Married To My Billionaire Stepbrother

Chapter 245: Warning From Justin

While others were sleeping soundly, the Brown family was restless, especially Ivan Brown. It had been hours since he issued the statement declaring their stand on the incident during the perfume event, but there was no response from the opposite party.

Other than Ivan, the ones most desperately waiting for a response from Mia and Natalie’s side were the reporters. They had been closely monitoring the company’s website, social media, and any other possible source of updates, but there was no activity.

Dan, who was usually the spokesperson for Natalie’s side, was unreachable, as he had turned off his cellphone—and so had the others.

Little did they know, the few people they were so concerned about were sleeping soundly in their beds after days of exhaustion, leaving the outside world in chaos.

"Ivan, it’s midnight. Get some sleep now," Ivan’s father instructed.

Ivan looked utterly exhausted. After returning from a tiring business trip, he had to deal with yet another mess created by his family. He simply nodded and returned to his room. Lying in bed, he couldn’t help but wonder why problems had suddenly started appearing in his previously peaceful life.

Since the day Natalie left his company, he had already been facing various issues and dealing with unexpected losses affecting his company, as if he had offended someone powerful who was targeting him for no apparent reason.

His most profitable venture, the perfume brand, desperately needed innovation and capable talent. When Natalie was the director of the R&D department, he never realized how much of a difference she made—everything had seemed effortless and well-managed. But with Natalie gone, it felt as though there wasn’t a single capable person left in the department. Productivity had plummeted, and now he had to focus on bringing in new perfumes.

Though Briena was appointed to Natalie’s place, she never worked there due to her busy schedule. And now that she had signed a movie, there was no way he could ask her to take charge of the department.

Just then, his cellphone rang. It was Briena. She had called him a few times earlier, but he hadn’t answered due to the stress he was under.

Finally, he received the call, only to hear her sweet voice. "Ivan, where have you been? I was so worried about you. You didn’t answer my calls."

"I’m home," he replied in a tired tone. "Don’t worry."

"Is it about today’s matter? Are you alright?" She sounded concerned.

He hummed. "I am."

any

"Sure."

You should rest. I’ll come to see you

up the call, and stared at the ceiling of his room. For the first time, Briena’s sweet, caring voice didn’t comfort him. In fact, he felt like, even if he hadn’t spoken

she wouldn’t call to comfort him. Instead, she

gaze stopped at Natalie’s name. He wished to call her, but what was the use? This time, she was the one standing on the opposite side, the one he needed to

sighed deeply and closed his eyes. Unconsciously, his lips moved as

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At the Ford Mansion

up the call and

as if Ivan’s situation

"And the more troubled he is, the more he’ll rely on you. Once you’re a superstar, you’ll have complete control. That way,

"Ford and Brown—both companies would solely belong to me. With my status as a superstar and the wealth of these two companies, I’ll probably be

"You’re born to rule, not to live a

and daughter continued to paint their

-----

after Natalie had breakfast in her room, the doctor came to visit her. Once he finished his checkup, he said, "Ms. Natalie, you’re really being irresponsible toward your body. I clearly told you that you need to

her more than the doctor’s words. She didn’t dare say a

the next two weeks, I want you to rest

weeks?" Her

want to end up needing to rest for a month or two, please take these

competition to attend next week," Natalie said. "I can’t give it