Married To My Billionaire Stepbrother novel Chapter 127

Chapter 127: The Day When Natalie Returned From Xyros

Ivan sat in his office, staring blankly out the window behind his desk. His mind was consumed by today’s encounter with Natalie, her angry words she said in the parking lot, still echoed in his ears.

"You truly don’t know what I’m like. The only reason I restrained myself and behaved the way you liked was because I thought I loved you so much. I was trying to be the person you wanted because I was grateful for your presence in my miserable life. And that’s why I’m still being reasonable with you—just for the sake of those days when you comforted me in my worst moments."

"Why does she always say I comforted her and that she owes her life to me?" Ivan muttered to himself, frowning.

His thoughts drifted back to a day from two years ago when Natalie had come to meet him right after returning from Xyros City.

Two years ago...

Natalie stood outside the gate of the Brown residence, waiting for Ivan, even though his mother had asked her to leave and hadn’t allowed her to enter the property.

Despite the sweltering summer heat, she waited outside the entire day, taking shelter under a tree. He’ll be back by evening for sure. I can’t miss seeing him. I don’t have his contact number.

While waiting, she pulled out her phone to check if there was a response to the message she’d sent to the user "Little Star." She had informed him that she was coming to meet him at his home, but there was still no reply.

Why hasn’t Ivan responded yet? He’s read the message... Is he too busy to reply to me?

Not feeling discouraged, she put her phone away and smiled. Never mind. I’ve waited years to see him again—a little more time is nothing.

Although Amelia knew she was outside, she didn’t invite Natalie in to wait. Not a single offer of water or shelter came her way, despite the stifling heat.

Evening finally came, and a car approached the gate. Leaning against the wall for support, Natalie immediately rushed to the vehicle and knocked on the window before it could enter.

"Ivan, is it you?"

The car window rolled down, and a familiar face came into view.

As if she had found her entire world, Natalie smiled brightly. "It’s really you, Ivan. I’m back, finally. I promised you I’d return safe and sound."

Ivan looked puzzled, as if struggling to grasp what she was talking about. But then, he stepped out of the car, to talk with this familiar girl in simple t-shirt, jeans and sneakers.

"Nat?"

"Yes, it’s me." The smile on her lips grew even wider.

It was probably the last time Ivan saw her smile with such genuine happiness.

"When did you get back?" he asked. If he had to be honest, he had even forgotten about her existence.

"This morning. I came straight here to see you. I’ve been waiting the entire day."

"Here?" He glanced around in confusion.

"Yes. I didn’t want to miss the chance to see you. I don’t even have your contact number," she explained. "But didn’t you read my message?"

"What message?" Ivan asked.

Just then his father stepped out of the car.

’Oh, his father is here so he might not want to let him know of the secret social media account he had just to talk with her,’ Natalie concluded. "Ah, it’s nothing. Forget it."

Turning to Ivan’s father, she greeted him politely, "Good evening, Mr. Brown."

The man gave her a curt nod before addressing his son. "Ivan, don’t take too long. Your mother is waiting for us." He then got back into the car, which drove through the gate and into the property.

Ivan merely hummed in response, not wanting to argue further.

Then, a few days later, Natalie showed up at his office again. He considered telling her to come back another time, but she had something with her that he couldn’t ignore.

"Ivan, I’ve studied your company’s entire situation over the past few days, and I came up with a plan," she said, sitting down and handing him a file. "See if this can help." She then placed a small box in front of him. "This is a perfume I created specifically for this project. I can guarantee it will help you regain sales and recover your losses."

Ivan was taken aback as he looked through the plan. Natalie had meticulously researched potential investors and devised a strategy that addressed the company’s current problems in detail. She had single-handedly created the project and developed the product. All they needed now was an investment.

He opened the box and took a whiff of the perfume. Being in the cosmetic industry, his trained senses immediately recognized its quality.

"I’ll need to discuss this with my father and the other board members," he said cautiously.

"Of course." She smiled at him with unwavering confidence. "You can trust me with this project."

"Thank you."

"No need. I owe you more than you could ever owe me. I told you I’d be your strength."

Ivan stared at her in amazement. In that moment, he truly felt as if he could see his strength reflected in her—felt that, with her help, he could overcome this crisis.

Thanks to Natalie’s plan, Brown Industries began to recover. The company started getting back on track, and eventually, Ivan offered her a permanent position. She became in charge of developing new perfumes for the brand.

There was no looking back after that. Under Natalie and Ivan’s leadership, the company thrived, doing better and better with each passing day. Ivan’s parents could say nothing as they needed Natalie for their company’s sake as well.

Now, sitting in his office in the present day, Ivan found himself lost in thought.

Was she truly my strength?