When Justin heard her mumbling, he responded, "Because this place belongs to so BusyBaron." Without warning, he lifted her into his arms effortlessly.
Natalie, startled, instinctively circled her arms around his neck and stared at him in shock. "So... you’re the BusyBaron?"
"Who else do you think has the power to buy the most expensive property in the city, right under the noses of all those wealthy families in the city fighting over it?" Justin replied, his tone smug. "At that soone new and mysterious from other city. Must be none other than Justin Harper."
Natalie nearly rolled her eyes at his blatant narcissism, but at the sa ti, she felt foolish for not piecing it together sooner. She had heard the buzz about soone from outside the city purchasing the property, a move that had bruised the pride of the city’s elite families.
The mystery buyer’s identity had remained a secret, and while she’d even worked on the property’s interiors, she had been too caught up in her own matters to suspect Justin.
As he carried her through the grand doors of the residence, she asked, "So you knew it was you were talking to in emails? That I’m Carlie?"
"Not at first," he admitted casually. "But after I moved into your ho, I saw what you were working on and figured it out."
"Why didn’t you tell ?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"At first, I thought you didn’t want to reveal your identity as Carlie," he explained. "Later, I found it amusing to keep emailing you without you knowing."
"So that night when I was sending emails to BusyBaron, you were sitting right in front , replying to my emails?" She asked, frowning that she was played by this man.
"I must admit, it was amusing," he replied with a chuckle.
"You—" She pinched his shoulder in frustration, only to realize that pinching those firm, well-defined muscles was a futile effort. With a sigh, she gave up.
"Why not try biting instead?" he teased, clearly enjoying her exasperation. His strides were steady and effortless as he carried her up the grand staircase to the bedroom. "You bite really well, almost making want to....umm..."
She clamped her hand over his mouth, cutting him off before he could finish his lewd thought. She swore she felt his lips curve into a wide, mischievous smile beneath her palm.
This man simply loves to tease every chance he gets, Natalie thought.
Entering the bedroom, Justin placed her gently on the bed. She tried to sit up, but he stopped her with a firm yet gentle hand. "Lay down. I’ll take care of it."
Before she could protest, he held her feet and began removing her sandals. Natalie hesitated for a mont, then lay back on the bed, watching him as he sat at the edge, his hands holding her feet firmly but tenderly.
"What are you doing?" she asked, attempting to pull her feet away.
"Just close your eyes and sleep," he replied, ignoring her mild resistance as he began massaging her feet gently.
A sigh of relief escaped her lips, her entire body relaxing as if this was exactly what she had needed. "You know," she murmured, her eyes growing heavy, "you’re so good to be real."
Justin smiled softly, not replying, letting her drift into sleep without interruptions. Once she was asleep, he carefully pulled a blanket over her and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
----
Downstairs, Noah was waiting in the drawing room. Justin descended the staircase and sank into the lavish sofa, gesturing for Noah to speak.
"Mr. Harper, as we predicted, there are indeed so mysterious individuals targeting Ms. Natalie," Noah began. "It seems they are connected to the sa group trying to harm Ms. Caryn Shaw."
Justin’s expression darkened, but he remained composed. "Did we manage to catch anyone?"
Noah shook his head. "No. Before we could even reach them, soone else got to them first and wiped them out."
Justin was visibly shocked as he turned to his assistant, raising an eyebrow.
Noah added, "Those were not Mr Shaw’s n, but so other people who have recently turned active in the city and seem like they are protecting Ms Natalie as well."
Justin concluded, "So other than our n and Aiden’s shaw’s n, there is a third party who is not an enemy and also fourth one that is after Natalie and her mother."
"Yes, Mr. Harper," Noah confird. "This third party, they’ve been around Ms Natalie for so ti to protect her, but have kept their movents so discreet that even Ms. Natalie doesn’t seem to know about them."
"Did you get the information on that man?" Justin asked after he gave so thought.
Noah handed him a tablet and began his report. "His na is Vincent Castello. He’s the son of Dominic Castello, who effectively rules over Xyros City. Although Dominic is still officially in charge, he’s handed over most of the power to Vincent, who’s proven to be both smarter and more cunning."
Noah paused briefly before continuing. "Vincent has expanded his father’s empire beyond Xyros and is far more powerful than most realize."
Justin closed the tablet and set it aside, his expression unreadable. "So the third party protecting Natalie is Castello’s n."
Noah didn’t disagree; he had reached the sa conclusion.
"He seems to be protecting Natalie since long and is aware of the activities of that fourth party around Natalie." Justin’s cold gaze narrowed as he fell silent for a mont, piecing things together. "If he’s personally here after leaving Natalie free for so long, it ans sothing has forced him to co. It ans, Natalie is in danger and he is here to protect her."
Noah humd in agreent, awaiting further instructions.
"Increase our security around Natalie," Justin ordered. "And next ti, ensure we capture those people alive. I need to know who is after Natalie and her mother."
Noah nodded. "Aiden Shaw might already know who they are," he ventured cautiously.
Justin scoffed. "That bastard wouldn’t spill the beans. I will just get it through Vincent."
Noah awkwardly cleared his throat, Calling your twin a bastard kind of makes you one too, Mr. Harper.
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