"Yes, we have to go." Natalie took a deep breath. "Keep looking. I have a feeling that bastard Shane has left behind more things."


    Shane was so brazen he must have possessed plenty of things rted to Sophia.


    Since Natalie had decided to help Sophia, she would see it through to the end.


    This incident happened within the Walker residence, and it was their helper who hurt Sophia.


    This would never have happened had the Walker family properly managed their helpers.


    Natalie felt a heavy weight on her heart. She crouched down to check under the bed, but Marcus pulled her back before she could.


    "I''ll do it."


    Before she could say anything, he had already lowered himself. He was tall, and crouching wasn''t enough, so hey t on the floor.


    "You don''t have to do this, Marcus," she said, momentarily unsure what to say.


    He was here to help because she had called him, but he could have refused. He didn''t have to get involved at all.


    "Get up," she urged.


    "Nat, don''t think too much about it." Marcus turned on the shlight on his phone and carefully searched under the bed.


    "I failed to protect Sophia. I''ve known her for years, yet I never really understood her. I had no idea she was struggling this much. I was wrong. I always saw her as my savior but never protected her."


    After hearing his deep, hoarse voice, Natalie fell silent.


    She had been wrong. She shouldn''t have initially ced all the me on Marcus. She shouldn''t have said those things in her fit of anger.


    "Marcus, I''m sorry." She apologized softly. "I lost my mind for a moment. Don''t take what I said to heart."


    "You weren''t wrong, Nat. You don''t need to apologize."


    As they spoke, Marcus continued searching. The beam of his shlight swept across the floor, illuminating a box near the desk.


    "Hold my phone," he said.


    Natalie took it from him.


    "There''s a box under here. I need to pull it out."


    "Okay."


    She crouched lower, holding the light steady while Marcus reached in. His arms were long, and he quickly pulled out the box.


    "Open it."


    Marcus stood up. Natalie reached out, brushing dust off his clothes.


    "I''m fine," he said, grasping her hand. "Let''s check the box first." "Alright."


    This time, she didn''t resist his closeness.


    The box was locked with a password. He tried a fewbinations but couldn''t open it. Natalie decided, "Let''s go to the basement first. Shane will tell us the code."


    "Alright. Let''s go."


    Natalie gathered everything rted to Sophia, making sure nothing was left behind. She couldn''t let these things fall into the wrong hands, as doing so would only make things worse for Sophia.


    As they left Shane''s room, Natalie called over the bodyguards and had them seal off the area.


    Carrying the items, she and Marcus made their way to the basement at the Walker residence.


    Shaney on the ground like a lifeless fish, still spitting blood. Mason''s punches had knocked out several of his teeth.


    "Open the box," Marcus ordered, setting it down before Shane. He didn''t have his men handle it this time-he stepped forward himself.


    Shane looked up, staring at Marcus for a long moment before suddenly chuckling. "Mr. Holden, Ms. Emma has photos of you changing clothes."


    Marcus merely looked at him-like he was already a dead man.


    Shane''s smirk faltered. Fear gripped him, and he instinctively crawled backward.


    Marcus held out a hand, and Noah immediately stepped forward, cing a pair of gloves in his palm.


    Shane kept retreating until his back hit the wall. Meanwhile, Marcus calmly pulled on the gloves.


    "Mr. Holden, I didn''t mean it. I really didn''t mean it," Shane stammered


    his bravado gone. "I was just....


    momentarily possessed by greed. Please, I beg you to let me go."


    He suddenly started bowing.


    Natalie and Mason had beaten him badly, yet he hadn''t begged for mercy even


    once.


    Now, just from seeing Marcus put on gloves, he was pleading for his life.


    Marcus curled his lips slightly. After taking a few steps forward, he crouched down and ced the box before Shane. His voice was deep and maic yet chillingly gentle. "Open it."


    Shane looked up. Marcus was smiling, but the coldness in his eyes was bone- deep. His entire presence radiated a lethal air.


    His hands trembled as he reached for the lock. Without a word of protest, he entered the code and unlocked it.


    Once the box was open, Marcus stood up. He didn''t touch Shane-he simply picked up the box and returned to Natalie''s side.


    "Take a look."


    Natalie pulled out the photos, flipping through them one by one. "Marcus, these are pictures of you and Emma."


    "Hm?" Marcus frowned. "That''s impossible. I''ve never taken a photo with Emma. I''ve always kept my distance from her."


    "See for yourself." She handed him a few photos.


    He took them and saw that, indeed, they appeared to be pictures of him with Emma.


    But something felt off.


    "These are fake," he said immediately. "They''re photoshopped."


    "Really?" Natalie examined them more closely. Sure enough, they had been altered.


    "I swear, I''ve never taken a single photo with Emma," Marcus said with conviction. His expression was serious, his tone sharp.


    Since childhood, he had known about their arranged engagement. But from the first moment he saw Emma, he had disliked her.


    Because of that, he never gave her any hope. And since she had always been raised with pride and dignity, she never shamelessly clung to him.


    Their rtionship had been distant but peaceful—until Charles fell ill.


    He hoped for Marcus to settle down and have children. After that, Emma seized the opportunity to visit Holden Residence frequently, currying favor with Charles. Charles'' illness couldn''t withstand emotional turmoil, so Marcus tolerated Emma''s presence at home.


    But he had never given her false hope. He had never entertained any ambiguous feelings toward her.


    Emma went to keep Charles


    thanked her and gave her a token of


    appreciation, but he always kept his distance when it came to matters of love.


    So he knew, without a doubt, that these photos were fake.


    "There''s more underneath," Natalie said, pulling out the rest. This time, the photos


    featured Shane and Emma together.


    "Look at this."


    She handed them to Marcus. "He likes Emma. And Emma likes you."


    Marcus'' expression darkened. "It''s utterly disgusting to use this kind of twisted


    method to humiliate people."