Chapter 5

Marcus's POV

The entire table fell silent, anticipation filling the air as everyone awaited Lillian's response.

I noticed Lillian purposely avoiding my gaze, her eyes fixed on her plate.

"What do you mean by that, Marcus?" Gabriel asked, breaking the silence.

I glanced at Gabriel, offering him a smile.

"Nothing, Dad. I just never expected Vice President Montgomery to be so closely connected to your family," I replied, trying to downplay the situation.

"Our family, Marcus," he corrected me, and I simply nodded my head in agreement.

We continued eating breakfast, and once I finished, I decided it was time to leave.

"Marcus, I need you to review the profiles of the qualified candidates for judicial nomination," Gabriel uttered just as I was about to exit.

"Sure, just send me the file," I responded.

"I have to go," Gabriel acknowledged with a nod, while Mom smiled at me. Lillian didn't even bother to acknowledge my presence.

I left the White House and made my way to my car.

Driving towards the condominium building where I currently resided, took me half an hour.

I immediately headed towards my unit when I arrived and prepared to get ready for work.

Once I was prepared, I headed to the A & M law firm.

"Good morning, Atty. Sullivan," Alice playfully greeted me as I entered.

"How's your case?" I asked, stepping inside my office.

Alice followed me and settled into the chair where my clients usually sat.

"Witnesses have conflicting statements, so I have to assess their credibility," she replied, appearing stressed. But after a while, a smile crept onto her lips.

"I heard you became the Attorney General, the President's son," she teased, which made me laugh.

"President's son, my ass," I scoffed, grabbing the folder from my desk and beginning to read the document.

"How does it feel living in the White House?" she pushed further, trying to tease me.

"I don't live there, Alice. I'm staying at my unit," I clarified. Alice nodded, folding her arms across her chest as she stared at me intently.

"What?" I asked, meeting her gaze directly.

"Lillian Hawthorne," she stated, and at the mention of her name, my forehead furrowed.

"What?" I asked, utterly confused.

Alice took out her phone and showed me a picture of Lillian and me, leaning close to her, whispering in her ear.

"You two look good together, Marcus," she remarked, causing my eyebrows to furrow even deeper.

"You're gross, Alice," I commented, but she just laughed at me.

"Is it because she's your stepsister?" she questioned.

I set down the file I was reading and looked her straight in the eyes.

"It's because she's the daughter of a corrupt official. I won't fall for someone whose family is robbing the nation," I said firmly, not wavering in my opinion of Lillian.

"But what if she isn't like her father? She's involved in charity work, Marcus. Have you seen her social media feed? It's filled with the charity work she has hosted and attended," Alice argued.

I let out a deep breath before responding to Alice.

"Those charity works are just a cover-up, concealing the corruption her family is committing," I stated, unwavering in my stance on Lillian.

No matter how attractive she may be, it doesn't erase the fact that corruption runs in her family.

Alice simply laughed and shook her head.

"It seems like Lillian Hawthorne will be on your hate list forever," she remarked.

"I have to go," she said after a while when someone called her name.

I watched her as she left the room, and once Alice was gone, I refocused my attention on the file in front of me.

During lunch, Alice brought me food since I was buried at work.

"You should take a break," she said, placing the paper bag on my desk.

I glanced at her and nodded. "Have you had your lunch?" I asked.

"No, I was waiting for you," she replied. I stood up and grabbed the bag she brought.

"Let's go," I said, leading the way out of my office.

"Good afternoon, attorney," my co-lawyer greeted me as I stepped out of my office.

"Good afternoon," I responded, nodding acknowledgement before heading to the rooftop.

Alice and I settled at our usual spot on the rooftop, a small table tucked away in the corner. I unpacked the food as we sat down.

"Do you have any idea how long I waited in line to get your favourite steak?" Alice asked.

"I didn't ask you to do that," I teased, causing her to roll her eyes.

"A simple 'thank you' would be nice, Marcus," she retorted, and I chuckled.

