Marcus'' tone was tinged with unease as he spoke, his eyes asionally darting nervously to Natalie, quickly averting his gaze before she could catch him looking.


    His nervousness,bined with his vulnerability, was evident. The former high and mighty heir of the Holden family, the powerful head of the Holden Group, had never shown this side of himself in front of others.


    Natalie was the first, and likely the only one, to see this side of him. The contrast in his demeanor made it hard for her to reject him.


    After giving it some thought, Natalie finally reached out and took the ck card from Marcus'' hand. However, she then pulled out another identical ck card from her bag and ced it in his hand.


    "Marcus, take this. I''ll spend your money, and you can spend mine."


    Marcus blinked, confused. "Huh? How is that different from me spending my own money?"


    "I may have had a fiancé before, but I''ve never spent money on him. You''re the first."


    Her words made Marcus, who had been about to return the card, tighten his grip on it instead.


    "My rtionship with Tyler didn''tst into adulthood. We were never close, even though we were engaged."


    She nced at Marcus. "No matter what, I did take advantage of you while drunk, and you''ve asked me to take responsibility. I can''t just ignore that."


    Marcus immediately nodded. "Right, you have to take responsibility for me."


    "So... shall we try starting something?" Natalie hesitated. She had decided before to keep her distance from Marcus, even avoiding any personal connection.


    But things rarely went as nned.


    "Sure." Marcus immediately agreed, lifting his gaze to meet hers, a smile evident in the corners of his eyes. "Thank you, Nat."


    Something felt off to Natalie, but when she saw his warm, reassuring smile, her doubts faded.


    Lincoln had gone to Holden Residence and spoken to Charles, clearing the air between her and Marcus.


    Federrick always taught her that one must take responsibility for their actions-if she made a mistake, she should fix it immediately. But if it wasn''t her fault, she shouldn''t bear the me.


    She could hardly control her hands or mouth after drinking, and though Marcus had indulged her, it wasn''t his fault.


    Natalie knocked her head lightly. She had never realized how much she could be affected by someone''s looks when drunk.


    Handsome was a word typically used to describe men, but she couldn''t help but think it should only be applied to Marcus. He was so handsome that she couldn''t help but want to touch and kiss him.


    "By the way... are you nning to meet my parents when you take me back?" Natalie tilted her head and looked out the car window at the passing scenery. She remembered that Marcuscked maternal love, and she was willing to let Charlotte embrace him more.


    "Yes." Marcus had just been beaten by Lincoln and hadn''t yet met his future in-ws. He didn''t feel entirely secure until this meeting happened.


    "We''re just going to see where things go, so don''t say anything wrong in front of my parents," Natalie reminded him. After thinking for a moment, she added, "I haven''t decided yet whether I want to be with you."


    "You''re responsible for me, but you don''t want to be with me?" Marcus raised an eyebrow, then casually started undoing the buttons of his shirt.


    "What are you doing?" Natalie quickly reached to pull his shirt back together. "Stop it!"


    But Marcus ignored her. One hand


    held hers, and the other continued to


    unbutton his shirt. "Nat, look, all these marks are from you. You say you''ll be responsible, but you won''t be with me. How is this being responsible? I won''t ept it."


    He held her hand and ced it over his chest. "Nat, feel it. This heart is beating


    so fast because of how close you are to me."


    Natalie could feel the heat


    emanating from his chest. She


    instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but Marcus wouldn''t let her. k,


    He gently pressed his forehead to hers.


    "Nat, I said let''s try. I''m not asking you to keep a distance from me like before, to


    be distant and polite, like we''re not even friends."


    "So what do you want?" Natalie felt a mix of embarrassment and anger, pushing


    his forehead away. "Marcus, don''t push your luck."


    "Last night, you did what you did to me. Just follow that standard."


    Marcus'' words made Natalie''s eyes widen. Was he suggesting thatst night was a standard?


    Seeing her reaction, Marcus leaned in close, his voice low and yful. "Nat, when we meet your parents, I hope you''ll introduce me as your boyfriend."


    Natalie froze. Marcus really wasn''t going to give her any space to hesitate or retreat.


    "Nat, is that okay?"


    His deep, maic voice made her feel strangely sensitive, a little tingly.


    "Marcus, are you asking me?" Natalie steadied herself and pushed him away. "You need to stop pushing your luck."


    "Alright." Marcus obediently stepped back. He let go of her hand as she struggled, giving her the space she needed.


    "Is being called boyfriend really that important?"


    Natalie rubbed her wrist. Marcus hadn''t used much force when he held her hand,


    but she still felt a little embarrassed.


    "I''m fine with taking responsibility for you. But you want a title too?"


    "Without a title, how is that responsibility?" Marcus was insistent on the title. "Nat, I don''t want a secret rtionship. I want to go public. I want to be your official boyfriend."


    "You said I was handsome, wanted to lock me up and give me a title. Even if I''m not locked up, I''m still yours."


    As soon as Natalie heard him say that, she quickly covered his mouth. "Stop talking! Shut up. You want the title? Fine, I''ll give it to you."


    Natalie was a little exasperated and reached to pinch his chest. "Then it''s perfectly fine for me to pinch my boyfriend, right?"


    "That''s right."


    Marcus smiled widely, clearly pleased by her reaction. His entire demeanor lightened, and he looked at her with fondness and affection.


    Natalie could hardly handle the way he was looking at her. She turned her head away, feeling embarrassed. "Now, as my boyfriend, give me a back rub." Marcus wanted the title, and he wanted to be her boyfriend, so Natalie decided to make him regret asking for it when she wasn''t fully ready.