AnnaThe entire elevator ride was filled with tension as we approached the ground floor. My heart was pounding heavily, not from danger, but in fear of what I’d tell Mark if Rita got to him first. I didn’t think I’d have to tell him about my children just yet, not sure if our relationship could accommodate that.We continued down in silence until we reached the ground floor. One of the men shoved me out, leading me towards the main entrance. I felt very confused when we finally emerged from the door I stared into the woods. The last thing I remember is passing out in Logan’s form, so how did I end up here?Slowly, I turned towards the hefty men escorting me, filled with confusion, and asked “Where are we? How do I get to twin from here?” Immediately their gaze turned cold as they shoved me again, “What do we look like, Uber drivers to you? You better start walking and find your way to the road. Except you want to be stuck here in the thunderstorm that’s coming.” He said and then th
Anna “Anna?” He called rushing towards me. He squatted in front of me, quickly taking off his jacket and wrapping it around my shoulders. At this point, I didn’t need to lift my head to know who it was. It felt like a dream and also like my biggest nightmare. Mark was here. “What are you doing here? How did you end up here?” He asked, his voice shifting between concern and worry. I gulped, still looking down, afraid to look at his face. “Anna? Anna, are you okay?” He repeated, helping me to my feet. “My God, you’re cold.” My hands were trembling, still afraid to look at him, wondering where he came from. Suddenly, he grabbed my chin and slowly turned my face towards his direction. “Are you okay? Say something.” Staring into his familiar blue eyes, I felt my heart breaking at the sight of it, and without any warning, my eyes welled up in tears, my voice quivering as I muttered, still in disbelief, “Mark?” “Yeah, it’s me, Anna.” He replied, smiling at me, “I’m home.” He s
Anna “What were you doing out there anyway?” Mark’s voice resounded in my head as I approached the car. “I just got lost, that’s all,” I answered and without waiting for his response, I quickly stepped into the car. Mark stared at the woods again, scratching his head in confusion, and then heaved a sigh and turned away. Stepping into the car, he ignited the engine and drove off wordlessly. I hunkered my head down on the car headrest, tilting my gaze to the road as we drove towards Mark’s hotel. He did not want anybody to know that he was back home, so decided to stay at the hotel. For some reason, he seemed a little tensed and fidgety and at first I thought it was because I did not give him a proper explanation about what I was doing in the woods. However, I started to notice Mari was putting a lot of effort into hiding his face whenever we approached a security camera or security official. It was at that moment I knew he wasn’t suspicious of me. He was hiding something, some
Anna“The Vial?” I repeated, shocked.“Yes, the vial. It’s…”“My father’s well-kept secret,” I interjected, my mind trailing off.That just means Logan was not kidding. He was working with Edgar. This meant he was also right about something else, the Circle was larger than any of us could have imagined.“How do you know about the vial?” Jack’s words echoed over the phone, breaking me out of my thoughts.“It contains the codes to my father’s wealth and fortune. That’s what Edgar has been looking for all this time, and now he finally has it.” I said, my voice trailing off.“How do you know any of this, Anna?” Jack asked, but just then I heard footsteps echo on the hardwood floor behind me,“Anna do you want to…” Mark said approaching me with a towel wrapped around his waist, and suddenly stopped, his face reflecting confusion.“Is that Mark?” Jack said as I took the phone away from my ear. However, his voice was still echoing from the speaker as I turned around.“Is that Jack?” Mark ask
Anna“Do you still love me?” Marks’ words replayed in my head as a tear slid down my face.I stood quietly for some moment, my words stuck in my throat. Answering this should have been easy. I did love him, but I could not ignore the fact that his life was going to be in danger just for having me as a girlfriend. Deep down I wanted him gone, it was the only way I could think of to keep him safe. Seeing how hesitant I was to answer the question, Mark smiled painfully, shaking his head, “You can’t say it, can you? You don’t love me anymore.” He uttered and without waiting for my response, turned and walked back into the bedroom. My mind was racing as he walked back into the room. A part of me wanted to keep him close and have a beautiful relationship with him, but another part of me realized the dangers of doing that. It was a real catch-22 moment and as I was still deliberating, Mark suddenly showed up, dressed in a navy blue suit and a stern look on his face.“What are you doing?” I
Anna It happened just as I predicted, Mark had left. I knew telling him about my children was a bad idea, but I felt like I had no other choice. Part of me hoped that he would stay after I told him about them. That he wouldn’t resent me. What was I thinking? Mark was a young, handsome CEO billionaire of the Greyson family. Of course, he would not want to have to deal with not just one, but three children. How stupid could I have been to think, he’d want us? Watching him walk out that door was one of the most painful things I’d ever felt, and for a few minutes, I could not even get myself up from the floor. I sobbed bitterly, knowing there was no other person to blame but myself. Right now, I didn’t know where our relationship stood, but to be quite honest, I didn’t know if I wanted him back. It was better this way, and safer too. But still, I couldn’t ignore the pain I felt. Suddenly, my phone rang, snapping me out of my trance. My heart leaped instantly, thinking that it was M
Anna “What?!” Jack’s voice echoed his surprise, confirming what I already suspected. He was the only person who really knew much about my past, and yet he didn’t know about Chloe. This could only mean one thing. She was lying. The only question now, was why would she be? And how did she get those pictures and know so much about the Circle? “What exactly did she say?” Jack asked shortly after. “Not much, she only told me that Demarcus already had a family before he moved to Delroy. Because of his influence and popularity, he couldn’t risk having his image damaged by revealing he already had another family. That is his way, this was how he could protect her and her mom, which is why she didn’t say anything, but seeing that I was in danger from the Circle, she had to reveal herself to me.” Jack remained quiet for a while, deep in thought over what I had said. “It isn’t true Jack, right? Demarcus didn’t have another family.” I asked. Jack hesitated for a while, and then replied, “I
Jack From having to meet Blake at Brigdon and now Mark’s return to the city. I didn’t know which was most surprising. When we caught Anna’s ex, I didn’t think that this whole thing would lead to Mark returning. I didn’t know he was back in Brigdon, but I feared he might reveal the fact that I didn’t call him. Also, his being back was going to be a problem. Confessing about my feelings to Anna was a mistake I shouldn’t have made. Things were now awkward between us, and with Mark returning, I knew it would just further the distance between us. I knew I had promised Sheila that I would leave the country when this business with The Circle had ended, but Edgar had robbed us of The Vial, and now also had her blood. This thing was far from over and as long as he had the things he needed to access Demarcus’ fortune, Anna was never going to be safe. I couldn’t leave now, I needed to look after Anna. At least that’s what I kept telling myself as an excuse not to leave. I knew it was dangerous