The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus)

Mason ran up, refusing to back down, and grabbed Olivia's hand.

"Olivia, you're my girlfriend," he said.

Without hesitation, she smacked his arm. "I barely get to see Nat. Don't interrupt us! Go get the bags. Are you really going to make Marcus carry everything by himself?"

"But Nat wants to spend time with her boyfriend too!" Mason pouted. "Olivia, don't you want to feel my abs?"

Olivia quickly clamped a hand over his mouth, her eyes darting toward Natalie. With how flustered she was, she didn't notice the sly glint in his eyes.

"Shut up."

"I didn't hear or see anything," Natalie said, smirking knowingly. She stepped forward and reached for some of the bags Marcus was carrying. "Let me help." "No need," Marcus replied, shaking his head with an easy smile. "I've got it." "Elijah and Noah didn't come with you?" she asked.

It was the first time Natalie had ever seen Marcus doing something so... down-to- earth. A scion and company president like him, actually carrying bags? Unheard of.noveldrama

"They're nearby, keeping an eye on things," he answered.

They chatted as they made their way to the car. Natalie stepped forward and popped open the trunk while Marcus loaded the bags inside.

Behind them, Mason was still struggling as Olivia tugged on his ear.

"Mason, you guys should take your own car!" Natalie turned and waved. "We're heading out first."

"Hey, wait for us!" Olivia shoved Mason aside and hurried after Natalie, but before she could take more than a step, Mason grabbed her wrist.

"Olivia, give Nat and Marcus some alone time. Plus, we haven't seen each other in so long!" He pouted dramatically. "You might not miss me, but I missed you."

"Get lost, loser." Olivia wasn't buying his act. "Men will only cloud my judgment."

Mason was at a loss for words.

Wasn't he supposed to be the adorable, clingy type women found adorable? So why was it that the moment Natalie came home Olivia didn't even want to look at him?

At first, he'd been worried that Natalie and Olivia might get jealous over him playing favorites. But now? Great. He was the one feeling jealous.

These two women were completely heartless.

Fuming inside, Mason felt both wronged and frustrated. Still, he couldn't throw a tantrum unless he wanted to get his ass kicked.

Meanwhile, Natalie and Marcus got into the car. Olivia tried to follow, but Natalie blocked her.

"You're riding with Mason. You know the location; just head straight to Sacred Peak Lake. Everything's already set up, so we'll meet you there."

"Why won't you let me ride with you, Nat?" Olivia pouted. "You're ditching your best friend for a guy?"

"And I'm fine with you ditching me for a guy, too." Natalie tapped Olivia's forehead. "So now we're even."

She leaned in and whispered, "Besides, I'm planning to do some R-rated stuff with Marcus. You sure you wanna be there for that?"

Olivia froze.

This little shit, she thought. So damn ruthless.

"Go ride with Mason. Poor guy looks like he's about to cry," Natalie added with a smirk.

Then, she leaned back and rolled up the window. Through the glass, she saw Olivia flipping her off.

Beside her, Marcus had been quietly watching their exchange. For some reason,

a flicker of envy stirred in his chest.

"You and Ms. Thatcher seem close."

"Yeah." Natalie nodded. "When I was a kid, whenever I got punished at the Langley residence and wasn't allowed to eat, I'd sneak over to her house for food. Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher were amazing people.

"I didn't understand much back then, but I used to secretly wish they were my parents instead. Olivia must've noticed, because one day, she told her parents about it. After that, whenever I went over, they always had a bed and clothes ready for me too. śwnovel

"Olivia's family wasn't exactly well-off, not compared to the Langleys, at least. But if they gave something to her, they always made sure t@give me the same. One day, they told me that if I didn't mind, I could consider them my godparents."

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As Natalie talked about her childhood, the corners of her lips curled up automatically. Every time she went to Olivia's house, she felt happy and relaxed.

She had seen what it truly meant for parents to love their children at the Thatcher residence. And it was then that she realized that Diana and Victor had never loved her.

"Whenever someone bullied me, Olivia was always the first to charge in and beat them up for me. Our friendship is unbreakable."

She turned to Marcus with a smile. "Even if we don't see each other for a long time, the moment we reunite, we always have endless things to talk about."

"I'm jealous." Marcus took her hand, his thumb brushing her skin. "Nat, if Ms. Thatcher and I fell into the water at the same time, who would you save first?"

Natalie blinked in confusion.

Marcus met her gaze, his deep, ink-black eyes unwavering. He repeated his question, "If Ms. Thatcher and I fell into the water at the same time, who would you save first, me or her?"

She remained silent.

"Wait. You don't know how to swim?"

"Nope. Otherwise, I wouldn't have needed you to save me when we were kids."

Natalie was momentarily speechless. The way Marcus said it so naturally threw her off.

"Nat." Seeing that she still hadn't answered, Marcus pressed again, refusing to let it go.

"You," Natalie replied without hesitation. "I'd save you first."

His expression softened instantly, a slow smile curving his lips. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. Because Olivia knows how to swim."

The moment the words left her mouth, Marcus' smile froze. He stared at her for a

second before letting out a half-exasperated laugh.

"Oh, great. Of course. I should've known."

"Marcus, you're being ridiculous." Natalie chuckled, reaching out to ruffle his hair like he was a big dog. "I haven't even asked you yet! Laura and I fell into the water at the same time, who would you save first?"

Marcus gritted his teeth. "I'd throw you a life ring so you could go save my mom."

Natalie froze.

Why hadn't she thought of that? She could've just thrown Olivia a life ring and let her save him.

"Natalie!" Marcus exclaimed in frustration he could see right through her thoughts. But before he could say another word, Natalie suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

She pressed her lips against his, firm and unapologetic.

Marcus had been gearing up for another argument, but she silenced him completely.

His hands instinctively moved to her waist, pulling her closer. With his free hand,

he pressed a button, and the partition between the front and back seats slowly

rose.

Natalie didn't hesitate. She climbed onto his lap, arms still looped around his neck, eyes closed as she focused on the kiss.

When she'd told Olivia she planned to get intimate with Marcus, it hadn't been an excuse it had been the truth.

On the surface, Marcus seemed fine, but if she looked closely, everything about him screamed otherwise.

He was never the type to be unreasonable, let alone ask childish questions like "Who would you save first?"

The only explanation was that something was still weighing on his heart, suffocating him.

It wasn't that he didn't know how to vent-he was just holding everything in. And when someone suppressed their emotions for too long, it was only a matter of time before something snapped.

Right now, physical intimacy was the best way to get his dopamine levels up and help him forget, even if just for a moment.