Married To My Billionaire Stepbrother

Chapter 13: Natalie In Trouble

In the evening, Justin returned to the hotel after visiting a new home he was considering purchasing in the city. As the VIP elevator to the top floor was out of service, a staff guided him and Noah to a non VIP elevator which would take them to the floor below and they had to take stairs for the top floor.

On the way to the elevator, Justin noticed a familiar figure among the people entering the reception area, but couldn't see her face clearly. He furrowed his brows, trying to get a better look, but the figure had disappeared from the line of his sight.

Noah, noticing Justin's distracted gaze, excused the staff and explained, "There's a party in the hotel tonight, hosted by the second son of the Davis family. Most of the city's influential figures are invited. These guests must be here for that event. No one knows you're in the city, Mr. Harper, or we would have been invited as well. But, Mr. Rowan has been trying to reach you and asked a few times if you would like to go with him...."

"Tell him I'm busy," Justin simply walked into the elevator, his mind elsewhere.

Noah didn't push the matter, knowing that Justin rarely attended parties unless they involved business.

Inside the elevator, Justin quietly contemplated the possibility of having seen Natalie at the hotel. Considering her current circumstances, attending a party seemed unlikely and unwise, especially if she wanted to avoid being ridiculed by others.

As they stepped out and walked down a corridor, they overheard a group of girls talking. Initially, they ignored the chatter, but then a familiar name caught their attention.

"Natalie. I'm going to teach her a lesson today."

"Are you sure she's here, Briena? I don't think she'd dare show up at parties after the mess she caused."

"She's here with Mia. We saw her."

"What do you plan to do?"

"You know what she's most afraid of?"

"What is it?"

"Her mother died by drowning in the sea, so she's terrified of water. She can do anything but swim."

"So you mean...?"

Today, we can have some fun by making her face

turned to Noah, who had also heard the conversation. "Find out where she is," he instructed, heading

she's indeed here for the party. It seems the person they were talking about is Ms. Natalie Ford, given they mentioned her mother dying by drowning

even colder. "Mr. Harper..." Noah began,

is this party?" Justin asked, turning back towards

first floor," Noah

going there," Justin declared, lengthening

were already gone from the corridor, causing his frown to deepen. Their words have brought up bad memories for him; he used to have the same fear, due to his experiences as a child. He only

if he did not like Natalie, he couldn't sit by and do nothing while someone tried to hurt her using her

arrangements if we don't want to reveal your identity at the party, Mr. Harper," Noah commented, already tapping away on his phone to make the necessary

figure that out, and quickly," Justin ordered as he stepped into the elevator that

could be demanding, often forgetting that his assistant was only human

the first floor, where a hotel staff member was already waiting for them. The staff member, aware of the VIP status but not the identity of the guest, greeted them and offered two black masks. Justin and Noah put them on; the masks covered their eyes and half of their noses. The

crowd in the grand, bustling

How are we going to find Ms. Ford?"

the staff member, urgency in his voice. "Where is the swimming

You can see it through the glass walls," the

Lawson. "Harper, you didn't want to be

continued to walk ahead, finding his way through the crowded hall, frown lines on his forehead deepening with

a frown, "Always an ungrateful bastard," before turning to Noah. "What brought him here? I'm sure

following a woman could cost him his job. "Just something came up," he replied evasively, then

them and instructed the staff

with long, urgent strides, his mind replaying the girls' words about Natalie's fear of water