AnnaThe car ride back to my apartment was more uncomfortable than I thought it would be.Jack was quiet and even though we had a small, casual conversation, I wasn’t exactly sure what had changed his mood from a few minutes ago.Tilting my head to the side, I gazed out the beautiful skyline of Delroy, replaying everything that had led me to this point, trying to take my mind off Mark.The tension was high when Jack met Mark. I suddenly regretted putting them both in that situation, because the entire time, Mark looked like he was going to kill Jack. Which wasn’t good.You’d think having two men fight over you would be such a thrilling thing, but in that moment, all I wanted was to not be caught in the middle of it.Still, I couldn’t help but wonder why Mark was acting so threatened and jealous. Did he not mean what he said about Mia? Did he finally realize that he didn’t want to be with her anymore and then broke up?Maybe I was a bit too harsh on him. I knew he meant well, but
MarkI’d spent the entire morning holed up in my room, rewatching this video over and over again. The short confrontation I had with Anna a couple of nights ago had been on my mind since I woke up. Even if I wanted to ignore it, I couldn’t. It seemed someone had secretly taken a video of us that night and now every major media handle was talking about it. Once again, my outburst was costing me my reputation. However, I didn’t care much about that. Watching that night over and over again, I realized how insensitive and disrespectful I’d been. She wasn’t my property, but I sure made it seem so. No wonder she quit on me.I was hoping she’d come around to tender her resignation the morning after. It would give me a chance to properly apologize for being such an asshole, but she never did.Heaving a deep sigh, I tossed my iPad away and sat on the bed, wishing I could take back that day.How did it go so wrong? After the conversation with my mother, I was convinced I wanted to be with Ann
Mark Sure enough, as the door opened, a man with deep brown hair tied in a man bun and a grey bespoke suit walked in. Immediately I saw him, my brows creased in anger and a sudden rage ran through me. This was the last person I’d expected to see, “What are you doing here?” He looked at me with a content gaze and smiled, “I’m sure you know why I’m here, Mark. We have a mutual interest and her protection is of importance to us.” “Jack is it?” I started, unable to conceal my disdain towards him. The mere sight of him was aggravating considering he was the same jerk that Mark chose to go with. “Her protection isn’t any of your business, if you want to do Ms. Brookes a favor, you’ll crawl back to whatever hole you dug your way out of,” I replied firmly. “See, that’s where you’re wrong,” he chuckled. “You don’t get to decide who Anna chooses to have around. I can see she respects you and doesn’t want to end things badly with you, that’s the only reason why I’m here, to talk some se
MarkShaking his head, Jack turned and headed for the door. “Think it over.”That was the last thing he said before I slammed the door behind him. It felt good. To me, Jack was nothing more than just a manipulative prick who for all we knew could be one of the people after Anna. He couldn’t be trusted. If I was going to relocate to Europe for some time, I had to keep tabs on him.I was now certain of what I wanted - a future full of life, and with Anna. I wouldn’t allow anything to happen to her, even if that meant protecting her from her decisions and this thing with Jack that was clearly a mistake.Pissed off about Jack knowing about my relocation, I figured there was only one person who he could have learned that from. I picked up my phone and dialed her number. Every second that it rang, I became angrier until finally, she answered, and her voice caught me off guard. “Mark, I didn’t think you’d be calling so soon…” she said, her voice squeaky and nervous.“What Mia? Surprised tha
MarkI paced around trying to figure out who could have informed Jack about Europe. If it wasn’t Mia, then who could it have been? Jonathan had just broken the news to me recently, and I doubted he’d told anyone at the company yet. So how did Jack find out? I pondered heavily but every time I was close to a lead, the pieces just didn’t fall into place. None of this made sense. After trying futilely, I gave up. The only thing on my mind at that moment was meeting Anna and patching up things before I had to travel.Grabbing my phone, I tried to call Eric again to check in on what he found, but before I did, my phone suddenly rang. It was my mother and I already knew what she was calling about.It’s safe to say the night Anna quit on me, I may have gone a bit overboard after I returned home. I was shocked by my father’s calmness. After the things I said to him and the rest of the family, I’d expected to be cut off, but strangely I wasn’t.I heaved a deep sigh and let the phone ring ti
