Natalie looked at Marcus calmly. Thinking about how he had helped her several times, she decided to speak inly. "Mr. Holden, I find Mrs. Langley Senior very frightening right now. If she stays here, I can''t guarantee your grandfather''s treatment will go smoothly."


    Marcus'' expression changed instantly, and then he nodded. "Alright. You go with Mrs. Walker first. I''lle pick you upter."


    "Okay."


    "Thank you for letting me know, Ms. Walker. Once I sort things out here, I''ll bring you back."


    "Alright," Natalie replied. She pulled her hand free of Marcus'' grip, then turned and walked over to Charlotte. "Mrs. Walker, let''s go."


    "Alright," Charlotte answered happily, stepping up and taking Natalie''s arm. This time, Natalie didn''t resist.


    "Nat..." Charlotte''s voice trembled, her eyes turning red with tears. She was delighted that Natalie allowed her to get close. It seemed that Natalie was slowly epting them.


    "Mrs. Walker, don''t get so emotional." Natalie sighed inwardly and took a tissue to wipe away Charlotte''s tears. "If people see you crying, they''ll think I bullied you."


    "They won''t," Charlotte said, sniffling. "Come on. Let me take you to buy some property."


    "What?" Natalie was puzzled.


    Before she could refuse, Charlotte pulled her along.


    William and his sons quickly followed right behind. Lincoln tugged at his backpack, walking with Mason. "Mason, why won''t Natalie let us acknowledge her publicly?" Lincoln asked in a lowered voice.


    "She has her reasons. We just need to respect her," Mason said quietly. "By the way, did you give her your supplementary card?"


    "Yeah," Lincoln replied. "Once I get to know her better, I''ll switch it to a family card. And guess what, I''ve already canceled Emma''s family card. She called me, crying for three hours straight. It drove me nuts."


    Lincoln''s expression darkened at the mention of Emma. "She''s not really our sister anymore, but she''s still trying to ask me to take part in a variety show with her."


    "What?" Mason gaped. "Didn''t Emma go traveling somewhere? When did she start pestering you again?"


    "She''s got issues," Lincoln said, rolling his eyes.


    Working in the entertainment industry, he had no trouble spotting a maniptive act. He used to tolerate her behavior because he thought Emma was his sister.


    But now that he knew she was just a fake, he had no intention of going along with it anymore. He acted for a living. He had no desire to perform the doting brother routine at home too.


    Realizing he had a real sister elsewhere, Lincoln cut Emma out without hesitation. Still, she had been raised in the Walker family, and not everyone disliked her.


    The Walkers were wealthy, so feeding one more person was no big deal. As long as Emma didn''t cause trouble, they would leave her be.


    But if Emma started ying her usual tricks on Natalie, Lincoln was perfectly prepared to retaliate.


    Lincoln nudged Mason. "Natalie is really beautiful. I''d love to see her in a movie. She''d make a great leadingdy. What do you think?"


    "Don''t," Mason warned. "The entertainment world is a mess. You''ve already fallen far enough yourself. Don''t drag Natalie into it."


    Lincoln smacked Mason on the head. "What nonsense are you talking about? Since when have I fallen? Besides, I''d be there to protect her. How would she ever get tainted?"


    Mason held his head, looking pathetic. "Then why won''t you take me into the industry? I want to act. I want to be the leading man too."


    "You''re too ugly for that."


    "Ah! I can''t live like this."


    They joked around in the back.


    Natalie couldn''t help ncing over her shoulder. Even though they lowered their voices, she could still hear most of their conversation because of her sharp hearing.


    The corners of her mouth quirked up slightly. She had once assumed the five brothers all doted on Emma except for Mason, but it turned out Lincoln disliked Emma even more than Mason did.


    With Charlotte clinging to Natalie''s arm, they left Holden Residence and got into the car.


    "Nat, Lincoln works in the entertainment industry, and things can get pretty busy for him. Don''t mind him," Charlotte said apologetically.


    Natalie was still holding the lilies Lincoln had given her. She picked up the delicate jewelry box in the center. Opening it, she saw a ck bank card instead of jewelry.


    She had thought it might be a piece of jewelry. She never expected it to be a bank supplementary card instead.


    "Lincoln can be generous when he wants to. Emma has asked him for his supplementary card plenty of times, but he always brushed her off. Yet, he gave it to you the first time he met you," Charlotte said with a smile. "I''ll give you my supplementary card too."


    Charlotte then looked at William. "Honey, give yours to her as well."


    "Sure," William said, immediately handing his supplementary card to Natalie with both hands. "Here you go, Nat."


    Charlotte retrieved her own card. "Nat, you took Lincoln''s card. Don''t turn ours down. Take them."


    In an instant, Natalie was holding three new supplementary cards.


    "That''s right, sweetie," William added. "Your mom wants to take you to buy some property, and I''ll take you to buy an ind. Just pick any ind you like, and I''ll pay in full."


    All Natalie could do was blink in silence, thinking how radically the Walkers differed from the Langleys. The Langleys were wealthy too, but Victor and Diana never wanted to spend money on her. Grace did give her plenty of material things, butpared to the Walkers, Natalie realized the Langleys hadn''t been as great as she once thought.


    Grace did treat her well, but she never stopped Victor and Diana from taking her blood for so many years. Natalie still recalled the day her mentor found her. She had just finished donating blood to Diana and was left behind at the hospital. Victor and Diana went off, leaving her to walk home alone.


    Exhausted and hungry, Natalie phoned Grace, who simply coaxed her a bit and said she had an important meeting to attend. She only sent her assistant to pick Natalie up.


    Natalie waited from afternoon until dusk, her body weak from blood loss. She eventually passed out on the sidewalk, which was how her mentor came to rescue her.


    The assistant never arrived, even though the distance from Langley Group to the hospital wasn''t all that far.


    "Nat, since you don''t want outsiders to know we''re rted, we''ll keep it quiet. How''s our acting so far?" Charlotte asked warmly, trying to bond with Natalie. "By the way, could you stay at our ce tonight? I''d love to share a room with you."


    Natalie nodded. "Sure."


    "Really?" Charlotte couldn''t hide her delight and squealed with joy. She turned and grabbed William''s arm. "Honey, our daughter said yes! She agreed to share a room with me. I''m so happy and excited!"


    "Thank you, sweetheart." Charlotte let go of William. Then, she turned to hug Natalie and kissed her cheek.