"Thank you, Alice," I said, smiling at her.

"I haven't congratulated your mom on her engagement. I bet she's excited about the wedding," she commented.

I scoffed, recalling how excited Mom had been talking about her wedding.

"I have no idea what Mom sees in that man," I said, frustration evident in my voice.

Gabriel is nothing more than a corrupt individual, and he's not even a good leader. The Hawthorne family is filled with criminals who excel at cleaning their tarnished reputation.

I can't comprehend why my mom would fall for someone like him. Perhaps she has a weakness for immoral men. It's the only explanation for why she fell in love with my abusive father and is now a man burdened with countless crimes.

"That's the power of love, Marcus. We fall for people despite who they are and what they've done," Alice said, taking a bite of her steak.

"That's bullshit, Alice. We have the power to choose who we love. We can decide who we will fall in love with," I replied firmly.

No matter how hard I try, I can't understand my mother's reasons for falling in love with Gabriel.

"You can say that because you haven't experienced being in love. All you see are laws and cases," she retorted, shaking her head.

I looked at Alice intently, took a deep breath, and nodded.

"You may be right, Alice, but one thing is for sure: I won't fall for people who abuse their power to stay on top," I stated firmly.

Alice stared at me, her gaze unwavering.

"How about Lillian Hawthorne?" she asked, locking eyes with me.

"Especially not for Lillian Hawthorne," I replied, making her chuckle.

"I'll laugh the hardest when I see you compromising your principles for Lillian, Marcus," she said, but I simply smiled and shook my head.

"You can wait as long as you want, Alice, but it won't happen," I responded. Falling for Lillian is beyond impossible.

I hate her with every fibre of my being.

I despise how she pretends to live a perfect life.

I detest how she acts superior when, in reality, she's living in misery.

I loathe how she pleases her father and does everything according to his liking.

I was snapped out of my thoughts of listing the things I despise about Lillian when my phone vibrated. Upon checking, I saw a message from Lillian.

'I got into an accident. Can you pick me up?'

Upon reading that message, I immediately stood up and rushed out of the rooftop. I could hear Alice calling after me, but I ignored her and quickly made my way to the address Lillian had sent.

After a few minutes of driving, I arrived at the police station where Lillian was being scolded by a man, likely in his fifties.

"Marcus," she said, relieved when she spotted me. Tears streamed down her face as I walked towards her, facing the man who had been reprimanding her.

"I'm her lawyer. What seems to be the problem?" I asked, meeting his gaze directly.

I could sense his anger subsiding.

"She needs to pay for the damages," he stated firmly.

"I'll send the payment to your account," I assured him, not wanting to prolong the conversation.

After settling the case, I escorted Lillian out of the police station.

"Get in," I said, opening the door of my passenger seat.

Lillian swallowed hard and hesitantly got into the car. I took the driver's seat but didn't start driving right away. Instead, I looked at her intently, realizing the fear still evident in her eyes. I let out a deep breath and handed her my handkerchief.

"Why were you driving anyway?" I asked, concerned.

Lillian glanced at me, her fear mingling with vulnerability.

"I wanted to go shopping, and there was no available driver," she explained softly.

"Where do you usually shop?" I asked.

"CityCenterDc," she replied, puzzled by my line of questioning. I nodded in response and began driving towards CityCenter.

After a few minutes, we arrived at our destination.

"Thank you," Lillian began to say as I parked the car, but her words were cut off when I got out of the car as well.

"Let's go," I said, surprising both her and myself.

I had no idea why I had decided to accompany her, perhaps because I felt sorry for her and didn't want to leave her alone after witnessing her distress.

Lillian looked at me, clearly confused.

"You're coming shopping with me?" she asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

I nodded, my resolve unwavering.

"Yes, I am," I affirmed. I couldn't explain my actions, but I couldn't bear to see her cry.

As we entered the shopping centre, confusion still etched on Lillian's face, I couldn't help but question my motives.

Why am I doing this?