Chapter 55: Marking His Territory

Natalie fumed, feeling both irritated and bewildered. She grabbed her phone, determined to call Justin and give him a piece of her mind. She was still reeling from the embarrassment of having to beg him to sleep in her bed, but now this—ordering her bed to be burned?

frustration bubbling inside her.

Just as she was about to dial Justin’s number, she paused, remembering that he hadn’t even bothered to reply to her message from earlier.

Annoyed, she decided to call Noah instead. The assistant picked up promptly, his voice professional. "Ms. Natalie..."

"Has your boss lost his mind? He’s replacing my bed and ordering people to burn it!" she snapped, her anger spilling over.

There was a pause on the other end, and then Noah, clearly startled, replied, "Ms. Natalie, those are Mr. Harper’s orders. We’re required to follow them."

"Tell him to stop being ridiculous!" Natalie growled.

"I’m sorry, Ms. Natalie, but you’ll need to speak with him directly. He should be arriving there shortly," Noah replied curtly, clearly not wanting to get further involved.

Natalie hung up the call angrily.

She turned back to the workers, who had already dismantled everything and were preparing to carry the pieces outside. Her heart sank as she looked at the familiar pieces of furniture.

"Wait," she called out, her tone softening as she looked at the bed with longing. "Don’t burn it. You can take it with you and use it yourselves, but please don’t destroy it."

The delivery in-charge shook his head apologetically. "I’m sorry, Ms. Natalie, but we have to follow Mr. Aiden’s orders."

Natalie huffed in frustration as she watched the workers take away her beloved bed and replace it with the new one Justin had ordered. Everything was changed—mattress, bedsheets, pillows, blankets, and duvets. It was as if the room had undergone a complete transformation, leaving no trace of her original choices.

she sighed, her irritation bubbling just beneath the surface.

Natalie’s gaze shifted to the perfectly arranged bed, and a new wave of determination surged within her.

Soon enough, Justin arrived home, feeling excited at the thought of seeing Natalie’s fuming face. Noah had informed him about how angry Natalie sounded on the phone and told him to be cautious.

But being cautious wasn’t in Justin’s plan or how was he going to enjoy his favourite past time of riling her up.

He rang the bell, and sure enough, Natalie opened the door, her expression cheerful on the surface but with eyes that were practically shooting daggers at him.

"Finally, you’re back," she said in a tone that was overly pleasant, though her eyes glinted with a murderous intent. "I was waiting for you."

Justin could tell that if it weren’t for her grandpa, she would have slammed the door in his face. Seeing her suppress her anger with that forced smile only made the moment sweeter. He couldn’t resist pushing her buttons further.

"Did you miss me, sweetheart?" he asked, his tone dripping with mock affection.

Natalie was momentarily caught off guard by his words, but concluded he was simply putting on a show for Albert.

"O... Of course, darling," she replied through gritted teeth, keeping the fake smile plastered on her face. "How could I not miss my handsome husband?" She took his bag and handed him his home slippers, playing the role of the dutiful wife as Justin casually removed his shoes.

Justin leaned in close, as if about to act more intimate, and whispered in her ear, "If you keep acting like this, I might actually believe you missed me for real... and that might complicate things."

Natalie pushed him away gently, her anger barely contained. "Go freshen up. I’m preparing dinner," she said, her eyes giving him a silent warning to keep his distance.

Not one to back down, Justin smirked mischievously. "Want me to help you... in the kitchen?"

The wicked grin on his face reminded her of the last time she asked him for help, and it ended up in way it should not have.

"First, why don’t you take a look at the new bed you ordered... for us. Darling?" Natalie forced a smile as she glanced at her grandpa, who was happily chatting on his phone but subtly watching them as well.

Smiling sweetly for show, she grabbed Justin’s hand under her grandpa’s scrutinising gaze and dragged him toward the bedroom. Once inside, she let go of his hand, closed the door behind them, and faced him.

"We need to talk," she said, her voice sharp.

"Hmm?" He stood calmly with his hands tucked in his pant’s pocket like his usual style, unaffected by her angry and impatient demeanour, as if it didn’t matter to him.

That simple ’hmm’ sound, combined with his deep voice and the confident expression on his annoyingly handsome face, nearly made her lose her nerve.

She took a deep breath, regaining her focus.

"Why did you order a new bed and everything else?" she demanded. "It’s been less than twenty-four hours since I ordered and set up that brand new bed in my room, and you just—"

"Do you expect me to sleep on a bed that was meant for another man to share with you?" Justin interrupted, his voice colder now. "The other man you can’t forget, whose intimate nights you still reminisce about while staring at the empty space beside you?"

His words left her stunned, her mind scrambling to process the sharpness of his retort.

She stammered, trying to regain her composure. "W-Whatever it is, you can’t just order them to burn it! Those things were expensive, carefully chosen by me. I could have resold them—"

Justin stepped even closer, his towering presence overwhelming as his gaze bore into hers.

"There’s no way someone else will use that bed you’ve slept in," his voice cold, yet commanding. "And I won’t allow you to keep it, knowing it was meant for another man. The only thing I’ll offer is the leftover ashes of those things. If you want, I can tell them to pack them up for you."

Nervous under his commanding aura, she instinctively stepped back, trying to regain control over herself.

"You... You rich people have no sense of the value of money!" she stammered. "How dare you decide on your own to not just take my things but burn them?"

"I’ve made it clear that I don’t like using something that’s meant for others," Justin cut her off, his voice deep and unwavering, completely taking control of the conversation. He leaned closer, his face now inches from hers. "I like to have my own things, done my way. And when I’m with you, don’t even think about another man being in that bed, or anywhere near this home. I don’t care how many men you’ve been with before in the Xyron city, or how many nights you’ve spent with that loser Ivan Brown. When I’m here, this place belongs to me—and me alone."

Natalie’s breath hitched, her heart racing as he acted more like a territorial wild animal who could not tolerate others in his marked territory, so possessive and domineering.

Her mind spun, trying to make sense of his sudden dominance. It felt as though he was marking his territory.

"Understood?" He asked again.

She quickly stepped back, her face flushed as she averted her gaze, trying to shake off the overwhelming emotions. "You’re crazy... saying such senseless things. Moron!" and darted out of the room, desperate to escape his overwhelming presence.

Justin chuckled at her reaction as if he got what he wanted and turned to look at the bed. ’Not bad. This seems like a perfect sleeping arrangement now.’

He grabbed the fresh clothes and went to the bathroom, a light smile painting his lips. For some reason, unsettling her felt like the most natural thing in the world, and it left him with a strange sense of contentment.