“Mr. Donnelly, is it true that your latest series is based on your secret crush?” asked a reporter as Marcus led Cara away from the crazy crowd. The bodyguards jostled to protect them from the crowd that had gathered around them all of a sudden. With both his arms around her, Marcus guided a panic-stricken Cara towards the entrance of the gallery. It was all a new experience for her and it felt like a nightmare already.
“No comments. I’ll disclose the details at the inauguration. Thank you,” said Marcus curtly.
“Only one question, please. Who is this lady, Mr. Donnelly? Is she your inspiration?” asked another reporter. Thankfully they entered the gallery and Marcus stormed inside, seething with anger. A few people rushed forward to greet him apologizing for what happened outside.
Marcus glared at Cassie who sat with a smug look on her face. “Aww, come on Marky! You can’t be that mad at me! I apologized for my immaturity, didn’t I?” she whined.“You betrayed my trust, Cassie. It cannot be labeled as immaturity. You had physical intimacy with my best friend behind my back while being engaged to me. I can’t forgive that,” he argued angrily.“So have you, Marky. You had more physical relationships in the last 2 years than I ever did,” she pointed out angrily.“Not while I was engaged to you,” said Marcus, banging his fist on the table and standing up. “If you don’t leave my room this instant, I will,” he said, striding out angrily. Cassie shrugged and got up to follow him out.
“Come here, Cara. Sit with me for a while,” said granny, seeing her standing indecisively near the door. Cara glanced at the door and sighed and walked towards granny’s bed and sat down.“Maria told me that you’ve done very well in your college exams! Congratulations dear. I want you to do very well in life. I want you to reach for the stars, get fame, success, and lots of money. I want you to shine above the rest! May God bless you to achieve that,” she said, holding her hand. Cara’s eyes filled up with tears and she felt touched by granny’s words.“Thank you, granny,” she said softly. “Are you better now?”Granny slowly nodded. “Yes, better than I was last week but I’m under restrictions. I hate staying in bed for long
Marcus pushed Cassie off him and got up from the bed in a fit of rage. They had been arguing non-stop since the moment he entered the room. He was about to leave when Cassie took him by surprise and pushed him on the bed and climbed onto his lap to kiss him. It was so sudden that it took him by surprise! Unaware of the conspiracy going on behind his back, he glared at Cassie with extreme hatred.“Keep your filthy hands off me. I shall never marry a who*e like you,” he yelled at her, his whole body trembling with a mad fury. Cassie clapped her hands sarcastically, glaring at him furiously.“Great Marcus! A pot calling the kettle black, is it?” she gritted out angrily. “So this is about that pantry worker, right? You’re blocking me out because of her. I get it now. No wonder your mom wants to throw her out of your l
One Year LaterMarcus helped load the last canvas onto the truck and saw the packers and movers leave with his latest art collection. With his biggest exhibition coming up, he was expecting a grand sale of all his paintings. Now that the paintings were dispatched to New York, it was time for him to get ready to leave the house where he spent a year, remembering his Cara. After she disappeared from her life that fateful night, his entire world had turned upside down. His granny died the next day, he severed all ties with his mom and left New York, and came to Long Island to look for Cara. Although her family had no idea of her whereabouts, he hadn’t given up hope. He wrapped up his exhibition and moved over to his Southampton beach house where he had made memories with Cara. Every fortnight, he visited her family to ask about her whereabouts. However, it took him six months to realize that they wouldn’t leak any info
Marcus woke up feeling much better the next morning. He had a tight schedule coming up and quickly got ready for the day. Driving towards his gallery, he remembered the phone call Mr. Warnock made last night. He wasn’t in a position to entertain his call last night so he would have to deal with that as well. However, the moment he walked inside the gallery, he found everyone excited and happy, eagerly chatting all at once.“What? It seems no one has any work,” he said, walking inside to check the number of paintings sold. Mr. Warnock was in his office and came rushing out to talk to him. However, the moment Marcus entered the gallery where the exhibition was being held, he found the whole place empty. Whirling around, he frowned at Mr. Warnock looking more puzzled than ever before. Last night before he left there were twenty-four paintings left in his collection. Where did they go?&