AnnaA few days had passed and I was still having a difficult time getting over how I ended things with Mark. He may have been an annoying douchebag, but he had helped me in a time when no one else would. I couldn’t help but think he deserved a chance at an apology at least. Lately, I had been trying to keep myself more busy than usual, juggling activities from picking up my children from school to random meetings with Jack and online fashion design classes, and in doing so, realized that my life was pretty slow and I didn’t know what to do with all that free time.For the past eight years, I haven’t had enough time to myself, being in between jobs and trying to raise kids, I had to let go of some of my dreams, but now with this money, I could chase my dreams of being a beauty and fashion brand owner and still provide for my children.A couple of days ago, I registered for a fashion design class around Lake Placid, but the classes were not to start until a couple of weeks from now.S
Anna When I looked at the screen now, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed seeing it was Jack. I hadn’t talked to him lately and we were supposed to meet this weekend to meet with my family’s lawyer and legally reclaim my inheritance. “Hey Jack, how are things going?” I said as soon as I picked up the phone “Things are going pretty well. I just wanted to inform you that your family’s lawyer, Bryan Ferr has just arrived in Delroy and we should be meeting him tomorrow to go over your family’s properties and inheritance. I hope you remember the plan, right?” He asked with a serious tone. Nodding my head, I answered, “Yes, we can’t meet with The Circle’s council until there’s legal proof that you are indeed the heir of the Brooke family, which means I’ll have to completely claim my family’s inheritance and be ready to take up my position as the head of The Circle.” I repeated word to word, just like he had said them. “Anna, till we’re done with all of these, you have
Anna“What are you getting at? You want us to do business with Mark?” I asked, quirking my brows.Jack remained silent for a while and then heaved a deep breath, “We don’t have that much option right now. Chances are anyone we hire or try to ally with is probably already working for Edgar. We can’t risk a chance of having our plans exposed. Mark cares about you Anna, his family is well-connected and we can trust that he’ll be heavily interested in keeping you safe if we bring him on board.” He argued. I had to admit, as much as I thought this was a bad idea, Jack had argued some valid points. He was right, we couldn’t trust anyone, and even though Mark was acting in a way I could not understand right now, I could still count on him to show up for me.“I thought you said we couldn’t trust anyone, and don’t you two hate each other? If we were to work with him, what would happen then?” I asked, with a hint of doubt. It seemed rather unlikely that those two could put aside their male ego
The day of reckoning had arrived. In a few minutes now, Anna and her troop will be taking Edgar and his men by surprise. The stage had been set with everyone working together to end Edgar’s tyranny.Under the cover of the night, Anna, Mark, Jack, and their allies positioned themselves near Edgar’s main hideout. Zach had fed them crucial information about the hideout's layout and where Edgar and George would likely be during the operation. Armed and ready, they moved swiftly, slipping through shadows and avoiding detection.As they closed in, Anna felt a mix of fear and exhilaration. She knew this confrontation would determine everything—her role in The Circle, her fate, and Mark’s future with his family. She glanced at him, catching his gaze, and a silent understanding passed between them. Finally, they reached the inner sanctum, silently taking down Edgar’s security guards, until they reached where Edgar and George were having a conversation. The two men looked surprised but quickly
As Mark prepared to find his brother, Zach, he couldn’t help but feel a mixture of fear and hope. Although he had agreed to work with Anna, he wasn’t convinced she understood just how deep the roots of The Circle ran or how much any of this had affected him. However, seeing how resolved she was to take down Edgar had swayed him, and he knew that, for his brother’s sake, he had to give her plan a chance.Meanwhile, after Anna walked out of the room, she now decided to contact Jack. As soon as he picked up, she explained her suspicions about The Circle and how their influence might reach farther than even she had initially thought, informing him that she needed him now more than ever. A few hours passed and Mark arrived at a small, dimly lit bar where Zach was known to spend his evenings. Immediately he walked in, he spotted Zach sitting at the far end of the bar, looking troubled. Mark approached him slowly, and as soon as he sat down, he placed a firm hand on his brother's shoulder.
