Elena had never been so nervous her entire life. She didn't even know what she was doing or what she was going to say. When she thought she was going to break up with Marcus she had planned out everything she wanted to say but with Gavin, she was a mumbled mess and she hadn't even talked to him yet. Speaking of one of those men and conversations she didn't know how to start, it had been three days since the incident and Marcus had busied every one of her calls. He always texted her with an excuse but she felt nervous and worried about the whole situation. Who knew what Isabel said to him?Thinking about Isabel gave her chills, specifically because she was scared of Isabel but also because Isabel seemed like someone who always got what she wanted, so how far was she willing to go to push Elena out of the picture? And it wasn't like she could talk to Marcus about her fears, mostly because he wasn't picking up her calls and also because she didn't know how to bring it up, "Hey, Marcus,
"Henry, hi. Am I in trouble?" Was the first thing Elena asked once she was ushered into the tiny office. Henry chuckled and made his way around her to his desk."No, not at all. Except there is something I should know?" He asked, teasing her."Uh, nope.""You look tense," he noted as he pushed some files around to create space on his rather messy desk. "Is something wrong?" He asked, tilting his head to the side."No, nothing is wrong. Uh, why did you call me in?""Oh yes, I was going through your work rate and it has dropped a lot. You're usually on top of this stuff and ahead of most of your colleagues. Is anything the problem?""No, everything is fine, Henry. I guess I'm just going through a lot of personal issues but I'm fine and I promise I'll sit up and take my work more seriously." She rambled."Elena, it's fine, just take it easy, okay? You're not in trouble. I just wanted to know what's wrong and if you need a couple of days to recuperate or get yourself together."Elena was
It was hard to think reasonably when Gavin was kissing her like that, so Elena did not think at all. She didn't stop to consult her conscience when Gavin led her up the stairs to her apartment, and she definitely did not pay heed to her morals when he picked her up and dropped her on her bed. His scent was intoxicating and it was hard to focus on anything else when his hands and his lips were doing wonders to her. She was making noises she never thought she could.Being with Gavin was different from being with Marcus, Marcus was calm and cautious, checking on her every step of the way and he was always pacing himself around her, it was the opposite of how he portrayed himself: cold and vicious. But with Gavin, it was the complete opposite, while Gavin was the calm and cute puppy normally he was different and domineering once he got her permission. Their kiss was rough, everything was hot and heavy and it all went by in a blur, that was why it was hard to realize what was going on unt
"I have to take this," Elena said, picking her phone up from the counter."Your boyfriend, I'm guessing?" Gavin asked annoyance and jealousy in his tone."I have to take this," she repeated and left the small space, brushing against Gavin as she did so. "Hello?""Elena, I'm sorry this week has been hectic.""Yeah, I gathered that.""You don't work on weekends right?""Yeah…why?""The getaway I was talking about. It's a five-hour drive so we have to leave early. I'll pick you up in twenty minutes, whatever you can't pack we'll buy on the way—""Wait a minute, hold on, Marcus. What do you mean you'll pick me up in twenty minutes?""I just said it's a five-hour drive and we need to beat traffic." He said it like it was the most obvious thing ever and he did not just drop a bomb on her."Can you hear yourself?" "Is there a problem?" He asked. Confusion laced his tone."What do you mean 'is there a problem?'? You haven't responded to my texts in days, you haven't picked up my calls and yo
An impromptu road trip with a man you partly just confessed your infatuation for was not how Elena expected her day to start but there she was, in the front seat of Marcus's sleek black car, her luggage neatly placed in the back seat, and Marcus humming along to the song playing lowly on the radio. The atmosphere wasn't nearly as tense as their previous encounters but it was still a bit awkward seeing as they had nothing to say to each other. And Elena could not stop pondering on the fact that if Gavin hadn't left, Marcus could have met him there, how exactly would she have explained that situation?Another thing running through her mind was what had Marcus been up to while he had been ghosting her and were they still in a relationship? And if they were, did she need to tell him about her night with Gavin?"You seem to be lost in your thoughts,""What else am I supposed to do?" "This is supposed to be a couples bonding kind of thing.""Right after you ghosted me for a week straight,
"Marcus," Elena called, a look of awe on her face."Yeah?" Marcus asked, shutting the door to the car and pulling their bags towards the front door. "You said we were going to a cabin.""Uh, yes…and?" "This is a freaking mansion, Marcus!" Elena was not exaggerating but the look on Marcus's face made it seem like she was. The 'cabin' was definitely in the middle of nowhere, it was just miles and miles of trees around it but it looked like it belonged on the cover of a catalogue about beautiful houses. It was made mostly of wood and bricks, and it was a storey building with two beautiful balconies and sliding glass doors. She couldn't help but wonder what the view would look like when it started snowing. Marcus had already told her there was a probability it would snow during their stay, and that was why half of her suitcase was her winter clothes."Really?" Marcus asked confused, a tint of amusement on his face."I'm scared to find out what your idea of a mansion looks like." "Hopefu
