The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus) novel Chapter 385

After Zachary finished speaking, Natalie suddenly looked at Marcus, her gaze sharp.

Marcus' expression remained unchanged, showing no trace of emotion. In fact, he smirked slightly and said, "Mr. Holt, you're talking nonsense. My grandfather sent the flowers. When I went to buy them, I saw these flowers were freshly arranged, so I just picked them out."

He paused and then added, "I didn't expect you to be so sensitive about the meanings of flowers. Bet you're that free to check out the different meanings of each kind of flower before buying them for someone, huh, Mr. Holt?"

Zachary didn't say anything, just giving a tight smile.

Marcus continued, "If Ms. Walker doesn't like this orchid, just throw it away later. But my grandfather insists I follow the proper etiquette. If he sees that I didn't, he'll be upset. It's not a big deal for me, but I'm not sure if his heart can handle it."

Natalie could only stare at him in silence.

"Ms. Walker, shall we go?"

Marcus turned and walked out of the room, and Natalie followed behind. It wasn't until a while later that she, holding the orchid, finally left the room.

Inside the room, Zachary stood there for a moment, lost in thought. After a moment, he smiled and walked over to add some water to the sunflower.

…

Natalie followed behind Marcus as they left the hospital. As they stepped outside, Marcus suddenly stopped, turning to face her with a deep look in his eyes, his expression unreadable.

"Natalie, are you trying to cut ties with me?"

Natalie was stunned for a moment, still holding the orchid. Honestly, she actually liked the flowers. If Zachary hadn't brought up the orchid's meaning, she might've suspected something, but she wouldn't have brought it up herself.

"Does Zachary's comment change anything between us?" Marcus' voice, deep and smooth, cut through the air again. "About… the orchid's meaning."

"I don't care about that."

Natalie bit her lip. "You said it yourself—these flowers were from your grandfather. Every flower has a meaning, but who would buy flowers and bother checking what it means?"

She added, "A flower is just a flower. It's nice to look at, that's all. And you said the whole thing about etiquette! I didn't think much of it. Maybe it's you who's overthinking it."

Marcus' lips pressed into a thin line, his sharp eyes still locked on her. His heart started to beat faster, uncontrollably.

After he kissed her last time, he hadn't slept a wink, thinking about what he needed to do to earn her forgiveness and make her and her family accept him.

He was sure now. He wanted Natalie.

Love was about respect, care, and a constant sense of debt. He had never liked anyone before, so he hadn't felt guilty about anything.

But after realizing he had feelings for her, he often felt like a jerk for everything he'd done in the past. Nothing he did had been fair to her.

Especially what she'd endured when she was in the Langley family, whenever he thought about it, his heart hurt.

Regret, guilt, self-blame, and heartache all hit him. All these emotions tangled up, leaving him unsure of what to do.

But Natalie was unaffected. She'd been kissed, she'd been confessed to, and yet, she was still as casual as ever with him.

He, on the other hand, felt like he was slowly losing control of himself.

"Marcus, what's the matter?" Natalie asked, noticing he was still staring at her without saying anything. She felt a twinge of panic in her chest. "Aren't we friends? Isn't it normal for friends to give each other flowers?"

"Then…" Marcus took a step forward, closing the distance between them. "What if I say I want something more than friendship?"