Natalie continued lying on Marcus'' back. Although she wasn''t heavy, she was still worried about his condition.


    She got up from his back and reached out to pull him up. "Go brush your teeth and take a shower before going to bed."


    "Nat, I want to sleep with you," Marcus said softly as he looked at her. "I promise to be good and not do anything. I just want to hold you while I sleep."


    Natalie shook her head. "No."


    "Oh." A hint of disappointment shed across Marcus'' face, but he still nodded obediently. "I''ll go brush my teeth and take a shower. Don''t go anywhere, okay?"


    "Okay. I''ll wait for you here."


    Natalie coaxed Marcus into the bathroom and watched him brush his teeth. Once he was done, he went to take a shower.


    While waiting for him, Natalie prepared a set of pajamas and a towel for him.


    "Marcus, I''ll put them at the door. Just open the door a little and take them in yourselfter."


    The only response from inside was the sound of running water.


    Since she promised not to leave, Natalie ced the clothes on a stool by the door and then walked over to the window.


    Pushing it open, she took a deep breath. The faint herbal fragrance in the air instantly calmed her down.


    She thought back to how she first met Marcus, as well as the events that followed. She had saved his grandfather, and he also saved her when she was drugged.


    Marcus had helped her, so she wanted to repay him by helping him with his parents'' situation. She never expected that the patient she had taken on this time would turn out to be his mother.


    Federrick hadn''t returned to The Herbalist''s Sanctuary for a long time, yet he returned to treat Laura''s Umbrahex. Not only that, he even ran into the person Marcus had been investigating.


    It was as if everything happened for a reason.


    Natalie rested her arm on the windowsill, resting her chin on her palm as she gazed over the scenery around The Herbalist''s Sanctuary.


    Everything inside The Herbalist''s Sanctuary was well nned. Federrick had carefully designed each area, deciding which herb to be nted in which area.


    After he handed the ce over to Joshua, Joshua would make adjustments ording to the soil conditions each year. However, the overallyout remained unchanged.


    Since the nts here were all herbs, there were barely any pests inside The Herbalist''s Sanctuary. The air was filled with a refreshing herbal scent, which was far more pleasant than the outside world.


    After a while, the sound of running water in the bathroom stopped. Marcus


    opened the door a little and reached out to grab the pajamas and towel.


    Once he was dressed, he stepped out of the bathroom. Natalie was still by the window.


    "Nat, I''m done." Marcus stepped forward and poked Natalie''s waist. "I took a shower, just like you told me to."


    Seeing his obedient expression, Natalie couldn''t help but smile. She patted him on the head and asked, "Why didn''t you dry your hair?"


    He looked at her and answered. "You only told me to take a shower, not to dry my hair."


    "Well, I''m telling you now to go dry your hair. Do it now ande back for me to check."


    "Oh, okay."


    Marcus turned withoutint and went to dry his hair. Soon, the sound of the hair dryer filled the room. Natalie just stood by the window and watched him with a smile.


    Since he had short hair, it didn''t take long for it to dry. Soon, he turned off the hairdryer and walked over to her, bowing his head slightly.


    "Nat, check."


    Natalie reached out and ran her fingers through his hair. "Yes, it''s dry. Go to bed now."


    "No. I want to sleep with you." Marcus pouted and pulled her into his arms. "I don''t want to sleep. I want to be with you."


    "Be good and go to sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow." Natalie patted his back gently, coaxing him like a child. "If you don''t get enough sleep, you''ll age faster and get wrinkles. If you grow old and I stay young, I won''t want you anymore."


    "Ah!" Marcus was startled. The next second, he scooped her up and strode toward the bed. Then, both of them fell onto the bed. "If so, steep with me. That way, both of us won''t get old. We''ll stay young forever."


    "We''re not married yet, so we can''t sleep together."


    Natalie refused him without hesitation. She reached for a pressure point on his wrist, and with a little force, Marcus let go of her.


    "Be good, go to sleep."


    Natalie bent over and kissed him on the lips. "You did great tonight. Mr. Langton and the others like you."


    "I like you too."


    "Sleep!"


    After kissing him, Natalie pulled out a small scented sachet from somewhere and ced it near his nose. Marcus'' eyes widened slightly before slowly closing.


    "Very good." She ruffled his hair, then tucked the nket around him. After that, she got up to close the window before quietly leaving his room. Outside, Connie was waiting.


    "Ms. Walker, as you instructed, we''ve ordered someone to tail Mr. Holden," Connie said softly. "We have found Julie Lombard and taken control of her. We''re just waiting for Mr. Holden''s men to arrive."


    Natalie smirked. "Okay. Did you get anything out of Julie?"


    Connie nodded. "A little, but she insists on speaking to you personally before saying more."


    "She wants to see me? What for?"


    Connie shook her head. "I have no idea. You''ve never met her, right?"


    Natalie narrowed her eyes. Julie wanted to see her, but Natalie hadn''t seen her,


    nor did she know her. However, Julie might have known of her.


    "Fine. I''ll meet her."


    "Alright. But Ms. Walker, if you leave now, what about Mrs. Holden?"


    Natalie rubbed her temples. Although the Umbrahex had been neutralized, Laura still required ongoing treatment from Natalie. If she were to leave, the only person she could rely on was Federrick.


    "Have Joshua cover me for one day. If he couldn''t handle it, ask him to ask Mr. Langton for help. If I''m not here, he''ll surely step in."


    Natalie took a deep breath. "What about the Maines? How did they react after receiving Lucy''s body?"


    "The Maines kept their distance, fearing that they would catch a disease from the corpse. Only Jessy came forward and sent the corpse to a funeral home. She held a funeral for Lucy there.


    "Along with the corpse, Jessy also


    received her paternity test result with Lucy, Jessy is Lucy''s biological daughter. Ms. Walker, just as you suspected! The reason Cassie left Jessy was to use her to threaten and restrain Lucy."


    Natalie didn''t say a word, merely instructing Connie to prepare a car for her. "I drank tonight, so I can''t drive. Have Ynda take me."


    "Yes, Ms. Walker."


    "Marcus won''t wake up too early tomorrow. If he does and I''m not back yet, just make up an excuse to stall him. If you can''t, ask Laura to help out."


    "Yes, Ms. Walker." Then, she asked, "Ms. Walker, are you sure it''s safe for you to meet with Julie?"


    "It''ll be fine. Our people have her under control. What could possibly happen?" Natalie made her way downstairs, only to be stopped by Hector at the end.


    "Nat, where are you going by yourself? You called me over, but you''re leaving me behind. That really hurts, you know?"