The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus)

Marcus brought Laura back to Holden Residence. As Laura stepped out and looked around, everything looked exactly the same as before-maybe even more extravagant than it was when she lived there. Clearly, the Holdens had only gotten more successful over the years.

"Mom, we're here," Marcus said as he opened the car door and glanced at Laura, whose eyes were filled with mixed emotions.

"Oh, okay." Laura snapped out of her daze and quickly stepped out of the car.

The moment she got out, she saw Sheldon walking over with the helpers. They stood neatly in two rows and bowed deeply to her. "Welcome home, Mdm. Laura."

Tears shimmered in Sheldon's eyes as he bowed deeply and repeated, "Welcome home, Mdm. Laura. You're finally back."

The sudden formality caught Laura completely off guard. She turned to Marcus and saw the surprise on his face too. It was obvious he had not been informed about Sheldon's welcome arrangements.

"Mr. Marcus, Mdm. Laura, welcome home," Sheldon said again with another bow. As he straightened up, he struggled to hold back his tears. "I'm sorry. I'm just really happy and couldn't help myself."

He added, "I hope you can forgive me, Mdm. Laura."

Laura looked at Sheldon, and her eyes turned red too. She did not say anything. She simply stepped forward and gave him a gentle hug.

"Sheldon..." Her voice caught in her throat. There were so many things she wanted to say, yet not a single word came out.

"Mdm. Laura, you don't need to say a thing. I understand it all," Sheldon said, holding back his emotions. "You must be tired from the trip. I've already had everything prepared for your return."

He continued, "Your old room is ready too, but I figured you probably wouldn't want to stay there, so we arranged something different. Let me take you to see it."

"Alright." Laura nodded, her voice still choked. Having someone familiar around made everything feel less overwhelming.

Then, Sheldon turned to Marcus. "Mr. Marcus, you should rest. I'll help Mdm. Laura get reacquainted with the estate."

"Okay." Marcus nodded. He called Noah over and had him follow along before stepping into the elevator and heading upstairs.

"This way, Mdm. Laura."

"Sheldon, I'd like to see Father," Laura said.

She already knew that Charles had not really been buried in the cemetery. The ashes placed there had been a decoy.

"Come with me," Sheldon replied, forcing a smile as he led her toward the biggest maple tree in the estate.

"When Mr. Marcus buried Mr. Holden Senior here himself, everyone working in the house was given the day off. The only people who know about this spot are Mr. Marcus, Ms. Walker, and me.

"And now you, Mdm. Laura," Sheldon said, his voice trembling as his eyes turned red again. "Please promise to keep this a secret."

Laura nodded firmly. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."

"Whenever Mr. Marcus comes here to Mr. Holden Senior, he makes sure the staff is off duty. If I'm no longer around, and you want to visit Mr. Holden Senior, please do the same."

"I will," Laura promised, nodding earnestly. "But Sheldon, what did you mean by saying you won't be at Holden Residence anymore?"

"It's nothing," Sheldon said as he wiped his eyes. "Come, Mdm. Laura. Let's get you some rest."

"Okay." Laura did not make any special gestures toward the maple tree. Her respect and mourning were private-carried quietly in her heart.

After that, Sheldon took her to the new room they had arranged. It was on the third floor, on the far right end. When she opened the window, she could see a field of blooming jasmine outside.

He said, "Mdm. Laura, please take some time to rest. We can talk about everything else tomorrow."

"Alright. Thank you, Sheldon," Laura thanked him and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. Her whole body felt weightless, wrapped in a strange haze of emotion.

After more than 20 years, she was finally back in her old home. Only this time, she was no longer Wesley's wife. She had returned as the mother of his child.

Laura sat there quietly for a long

time before she finally began to pull herself together. When she first

arrived, the whole welcome formalitynoveldrama

had caught her so off guard that she had not had time to processo anything.

Now that she had calmed down, she remembered that she and Wesley were already divorced. Being treated so respectfully did not feel right anymore. Still, it was late, so she decided to deal with that tomorrow.

...

Meanwhile, at the Walker Residence in Dithoria State. Lincoln had brought Natalie back home, where William and Charlotte had already prepared a huge spread.

"Sweetie, you're home!" Charlotte rushed over to hug Natalie the moment she stepped through the door. "I already ran the water for you. Go ahead and wash up."

"Sweetie, have a drink first," William said, handing her a glass. "I made you some honey lemon water."

"Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mom," Natalie said, touched by their thoughtfulness. She took a sip of the honey lemon water that was sweet and tangy, just the way she liked it. Then, she headed to the bathroom for a relaxing soak.

Charlotte had even arranged for a massage therapist to come over. After her bath, Natalie received a full-body massage that completely melted away her exhaustion.

Feeling refreshed, Natalie changed into her cozy loungewear and came back downstairs to the dining room. Her whole family was already waiting for her.

When she walked in, Lincoln stood up with a smile. "Nat, look who's here."

"Nat!" Olivia jumped out from behind the table and wrapped her in a big bear hug. "It's been forever since I saw you! You haven't even texted me. Do you know how much I missed you?"

Natalie was clearly surprised but also thrilled. Her eyes lit up as she smiled and hugged Olivia back missed you too, Olivia. But things have been crazy busy lately. Did my mom invite you over?"

Olivia rubbed her nose awkwardly. "Um... actually, Mason invited me."

"Huh?" Natalie raised a brow and looked over at Mason.

His eyes darted for a second, but then he admitted openly, "Yeah, I invited her."

Natalie's gaze flicked back and forth between the two of them, and they both started to squirm under her knowing stare.

"Alright, come on. Sit down and eat," Charlotte said with a cheerful smile as she pulled Natalie and Olivia toward the table.

During the time Natalie had been away, Olivia had dropped by the house a few times. She always brought little gifts, was extremely polite, and sweet as could be.

After a few visits, Charlotte had already picked up on the chemistry between Olivia and Mason. But since neither had made it official, everyone else pretended not to notice.

"Olivia, Mason..." Natalie narrowed her eyes playfully, then let out a sly chuckle. "Are you two dating?"

Before Olivia could even respond, Mason jumped up and clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Don't go making things up, Nat!" Mason grumbled.

Natalia had disappeared for weeks, but the moment she returned, she immediately exposed him.

He continued, "Olivia's career is just taking off, okay? Her contract literally says no dating allowed, so stop making wild guesses."

Everyone around the table-Natalie, William, Charlotte, Lincoln, Hector, Timothy, and Olivia-was stunned. After all, that was basically a confession.