The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus) novel Chapter 517

Marcus' deep and tender voice resonated softly in Natalie's ear. "I really love holding my girlfriend."

Natalie couldn't help but smile. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Marcus' waist, playfully running her fingers along his back. "You'll have plenty of chances to do that in the future. For now, let's go eat!"

"You didn't sleep well last night. Do you want me to take a nap with you this afternoon?"

Marcus held Natalie's hand with a faint smile on his lips. "There's no need. Let's eat first. After that, I'll bring you to the Remington residence.

"Mr. Remington gave me medicine last time. I helped him find his biological daughter, and now he's hosting a reunion banquet for her. He invited me to attend.

"As it turns out, the daughter he lost was actually raised by Samantha Blair, who sent the child abroad when she was young.

"Ms. Blair took her in and named her Sierra Sinclair. She grew up alongside Samuel, essentially as his intended betrothed."

Marcus led Natalie downstairs as he spoke.

"Why did she send them abroad?" Natalie frowned slightly. "Why did Ms. Blair only send Samuel and Sierra overseas but not Sophia?"

"Because Sophia didn't have an easy life in the Sinclair residence.

"Sierra was someone Ms. Blair picked up on the street. Though she said she 'found' her, the truth is that Sierra escaped from human traffickers and ran to Ms. Blair for help. Ms. Blair was kind-hearted, but her relationship with Ivan was strained, and her family wasn't powerful enough to support her.

"On top of that, Ivan had mistresses, and those women were far from easy to deal with. Ms. Blair was afraid they might use Sierra's identity to seek revenge, so she decided to send both Samuel and Sierra abroad early on.

"She couldn't bear to send Sophia away. And Ivan insisted on keeping one child at home as leverage, so Sophia had to stay behind. He would never have allowed Ms. Blair to send all their children away."

Listening to this, Natalie couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Sophia. She endured everything because she wanted to protect Samantha.

But in making decisions for her children's safety, Samantha ultimately left her behind.

"Do you feel bad for Sophia?" Marcus lowered his gaze, observing Natalie's subtle change in expression. He never missed even the smallest details on her face.

"Don't you?" She pressed her lips together. "I know this is a private matter of the Sinclair family, but I can't help feeling that Sophia had it rough."

"I do feel bad for her. That's why I did my best to look out for her for all those years I thought she was my lifesaver."

He gently squeezed her fingers. "Sophia knew Samuel always protected her when she was young. She chose to stay behind.

"She told me that he would definitely build a better life once he went abroad and that he'd come back for her and Ms. Blair someday. But until I appeared, Samuel never returned to take them away."

Natalie sighed. "Sophia was too naïve. She put too much faith in people."

"The Sinclair family is complicated. Most people only see the surface of things. And relationships are never simple. As outsiders, there's only so much we can do."

She nodded. "That's true."

"I've done what I can to help Sophia. The rest is up to her. You're kind-hearted and always eager to help others, Nat."

She shot him a glare. "And you sure have sharp eyes, Markie. You recognized Sierra as Mr. Remington's daughter right away. What an observant man you are."

Marcus was momentarily speechless. "Are you mad at me?" He chuckled. "I did it for my mother. But even if it weren't for her, I would've helped anyway."

"I know. There's no need to explain." She had intended to feign a little anger, but she simply couldn't hold on to the act.