Marcus walked into the study room and looked at all their anxious faces. Although he avoided any direct eye contact with his mom, he knew that something of extreme importance was being discussed. “What’s going on?” he asked Lucas and Nicholas who sat with grave faces.“Sit,” said Lucas, picking up a legal document from his desk. Marcus frowned and sat down waiting anxiously for him to speak.“What will happen now? Your precious Cara has shown us her true colors,” said his mom, looking at him with disgust. Marcus was immediately on high alert hearing Cara’s name. “There’s no respite from this family.”“Mom, it is us who have wronged them. This was bound to happen. Just be thankful that she hasn’t sued us for defamation,” s
Marcus stared at the entranceway, waiting impatiently for Cara’s car to arrive. Suddenly the place seemed to be overcrowded with people. Traffic police jumped to the rescue trying to control the massive crowd who suddenly appeared from nowhere.“What’s going on?” asked his mom, looking at the crazy crowd chanting, ‘Rohesia' deliriously.“Cara is a Hollywood celebrity. These are all her fans,” said Nicholas, making her mom do a double-take and stare at the crowd with disbelief. Four black cars, guarding a limousine, came to a halt. Uniformed bodyguards alighted and opened the door to the limousine. Marcus held his breath as his desperate eyes looked on to catch a glimpse of her, his Cara. She might be Rohesia, a celebrity for the world, but for him, she was his Cara, the love of his life. His heart thumped lo
A haggard Lucas went forward to talk to Marcus’s doctor the moment he emerged from the emergency room. “Has Marcus gained consciousness, doctor? How serious is his condition?” The doctor shook his head. “We’re trying our best. We've carried out intubation successfully and now the patient will be shifted to the ICU. We'll start with the intravenous drips right away as well as inject antidotes at regular intervals. He should gain consciousness when the toxin level reduces,” said the doctor. “How soon can we shift the patient?” asked Lucas, wanting to shift his brother to Bellevue Hospital where Sienna used to work before. It was much bigger and better equipped to deal with the therapy that Marcus needed right now. “You can shift him once he gains consciousness. Right now his condition isn’t stable and I wouldn’t advise you to move him,” said the doctor. Four hours passed by and they decided to take turns at the hospital. Ben Duncan drove Mrs. Donnelly to Marcus’s Southampton beach
For the next few days, the whole family was busy with the wedding preparations. Although Marcus had hired a wedding planner, his mom and aunt Maggie were very much enthusiastic to get everything perfect. As for Cara, she went along with the flow, enjoying her break and getting pampered. Lucas arrived with Sienna and the kids three days before the wedding and the house seemed to come alive with so many children around. Liam seemed to be bowled over by Alexia and went out of his way to help her with everything. He showed off his artistic skills and even attempted to paint her.Since Cara didn’t want any pre-wedding parties, they just had a single party two nights before the wedding day. Nicholas arrived the same day with Alyssa and Cara wondered if they would announce their wedding next. Alyssa apologized to Cara and asked for her autograph to which she gladly obliged. This time everything change
Her heart raced with excitement as she walked out of the house, through the meandering path towards the gazebo. The lights cast a pale glow all around while the crickets sang their song with more enthusiasm but Cara’s eyes were glued towards the swimming pool, searching for Marcus. As she approached the pool, her eyes fell upon the beautifully lit up gazebo where the man of her dreams stood leaning against a pillar, looking hot and drool-worthy in a pair of beige chinos and an off-white linen shirt. She could feel the intensity of his gaze even from where she was. Her heart skipped a beat when their eyes met and she couldn’t wait to get into his arms. He held them out to her as always and she flew into them as fast as her legs could carry her.His arms immediately engulfed her in a warm embrace, while she clung to him as her life depended upon it. “Oh, Marcus! I’ve missed you
The moment Marcus and Cara entered the house, Liam jumped with joy. “Has he?” he started to ask and then his glance fell upon the ring on her finger. “Oh, he has!” Cara grinned at his enthusiasm and so did Marcus. Vera and Adam came rushing out hearing him.“Are you engaged to Cara, Marcus?” asked Vera, clasping her hands together with eagerness.“Yes,” acknowledged Marcus, making her squeal with delight.“What’s going on?” asked aunt Maggie, coming out from inside. Before Cara could announce their engagement, Liam blurted it all out.“Aunt Maggie, Cara, and Marcus are engaged at last,” he broadcasted, making aunt Maggie smile and hold out her arms to Cara.
