The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming

Chapter 285 Does He Know That's Strange? After socializing for a while, Celeste walked up and gently pulled Natalie away from the group of wealthy socialites.

Charlotte and William were both occupied with their guests, so they entrusted Celeste with taking care of Natalie.

Natalie found this a little amusing. She was an adult, not a child. Although she hadn't been particularly at ease at banquets in the Langley family, her mentor, Federrick, had privately taught her quite a bit. Still, having someone pull her away from the overly chatty socialites wasn't a bad thing.

Celeste led her toward the younger crowd, while Shawn silently followed behind them.

Just as Natalie was about to pick up a glass of champagne, Shawn reached out first and handed her one.

"I already checked-no one tampered with it," he murmured, lowering his voice. "I've been keeping an eye on things." Natalie arched her eyebrow slightly. She had to admit that Shawn's vigilance was impressive. But since he had mentioned it, she decided not to drink it.

She set the champagne down and walked toward the dessert table. As she carefully browsed through the selection, Shawn placed a plate of chocolate velvet cake in front of her.

"Want to try this?" Natalie turned her head. "Did you keep an eye on this one too, Mr. Haines?" Shawn nodded. "Yes. Natalie, trust me. I wouldn't let anyone harm you." He continued, "Mr. Lincoln assignedto stay by your side to guard against anyone with bad intentions. The Walker family may be the richest in the country, but that doesn't mean they can let their guard down. At your welcparty, Mr. Lincoln said there might be people watching from the shadows." Shawn's voice was low, just enough for Natalie to hear. "If you don't trust me, I can take the first bite." "I trust you," Natalie said with a small smile.

She took the chocolate velvet cake from his hand, cut a bite with her fork, and brought it to her mouth.

The cake was rich and smooth, the chocolate deep and indulgent, but to her, it was a bit too sweet-definitely not as good as the one she had eaten at Marcus' place.

Still, she was hungry, so she simply finished the cake, bite by bite.

As soon as she finished, people approached her for conversation, and she started socializing again. While chatting, she also had Olivia find good angles to take photos of her. She had plans for those pictures.

After a while, she finally found a moment to slip away. She waved over Gorge and asked him to arrange for Marcus to meet her in the back garden.

"Mr. Haines, I need to step out to the garden for something. You don't have to accompany me," she said to Shawn with a soft smile. "If Lincoln asks about it, I'll explain to him myself." "I'll go with you," Shawn offered after a moment of thought. "I'll just keep watch from a distance." "No need." Natalie waved him off. "This is the Walker family's estate-my own home. If something happens, I'll call for security right away.

"Besides, you've been followingaround all night without having a proper chance to eat or drink. I noticed quite a few people wanting to talk to you. Take this opportunity to expand your network." "Alright," Shawn reluctantly agreed.

Natalie barely had an impression of him, and he didn't want to be too pushy-it might scare her off.

Natalie nodded with a smile before gracefully turning and leaving the hall. Shawn stood where he was, watching her retreating figure.

Her dark hair was partially pinned up, pearl earrings swaying gently as she moved. She wore an elegant white evening gown with an open-back design, revealing her fair, delicate skin. The fitted mermaid silhouette accentuated her slender waist and perfect figure.

And then there was her face-so flawlessly beautiful, it looked as if she had stepped out of a painting. A striking mix of exquisite features and an air of cold nobility, her beauty was breathtaking yet untouched by the mundane world.

She was so dazzling that Shawn didn't even dare to entertain any improper thoughts about her.

Yet, the seed of admiration that had been planted in his heart continued to take root and grow-until it becan unshakable force.

As Natalie walked toward the back garden, she felt a faint, lingering gaze trailing behind her.

But tonight, too many people had been looking at her with admiration, so she didn't think much of it.

She moved gracefully in her high heels, making her way through the vast garden. The Walker family's back garden was expansive, filled with a variety of flowers- mostly roses.

From Emma's bedroom window, one could look straight down at the sea of roses.

Natalie walked over to the rose bushes and took a seat on one of the benches. She slipped off her heels and gently massaged her sore calves.

A few moments later, a tall figure appeared in front of her. Looking up, she saw Marcus crouch down.

In his hands was a pair of soft, white slippers, which he placed in front of her. Then, as if performing a magic trick, he produced two band-aids in his palm.

"Put these on the areas that got rubbed raw," Marcus said in his deep, magnetic voice. "There's no one else here. Change into the slippers and rest for a bit." Natalie took the band-aids from him. Her feet aid ache quite a bit, and she had done him plenty of favors, so she didn't see the need to be overly polite. She would just consider this as Marcus repaying a favor.

"Thank you." She peeled open the band-aids and carefully applied them to the sore spots before slipping her feet into the soft slippers.

It was an instant relief.

"You called for me," Marcus said as he sat down beside her, keeping a respectful distance.

"Yes," Natalie replied frankly.

"I had someone take photos of us 'on a date' and sent them to Emma, m She's obsessed with you-madly in love want to provoke her a little.

Strike while she's down. What do you think, Mr. Holden?" Marcus was speechless. Being liked by Emma wasn't something he found particularly enjoyable.

"As long as you're happy." His lips parted slightly as he said in a neutral tone, "But Ms. Walker, are you openly admitting to using me?" "It's not using-it's mutually beneficial," Natalie countered smoothly. She wasn't about to fall into his verbal trap. Admitting that she was using him would mean she owed him a favor.

"Don't you needto get along with you so you can appease your parents? And besides, with what happened to Sophia, don't you want to get revenge for her? "I need Emma out of the Walker family. My mother has already made her stance clear, but until things are final, there's always a chance for unexpected changes. Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Holden?"

Marcus pondered her words for a moment before speaking again. "Mrs. Walker has already made it clear-she e doesn't want you to dirty your hands, so she's usingto deal with Sky and Emma. So why are you still thinking this way?" "Oh?" Natalie blinked slightly, eyes widening just a bit.

Charlotte had explained things to her, so she understood the reasoning behind her mom's actions. But what surprised her was that Marcus, wes knowing full well that Charlotte was using him, stilwent along with their act. to "Did you really figure that out?" Marcus was amused by her reaction. "Why? Does that surprise you? Do I seem like an idiot?" Then again, perhaps he was.

After all, he was essentially being sold off, yet he was still playing along, even handing over the money with a smile.

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