By the time Marcus and Natalie stepped out of Holden Group, almost everyone in thepany knew exactly who the boss'' girlfriend was and had seen her for


    themselves.


    No one had ever witnessed their CEO looking soposed yet so undeniably smug before.


    Though surprised, the employees were absolutely thrilled. After all, their monthly bonuses had just doubled.


    If one visit from Natalie meant a raise, then what if she dropped by more often? Maybe even daily? At this rate, they''d be wealthy in no time!


    At that moment, they all agreed-having a love-struck CEO wasn''t bad at all.


    Natalie, however, wasn''t aware of all of these.


    As they stepped out of the building, Marcus made it clear that he was riding in her car. And, of course, he had a valid reason for it.


    "You came to pick me up, Nat. So naturally, I should ride with you. If we go in separate cars, people might get the wrong idea and think we don''t get along. And


    I don''t want that."


    Natalie gave in, nodding her head, and pulled open the car door for him.


    "Hop on in, my dear boyfriend."


    "Thank you, my dear girlfriend."


    Marcus'' eyes gleamed with amusement as he slid into the car, clearly in a great mood.


    Natalie followed him.


    "Drive," Natalie instructed in a neutral tone. Noah started the car and pulled away from Holden Group.


    Before Natalie or Marcus could say a word, the partition rose, instantly isting the front and back.


    Marcus intertwined their fingers and leaned in for a kiss, but Natalie swiftly stopped him with a hand to his lips.


    "Have some self-control, Marcus."


    "Can''t I kiss my own girlfriend?"


    Marcus gazed at her intently. "We''ve been apart for so long, and you didn''t even


    miss me. You promised toe, yet you made me wait this long."


    After a brief pause, he added, "You have to make it up to me."


    "If you keep acting this way, I might just break up with you."


    Natalie gave him a teasing look. "Shouldn''t a man like you be more focused on business?"


    "My career is stable, and our rtionship should be too." Marcus blurted out, "Let''s get our marriage registered. You promised since you took my innocence, you have to take responsibility."


    "I''ve thought about it, and I think we should take it slow," Natalie said with a stern look. "I want to enjoy the dating phase a little longer. Plus, you haven''t even properly proposed. Going straight into marriage like this is a no-go for me."


    "I''ll propose now, then."


    With that, Marcus was going to get down on one knee in the car. He even pulled out a diamond ring from his pocket.


    "Seriously, did you get these in bulk? Why are you carrying so many rings?"


    Natalie gripped his wrist firmly and made him sit down. "Can you just act normal? You''re freaking me out like this."


    Reluctantly, Marcus leaned back in the seat.


    "Stay put." Seeing his defiance, Natalie''s face turned cold, and her voice rose slightly.


    He let out a sigh.


    Oh well, she wouldn''t be strict with him if she didn''t love him. Otherwise, why wasn''t she giving Noah a hard time, too?


    "Okay." Marcus bit his lip. "What do you want for dinner, Nat?"


    Before Natalie could answer, her phone rang. It was an unknown number.


    "Hello, who''s this?"


    "Hello, Ms. Walker. I''m Sophia''s mother, Samantha."


    "Oh, Ms. ir. What''s the matter?" Natalie''s tone grew a bit softer. "Is there something wrong with Sophia''s condition?"


    "No, not at all. She''s doing fine," Samantha answered instantly. "It''s Ivan. He just gave me a call, asking me to help him. He''s practically begging me, though. He even told me he''d get a divorce from me and hand over all his assets to Sophia if I helped him."


    She paused for a moment and continued, "I''ve thought it over-between getting


    divorced and bing a widow, I think I''d rather be a widow.


    "I wanted to go see what''s


    happening, but Sophia said she''d be worried if went by myself. Since Mr. tw Holt is taking care of Sophia at the hospital, I thought I''d call and ask to see if you can apany me to the Sinir residence."


    Samantha chose her words carefully. "From the way Ivan sounded, he won''t go to the enforcement office, and he definitely doesn''t want this getting out. So, I guess something must have happened."


    Upon hearing everything Samantha had said, Natalie cast an eye on Marcus, and without any hesitation, she said, "Okay! I''lle and pick you up now."


    "Thank you. Thank you so much, Ms. Walker." Samantha''s voice had a touch of excitement. "I''ll be waiting for you at the hospital''s entrance. We''ll head straight to the Sinir residence once you arrive."


    "Sounds good."


    Natalie ended the call, only to meet Marcus'' aggrieved gaze.


    "I want to go to the Sinir residence and watch the chaos. Be my date?"


    She leaned in, pressing a light peck at the corner of his lips.


    Instantly, his mood flipped. "Alright, you''re the boss."


    Natalie was in stitches. She suddenly realized how absurdly easy Marcus was to pacify. The difference between him before and after dating was like night and day.


    This kind of contrast? Absolutely adorable.


    Natalie chuckled for a moment before shifting onto Marcus''p. She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning in slowly. Then, she saw his Adam''s apple bob, and his gaze darkened with intensity.


    Yet, he sat there, straight-faced, as if he had all the patience in the world to wait for her to kiss him. If it weren''t for the growing flush creeping over his ears, she might have actually believed it.


    As their lips were about to touch, Natalie pulled away all of a sudden. Then, with a yful smirk, she moved off hisp and settled into the seat beside him.


    Marcus was dumbfounded.


    Wasn''t she just about to kiss him? Why the sudden retreat? Was his face not attractive enough anymore? Or had he done something wrong?


    He murmured, "Nat..."


    "Shush," Natalie interrupted. "I''m a little tired. I''m going to take a nap. Wake me up when we get to the hospital."


    With that, Natalie closed her eyes, looking every bit like someone on the verge of sleep.


    Marcus let out a sigh, thinking that next time when she leaned in, he''d kiss her right away.


    Natalie''s eyes remained closed, but the faint smile on her lips gave away her satisfaction.


    A momentter, a jacket was draped over her, carrying a slight scent of jasmine flowers. The jacket was warm-clearly Marcus'', taken off to cover her.


    Natalie didn''t utter a word and just let herself rx like that.


    As the car glided smoothly forward, Natalie dozed off in no time. Once she was asleep, Marcus carefully gathered her into his arms, adjusting her position so she could rest morefortably. Then, he ced a gentle kiss on her forehead.


    Keeping his voice low, he instructed Noah to adjust the temperature of the car.


    Soon, they arrived at Dithoria City Hospital. Samantha was already waiting at the entrance, conversing with Zane, who was standing beside her.