"Let''s get this over with," Natalie exhaled, adjusting her posture. "It''s just... the idea of you touching my ear feels kind of weird."


    She had never been this physically close to any man before. Even with Nathan, her childhood friend, their rtionship had always been more about appearances than any real intimacy.


    But since this was all an act, she knew it needed to be convincing enough to leave Emma with no room for doubt.


    If they intended to shatter someone emotionally, they had to strike where it hurt the most. Natalie wanted Emma to lose everything—love, family, all of it.


    "Alright," Natalie decided after a moment''s thought. "Let''s do a staged kiss next. You know, the kind where it looks like we''re kissing, but we''re not actually touching. Are you familiar with that, Mr. Holden?"


    Marcus'' gaze darkened slightly, but he nodded. "Yeah, I know how it works."


    "Great. Olivia, you''ll take the lead and guide us."


    "On it!" Olivia chirped, giving them a thumbs-up. She began positioning Marcus and Natalie for the next set of photos.


    Natalie rested her head on Marcus'' shoulder, and he ced his arm on the back of her chair, careful not to actually touch her. When a light breeze drifted through, Marcus'' fingers brushed a strand of Natalie''s hair aside with deliberate precision.


    Olivia crouched and shifted angles, snapping photo after photo.


    "Alright, Natalie," Olivia called out, adjusting her lens. "Throw your legs over Marcus''p and swing them a little."


    Natalie froze. "That''s... not really appropriate, isn''t it?" She hesitated, frowning at the suggestion.


    "You''re wearing a dress, and Marcus'' wearing pants. It''s not like anything inappropriate is happening," Olivia reasoned, waving it off. "It''s just acting. But if it''s too much, we can skip it."


    "Skip it," Natalie said firmly, taking a deep breath. She was fine with Marcus pretending to hold her, but draping her legs over him felt like crossing a line. They didn''t need to go that far. The vibe they were going for was suggestive, not outright intimate.


    "Got it." Olivia adjusted her direction ordingly. From that point on, she made sure to keep the poses less intimate. Even for the fake kiss, she used clever angles to create the illusion of closeness without any real contact.


    When everything was over, Olivia joined Natalie to review the photos.


    "This one''s great. Oh, and this one too." Olivia grinned as she sifted through the images. "We''ll send these to Marcus first so he can post them on his feed. Make sure Emma''s the only one who can see them."


    "Sounds good," Natalie agreed.


    "By the way, I got shots of you in the ballroom earlier with your brothers. Want to see?"


    "Sure."


    Olivia handed her the camera, and the two of them went through the photos, selecting their favorites. Meanwhile, Marcus stood off to the side, listening silently as the two women whispered and giggled over their strategy.


    Once the selections were finalized, Olivia organized the photos into groups. "These go to Mr. Holden to post, these go to Mason, and these are for you to share."


    "Got it."


    Natalie sent the chosen photos to Marcus via text, nine in total-perfect for a gridyout on his social media feed.


    "Mr. Holden, did you get them? Once you do, post them. Just make sure Emma''s the only one who can see it," Natalie instructed.


    Marcus, who had been quietly


    observing, suddenly spoke up.


    "Natalie, don''t you think it''d be more


    effective if I continue to block her


    instead? That way, someone else can screenshot the post and send it to her. It might sting moreing from someone she knows."  swnovel


    Natalie was taken aback. She hadn''t expected him to suggest something like that. She wasn''t exactly experienced in rtionships or revenge plots, so this wasn''t her area of expertise. She turned to Olivia for input.


    "Olivia, what do you think? Which option would drive Emma crazier?"


    Olivia thought for a moment. "Oh, the second option, hands down. It''s way more humiliating if one of her so-called friends sends her the screenshot with some snarkyment. It''ll make Mr. Holden seem head-over-heels for you, which will really twist the knife."


    Marcus'' voice rose slightly. "Head-over-heels? Since when did I be a lovesick puppy for Natalie?"


    Oliviaughed. "Rx, Mr. Holden. I was just saying. But seriously, nothing cuts deeper than seeing the guy you''re obsessed with act fawn over someone else. Especially when that someone is the one person you hate the most."


    She shot him a mischievous look. "And hey, don''t forget about Ms. Sinir-she''s still stuck in the hospital, isn''t she? This isn''t just about Emma. This is about sending a message."


    Olivia''s teasing wasn''t entirely


    innocent. She hadn''t forgotten how Marcus used to look down on Natalie. If she could spread the narrative that Marcus was the one chasing after Natalie, it''d be a little act of payback for the way he''d treated her friend in the past.  swnovel


    But Natalie saw through Olivia''s little scheme immediately.


    "Olivia, stopbeling Mr. Holden as a lovesick puppy. He''s not, and we''re not trying to create that image. è Emma''s already lost her ce in the Walken family. Crushing her spirit doesn''t take much effort. M Holden''s involvement is just to keep Sky from meddling."


    belongs to swnovel


    "Olivia, even though my parents have made their stance clear, Sky is still my older brother-he''s their son too," Natalie said.


    Natalie''s calm exnation made Olivia pause and think. After a moment, she nodded. "Got it."


    "Mr. Holden can post on his social media himself, or he can have a friend send it to Emma."


    "Isn''t Emma still in the hospital? Now that your wee party is over, she''s probably going to be kicked out soon, right?"


    "Yes." Natalie nodded. "The only reason she''s still there today is because my mom was worried she''de to the vi and ruin the party. After everything she said to me, my parents won''t ept her anymore."


    "But as for Sky''s stance..." Natalie curled her lips in a mocking smile. "I need Mr. Holden to help keep him in check."


    "Then..." Olivia hesitantly nced at Marcus. "Will Mr. Holden agree to it?"


    Marcus cast a cool nce at Olivia. "I''m right here, Ms. Thatcher. You can ask me directly."


    Olivia didn''t hesitate and got straight to the point. "Mr. Holden, are you willing to


    do this?"


    "If I weren''t, why would I have taken those photos with Natalie?"