Elena was not expecting an answer from Marcus when she asked the question but she was acting hopeful. However, the scowl on Marcus's face indicated the conversation was over and the question would remain unanswered. He got up and packed the plates, "It's getting late. You should head to bed, you've had quite a day.""Marcus—""Thanks for the meal," he said cutting her off and putting the dirty dishes in the sink."Marcus, come on, don't do this.""I shouldn't do the dishes? I didn't take you as someone who contributed to the patriarchy—""You know what I'm talking about. Don't be that Marcus, don't shut me out." She walked closer to him and put a gentle hand on his tense shoulder. Marcus let out a shaky breath, "shutting people out is kind of my thing, sweetheart.""Okay, fine. You don't have to talk about it, just don't be moody Marcus, at least not this weekend." Marcus gave her a small smile then squeezed her hand, "I'll try,""So what's the agenda for tomorrow?""Well it's going
Elena woke up to the sound of a door slamming downstairs. She reached towards the other side of the bed but it was empty. She sat up and frowned, feeling stupid for thinking this morning would be like the last, especially after the night she had with Marcus. She got up and took a quick shower before going downstairs to see what the ruckus was about. Marcus was in the living area, shirtless and only wearing briefs, his phone was pressed against his ear as he yelled profanities at whoever was on the other line.“What do you mean by down by fifty per cent? Do you know how much I've put on the line for this deal to work? You don't get to tell me— No, I will not calm down! Now you listen to me, you tell them about the contract we signed, at least a month's notice, that's what it says, and I can have me lawyer fly down there to refresh their memories— yeah you do that. No, none of that. I'll be back tomorrow. Yes, I know what I'm doing! A month is more than enough time for my backup. I'll
Gavin was almost done with what seemed like the worst day ever.The meeting with his lawyers didn't go quite well. There was a lot of money still pending, and they were not happy with this. They gave him his ex-wife's list of demands to meet the compromise he had offered her, and well, it was very demanding.The only thing that made him smile was hearing Pearl talk about Elena. Her voice was still sleepy, but she talked on and on; he couldn't help but feel a little bit of pride, but it was immediately followed up by regret. If he hadn't screwed things up, it would have been him that introduced Elena to the family.After Pearl fell back asleep, he picked up his laptop and tried to do some work, but he couldn't just focus, so he dropped the laptop and went downstairs; that was when he heard Marcus and Benjamin fighting with each other. He rushed into the living room to separate them because if there was one thing their grandfather hated, it was stupid fights in his house.He managed to
Elena was still on the phone with Henry when she saw Marcus walk into the house from the corner of her eye. She assumed he had some work to do inside and couldn't wait around for her to be done with the call, but she wanted him to stay and finish up what he was saying. She may have been wrong, but it seemed like Marcus was about to tell her that he loved her.If he did, that would change a lot of things about their relationship. It would finally be a mature and serious one, and she could tell him how she felt too. So, she quickly wrapped up her conversation with Henry and walked inside in search of Marcus; instead, she found Isabel."Look who it is," Isabel said, a disgusted look on her face as she sized Elena up and down."Good to see you again, Isabel," Elena said, deciding to take the highway and not stoop down to Isabel's level."I wish I could say the same. Somehow, you've managed to manoeuvre your way even deeper into Marcus's life to the point that you make him take you along
Elena's ringtone disrupted the moment and made Marcus stop talking."I'll just silence it," Elena said, reaching into her back pocket to silence her phone."No, no, it's fine you can take it," Marcus said. He didn't trust himself not to tell her exactly how he felt if they were left alone."Are you sure?" Elena asked, a bit uncertain."Yes, I'm sure. It could be important,"Elena nodded and answered the call, "Hello?""Elena," the person on the other line cleared his throat, a bit nervous, "It's Henry." Her supervisor. Elena's face morphed into one of surprise, "Hi, Henry, I'm sorry I don't have your number saved. I thought I told you I was taking the week off. Didn't you see my email? I thought you approved it—""I did. I know you took the week off; I approved it. I was just um, checking in, wondering if you're alright. " Henry said he was sounding a bit more confident."Oh yes, I'm fine, thanks for calling," Elena replied, then mouthed the words "my supervisor" to Marcus, who nodde
