Natalie and William exchanged a brief nce before quickly looking away.


    "Then let''s have some tea," William suggested.


    "Sorry to trouble you," Natalie replied politely.


    "No trouble at all," William assured her, smiling kindly as he directed the servants to prepare tea.


    "Daddy, I''m going to change. You entertain Marcus and Mr. Langley."


    "Marcus, Mr. Langley, please wait for me. I''ll be right back."


    Emma shed a charming smile. Back at the Walker residence, she had be even more yful, and she was able to act spoiled in front of her family.


    "Go ahead," William said, giving Emma a gentle pat on the head as he guided Marcus and Natalie into the house.


    The Walker residence was grand. The living room had a ceiling nearly 20 feet high, with a stunning crystal chandelier that sparkled in the light.


    The decor was both luxurious and elegant, with furniture imported from renowned letalian designers. The floor gleamed so brightly it reflected the light like a mirror. A world-ss piano sat in one corner of the room, and beneath it was a thick, plush letalian rug.


    The living room extended into a long hallway, lined with numerous rooms. In another corner, a spiral staircase led to the upper floors, designed with intricate detail.


    Servants moved gracefully through the space, immediately greeting the guests and family with respect.


    Natalie casually took in her surroundings, immediately recognizing the Walker residence as the home of a very wealthy family.


    "This is the Walker residence in Dithoria State, home to the richest family in the country," Marcus whispered as they walked side by side.


    "Before the children of the Walker family marry, they all live here. Once married, they move into their own homes."


    Natalie looked up at Marcus. "I''d like to meet Mrs. Walker."


    "Why do you call her Mrs. Walker now?"


    "The point isn''t that." Natalie took a deep breath. "Mr. Holden, you know."


    On the way here, they had shared a car, and Marcus had overheard her conversation with Sarah. He had then volunteered information about Charlotte.


    Marcus knew Natalie wasn''t Nathaniel, yet he continued ying along. Even now, he was still pretending.


    "Mr. Langley, I need a favor," Marcus said, offering a slight smile. "I want to break off Emma''s engagement with me."


    Natalie blinked in confusion. "Hmm? Why are you telling me this? What does it have to do with me?"


    "I need a valid reason," Marcus continued, suddenly draping his arm around her shoulders. "Be my boyfriend, hmm?"


    Natalie''s eyes widened. "Is Marcus losing his mind?" she thought.


    His deep, maic voice continued to ring in her ears: "By now, I''m sure you''ve figured it out. I don''t like Emma."


    Natalie was speechless. She thought to herself, "Whether he likes her or not, it had nothing to do with me!" Marcus followed up with an even more shocking deration. "Actually, I like men. So, Mr. Langley, help me out, hmm?"


    "Oh, please. I''m not really a man." Marcus was taking his act way too far.


    Natalie elbowed Marcus, forcefully knocking his arm off her shoulder. Her voice was cold. "Mr. Holden, if you''re sick, go get treated. I don''t have time for your childish games."


    "Marcus, Mr. Langley, why are you two so far behind? Hurry up!"


    Ahead, William had walked on, but after calling out a few times with no response, he finally noticed they had fallen behind.


    He was leading them to the tea room, which was a short distance from the living room.


    "Mr. Walker, sorry, we''ll be right there," Natalie called, quickening her pace to catch up.


    Marcus pressed a hand to his stomach, wincing in pain. That hit really stung. This woman didn''t hold back. "Marcus, hurry up!" William called cheerfully, unaware of the tension between them.


    Marcus withdrew his hand, regaining his usual indifferent expression, and quickened his pace to follow.


    As they reached a corner, Marcus nced sideways, catching a brief sh of movement. He smiled. "Perfect," he thought to himself. He needed everything that happened in the Walker residence to go ording to n.


    But Natalie wasn''t cooperating. The next part was going to be tricky.


    Marcus eyed Natalie as she walked beside William, then discreetly pulled out his phone to send a message. Marcus: "Ms. Natalie, have you seen a red rosebud?"


    Natalie, walking beside William, took out her phone and nced at the message. She froze for a moment, her body stiffening visibly.


    Marcus: "Ms. Natalie, would you mind having Connie''s cousin, Nathaniel, join me in this act?"


    Natalie gritted her teeth. In her eyes, Marcus was truly insufferable, a man without limits.


    Marcus: "This favor is easy to do. Just help me act in front of the Walker family, and I''ll get out of my engagement with Emma."


    Marcus: "You won''t refuse, will you, Ms. Natalie?"


    Natalie didn''t respond, and Marcus didn''t move forward. They were locked in a silent standoff, waiting for one of them to break.


    Marcus'' gaze lingered on Natalie''s back. She was slender and delicate, her height making her seem even thinner.


    Her hair, once long and flowing, was now cut into a neat and short style,pletely hiding any remnants of her past look.


    Her posture was straight, her graceful, long neck like that of a swan. She appeared to be a dancer, though Marcus suspected she wasn''t.


    She was Elim, the internationally renowned medical genius. Her studies must have been intense, years of hard work—and she was only 20. She had likely started her medical journey at a young age.


    To reach a level where she could master both Eastern and Western medicine was beyond most people''sprehension.


    Unless, of course, she was a prodigy.


    As Marcus continued to observe her, his phone suddenly rang. He unlocked it and saw a new message from Natalie.


    Natalie: "Okay, I''ve already spoken to Nathaniel. He will cooperate with you!!!"


    The message, with the three exmation marks, made Marcus grin. He could practically hear Natalie''s teeth grinding in frustration.


    Marcus quickly typed a reply. "Thank you, Ms. Natalie, and Mr. Langley, in advance."


    After sending the message, Marcus took a few quick steps forward. He reached out, sliding his arm around Natalie''s waist with a smile that was both charming and dangerous.


    "Nathaniel, wait for me," he said, his voice smooth.


    Natalie turned her head to look at him, her expression unreadable. "Take your hand off me."


    His hand lingered on her waist. She wore a jacket with a T-shirt underneath, but the warmth of his touch still seeped through the fabric.


    Natalie had never been this close to a man before. Tyler, her former fiancé, had always respected her space, keeping an innocent distance.


    It wasn''t that Tyler didn''t want to be closer; it was just that Natalie had long known she wasn''t the biological daughter of the Langleys. The deeper her connection to Tyler, the moreplicated it would be to sever


    things cleanly.