The Fullers wanted all the benefits that came with an alliance to the Gilbert family, yet none of them were willing to let their precious Joslyn marry Wesley. Natalie had no intention of sacrificing herself for their gain without getting anything in return.

Over the years, she had pulled the Fuller Group back from the edge of collapse more than once. The profits and opportunities she brought to the company were worth far more than a mere three percent of the shares.

The instant her demand left her mouth, the atmosphere in the room changed.

Rhonda was the first to react, her expression tightening with displeasure. "What would you even need company shares for?" she asked sharply. "Haven't we already provided everything for you?"

Stefan gave a mocking laugh from the side. "You really have some nerve. The moment you agree to marry Wesley, you start plotting for shares? How ungrateful can you get?"

Kevin merely glanced at Natalie quietly, remaining silent.

Jeremy, however, quickly stepped in to ease the tension. "Nattie, don't rush into this," he said in a soothing voice. "The company shares will eventually be divided among all of us siblings anyway. There is no need to fight for them now."

Greg also smiled, adopting the tone of a loving father, "That's right. We're family, Nattie. We would never mistreat you."

Natalie almost found it laughable.

"No shares, no marriage," she replied without hesitation. "If that doesn't work for you, then find someone else."

If they could force her to marry a comatose man for the sake of their own interests today, how could she trust a single promise they made for tomorrow?

When Natalie had first returned to the Fuller family, they had at least made an effort to treat her kindly.

But that goodwill disappeared faster than she had imagined.

No matter what happened, they instinctively assumed she was trying to compete with Joslyn.

As long as Joslyn looked even slightly upset, every accusation immediately fell on Natalie. No one cared whether she explained herself or not; in their eyes, any defense she offered was simply another excuse.

Perhaps years of shared memories truly mattered more than blood.

Natalie had once been heartbroken over that realization, yet deep down, she still clung to the hope that one day she could earn their love and acceptance.

But today, she finally saw the truth clearly. To her, they were family. To them, she had never truly belonged.

Maybe she was simply never meant to have the warmth of a real family. And perhaps, she no longer needed it.

Seeing that Natalie refused to yield, Greg changed tactics once again, softening his voice with deliberate patience.

"Nattie, Wesley may be unconscious right now, but the Gilbert family still stands behind him," he said. "Their influence and wealth are far beyond what ordinary people can imagine."

After a brief pause, he added reassuringly, "Even after you marry into the Gilbert family, you'll still be one of us. Your place in the company won't change."

Natalie let out a faint, mocking laugh.

Did they really think that repeating the words "we're family" would be enough to convince her to throw away the rest of her life for their benefit?

"I'll marry him after the shares are transferred to me," Natalie said calmly. Then, without another glance at anyone in the room, she turned and headed upstairs.

"Natalie, are you so full of yourself now that you think you can ignore us?"

Rhonda suddenly slammed her coffee cup onto the table, her face dark with anger. "I knew this would happen! A child who wasn't raised by our side would never learn what gratitude means!"

Stefan let out a scornful snort. "Mom, it's not like this is your first day knowing her. She walks around with that miserable expression all the time as if everyone owes her something. What else did you expect?"

Kevin said nothing. His gaze lingered on Natalie's retreating figure, his brows slowly drawing together.

For reasons he couldn't explain, the look in Natalie's eyes just now left him feeling strangely unsettled.

Even Jeremy looked troubled as he murmured, "What exactly is Natalie planning?"

Greg remained silent, his face dark and unreadable.

Standing nearby, Joslyn quietly observed everyone's reactions. A faint glimmer passed through her eyes before she lowered her head and spoke softly. "Dad, Mom, why don't you just let me marry Wesley instead? I'll be alright."

Rhonda rejected the idea immediately, "Absolutely not! Wesley is still unconscious, and the Gilbert family is already in chaos. How could we possibly let you marry into that situation?"

After all, Wesley was not the Gilbert family's only heir.

Now that he lay in a coma, rumors were spreading everywhere. Some said he might never wake up again, while others claimed that even if he survived, he could be left permanently disabled.

The branches of the Gilbert family that had once been suppressed by Wesley were already beginning to move in the shadows, each waiting for a chance to seize power.

