Walter''s slightly jealous tone made Natalieugh, and once she did, Walter followed with a chuckle of his own. Theughter eased the atmosphere between them.


    "Alright, I''ll ask Marcus if he knows any young, wealthy women who''d be willing to marry you, build you a career, and keep you as their boy toy," Natalie said with a teasing smile, her eyes curved with amusement.


    Walterughed at that. "Only if she''s smooth-skinned, gorgeous, and has legs for days. You''d better not be living the high life while handing me scraps."


    "No problem." Natalieughed. "Now that we''ve talked it out, you don''t feel bad anymore, right? We can still hang out like good friends?"


    "Yeah, the knot is untied." Walter nodded. "Nat, thank you for being upfront with me and not letting things fester in awkward silence."


    He smiled sincerely. "Nat, I really do like you, but I''d never turn that into hate just because you''re with Marcus. We''ll still be like we used to be, right?"


    "Right." Natalie openly epted his feelings, and just as openly told him how she viewed their friendship. They could never be lovers, but they would always be family.


    For someone like Walter, an orphan, Natalie had been the light of his childhood- and truly, of his entire life. She understood him, epted him, and guided him.


    They were both good people, and this bit of unreturned affection shouldn''t make them strangers. Now that everything was out in the open, both felt lighter. Interacting afterward, there wasn''t the slightest trace of awkwardness.


    After summarizing the clues they had uncovered, Walter and Natalie headed to the arcade. Once there, they quickly found machine number 33, which was filled with Spongius plush toys.


    Walter went to exchange coins, walked back, and started ying with the arcade machine.


    Natalie stood nearby, quietly observing the crowd. The arcade was packed- machines buzzed and people chattered. Most of the crowd was young, though there were a few parents ying games with their kids.


    It didn''t take long for Walter to grab two Spongius plush toys. He handed them to Natalie. "Is Marcus this good at w machines?"


    Natalie shook her head. "Honestly, I wouldn''t know."


    She picked up a few coins herself and went over to machine number 34. Not long after, she managed to grab two plush toys as well.


    "Miss, could I have one of your Spongius toys?" a young girl approached, holding some coins and smiling sweetly at Natalie. "Do you like the plushies from machine 33?"


    "Are you the owner of this number?" Natalie pulled out Grace''s phone and dialed the only number saved on it. Sure enough, a ringtone went off on the girl. The next second, the girl smiled brightly and pulled out her phone.


    "Hi, miss. The owner of this phone asked me to meet you. She told me to give you this phone-it has something you want in it." She handed the phone to Natalie, then quickly took one of the plush toys from her hands. "In exchange, you have to win me 30 more."


    "Huh?" Natalie raised an eyebrow. She looked at the phone the girl had handed over-there was no password. After unlocking it, she checked the contacts where only Grace''s number was saved.


    "Hey, little one. Come here. I''ll help you win some plushies," Walter called over. Seeing Natalie busy checking the phone, he led the girl to the side. "Tell me which machines you like."


    "Can I have them all?" she asked excitedly.


    Walter chuckled. "Sure. Nat, I''ll take her to win some toys. You take your time checking."


    "Alright." Natalie met his eyes for a second, then walked to a quieter spot to examine the phone while Walter casually entertained the girl.


    The toy grabbing was more than a distraction-it was a cover for information gathering.


    Natalie sat down and began carefullybing through the phone. It was an old model, with only a few apps installed. One of them was an encrypted folder. After a bit of effort, she got it open.


    The folder was filled with photos.


    Natalie swiped through them one by one. It quickly became clear-they were all photos of Charles and two different women. He had many intimate photos with one of the women, while there were only a few with the other. But there were also


    plenty of intimate photos between the two women themselves.


    So, this was some kind of love triangle? A messy romance?


    Natalie took a closer look. Cassie and Wesley bore a strong resemnce to the woman in the photos who was closest to Charles-and to Charles himself. The other woman looked a bit like her too.


    Meaning, the two women were probably sisters. One of them, either the elder or the younger, was Charles'' wife-and Wesley and Cassie''s mother.


    And the girl who brought the phone shared some simrities with them as well.


    Natalie nced back into the arcade, where the girl clutched a pile of plush toys in her arms, beaming with excitement beside Walter. A bold suspicion formed in Natalie''s mind.


    Whoever had sent the girl knew they


    had already traced things back to


    Grace. Langley Group had gone bankrupt, and Grace had been taken to the police station. This move wasn''t just a peace offering; it was also a threat.


    Natalie forwarded all the photos to Marcus, then called him. "Hey, Marcus. I just sent you some pictures. Walter and I are at the arcade. A girl brought us a phone, and these pictures were inside.


    "Marcus, have you ever met your grandmother?"


    "No, I haven''t, Marcus said, putting on his earphones and opening the photos she had sent. "But I''ve seen some family photo albums. Some pictures had faces blurred or missing. I asked Grandpa about them, and he said they were lost a long time ago.


    "Now that I think about it, those missing photos probably had this woman in them."


    Marcus paused for a moment before speaking again. "If I''m not mistaken, this


    woman might be my grandmother''s sister.


    "Nat, I''m almost back at The Herbalist''s Sanctuary. I''ll talk to my Grandpa.''


    "Alright. And one more thing I''m bringing this girl back with us." Natalie looked toward Walter and the girl. "Tell Mr. Holden Senior to be ready."


    "Okay. Be careful, Nat."


    "You too," Natalie replied gently. "Marcus, check in on Laura more often once you''re back. She sent me a message saying your grandfather talked to her. He wants her to convince your dad not to turn on Cassis.


    "Her tone was calm, but I could tell-she''s anything but calm right now."


    "Alright. I got it, so don''t worry."