The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus) novel Chapter 294

Mason's words made Sky gape in disbelief. "Mason, have you lost your mind? When did I ever say I wanted to fight Marcus? And when did I insult him?"

Sky was furious. "Do you even think before you speak?"

"Speaking of thinking, maybe you should've used your brain before siding with Emma and bullying Natalie." Mason folded his arms and gave his older brother a pointed look.

He added, "Mom and Dad already made it clear—Emma's not allowed to use our last name anymore. So you'd better get on that. Find her real family and get her name changed. Or, if you can't, just pick something random out from the internet as long as it's not the Walker or Holden last names."

Mason smirked as he paced in front of Sky, his tone mocking. "You know, once you change her last name, the two of you can finally be together openly. I mean, the way you're obsessed with her is far from normal."

Sky's expression darkened instantly. "Mason, do you even realize what you're saying?" His tone was ice-cold, his frustration palpable. "Emma's my sister. I raised her and protected her. Of course, I care about her. But it's nothing like what you're insinuating."

Mason scoffed. "Oh, give me a break. You've been going Emma this, Emma that, like you're her personal cheerleader. Do you think I haven't noticed how unnatural your bond with her is? I've known since we were kids that Emma wasn't really our sister."

That stopped Sky in his tracks. "What did you just say?"

Mason leaned in closer, his voice cutting. "You heard me. I've known since we were little that she wasn't blood-related. But I didn't have proof back then, and who'd believe me anyway? Mom and Dad doted on her, and I didn't even know where my real sister was. So, yeah, I kept my mouth shut."

Mason paused, then suddenly slapped himself across the face. "I should've said something. I should've told them what I suspected, even if no one believed me.

"If I'd just pushed for a DNA test back then, we could've found Nat so much sooner. She wouldn't have had to endure all those years of hell with the Langleys."

He turned to Natalie, his voice thick with guilt. "I'm so sorry, Nat. This is all my fault. You wouldn't have suffered so much if I'd spoken up when I was younger."

Natalie gently touched Lincoln's face, where he'd slapped himself. "Don't blame yourself, Mason. This wasn't your fault."

She knew the Walker family had no idea she'd been switched at birth. And as much as Mason believed in his childhood dreams about his real sister, if he'd told their parents back then, they probably would've dismissed him as crazy.

Still, the fact that he held onto that belief all these years and even made her a crystal ball was something she deeply appreciated.

Seeing his self-recrimination now made her heart ache. She hated how he was dragging himself into a mess that wasn't his to begin with.

"Mason, don't forget what we're doing here," Natalie gently reminded him.

He blinked, suddenly realizing how off-track he'd gotten. "Right! Let's not lose focus."

He turned back to Sky, his tone sharp again. "I'm calling a family vote. Let's settle this once and for all. Are we keeping Natalie, or are we keeping that manipulative snake, Emma?"

"What vote? What are you even talking about?" William and Charlotte arrived on the scene, flanked by Marcus.

Marcus, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, exuded an icy authority. His sharp features were set in a stern expression as he stepped onto the balcony where the siblings had been arguing.