If Wesley regained consciousness, the storm would settle naturally. But if he never woke up, he would become nothing more than a discarded pawn in the Gilbert family's brutal internal struggle.

Greg's expression softened slightly as he looked at Joslyn's concerned face. "It's alright, Joslyn," he comforted gently. "You don't need to worry about this. We'll persuade Natalie somehow. Your career is at an important stage right now—we can't let anything interfere with it."

Meanwhile, Natalie returned to her room at the far end of the third floor.

The space was small and dim, with a north-facing window that barely allowed any sunlight inside.

She had once overheard the household staff gossiping and learned that the room had originally been used as a storage space.

When Natalie first came back to the Fuller family, she had actually been assigned a bright bedroom beside Joslyn's.

But later, Joslyn casually mentioned that her piano room was too far away. Without hesitation, Rhonda ordered Natalie to switch rooms so the original bedroom could be turned into a private piano studio for Joslyn.

Natalie had never argued about it.

Compared to the cramped room she once had in her adoptive parents' home, this place was already an improvement.

Not long after she sat down, Jeremy entered her room with his usual warm and refined smile.

"Nattie," he began gently, "we truly never wanted things to come to this. But Carl suddenly brought up fulfilling the marriage arrangement now, and we really had no way to refuse."

Natalie found his expression unbearably hypocritical.

"Oh?" she said with a cold laugh. "You mean you didn't want me to marry Wesley, or you didn't want Joslyn to marry him?"

Jeremy coughed awkwardly before continuing, "You've always been understanding and considerate of the family. Joslyn's popularity in the entertainment industry is rising rapidly right now. If she got married at this stage, it would seriously damage her career."

Natalie looked at him thoughtfully. "But the engagement was originally arranged between Wesley and Joslyn," she pointed out. "Since Carl brought it up himself, does he really not care who ends up marrying Wesley?"

Jeremy hesitated briefly before answering, "Carl never specifically said it had to be Joslyn."

Carl's intention had been simple—he wanted to move forward with the marriage arrangement and asked whether the Fuller family agreed, as well as what conditions they might have.

"Besides," Jeremy continued, "if we're being completely honest, the engagement was originally meant for you and Wesley. Joslyn was only involved because of the mix-up."

Natalie looked at him quietly for a few seconds before suddenly laughing. "When I first returned to this family, every single one of you warned me not to entertain any thoughts about Wesley. You made it very clear that the future Mrs. Gilbert could only ever be Joslyn."

Jeremy touched his nose awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable. "Well, things are different now."

Natalie's brows drew together slightly.

She truly couldn't understand how the Fullers could act so shamelessly while holding such obvious double standards.

Back when Wesley was powerful, admired, and untouchable, the engagement had belonged to Joslyn.

Now that he lay unconscious, with his future uncertain, they pushed Natalie forward without the slightest hesitation—and didn't even bother disguising their true intentions.

In the end, the truth was painfully simple. The Fuller family had never truly regarded her as one of their own.

Yet Natalie had once sincerely believed they were her family. She had even tried to help Stefan countless times, despite the fact that he had always treated her the worst.

The mockery in her eyes was so clear that Jeremy instinctively looked away.

"Nattie," he said after a pause, "just think about it carefully. If you marry into the Gilbert family, everyone benefits."

After saying that, he quickly left the room.

Outside the door, Stefan was leaning lazily against the wall with both hands in his pockets, his face full of contempt.

"There's no point talking to her," he scoffed. "Natalie's nothing but an ungrateful opportunist. She is nowhere near as thoughtful as Joslyn."

In Stefan's eyes, Joslyn had always been the perfect sister. Back when he was struggling to establish himself in the music industry, Joslyn had stayed up countless nights helping him revise lyrics and polish melodies. Stefan firmly believed he would never have achieved fame without her support.

"Besides," he continued coldly, "Wesley is already lying in a coma. Marrying him doesn't actually cost Natalie anything. She gets to become Mrs. Gilbert without doing a thing. How exactly are we treating her unfairly?"

Jeremy sighed quietly. "Maybe she has her own reasons."

Stefan let out a mocking laugh. "What reasons could she possibly have? I heard from some friends earlier that she was dumped by that Barton guy. She's probably just miserable and taking her anger out on the family."