She walked upstairs, completely outraged, and pulled the door to their room open. Marcus was seated on the armchair in the corner of the room, working on his laptop, but he closed it when he saw the look on her face."Is something wrong? Did my family do something—" he had already stood up, ready to go fight with whoever had made her upstairs, but she stopped him."How could you give my sister that kind of amount and not tell me?!" Marcus looked at her confused before it dawned on him, "Oh, right, the money. I didn't think it was a big deal; I was just trying to help,""She didn't ask for your help! Neither did Derek," Elena replied."It was a gift; they didn't have to ask," Marcus defended."You could have at least had the decency to tell me,""I didn't think it would bother you so much, and quite frankly, I'm a bit confused about why you're upset; it's not the first time I've helped out without you knowing about it.""That doesn't make it okay!""Can you just come right out and tel
Elena watched as Marcus stood at the door, talking to Gavin. It made her really nervous. What if he was telling Marcus about their relationship? Would he do something like that?Her heart skipped a couple of beats when Marcus crossed his arms, a defensive look on his face. She couldn't breathe peacefully until Marcus turned to her, "Babe, Gavin wants to see you," he said casually and then gestured for Gavin to come into their room, then he left.Elena breathed out a sigh of relief; at least Gavin wasn't that selfish. And even if he did tell Marcus, he would have ended up with a broken nose and probably a broken jaw, too."I guess this is where the magic happens," Gavin said sarcastically as he walked into the room properly, hands tucked in his jeans."What do you want?""A favour," he said simply, and Elena snorted in response."I'm serious. I need your help," he said, his voice much more serious. Elena straightened up a bit and arched an eyebrow at him, "with what?""Pearl, my daught
"So, what are we going to do today?" Elena asked Marcus when they were in the privacy of their room after breakfast.As soon as she asked, there was a knock on the door, "Marcus! We have a lot to do today; we better give it a headstart!" Came Isabel's voice from the other side of the door.Marcus groaned in annoyance, "That, I'm going to be doing that. It's really frustrating that she's here, and my dad just had to add to it by making us host our investors!" Marcus complained as he ran his hands through his hair. "Marcus!" Isabel knocked again, this time louder, the entire east wing of the mansion could hear her now."I'll see you in the study, Isabel!" Marcus yelled back. There was a small huff and then the retreating of heels."Has she been here before?" Was Elena's next question. Marcus stilled a bit, "Yeah, a couple of times. You know how friendly my grandma is; she's always open to her coming around. We've also held some events here, and she's been around to manage them," he ans
"That's no way to greet a lady, Marcus," Lori said sternly."I'm sorry, grandma, it's just that this is supposed to be a family thing, and she didn't tell me she was coming," Marcus replied to his grandmother, but his eyes were narrowed at Isabel, who put on a sickly sweet smile that was obviously very fake. Marcus could see right through it. Isabel didn't smile a lot, and she definitely would not be smiling, especially after their last encounter before he left for the mansion, and especially not after he had been busying her calls since he came."I haven't been able to reach you; I was worried. And besides, we have lots of work to catch up on,""I know. I read your emails," he snorted. He looked away from her and pulled out a seat for Elena, who had not said anything since they got downstairs. She and Isabel did not have the best track record."Well, you're always welcome, Isabel," Lori said."Yeah, you always are," Benjamin added and winked at Isabel, but she scoffed and looked away
"Gavin" was the only word Elena could say. She cleared her throat and turned to him. He looked different, more relaxed, no more eye bags; he looked as good as he did when they first met.He walked towards her and sat down on a vacant stool beside her."What are you doing here? And with Marcus?" The tone in which he asked made Elena snap back to reality. He had no damn right to demand an answer or to be so angry at her."I could ask you the same thing, Gavin. Why didn't you tell me you had a daughter?" She fired back, and he visibly tensed."It never came up," he muttered."Really? Because we had several moments where we talked about our childhood and several intimate moments, and you didn't think your six-year-old was an important topic to bring up?" She countered."Elena," his voice was calmer now."I shouldn't be here talking to you," she said and stood up, but he held her hand, stopping her."Does he know?" He asked, referring to Marcus."No," "So the whole time we were—""He knew
Elena felt her food hang in her throat, and she started choking. It wasn't the best reaction to the news or the best impression on Marcus's family, but that was what happened. She was too stunned to swallow properly.Marcus quickly handed her a glass of water and patted her back softly."Are you okay?" He asked her, and she nodded."I'm just, I—" she stopped herself. Marcus could not know about her and Gavin. It would ruin everything, and there was no point she and Gavin were through. There was nothing but history between them, especially since he lied to her; he didn't tell her he had a kid."Is this meal too much of a change from what you're used to?" Benjamin asked, taunting her with his words. Marcus glared at him, "Control your mouth, or I'll do it for you," Marcus warned, but Benjamin just rolled his eyes."Gavin, baby, come over here and give your grandma a hug," Lori insisted. Gavin, who had been standing still in total shock, shook out of it and walked over to Lori to hug he