Married To My Billionaire Stepbrother

Chapter 182: I Am Enough For Her

The atmosphere fell into dead silence. Irene lay on the ground, clutching her stinging cheek, her eyes filling with tears. Natalie stood rooted in place, her icy gaze fixed on Irene.

Ryan, equally stunned, whispered to John, "That was a flawless slap. Her jaw must be aching."

"She’s lucky it was just a slap," John replied quietly.

"Yeah, I’ve heard Ms. Natalie once nearly strangled someone for insulting Mr. Harper."

"Just like him, she’s fiercely protective when someone insults him," John added.

Meanwhile...

"Irene?" Briena and Ivan hurried to her side, with Ivan helping his sister sit up while Amelia rushed over as well.

"Are you alright?" Briena asked in a concerned tone.

Amelia glared at Natalie. "How dare you hit my daughter?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Ivan snapped, glaring at Natalie with fury. He adored his sister, and seeing her hurt and humiliated in front of everyone made his blood boil.

"If I were out of my mind, she wouldn’t have gotten away with just a slap," Natalie retorted, her gaze unyielding as she looked at the Browns and everyone around. "This is a warning to all of you—no one is allowed to insult my husband. I won’t tolerate it, regardless of who you are."

Amelia marched toward her, livid. "You dared to hit my daughter over him? Who even is he—a gigolo?"

"Watch your words," Natalie warned. "Or I’ll forget that you’re older than me, Amelia Brown."

"You... I’m truly relieved you didn’t marry my son," Amelia spat back.

"Trust me," Natalie replied coldly, "now that I think about it, I feel the same. A man who didn’t trust me and couldn’t even try to understand what happened—that was reason enough to marry someone who sees no one else but me, and he trusts me."

her words but

claim you didn’t know how you ended up married to that man, yet seeing you so possessive

"So? What can you and

even denying it. She’s been using you all along to secure a position in your company. Who knows what she would have

searching her face for any hint of truth. But Natalie offered no reaction, turning instead

fault," Albert reassured

always defend her, Albert, even after seeing her resort to violence," Sephina spoke up. "Even

Natalie retorted, "And if I did, I’m certain it would be their own fault for pushing me to it. You

abilities," Sephina replied coldly. "That’s precisely why you don’t

Ford family’s title. I’m

through the tension, and everyone turned toward its

ignoring everyone else around them. His presence was magnetic and imposing, commanding

couldn’t take her eyes off him. She saw him practically every day, shared a home with him, yet in moments like these, his arrival and mere presence affected her senses,

felt among these people, and his presence was a

his usual understated clothes. He had arrived as The Justin Harper, and

stood

eyes widened, mouths

"Who is he?"

man

we

powerful presence that was anything but ordinary.

racing at

Irene asked Briena, nearly

Natalie, ignoring everyone else around him as if they didn’t exist. "Have I kept you waiting long?" he

him. If her eyes could speak, they’d be filled with hearts in that moment. She was entirely charmed,

on time," she replied, glancing toward her grandfather. "Grandpa was waiting