Chapter 416: Meira’s Emotions

Outside, Justin was speaking with Lana, giving her some important instructions, while Noah had just returned and stepped out of the car. He pulled out all the shopping bags and walked over to them—just in time to hear Justin say:

"You can take it to Meira," Justin instructed, then resumed his talk with Lana. "You can’t let her step outside this house unless I say so. Not even for a moment."

Noah nodded and headed to Meira’s room. He knocked on the door and entered. Meira, still wearing the beautiful dress, was sitting by the window, looking outside, her expression somber.

"Ms. Meira, these are your clothes," Noah informed her.

Meira looked at him, watching silently as he placed all the bags neatly on the couch.

"Mr. Noah," Meira called softly.

Noah turned toward her. "Yes?"

"Is my brother angry? He didn’t look pleased when he saw me at the shop," she asked quietly.

"It’s not about you. He was just worried," Noah reassured her.

"I didn’t want to go, but... I had no way to refuse her," she said, lowering her gaze, the helplessness in her voice unmistakable.

Noah felt a pang of sympathy for her. "It’s alright. Next time, if you find yourself in that kind of situation, just call your brother. I gave you a cellphone yesterday, didn’t I?"

"Lana taught me how to use it... but I was too nervous to find his number and call. I thought it might bother him—he’s such a busy person," she replied honestly.

Noah was silent for a moment, then asked gently, "Where is your cellphone?"

She glanced down toward her feet, where the mobile rested on the windowsill beside her.

Noah walked over and picked it up. When he turned on the screen, he noticed she had been browsing through images—pictures of nature, mountains, sky, rivers, and forests.

"Do you like these kinds of views?" he asked to divert her attention.

She hummed. "I had such a beautiful view from my previous home where I used to stay. Especially at night—I loved the night view. I miss it, so I searched for this," she explained. "When I was walking outside with Lana today, I noticed there’s a place here where I might see a similar view, but... I’m too scared to go out and watch it. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?"

Noah hummed in response as he quietly worked on her cellphone.

"Even if I have to die here someday, I would like to die while watching that night view," Meira mumbled to herself.

Noah finished what he was doing and said, "I’ve set Mr. Aiden’s and my numbers on speed dial, so you won’t have to search for anything."

She looked at him in confusion, unsure of what that meant.

Noah held the phone in front of her. "If you press one and make a call, it’ll connect to Mr. Aiden. Press two, and it’s me. You can call us anytime, for anything."

She hummed and took the mobile from him, then asked, "Mr. Noah... is he really going to marry that woman? She doesn’t seem good for him."

"Mr. Aiden has his reasons. But don’t worry—he knows what he’s doing," Noah replied, doing his best to sound reassuring.

"I know he’s marrying her because of me. I feel guilty. If I wasn’t here, he wouldn’t be forced to do this." Her voice trembled. "The way he protects me... it only makes me feel worse," she added and met Noah’s eyes, her own glassy with unshed tears. "But he’s not even my real brother, so why is he so good to me?"

"That’s just how he is. I can’t explain it," Noah said gently. "All you need to do is think about yourself now. Take care of yourself, okay?"

She nodded and raised the phone in her hands. "Thank you for this."

He gave a small hum and turned to leave.

Outside, Justin had just finished speaking with Lana when Noah arrived. Leaving Meira in Lana’s care, the two men left the estate together.

"How was she?" Justin asked Noah who was sitting in the front passenger seat.

"How should I explain it?" Noah commented calmly, "helpless, sad, guilty and what not. I hope we can just take her away from here soon."

In response, Justin looked at him through the rear view mirror, only to have Noah lower his gaze and looked outside the window.

----

Natalie and Julia were having dinner with the couple, though Justin’s absence left an unspoken heaviness at the table. After dinner, as they settled down, Julia remarked to Natalie, "You didn’t eat much. Seems like Justin’s absence is getting to you now."

Natalie sighed softly, unable to deny it.

"Why don’t you ask him to come back for a day or two?" Julia suggested.

"He’s dealing with something important. Maybe I’ll just go visit him instead," Natalie replied.

"You can’t," Julia said firmly. "Don’t you remember what kind of people he’s dealing with—and what kind of past Justin has?"

"I’ll be fine. If Justin is there, I have nothing to worry about," she said confidently.

"It’s fine to trust him. But you can’t trust those dangerous people," Julia insisted, then looked toward James. "Tell your daughter not to go."

James, now comfortably seated next to Caryn—who had been listening quietly—replied calmly, "They’re old enough to make their own decisions."

Julia sighed. "What can I expect from you?" she muttered, and turned to Caryn. "You don’t want to stop her?"

"I doubt she’d even listen to me," Caryn replied.

Julia understood the implication and shook her head. "Young people in love can truly be irrational," she said, then turned to Natalie again. "Tell me, why do you love Justin so much?"

The question caught Natalie completely off guard. She blinked in surprise, clearly thrown off. For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond—as if she hadn’t ever truly tried to put it into words.