The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus) novel Chapter 509

"Okay, Marcus?" Natalie looked at him without blinking, gently hooking his pinky with hers. Without caring that Walter was right there, she used her other hand to tug lightly on Marcus' tie.

He lowered his head toward her. Natalie leaned close to his ear and whispered something, and in the next second, Marcus' ears turned red.

"Okay, I'll talk to my grandpa. But you have to be careful, no matter what," he said, pressing his forehead to hers. Then, he turned to Walter. "Mr. Watson, I'll have to trouble you to accompany Nat to the arcade. If anything happens, please make sure she's safe. I'll give you a generous reward—or if you have any request, you can tell me directly,"

Walter nodded calmly. "Alright. I will."

"Thank you," Marcus said, lowering his head to kiss Natalie gently on the forehead. "Promise me. No matter what happens, you'll put your safety first. No matter what happens after, I'll take care of it."

"I will," Natalie replied, tilting her head up. Marcus leaned in, and she kissed the corner of his lips, then reached up and pinched his ear. "Remember what you said. Once this is all over, you're proposing to me."

"I will."

The two were being openly affectionate, not caring in the slightest about Walter's presence. Or perhaps they did care and were doing it on purpose for him to see. Walter lowered his gaze and looked away from the scene.

Marcus left the Langley residence soon after. Once his car had pulled away, Natalie turned to Walter. "Sorry. Marcus gets insecure easily, so I spoil him a bit more."

"Nat, you don't need to explain anything to me," Walter replied with a bitter smile. "Seeing you happy makes me happier than anyone else."

"Walter, you like me, don't you?" Natalie's tone was certain, her expression calm. She had always been honest with him—never one to keep things bottled up.

"You saw through me," Walter said bitterly. "Sorry if I caused you trouble."

"Walter, we grew up together. More than anyone, I want you to be happy. But feelings don't always follow rules or timelines.

"Back then, I had Tyler as my fiancé, so you kept your distance. Later, after I broke off the engagement, you still didn't take that step. And now that I'm with Marcus, there's even less of a possibility between us.

"Walter, I've always seen you as an older brother. I truly hope you find your own happiness someday. I may not be the right person for you, but I'll always be the best sister you'll ever have. I'll always be someone you can count on.

"You've always held an important place in my heart—and you always will."

"Nat, you're not even giving me a sliver of a dream to hold on to," Walter said, walking over to the window. "You're right—I do like you. But I didn't dare act on it.

"Back then, you had Tyler, and I was afraid that confessing would put you in a difficult position. Later, when Selena returned to the Langley family and you broke off your engagement with Tyler, you were always so busy with work. I still didn't speak up because I knew you weren't someone who'd jump into a new relationship just to forget the last.

"For you to be moved enough and enter a new relationship, it'd have to be with someone truly great. I wasn't sure I was that person."