Married To My Billionaire Stepbrother novel Chapter 261

Chapter 261: Arrival Of A Friend

Holding her firmly in his arms, Justin continued to kiss her, making her feel comfortable in his embrace. Natalie struggled briefly, but slowly she began to melt, her mind focusing solely on the kiss.

After a long while, when they finally stopped, Natalie was left breathless, panting heavily as she let her face rest in the crook of his neck, her eyes closed.

Justin gently caressed her hair with one hand, while the other remained wrapped around her, holding her steady. "Anger isn’t good for your recovery. You need to stay calm and talk things through," he said softly.

Natalie stayed silent, her breathing slowly evening out, until she heard his voice again. "Are you calm now? Shall we talk?"

"Hmm," she responded quietly. By now, she understood why he had kissed her and couldn’t help but feel like she was being coaxed like a child.

Justin began to explain. "There are people trying to harm you. That’s why I don’t want you staying out for too long until we’ve identified them and their purpose."

Natalie reacted, raising her head to look at him. "Trying to harm me?"

He hummed, meeting her gaze. "And they’re dangerous people, not random thugs."

"Why would someone want to harm me?" she asked, her brows furrowed. "Is it my family again?"

"The people hired are from Dark Shadows. You must have heard about them when you were in Xyros," Justin replied.

Natalie nodded thoughtfully and said, "The Fords aren’t bold enough to hire them. Their actions are limited to cheap tricks—like sending me to dangerous places and hoping I die there on my own."

Justin hummed, feeling bad for her past. The Fords had sent her to a place like Xyros when she was so young and naive. If not for Caryn Ford asking the Castelo family to protect her daughter, and if not for Vincent, what might have happened to her?

At that time, Justin wasn’t even aware of her existence—the woman he would one day fall for had been in such a dangerous situation.

"You have to stay home and can’t go out unless I approve that things are safe," Justin said firmly. Before she could protest, he added, "And it’s just for a few days, until I find out who they are. After that, you’ll be free to go wherever you want."

Natalie nodded reluctantly. "But I need to prepare for the next round."

"Have lunch, rest for an hour, and by then I’ll make the arrangements for you to go, once I’m sure everything is safe," Justin offered.

"So, I can go?" she asked hopefully.

He hummed in agreement. "Just need some time to prepare."

She finally smiled lightly. "Thank you."

Two hours later, Natalie left for Mia’s company. Justin ensured that she had enough security personnel around her, with Ryan and John instructed to stay with her at all times.

In the absence of Aiden Shaw, Justin also made sure his people were protecting Caryn Shaw.

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The next day was another round of the competition, broadcast live just like the previous day.

In the second round, out of five participants, three advanced to the final round—Natalie, Briena, and another candidate.

This time, Natalie scored the highest points, while Briena came in second, which clearly angered her.

After the competition, Natalie left the venue, but Briena was fuming and couldn’t stop sulking. "Mom, that bitch scored the highest! What if she wins the competition?"

Clara, however, was unfazed. "Just wait until tomorrow. She’ll see her past being repeated in front of her all over again."