The more Marcus thought about it, the more convinced he became. Frustrated, he tossed the documents onto the desk and got up to leave.


    Just then, Ethan knocked and walked in, carefully cing the final document onto his desk.


    "Mr. Holden, this is thest document awaiting your decision. After this, you can leave for Amberton with Mrs. Holden without any distractions."


    Marcus looked up and shot Ethan a re. "Why is Mrs. Holden not here yet?" "I''ve called Noah, and he said they''re almost here."


    A sense of panic crept up on Ethan. He had asked Noah an hour ago, and that was what Noah told him.


    An hourter, the response was still the same.


    Every passing second without Natalie''s appearance sent shivers down his spine.


    "I don''t care how you''re going to do it, but I want to see Mrs. Holden here in five minutes," Marcusmanded coldly.


    Ethan''s heart skipped a beat. Still, he responded without a moment of hesitation.


    "Okay, I''ll call Mrs. Holden right away."


    The moment Ethan stepped out of Marcus'' office, he called Noah again.


    "Noah, please. I''m begging you just get Mrs. Holden here already!"


    Ethan was practically in tears.


    "We''re here already." There was a trace ofughter in Noah''s tone. "Just stepped through the entrance."


    Ethan let out a breath of relief. He kept the call connected as he dashed to the elevator.


    The elevator reached the first floor, and when the doors parted, Ethan''s eyesnded on Natalie. She was carrying a cute bag, with Noah following her dutifully behind.


    Noah had always worked in the background, appearing only when needed. But now, he walked behind Natalie in in sight.


    Ethan''s joy was written all over his face. He hurried forward. "You''re finally here, Mrs. Holden."


    Natalie was confused. "Mrs. Holden? Me?" she thought.


    "Mr. Holden is waiting for you in his office. Let me bring you there."


    Ethan was grinning from ear to ear as he led the way. Every employee they passed greeted Natalie with a respectful smile, addressing her as "Mrs. Holden".


    Although Natalie was perplexed, she smiled and returned the greetings. Once they were in the elevator, she asked, "Mr. Carter, why is everyone calling me ''Mrs. Holden?'' Did Marcus ask them to?"


    Ethan nodded. "You''re right, Mrs. Holden. It was his instructions, and every employee in Holden Group knows about you."


    Natalie was at a loss for words.


    Marcus practically announced her identity to everyone, leaving her no room to back out.


    She had his ring on her finger, and he still had doubts.


    Natalie remained silent. Once the elevator reached the top floor, Ethan led the way with the same respectful demeanor and quickly escorted her to Marcus'' office.


    "Mrs. Holden is here."


    "Alright, you may go," Macus said as his gaze lifted slightly. His chiseled features remained cold and unreadable.


    "Yes, Mr. Holden."


    Ethan and Noah then left the office, shutting the door behind them.


    Natalie walked toward Marcus with the bag in her hand. The moment she reached his desk, Marcus rose to his feet, leaned over, and captured her lips in a kiss.


    Natalie was caught off guard.


    Seriously, who rushed into a kiss like this? Was he just unting his long legs and strong core?


    Marcus didn''t care what she thought. He kissed her over and over again before finally letting go, satisfied. He had missed her deeply.


    "I brought you something to eat."


    Natalie pulled out a chair and sat down, unpacking the small jars one by one. "Gorge made these for me. I figured I''d share the love."


    "Okay."


    Marcus was grinning. A touch of warmth flickered in his obsidian eyes. As long as


    it was from Natalie, he''d love it, no questions asked.


    She wouldn''t have given it to him if she didn''t care, right? Otherwise, she could''ve just given it to someone else.


    "Go on, try it. I''m not sure if you like sweets."


    Natalie opened the jars and nudged them toward Marcus. "It''s the same chocte brand you gave Lincoln."


    "Thanks, Nat."


    Marcus took a piece and savored it slowly. The chocte was as rich and sweet as ever, with a creamy filling inside. One bite in, and sweetness intensified, but a touch of citrussy tartness kicked in, bncing the richness with a refreshing twist. Cóntent belongs to


    "How is it? Does it taste good?"


    Natalie rested her chin on one hand, gazing intently at Marcus.


    Before, she had to keep her distance. After that first breathtaking nce, she hardly dared to look at him for too long.


    Now that he was her boyfriend, she could admire him all she wanted.


    As their eyes met, a smile tugged at Marcus'' lips. He picked up a small piece of


    pastry and held it out to Natalie. "Say ah."


    "I''ve had it already." Natalie shook her head. "You can have them all."


    "Come on, let me take you to dinner then."


    Marcus put away the sweeps and kept them back in the bag. Then, he ced the bag into the drawer of his desk. "I''ll save them for next time."


    Natalie chuckled. "I can ask Gorge to make more if you like them."


    "I like them," Marcus answered without any hesitation. "Once Gorge is done, you can bring them to me."


    Natalie had nned to ask the helpers to deliver it, but the way Marcus looked at her made her pause. "Okay, I''ll bring them to you."


    "Great!"


    Marcus'' smile widened in an instant. "I''m done with work, so let''s go! Wait, actually I''ll take them back home."


    With that, Marcus opened the drawer and took out the bag of sweets.


    "Now let''s go."


    "Okay!"


    "Hang on, Nat. I need to use the washroom."


    Natalie hummed a reply.


    As soon as Marcus got into the washroom, he took out his phone and sent a text


    to Ethan, "Make the announcement-have every department report in turns and greet her as ''Mrs. Holden.""


    Ethan replied, "Yes, Mr. Holden."


    After putting his phone away, Marcus turned on the tap, washed his hands, and stayed there for a moment before leaving.


    "Let''s go now, Nat!"


    "Okay."


    Marcus walked beside Natalie with the bag of sweets in hand. As they stepped


    out of the CEO''s office, senior executives started showing up.


    "Mr. Holden, Mrs. Holden, good evening."


    "Oh? How did you know Mrs. Holden brought me something to eat?" Marcus nodded as he casually said.


    He even made a point to show off the bag of sweets Natalie had given him. "Good eye-you spotted that she brought me chocte cream cookies."


    Everyone on


    the spot was speechless, including Ethan and Noah, who were trailing behind. There was no looking at this without secondhand embarrassment. Ever since Marcus started dating it was like he had beenpletely overtaken by lovesickness.


    The senior executive snapped back to his senses promptly. "Absolutely! You both


    are such a perfect match. Mrs. Holden isn''t just beautiful but also warm and


    caring. I wish you both endless happiness!"


    Marcus nodded in satisfaction. "Thanks. Don''t work toote today."


    "Alright. Take care, Mr. Holden, and you too, Mrs. Holden."


    Marcus walked ahead with Natalie. Before long, people started greeting them. But every time, before Natalie could respond, Marcus would jump in first, repeating the same thing he had told the executive earlier.


    After a few rounds of this, Natalie finally caught on-he was showing off.


    She stared at him nkly. How had she never noticed he had such a romantic


    streak?