, why do you keep staring at Nat?" Mason asked, waving his hand in front

of Marcus. "Eat your breakfast already. Is she that stunning today that you're starstruck?"

"Yeah," Marcus admitted honestly, clearing his throat. "Nat looks amazing. She definitely caught me by surprise. I like it."

Marcus' straightforwardness momentarily left Mason speechless. Under the table, Mason lightly kicked Marcus' foot and muttered, "Just eat your food!"

"Mason, why'd you kick me?" Natalie looked up sharply. "I'm wearing white shoes and a skirt today. If you get them dirty, you'll pay for it."

Mason froze awkwardly.

"Just eat your food!" Olivia laughed, shoving a mini breakfast burrito into Mason's mouth. "Nat, don't worry. I'll take care of him for you."

Natalie nodded seriously. "Thank you."

"It's no problem at all," Olivia replied cheerfully.

"Marcus, you eat too," Natalie said softly, pushing a glass of milk toward him. "You have dark circles under your eyes. Didn't you sleep well again last night?"

Marcus was about to say he slept fine but reconsidered. "Yeah, whenever I close my eyes, I have nightmares. Sorry, I still need a bit more time."

Natalie replied, "It's okay. You can take a nap in the car, and when we get to the campsite, you can rest more in the tent."

Marcus nodded gratefully. "Alright. Nat, I'll be fine. I promise not to ruin anyone's fun. Don't worry about me."

Natalie smiled warmly. "I'm not worried. Now, hurry up and finish your breakfast so we can go."

"Okay." Marcus obediently finished his breakfast.

When they were done, Mason grabbed several heavy bags and started toward the door.

"Here, Mason. Let me help," Marcus offered, quickly stepping up to take two of the bags.

"Oh, great. You can take all of them, then," Mason said shamelessly, handing over

the rest. "You're a good man, Marcus. Thanks for your hard work."

Marcus stared blankly, while Natalie and Olivia exchanged confused looks behind them.

With a straight face, Mason

explained, "had to give Marcus something to do. Otherwise, he'd keep secretly staring at Nat like his

eyes were glued to her. He's practically shouting to the world how much he likes her."

Marcus was speechless again, and Natalie and Olivia were baffled by Mason's

audacity.

They all wondered what kind of logic Mason was even going by. After all, Marcus was Natalie's boyfriend, and it should be perfectly normal for him to look at his own girlfriend.

"Mason, from now on, you're not allowed to look at Olivia either," Natalie said

calmly. "Olivia, no more eye contact with Mason starting right now."

Olivia immediately played along. "Got it, Nat."

This time, it was Mason's turn to be stunned.