Married To My Billionaire Stepbrother novel Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Her Scent Affecting Justin

Justin received the call. Seeing the name Mr. Ford flashing on the screen, he raised his hand to signal Noah to keep quiet and answered.

"Mr. Ford," Justin spoke calmly.

"Aiden, I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time," Albert’s voice came through, sounding slightly concerned.

"I’m not busy," Justin replied, his tone polite but lacking any warmth that might suggest familiarity.

"Is Natalie with you?"

"She’s not."

"Oh! Have you seen the news about Natalie?"

"I have," Justin confirmed.

"Don’t take that news too seriously, alright? It was just a simple argument between sisters. Natalie isn’t the kind of person they’re making her out to be. Don’t misunderstand her, okay?"

"I won’t. Rest assured," Justin replied, his voice steady.

Albert let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Don’t let her go out for a day. Call her back and stay by her side. Trouble seems to find its way to her, but I believe you can protect her. Am I right?"

"Yes. I’ll get her back," Justin assured him.

"Good. Once I’m feeling a bit better, I’ll personally visit the two of you at your home."

There was a moment of silence on Justin’s end. Their home? The thought of having to act as his step-sister’s husband again was unsettling. If Julia found out about this, she would undoubtedly be enraged.

"Aiden?" the old man called, not getting a response.

"Yes. Mr Ford."

"Alright then. I’ll leave you to take care of your wife." Satisfied, Albert hung up the call.

Justin turned to Noah. "Where exactly is she?"

"Heading to the police station," Noah replied, already knowing who Justin was referring to.

There were only two ’Her’ in his life- first, there had been Julia, and now, Natalie had become the unexpected addition.

"Get our people to stop her from going anywhere and send her back here," Justin ordered, his tone firm.

Noah could see Justin was worried about her as well, but instead of pointing it out, he commented, "You seem to listen to her grandfather, Mr Harper."

"That man is the one who took care of Natalie all these years. As her family, I should be thankful and respectful toward him," Justin responded, then refocused on his work. "Go do as I said."

Noah left the study, and Justin, who had been pretending to work, leaned back in his chair. His thoughts drifted to Natalie. Until he saw her back, safe and sound, he wouldn’t feel at ease.

-----

The door to the study opened, and Justin stepped out, only to see Natalie furious. "How dare you keep watch on me?" she demanded, her eyes blazing with anger as she walked towards him, her intent almost as if she meant to strangle him, but even before she could reach him— _{freewebnσvel.cѳm}

"Ah..."

Her foot caught on the edge of the carpet, and she stumbled forward, only to be caught by a pair of strong arms that wrapped around her waist.

Her hands instinctively grabbed onto whatever was closest, which happened to be his shirt. Her soft, delicate body was pressed tightly against his muscular frame, and a refreshing scent from him enveloped her senses.

In an instant, her anger was replaced by panic and embarrassment at their unexpected closeness. She swallowed hard and quickly tried to push him away, but the pain from her sprained ankle caused her to lose balance once more, and again, she found herself supported by those strong arms.

"Stay still," his deep and authoritative voice echoed above her, and she instinctively obeyed.

Her body was pressed against his, her face against his chest, and she could clearly hear his strong heartbeat, like the beat of a drum, through her clothes she could feel the burning warmth of his palms against her cold skin.

Her heart skipped a beat—this was the first time she had been so close to someone in this way. Although she had been with Ivan for the past two years now, the most they did was hug each other briefly before they parted away, like a ritual where she couldn’t even feel his body’s warmth.

Meanwhile, feeling the slender body in his arms that he could almost wrap with one arm, Justin’s delicate eyebrows twitched slightly. He realized just how thin she was, making him wonder if she ever ate properly.

"I am fine, I guess," she tried to get away once more, forgetting what she was here for.

In response, Justin effortlessly lifted her into his arms as if she weighed nothing and carried her toward the sofa. Her sweet, unique scent enveloped his senses, affecting him in a way it shouldn’t have.

His brows furrowed as he could not wait to keep a distance with her. He should not feel attracted towards the scent coming from his step-sister. He made a mental note to ask her to change whatever perfume she was using—it was sending the wrong signals to his body.