The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus) novel Chapter 398

Marcus' tone was tinged with unease as he spoke, his eyes occasionally darting nervously to Natalie, quickly averting his gaze before she could catch him looking.

His nervousness, combined with his vulnerability, was evident. The former high and mighty heir of the Holden family, the powerful head of the Holden Group, had never shown this side of himself in front of others.

Natalie was the first, and likely the only one, to see this side of him. The contrast in his demeanor made it hard for her to reject him.

After giving it some thought, Natalie finally reached out and took the black card from Marcus' hand. However, she then pulled out another identical black card from her bag and placed it in his hand.

"Marcus, take this. I'll spend your money, and you can spend mine."

Marcus blinked, confused. "Huh? How is that different from me spending my own money?"

"I may have had a fiancé before, but I've never spent money on him. You're the first."

Her words made Marcus, who had been about to return the card, tighten his grip on it instead.

"My relationship with Tyler didn't last into adulthood. We were never close, even though we were engaged."

She glanced at Marcus. "No matter what, I did take advantage of you while drunk, and you've asked me to take responsibility. I can't just ignore that."

Marcus immediately nodded. "Right, you have to take responsibility for me."

"So… shall we try starting something?" Natalie hesitated. She had decided before to keep her distance from Marcus, even avoiding any personal connection.

But things rarely went as planned.

"Sure." Marcus immediately agreed, lifting his gaze to meet hers, a smile evident in the corners of his eyes. "Thank you, Nat."

Something felt off to Natalie, but when she saw his warm, reassuring smile, her doubts faded.

Lincoln had gone to Holden Residence and spoken to Charles, clearing the air between her and Marcus.

Federrick always taught her that one must take responsibility for their actions—if she made a mistake, she should fix it immediately. But if it wasn't her fault, she shouldn't bear the blame.

She could hardly control her hands or mouth after drinking, and though Marcus had indulged her, it wasn't his fault.

Natalie knocked her head lightly. She had never realized how much she could be affected by someone's looks when drunk.

Handsome was a word typically used to describe men, but she couldn't help but think it should only be applied to Marcus. He was so handsome that she couldn't help but want to touch and kiss him.

"By the way... are you planning to meet my parents when you take me back?" Natalie tilted her head and looked out the car window at the passing scenery. She remembered that Marcus lacked maternal love, and she was willing to let Charlotte embrace him more.

"Yes." Marcus had just been beaten by Lincoln and hadn't yet met his future in-laws. He didn't feel entirely secure until this meeting happened.

"We're just going to see where things go, so don't say anything wrong in front of my parents," Natalie reminded him. After thinking for a moment, she added, "I haven't decided yet whether I want to be with you."

"You're responsible for me, but you don't want to be with me?" Marcus raised an eyebrow, then casually started undoing the buttons of his shirt.