The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus) novel Chapter 678

Lynette wiped her eyes. After she finished speaking, Zachary and Sophia fell silent. They exchanged a glance, and from the look in their eyes, they understood what the other was thinking.

"We want to be part of this too," Zachary said. "We'll provide targeted sponsorship, but we do have some conditions.

"We'll put together a full proposal once we're back, and we'll assign a team to follow up. Mr. and Mrs. Holden, may I officially represent the Holt family in joining your charitable work?"

He smiled slightly, his gaze sincere and steady as he looked at Marcus and Natalie. "We truly care, and we'd like to do whatever we can to help."

Natalie smiled warmly. "We'd be honored. Having the Holt family involved is a blessing for us. Really, thank you."

She reached out to shake Zachary's hand, but Marcus gently held her hand back and extended his own to Zachary instead.

Natalie noticed what he did and found it a little amusing, but she didn't say anything.

"Sophia, what about you?" Natalie turned to her. "Do you want to be part of this with us?"

Sophia nodded enthusiastically. "Absolutely! Nat, you helped me before, and now I want to help other girls who are struggling too."

"Great. Then let's do it together."

"Yeah. Together."

There was a new energy in Sophia's smile now—brighter, more determined. "Zachary and I talked, and we've decided to stay here a few more days.

"Sue told me there's an even smaller village over the mountain you haven't reached yet. We want to go check it out, but Mr. Cole advised against it."

"I don't think you two should go there alone, either," Natalie said, her expression serious. "I worked with some officials before to scout a path into that area.

"The truth is, they're even harder to deal with than the people in Ashford Vale. At least in Ashford Vale, we could still use force to take control if necessary.

"But those people over there… they smear themselves in animal fat and set themselves on fire, turning themselves into human fireballs to attack us. They're not afraid of pain or death. We still haven't figured out a safe way to approach them."

"That's terrifying," Sophia said, glancing at Zachary. His face had darkened too after hearing what Natalie had just described.

"It really is." Natalie sighed. "That's why we've focused all our efforts on Ashford Vale so far. That other village… we've had to put it on hold for now.

"I mean, we're trying to do something good. But if they reject us or treat us as enemies, it becomes extremely difficult. So, we'll take it slow.

"If we can help one person, we help them. If we can save one girl, we save her. But if they respond with violence, with death threats, or try to take us down with them… then that's where we draw the line.

"Because no matter how noble the cause, our priority is always our own safety and lives. Don't you agree?"

"Yeah, absolutely." Zachary nodded. "If that's the case, then we won't go. We'll just focus on learning more about Ashford Vale while we're here."

"Good. Marcus and I are heading out soon. I'll be taking Lynette, Sue, and Ann with me. As for Daniel and Denzel, they've already spoken to Taylor. They'll stay behind for a bit, help their families out, and then head out in about two weeks."

Natalie glanced at her phone to check the time. "Let's grab something to eat, then we'll hit the road."

"Sounds good."

Natalie called for Lynette, Sue, and Ann, then took Marcus with her. Together, they headed to the serving line.

The food was simple, but most of it was made from fresh, organic vegetables, and it tasted surprisingly good.

After the meal, Natalie and Marcus gathered their things and called for the three girls. Elijah helped carry their bags. They then said their goodbyes to Taylor and the others.

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