The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus) novel Chapter 371

Natalie gazed at Marcus with an icy detachment. Turning to Lincoln, she asked, "Lincoln, would you visit Sophia with me?"

"Of course, I'll accompany you." Lincoln's spirits lifted at once.

His sister shouldn't be won over so effortlessly by any man, even if that man happened to be Marcus. It was simply out of the question.

Natalie said, "Marcus, don't come to my house anymore if you have no reason to, and stop trying to find me. I don't have feelings for you, and you shouldn't have any for me, either."

Marcus remained silent, his eyes locked on Natalie without a blink. Her words left a trace of sadness and disappointment in his deep, dark eyes.

Witnessing his reaction, Natalie couldn't help but remember when Marcus sat alone in the Helianese restaurant, enveloped in a heavy cloud of melancholy. But then Lincoln tugged at her arm. "Nat, let's go see Sophia together."

"Alright," Natalie replied. She turned away from Marcus, not glancing back, and quickly walked away with Lincoln.

Marcus stood in the Walker residence's living room, watching as Natalie and Lincoln walked away.

Ethan stood behind him, trembling slightly. Marcus' intense demeanor was undeniably intimidating.

However, Marcus soon managed a slight smile. "Ethan, take this document to Ms. Walker."

"Yes, Mr. Marcus."

Ethan took the document and went to the main entrance to wait for Natalie.

Meanwhile, Marcus got into his car. In the back seat sat a beautifully wrapped bouquet of gardenias and a brand-new box of chocolates.

Marcus had an overseas chocolate factory create a new flavor, which was flown in early that morning. He hadn't gotten any sleep the night before.

That morning, he visited a flower shop to buy gardenias and, with the airlifted chocolates in hand, eagerly went to see Natalie.

Marcus picked up the chocolates with his fingers. He knew winning Natalie over wouldn't be easy, and there was significant resentment toward him from the Walker family. But that didn't matter to him. If he could call off the engagement, he could propose anew.

…

At the entrance of the villa, Natalie and Lincoln soon emerged.

Ethan quickly approached them. "Ms. Walker, please accept this document!"

Please thank Marcus for his generosity, but I must decline," Natalie stated firmly. "Lincoln and I have plans; we can't host you and Marcus."

"Ethan, tell Marcus not to come to our home unless it's necessary," Lincoln said bluntly to Ethan.

Ethan appeared uncomfortable and replied humbly, "Mr. Lincoln, Ms. Walker, I'm just an employee. If I don't deliver this document to Ms. Walker, I'll lose my job.

"I beg you, Ms. Walker. I have an elderly mother to care for, a newborn son who needs to be fed, a father addicted to gambling, a sick mother-in-law, and a sister infatuated with a delinquent. My entire family relies on me. Without this job, my family will go hungry. Please, Ms. Walker, Mr. Lincoln."

"Ethan, don't make me slap you!" Lincoln warned through clenched teeth.

He was well aware of Ethan's true circumstances. Ethan could easily spout such stories meant to deceive the naive.

"Please, Mr. Lincoln." Ethan bowed deeply, holding the document out to Natalie with both hands.

He continued, "Ms. Walker, Mr. Marcus didn't sleep at all last night. When I saw him this morning, he was staring out the window, lost in thought, and chuckled occasionally. Sheldon mentioned that he had been like this since returning last night.

Marcus took a step back, his lips pressed in a firm line as he gazed at her.

"Marcus, it would be best if we just remain friends," Natalie said firmly, mirroring his expression. "If you keep behaving this way, it might make me reconsider our friendship."

"You're my savior," Marcus replied.

"I don't care," she responded.

A flicker of pain crossed Marcus' eyes. "I'm sorry. I spoke out of turn."

Natalie had never intended to use the fact that she saved his life to demand anything from him. It was Marcus who was being manipulative, trying to leverage his gratitude to get closer and declare his feelings.

"Marcus, things were fine the way they were before, weren't they?" Natalie softened her voice. "We agreed to work together to take over Sinclair Group and pass it on to Sophia and Samantha. But honestly, you did all the work. I can't take credit for it."

"But you saved my life," Marcus replied with a slight smile. "I'm sorry for any trouble I've caused you. As you suggested, let's just go back to how things were before. Is that alright?"

"What?" Natalie was taken aback. She had expected Marcus to be difficult to deal with, but he surprisingly agreed to her suggestion without hesitation.

"Let's go back to how we were. Now, hop in the car. Let's visit Sophia together." Marcus opened the car door and stepped aside, behaving like a gentleman. "You won't refuse, right?"

Natalie blinked, feeling as if something was amiss. But Marcus had already returned to his usual aloof, distant, yet noble demeanor.

His expression gave no hint that he had ever confessed his feelings for her or expressed a desire to pursue her.

"Are you worried about something?" Marcus asked, noticing Natalie's hesitation. His deep, magnetic voice was calm and resolute. "Or do you not trust me?"