Marcus POV“Have you talked to Briana?” Martina asked.I do not want to respond, but I can't keep her anxious for long. She was also worried about my sister.Briana is her friend, too.“Yeah. Briana and Noah will be here in a while.” I told her and stood up.“Marcus.” She said in her soft, feathery voice that involuntarily sent shivers down my spine.The feelings she evoked in me were unexpected and unwelcome, so my response was a bit harsh.“What?”She was taken aback. I itched to reach out a hand to comfort her.“I am sorry. I did not mean to be rude."She winced.“Can’t we at least be civil to each other?” She asked.I closed my eyes, summoning strength. Martina is the only woman I want, but she kept rejecting me. How can I get over her if she wants us to be civil to each other?I brushed my hair back and looked wearily at her.“Do you know how many times I wanted to grab you when you passed by me? We can’t be friends.” I told her, shaking my head to compound my words.My voice
Marcus POV“What do you mean?” Martina swallowed hard.I knew that she was nervous. It was not my intention to make her upset, but her hard-headedness upsets me, too. She was stubbornly spurning me at every turn, and it was starting to freak me out.“You heard me. If I found out that you are pregnant with my child, you won’t shoo me that easily.” I retorted in a strained voice due to my mounting frustration.Can’t Martina see what she was doing to me?My patience is slowly dipping low, and I can’t hold back the threat that escaped my lips.“I am not getting you off the hook.”Martina looked shaken by my threat.“I am not going to be pregnant.” She declared like she was sure of it.I cocked a brow.“How can you be so sure?”It gave me immense satisfaction to see her blush.I walked toward to close the gap between us.Martina fought me all the way.With every step I took, Martina stepped back until she reached the wall, and there was no way she could escape me.I chuckled at the look of
Marcus POV“You are scaring her, Marcus.” Briana accused after Martina ran out of the room like a scared rabbit.She was Briana’s friend. It won’t come as a surprise to me that she would take Martina’s side. Though I am her brother, Briana had a soft spot for Martina.Probably because they shared the same experience, Martina grew up in the orphanage, the same as my sister. The only difference was that Braina was taken in by the Hunters when she was six. Martina remained in the orphanage until she turned eighteen. Since eighteen is considered an adult, the system let her go to fend for herself. She started working to support herself until Briana met her and hired her to be her assistant.High-strung, I brushed my hair back in frustration.“I was so tired of our push-and-pull set-up. Something has to give. It’s either me or her, but I can’t let go, Briana.” I told my sister sadly.“But you know it’s hard for Martina to trust people. Unlike me, nobody wanted her. Imagine spending ei
Marcus POVThat night, I came home to the usual chaos at the dinner table.The children were happily eating their meal together with the adults.“Daddy M! Let’s eat.” Riley invited me when he saw me at the entrance to the dining hall.As usual, Noah Hunter sits at the table with them.My other two elder siblings, Charles and Rowan do not seem to mind.Briana got up to get me a plate. “I thought you were dining out?” She asked.“Who told you?” I asked, eyes turning sharp.Briana’s expression changed. She must have realized her slip.“I just thought you would eat out.” She said, shrugging.I let it slide.If there had been anyone who had access to her, it was her assistant, Martina. She must have told Briana what she heard earlier.An involuntary grin laced my lips. It gave me immense pleasure to realize that all this while, Martina had been eavesdropping. She pretended not to care, but her actions gave her away all the time.If she was not interested, she wouldn’t be listening to my
Marcus POVI watched my brothers disappear inside their rooms individually, but my feet were reluctant to do the same. My room does not appear inviting at the moment.In the end, I let it carry me outside.I took my car and drove around until I stopped at a low-cost apartment building.I pulled at the curb and looked up at Martina’s unit before glancing at the dashboard clock.It was past midnight, but the light on Martina's unit was still up. She was not asleep yet.I decided to watch and wait for some movement above, but when there was none, something told me to turn the engine off, and I got out of the car.I walked to her doorstep, hesitating.Then, I knocked on her door. There was no answer.I pressed my ear to the door to check if there was movement inside, and when I heard none, I started to panic. What if something happened to her? What if criminals came to her house to rob her?“Martina!” I knocked once again and waited.When there was still no response, I started pounding o
Martina POVI walked the short distance from the parking lot to the entrance of the Rosewood Hotel with bags in my eyes.Marcus’s midnight visit caused me to lose sleep.When he left my apartment last night, I quickly went back to the shower to rinse the sudsy water from my body.All the while, I was cursing him in my head.Why did he have to show up? Was he trying to rub in my face the fact that he just got out of a date with Chloe?He arrived at my apartment past midnight, and I doubt they only had dinner.With Marcus’ caliber, I was sure they did more.“Excuse me!” A man’s voice interrupted me from my musing.Surprised, I turned around to check and saw men walking toward me. They each carry an elaborate flower arrangement in their hands.I stopped and stepped to the right to let them pass.“Good morning, Martina.” The bellhop greeted me at the entrance.I frowned when I noticed a parade of flower baskets ahead of me. “Do we have a special event today, Joe?”Joe shook his head and s
Martina POVEveryone gasped.It was the first time Marcus told Ford Empire employees his intention toward me.“What are you doing?” I hissed, feeling embarrassed all of a sudden.Marcus smirked. “I am courting you.” He said out loud, and everyone started teasing us.There were tweets, whistles, and heckles all around us.Some even clapped Marcus’ back approvingly.“Way to go, Marcus! Don’t let Martina say no.”I smiled at her. People around us had this knowing look on their faces.“Martina, don’t just stand there. Don’t let Marcus wait, or someone might snap him up.” Belle, one of my co-workers, snickered.Marcus wiggled his eyebrows. “See? Stop putting me in misery, Martina.” He joined in the good-natured teasing.I was about to make a searing comeback to reject him, but Marcus intercepted my intent. He grabbed my hand,d and amidst cheering from our small audience, he dragged me out of the office and out of Rosewood Hotel.“Where are you taking me?” I asked when he locked the doo
BrianaBack at the Office.“Where is Martina, and why does my office look like a flower shop?” I asked everyone when I came to my office that morning, and the sight of blooms lining the floor, counters, and tabletops greeted me.Roses, Tulips, Hydrangeas, and Stargazer Lilies were elaborately arranged in bouquets and baskets, creating a satisfying blend of colors. It was actually lovely.At first, I thought it came from Noah, and my heart began beating fast with excitement.Then, I realized the flowers were arranged on my assistant's table, and a hunch formed in my head.One of my employees confirmed my hunch for me.“Didn’t you see them? Marcus took Martina away. The flowers came from him.” Belle, Marcus’ assistant, informed me when the small crowd gathered outside my office started to disperse following my arrival.“What happened?” I asked Belle.“Marcus is courting Martina. Would you believe it?” Belle’s high-pitched voice could not mask her excitement.“You should have seen Martin