The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus) novel Chapter 518

Natalie sat across from Hector and Charlene. She glanced around the room but didn't see Charles or Sheldon.

"Where are Grandpa Charles and Sheldon? I don't see them today."

"Mr. Holden Senior left The Herbalist's Sanctuary early this morning with Sheldon," Hector said. He had woken up slightly earlier than them and had heard about it from Matias.

Joshua had instructed Matias to care for them, so when Charles and Sheldon left, Matias was the first to know.

"Do you want me to call Matias over and ask him for details?"

Natalie looked at Marcus, who had just come back with some food. After a brief moment of thought, she shook her head. "Let's ask Marcus first."

"After all, Grandpa Charles is his biological grandfather. Let's see what he has to say."

Charles leaving so suddenly—right after she had brought Charlene over last night—was a little too well-timed.

"What's wrong?" Marcus sat beside Natalie and noticed the serious expressions on both her and Hector's faces. "Did something happen?"

"Grandpa Charles left early this morning," Natalie said with a cold expression. "I just brought Charlene here last night, and now he's gone first thing in the morning. What perfect timing that is."

Marcus' face darkened immediately. Without even touching his food, he took out his phone, got up, and walked away to make a call.

The phone rang for a long time before Charles finally picked up. "Hello, Marcus. What's wrong?" His tone was calm, with no hint of guilt or hesitation.

"Grandpa, didn't I ask you to meet Charlene today? Why did you leave so early?" Marcus forced himself to stay calm, trying to keep his tone even.

"Marcus, I don't want to meet strangers."

"Do you not want to meet her, or are you afraid to?"

"Marcus, I've been away from home for a long time. I miss it, so I decided to go back," Charles said, clearly trying to change the subject. "If there's nothing else, I'll wait for you to bring your mother home.

"I left early this morning and have been on the road for a while now. I'm tired and need to find a place to eat. That's it. Bye."

Charles hung up before Marcus could say another word.

Marcus clenched his phone tightly as his expression turned even darker. Charles' actions made it obvious that he was running away because he was feeling guilty.

At the dining table, Natalie put down her cutlery and walked over to him. "What happened?"

"Grandpa ran away. He said he missed home and went back."

"I guessed as much," Natalie said, completely unsurprised. "Don't be mad. Come and eat. He can't avoid it forever."

"The person behind Grace's schemes will have to show up sooner or later. But Grandpa Charles running away like this just confirms that he knows Charlene's family. And the connection isn't a simple one."

Marcus took a deep breath. "I might've had doubts if he hadn't run. But now that he has, I'm sure he's definitely involved in this."

Natalie nodded. "Yeah. Since that's the case, let's have Charlene stay with Hector for now. We'll eat first, then go see Laura. Don't be upset."

"Alright." Marcus calmed down and returned to the table to eat.