After an hour Marcus drove over to Long Beach harbor where a huge pristine white luxury yacht featuring three beautiful levels was waiting for them. As soon as they reached the parking area, Cara was stunned to see the place teeming with paparazzi. How did they know that she was about to arrive here when she herself had no idea where she was off to?Marcus emerged and soon they were surrounded by their bodyguards who had been following them all the while without Cara’s knowledge. They led Marcus and Cara to the yacht while reporters flocked around them for their photographs.“Rohesia, is it true that you’re uninterested in appearing at live performances?” asked one of the reporters. Cara smiled at him and took the microphone from his hands.“Not at all. Stay tuned for
Cara was ready in fifteen minutes and waited eagerly for Marcus. In his haste to surprise her, he hadn’t even taken a shower since morning. After the delicious breakfast, he had asked her out on a date formally but left all the other details out since it was initially intended to be a surprise date. Cara wasn’t complaining since his surprises were quite different and totally worth the wait. She wasn’t much concerned about leaving Marianne the whole day since there were others to look after her and Marianne were used to her absence. Marcus didn’t want to whisk her away for an overnight stay because of his attachment with Marianne. The two of them had bonded so well that Marcus couldn’t survive without seeing his baby. The same with her siblings. He was like a pillar of strength in their lives. They were so dependent upon him for everything that it felt as if he was the one related to them by blood.
Cara woke up and stretched her limbs, feeling extremely lazy but a smile brightened up her face as memories of what they shared last night played across her mind. She turned her head to check upon Marcus but strangely, even at 5 o’clock, he wasn’t there. In his place, there was a single rose stem and a little note laid out on his pillow. Did he wake up already? What did the note contain? Did he leave for some reason? Did he forget that it was a special day for them today?Curiously she picked up the note and opened it to check. There scribbled in his artistic handwriting was a sweet note.Good morning my love! A thornless rose stem to prove my true love for you. It signifies love at first sight just like I felt for you. If you want to start our special day in a special way, just follow the instructions. Go to the en-suite to freshen up first!
Cara felt a little bolder and pulled him towards her. In her excitement, she had quite forgotten how heavy he was and lost her balance and tumbled onto the bed with him. “Oh, did you get hurt?” she asked, looking worried. Marcus laughed and pinned her with his weight, his eyes dancing with mirth.“Nope. I’m fit as a fiddle,” he breathed, his hot breath fanning her face. With his face inches away from hers, she forgot to breathe. A crazy sense of need surged through her body making her desperate for fulfillment.“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to exert so much pressure,” she whispered, gazing back at him.“No worries, babe! You’ve made my work easier. We’re already there where we belong, in each other’s arms,” he whispered
For the next two weeks, Marcus and Cara were insatiable around each other. While she helped Marcus heal better, they explored their relationship to new heights. With physiotherapy, Marcus could start walking around in clutches. His ribs were healing and looked better with each passing day. Adam, Liam, and Vera were overjoyed to have Marcus around. He pampered them and played with them, helped them with their homework, making them completely crazy about him. He bonded well with Marianne and slowly learned all her work, taking care of her like a pro, making Mrs. Davis upset. Marianne on the other hand started demanding his attention more and more with every passing day. The pressure on Aunt Maggie and uncle Joe reduced a lot with the presence of Marcus and Cara in the house and life became bearable and worth living. Every day Marcus made sure that they all enjoyed themselves the most!Cara had to retur
“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” whispered Marcus while his fingers worked their way inside her dripping wet folds. A moan of sweet surrender escaped Cara’s mouth as he worked up a tempo, making her open wider to give him more access. He thrust in and out of her, his eyes devouring her as he watched her melt at his touch. Soon she came undone, sagging against the cushions behind her. Feeling overwhelmed at last to be touched by the one she loved, Cara closed her eyes with happiness. “Did you miss this? Did you miss my touch?”“Yes, Marcus. You have no idea how much. I wish I could erase the last three months of my life. Every time Frederick forced himself on me, I wanted to kill myself but couldn’t because of Marianne and my little siblings,” she whispered, as a sob broke out of her mouth. Marcus immediately pulled her closer and held her i