Author’s POV“So you’re telling me that you are not just a part of an evil organization that has been around for years, but you are also the head?” Mark asked, staring at Anna in disbelief. “I know this is difficult to process, but it is the truth. But we are not all like Edgar.” Anna said.“Right…” Mark scoffed.“No, I mean it. We don’t all want the same thing. The Circle has been in operation for years, working to maintain the balance and smooth operation of the surface world. Edgar and his associates are the only ones with the ideals that things need to change, and that for some reason they are the ones to affect that change. That’s why we are fighting them. We are trying to retain order and balance in this world.”“And how do you do that, huh?”“Tell me, Anna, does it involve letting the people up here decide for their lives or does your organization plan out the course of their lives?” Mark asked with a pruning look.“I don’t know about that, I’ve not been a member for long.” A
Author’s POV“What?” Mark recoiled in shock.“Who could have done that?” Anna hesitated for some moments, afraid of how he would take the news. “Tell me, Anna.” He demanded.“Zach!” Anna blurted. “Your brother Zach did.”Mark staggered for some time, trying to process what I had just said. “Are you serious?” He asked, still in disbelief.“I am,” Anna said softly. Mark remained frozen in place for some time, deep in contemplation. I could imagine how difficult this was for him to hear. Zach was a lot and had caused a lot of problems, but at the end of the day, he was still his brother. “I can’t believe this,” Mark muttered and immediately started searching through his drawers.“What are you doing?” Anna asked, to no reply.“What are you doing Mark?” She asked again. “What does it look like I’m doing?” Mark snapped irritably.“I’m going down to have a conversation with my brother and give him the chance to explain how he almost got me killed.” He raged and grabbed his car key.Ann
Author’s POVThose words filled Anna with a sudden dread. She hoped that somehow Mark would not ask her that because she still wasn’t sure who the father of her children truly was. There was that stranger from that night, and then there was Luke. For all she knows, it could have been either of them.Seeing how hesitant she was, Mark asked again,“Is the father still in the picture Anna? What happened with him?” At that point, Anna quickly turned around, “He’s not in the picture and that’s all that I can say. I don’t really like to talk about him.” She said, her heart beating out of her chest.Much to her surprise, Mark did not ask anything concerning him again. He waited for some time and then his lips curved into a smile,“I’d like to meet them.” As soon as she heard these words, Anna’s eyes widened in shock.“I’m sorry. You want to meet…”“Your children,” Mark interjected. “Is that okay with you?” He added.Anna remained frozen for some moments, her thoughts running wild. This w
Author’s POVUpon hearing that, Mark’s face reddened with humiliation. He didn’t think she would figure it out, but she was right, he was afraid. After Lydia died in that car accident, Mark had spent his entire life afraid of being abandoned, and that fear resurfaced when he learned of Anna’s children.“No Anna, the issue here is that you could not trust me. I’ve already been down that road once with Mia, and I don’t want to be in another relationship where my girlfriend is keeping secrets from me.” He argued.As much as he had a point, Anna was still not convinced. She knew Mark was trying to change the course of their conversation and she would not let him.She shot him a soft gaze and slowly walked toward him, “I know it’s not easy to admit Mark, and I know that I shouldn’t have kept this away from you for so long, but I am afraid too.” Anna said and Mark’s eyes shot up with curiosity.Anna heaved a deep sigh and continued, “When I first came into town, I didn’t know what I was goi
Anna“Who’s there?” Mark’s voice sounded through the door.I hesitated to answer. One word from me and he’d be calling the guards to throw me out, or at least that’s what I thought, so I knocked again and waited a while for his answer. This time he did not bother to say anything, and after waiting for a while, I knocked again.“I already told you, Rita, I don’t need anything!” His voice echoed in annoyance as he approached the door, and unlocked it.As soon as his gaze met mine, he froze in shock for some moment, unable to find the words to say anything.“Anna?”“Wh-what are you doing here?” Mark asked, and immediately his brows creased into a deep frown.“Mark, I just want to talk…” I started to say, but he rudely cut me off.“I don’t have anything to say to you.” He replied coldly and tried to close the door, but I quickly put my feet through the doorframe, stopping him.He shot one look at me and sighed heavily, turned his back, and walked inside the room, leaving me at the door.
Anna“You want my advice? Go for it.” I said, encouraging Jack. Deep down I knew it was a selfish act. As much as I hoped that he’d find love somewhere else, a part of me wanted to believe what it told him about Anna, that deep down she did not still harbor any feelings toward Mark. I’d hate to be in competition with my sister over a man we both wanted. Jack seemed flustered when I said that. I could tell he hoped that no one would spot his feelings toward Chloe, especially not the girl he was just trying to get over.Still, he managed to keep his composure and quickly tried to change the focus,“You should try taking your own advice with Mark. I know I’ve not always made your relationship with him easy, and I apologize for the part I played in that. But whatever this thing is between you and Mark, it’ll be a shame if you both fall out.” He said.“Jack, what happened between Mark and I is not because of you. He just couldn’t stand the honesty he wanted.” I said, pushing the bangs on
“Mark and I used to date.” The words echoed in my head like I was reliving a nightmare. I froze in shock, not sure what to say or how to even react. Deep down, I couldn’t help but dismiss the thought that this was the relationship Chloe and Mark shared, but I always tried to convince myself it wasn’t anything like that. Mark never talked a lot about her even after we met at that party, and I just assumed there was nothing much to say about an old friend.Now I see I was just trying to keep my thoughts away from a fear I didn’t want to have to face.However, I couldn’t understand why Chloe chose to tell me at this point and why Mark never said anything. Was he hiding something about their relationship? I didn’t know Chloe was my sister then, and I’m sure he didn't know either. Certainly, I wouldn’t have minded much about a girl he dated in the past, and at this point, I was convinced he was hiding something.As much as it should have felt good that I now had something to call him out