Chapter 213: Talk Between The Brothers

Carrying his clothes in hand, Justin walked over to her and leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I’ll be back in a while," he whispered. Turning off the main lights, he left the night lamp on to ensure she could sleep comfortably.

After a while, Justin returned, freshly showered and dressed in clean clothes. Noticing Natalie sound asleep, he grabbed his phone and walked over to the window. Dialing a number, he brought the phone to his ear. "Shoot," he said curtly.

On the other end, Aiden Shaw’s voice replied, "Tomorrow, her mother has the bone marrow transplant. Make sure to keep her in place and don’t let her mother see her. If it happens, it won’t end well for either mother or daughter."

Justin’s tone turned cold. "Do you seriously think she’ll stay put after seeing the woman she thought was dead? Aren’t you being a bit too delusional?"

"All I want is for her mother to recover first," Aiden replied. "She didn’t even want to get treated, let alone come to this city. She was ready to die rather than step foot here. You can imagine why. If she sees Natalie now, the shock won’t be good for her."

"I don’t care about a woman I don’t know," Justin said coldly. "All I care about is Natalie. The rest will have to suffer whatever my woman decides to give them."

"I’m sure your woman isn’t as heartless as you, to push her own mother toward death," Aiden retorted. "Just as much as you care for Natalie, I care for her mother. I’ll do anything to ensure that woman survives. You might think you’re some invisible demon, but I won’t let this slide either as I am no less than you."

"Are you even in a position to threaten me?" Justin countered, his voice steady and sharp. "Or do you think that because there’s a chance you’re my brother, I’ll listen to you? Let me be clear—I don’t know you, and as far as I’m concerned, we’re strangers."

"I’d prefer it that way as well," Aiden replied calmly. "But if you want Natalie to get answers from her mother, you’ll have to ensure her mother survives first. I’m calm, but don’t provoke me. I’m not as easy to handle as you think. Don’t forget—we share the same blood, and the same woman gave birth to us. And for the record, I was born three minutes before you. So don’t push me to remind you who the big brother is here."

Justin scoffed. "You almost scared me, "You will be scared," Aiden said with a mocking edge. "When I’m no longer this lenient with you. But I don’t wish to be your enemy. Let things happen quietly. You protect your woman, and I’ll protect the one I care for."

"Then answer me this first," Justin demanded. "If all you wanted was Natalie’s blood sample, why did you trick her into marrying Aiden Hendrix?"

"Last time, you asked the same question, and my answer remains the same: go and ask her grandfather why Ivan agreed to marry her. You’ll get your answer. Any more questions? You’ll get them only once Ms. Shaw leaves this hospital safe and sound." With that, Aiden hung up the call.

Justin thought, his mind racing. Without wasting a moment, he dialed Noah’s number.

"Mr. Harper?" came Noah’s surprised but cheerful voice.

"I’m not your long-lost, non-existent girlfriend, so stop being so hyper," Justin mocked.

"My apologies, Mr. Harper."

"Find out if, in the past two years since Natalie returned from Xyros, Albert Ford met Ivan Brown," Justin instructed. "Pay special attention to whether they met on the day of Natalie’s marriage or the day before."

"Yes, Mr. Harper," Noah replied.

Justin ended the call and walked back to the bed. He lay down next to Natalie, careful to keep a little distance so she could rest comfortably.

His gaze softened as he looked at her serene face.

He closed his eyes and drifted to the sleep as well.

------

The next day, Natalie woke up late, the combined effects of the medication and her body’s exhaustion keeping her in deep sleep. When she opened her eyes, she saw Justin sitting on the couch, fresh and dressed in a sharp new suit. To her surprise, Noah was there as well, standing nearby as Justin reviewed a file.

"Good morning, wifey," Justin greeted her with a slight smile, passing the file to Noah before walking over to her. He sat at the edge of the bed and asked gently, "Did you sleep well?"

She nodded, though confusion was clear on her face. "Noah?"

"Now that the secret they were hiding is out of the bag, there’s no reason for them to keep us here like prisoners," Justin explained, deliberately omitting any mention of the other reasons behind this change.

Natalie hummed softly, her thoughts still clouded. Attempting to sit up, she winced as a slight groan escaped her lips from the discomfort in her lower back, where the procedure had been done.

"Can you call for the nurse instead?" she asked. "I want to visit the washroom."

Justin didn’t hesitate and promptly called for the nurse. Leaving the room with Noah, he gave her privacy.

Outside, Noah spoke up. "Mr. Harper, Mr. Albert Ford has met Ivan brown many times and he did indeed visit Ivan Brown’s office on the day of Ms. Natalie’s wedding."

Justin hummed. "Seems like that man Aiden Shaw had heard Mr Ford and Ivan talking about something which made him arrange for Natalie’s marriage. But if the retort to both of their plan was Natalie being already married to someone else, that means those two were talking about Natalie’s marriage with Ivan."

"What could it have been?" Noah asked curiously.

Justin stayed quiet for a moment, his gaze narrowing as if piecing everything together. "Mr. Ford loves Natalie. For her happiness, he’d go to any length."

"You mean..."

"Ensure that Natalie doesn’t find out about it yet," Justin instructed firmly. "She’s not in the condition to handle another shock right now. Also, we have to keep that Ivan Brown away from her."

"Yes, Mr. Harper."