The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus)

"Alright, then we'll look forward to it," Sophia said with a smile. "Nat, I want to be like you and do meaningful things. To help girls like us, as much as I possibly can."

"Yes. Older girls helping younger girls is a truly meaningful thing," Natalie replied. "Of course, we might run into someone ungrateful, but so far, among all the girls we've supported, not one has turned out that way."

Natalie smiled and was in good spirits. For her, true enjoyment wasn't about eating or traveling for fun. It was about sharing her light with those poor young girls. That, to her, meant something.

"Let's finish eating and get back on the road."

"Okay."

The group ate self-heating meals, along with bread and milk. After a short rest, they continued the journey.

Natalie wasn't exaggerating when she said the road was rough. In fact, it was truly difficult to endure. The bumpy path stretched on for hours, and by the time they reached the base of the mountain she mentioned, the sky had gone completely dark.

The headlights lit a narrow path ahead, but everywhere else looked eerily dim, sending a chill through the air.

"Nat, are we really going to climb the mountain at night?" Sophia asked nervously, inching closer to Zachary, who immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Don't be scared. Someone's coming to meet us," he said.

Natalie began unloading supplies from the car. Aside from their luggage, there was also a fair amount of material aid.

"There's no way we can carry all this ourselves. I already contacted the person in charge up the mountain. They should be arriving any moment now."

Just as she finished speaking, beams of flashlight began appearing from the mountain trail, accompanied by the faint sound of voices.

Soon, a group of people with flashlights approached them.

"Natalie!"

"Taylor!" Natalie greeted the man at the front. "Come help us carry the stuff."

"Got it."

"You guys, come grab the supplies," the man said.

"Yes, Mr. Cole."

The man Natalie called Taylor Cole was clearly the person in charge of the Hope Project in Coalmarsh.

He and his team picked up the supplies, while also making sure Natalie and her group were surrounded and protected. After killing the engines and locking the cars, the group began their night hike up the mountain.

Zachary held Sophia's hand, while Zane looked after Connie. Elijah walked behind Marcus and Natalie. Flashlights lit the way as they made their way forward.

It was Sophia's and Zane's first time experiencing something like this, so they were a little scared. But with Zachary by her side, Sophia felt safe. As for Zane, he clung tightly to Connie's hand, drawing strength from her presence.

The flashlight beams stretched ahead. Marcus held Natalie's hand firmly. Elijah followed closely behind, then came Sophia and Zachary, and finally Zane and Connie.

They didn't know how long they had been walking or how much they had climbed. Eventually, they reached the summit and began descending. Halfway down, they finally saw faint lights in the distance.

"There were no lights here in the beginning," Natalie whispered to Marcus. "Later, Mr. Langton found out and sent me to inspect the place. We managed to install power lines and got lights into every home.

"People here were very resistant at first. It was really hard to get them to accept outside help. But with experience, we finally got them to come around.

See that red flag over there? That's Hope Elementary School."

She pointed her flashlight toward it. "It's not a big school because there aren't many children in the village.

"It's a two-story building. The first floor has six classrooms, and the second floor has the teachers' office and dorms. The first floor covers grades one through six.

"Because the mountain roads are too far away, they cover middle school lessons too. When it's time for the high school entrance exam, the kids take them. If they pass, we cover their high school tuition.

"If they don't pass, they go to technical schools and learn a trade so they can

make a living outside and never have to come back to this place.

"Their grandparents may be unwilling to leave, and we can't change that. So we

start with this generation. Their children will no longer live like this.

"We can't save everyone. But if we can save one, it's already worth it."

Marcus nodded. "Nat, what you've done is amazing. I want to join your cause

too."

"Absolutely." Natalie beamed, her eyes soft. She held Marcus' hand tightly as they walked, fingers interlocked, step by step.

They kept their voices low as they chatted, watching the road beneath them. Time passed with surprising ease.

When they reached the village, Taylor gave a shout. Suddenly, the doors of every house opened, and one after another, children rushed out.

"Ms. Natalie!"

"Ms. Natalie!"

"Ms. Natalie!"

The high-pitched voices echoed one after another, all calling the same name= Natalie's.

A bright smile spread across her face as she called out to the kids, "Una, Dossie, Tressa! Slow down when you run!

Marcus, standing off to the side, raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He couldn't believe that in this day and age, people were still naming their kids like that.

After calling out to the kids, Natalie turned to Marcus.

"Now you know why I do what I do. I don't want

bright,

beautiful girls

growing up only to be stuck with

names like that. Not that they're terrible of course. I just hope they'll have something a little more graceful, something that fits the light they carry.

Her eyes turned slightly red as the children rushed up to her.

In their small hands, they held gifts.noveldrama

"Ms. Natalie, I've been preparing this for a long time. It's for you."

"Ms. Natalie, look! I carved this out of leaves. It's you."

"Ms. Natalie, these are my test scores-perfect marks on both!"

"Ms. Natalie..."

"Ms. Natalie..."

One voice after another rang out. In the flashlight's glow, Marcus saw one little face after another.

Innocent and sincere, their expressions glowed with warmth and expectation.

They were waiting for Natalie. Waiting to hand over the gifts they had worked so hard on.

At that moment, Marcus couldn't put his feelings into words. He was deeply moved, his eyes stinging with a sudden rush of heat.

The whole journey so far had felt surreal—until now. Now, every word Natalie had

ever said became real and tangible.

She hugged the little girls she had called out to. Some of the little boys stood

nearby, watching shyly.

"Ms. Natalie, we've prepared food for you. It's still hot on the stove. You should come eat." One of the older boys flushed pink as he spoke.

"Ms. Natalie, is that your boyfriend?"