Marcus'' blunt response left Olivia momentarily speechless. She nced between him and Natalie.


    Olivia knew Natalie always thought things through carefully, leaving no detail unchecked. If Natalie had brought Marcus into this n, it wasn''t just to keep Sky in check. There had to be a deeper reason-one Natalie hadn''t shared yet.


    But Olivia didn''t press. As Natalie''s best friend, Olivia had always trusted and supported her decisions.


    "My bad. I guess I wasn''t thinking straight," Olivia joked, shing a self- deprecating grin. "I''m the real lovesick fool here. I''m totally Nat''s number-one fan. Come on, Nat, give me some love!"


    With that, Olivia leaned toward Natalie as if to nt a yful kiss on her cheek. Natalie pushed her away with augh. "Knock it off. We''ve got work to do."


    "I''m the star of tonight''s show. I can''t stay out here too long." She turned to Marcus. "Mr. Holden, shall we head back together?"


    Marcus gave a small nod. "Yeah, let''s go. But Ms. Walker, I should warn you—my grandfather''s been on my case about finding a girlfriend. Preferably one who can give him a great-grandchild sooner rather thanter. We should make sure none of those photos end up in his hands or even reach his radar."


    Natalie paused mid-step, her expression tightening. She''dpletely overlooked that possibility.


    Marcus noticed her reaction and added, "Don''t stress about it. If ites up, I''ll just say I hired someone to secretly take those photos because I regretted calling off our engagement and wanted to win you back. If the elders misunderstand, Ms. Walker, just put all the me on me."


    Before Natalie could respond, Marcus spoke again. "Consider it my way of repaying the favor I owe you."


    Natalie turned, her gaze fixed intently on Marcus. In the beginning, he had clearly disliked her. Later, when he found out she was Elim and that she had saved Charles, his attitude toward her became much more respectful. Yet, it had never veered into anything resembling affection.


    Now, his unexpected cooperation and willingness to handle the fallout made her question his motives. Was he really just repaying her for what she did for Charles?


    Marcus seemed to sense her doubt. He rified, "I''m a man, Ms. Walker. I can handle getting med or criticized. You stood up for me in front of my grandfather before, and I''ll always appreciate that."


    Natalie exhaled and nodded. "Alright. If you insist, let''s head back together."


    She nced around the area and added, "Most of the people here tonight are prominent figures. They know who you are, Mr. Holden. No one would dare gossip about us."


    Marcus smirked faintly. "That''s true. Only a fool would try."


    Anyone who dared to gossip about him behind his back must have had a death wish.


    Olivia, still sitting nearby, stretched her legs and teased, "So, you two are ditching me now, huh? You''ve used me up and are tossing me aside?"


    Natalie chuckled. "Call Mason. He''lle get you."


    "Fine," Olivia said, flopping into a chair. Her legs were sore from standing all night. She pulled out her camera and began scrolling through the photos she''d taken.


    Not long after, Mason came looking for Olivia.


    "Olivia!" Mason called out cheerfully, jogging over with a strawberry cake in his hands. "Look what I got for you."


    He stopped in front of her, holding up the dessert like it was a trophy. "Nat told me you love strawberry cake but rarely eat it because you''re alway@worried about your figure. Tonight, you can rx and indulge. Afterward, I''ll take you out to y basketball to burn it all off."  swnovel


    Olivia blinked at him, stunned. "Basketball? At this hour?"


    She stared at him like he''d lost his mind.


    "Okay, it''s fine if you don''t wanna y basketball," Mason said, scratching his head. "We can go for a run instead around the garden. You can take in the flowers, enjoy the view, and still burn calories. It''s perfect!"


    swnovel


    Mason''s enthusiasm was almost endearing. He was clearly trying to impress her, though Olivia wasn''t sure why. She had a sneaking suspicion he''d noticed her interest in Lincoln, but she wasn''t about to admit that.


    "What sports do you enjoy? I''m good at everything, Olivia," Mason boasted. "Name a sport, and I''ll crush it. Check out these muscles."


    He rolled up his sleeves and flexed his biceps.


    Olivia raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "What about abs? Have you got any of those?"


    "Of course!" Mason didn''t miss a beat. He lifted the hem of his shirt, revealing a set of well-defined abs.


    Olivia was no stranger to muscr men-she''d worked with countless male models-but Mason''s fairplexion and lean, athletic build stood out.


    "Can I touch?" she asked, half-joking.


    "Go for it. Don''t be shy," Mason replied, stepping closer. He even took her hand and ced it on his stomach, grinning the entire time.


    However, he let out a sharp breath as soon as her handnded on his abs.


    Startled, Olivia pulled her hand back. "What was that? Did I hurt you or something?"


    "N-No," Mason stammered, his ears turning red. "I''m just... a little nervous. This is my first time letting a woman touch my abs."


    Olivia felt her cheeks heat up. "Well, maybe don''t grab someone''s hand and make them touch you next time! You made it weird."


    Mason scratched the back of his neck, looking sheepish. "Right. My bad. Just... eat your cake, okay?"


    After that little incident, Oliviapletely forgot about watching her figure. She picked up a small spoon and slowly started eating the strawberry cake.


    Natalie and Marcus had returned to the ballroom. A small crowd


    gathered around Natalie as soon as they entered, but Marcus stayed close behind her. He draped his suit jacket over her shoulders without a word, catching her off guard.


    swnovel


    "Careful," he murmured in a low voice, leaning close to her ear. "Someone


    upstairs is taking photos. Doesn''t look like one of your people."


    Natalie''s eyes flicked upward, feigning casual curiosity. She caught a glimpse of a woman dressed as a housekeeper quickly pulling back from the railing on the second floor.


    Her lips curled into a slight smirk. It seemed someone had nted quite a few spies in the Walker family.