Between Love and Scandal

"Check the document. Otherwise, you'll regret not finding out sooner."Aileen was reminded of the warning words of the mysterious Mark. The arrogant man with the enigmatic appearance had joined the marketing department a month ago."What the hell does that mean?" Aileen grumbled to herself as her hands searched for the file she wanted.The man's performance immediately baffled Aileen, the head of marketing. And here she was, sneaking into the Director's office to follow Mark's absurd suggestion.Her eyes widened as she read a document with a title on it. "Ah, here it is!" she muttered.She quickly opened it and flipped through the pages to find the one she wanted. Pulling her cell phone from her pocket, she snapped pictures of the report's summary pages.Occasionally turning her head toward the door, Aileen ensured the secretary did not re-enter the room. She was now concentrating on taking pictures. Her heart was pounding. It felt like a bomb would go off at any moment when the door

The booming voice of the man in his early forties did not shake Mark and Aileen's resolve. Both stood where they were, looking straight into Mr. William's face."Good afternoon, Sir. I'm sorry, we didn't mean to make a scene outside your office, but we need to talk to you as soon as possible, so...""Tell me here as soon as possible. Or if it takes longer, I'll let Laura listen and take notes. I'm in an important meeting with a client," Mr. William replied quickly."Um, actually, we'd like to have a word with your important client, if you'd let us, Sir?”"What do you mean? And who is this gentleman, Ms. Aileen? Isn't he a new employee in your department, transferred from another branch?" Immediately, Mr. William turned to Aileen, whom he had gotten to know well during his two years of service."Uh, this is Mr. Mark Miller, Sir. We have an important matter to discuss with you immediately." Aileen finally replied, summoning all her courage.She was not afraid of Mr. William. It was just

"Oh, God! Nowhere, huh?"Aileen gasped in shock. The hopes that had just soared were now dashed to the ground."Shit! Why did they take my phone?" screamed Mark, sounding very annoyed.Aileen rolled her eyes in disgust."Of course they did. It's an unwritten rule of siege procedure. Disarming the victim and their communication devices is the most important thing they have to do," Aileen said in an annoyed tone.Mark snorted quietly. He was very annoyed by this fact."Oh, I hope the cell phone wasn't turned off so the central team can find out where we are now. They'll still be able to find the last place the phone was before it went off."Aileen decided to give up hope for now. She was now focused on thinking of ways to break free of the restraints and escape the room."Can you crush this chair and make a pointy end to hang our ropes from?" Aileen offered her opinion.Suddenly, Mark thought about such a method. It seems possible, he thought. Then, he struggled to move from his positio

Three thugs were left behind, overpowered by Mark. Alone, armed, and with a body that was also strong under his suit. If Aileen had seen Mark's skill in dodging and counterattacking his opponents, her admiration for him would have increased dramatically.Unfortunately, the girl was in a race against time herself, and her breathing was ragged. She was unable to stop her steps to take a deep breath. The soles of her feet hurt from the many sharp pebbles and bushes along the way, as it seemed to be a forest area in the middle of nowhere.Aileen, who was just a newcomer and had to work every day as soon as she arrived in the city, needed more time to get to know many other areas outside the city center, which offered everything she needed with complete availability, except, of course, vacations. Yes, come to think of it, she had rarely taken a vacation in the past year. And even when she did, she used it to return to her hometown.Behind her, the sound of running feet came closer. Oh God!

Mark searched the forest for Aileen's tracks. But it took work to find tracks anywhere. Especially when it was already night, and there was no light in the forest except the headlights of his car.Feeling that he would find nothing, Mark drove the car to the paved road he saw after leaving the forest area. From there, he searched for the nearest police station. For some reason, he was sure he would find Aileen there.When he found the first police station, it was closed. Still, there was an officer on duty, and Mark saw that a woman was writing a report in front of the officer. Aileen!Since it was closed, the officer on duty was only working on Aileen's report in the glass front room that Mark could see from outside.He got out of the car immediately and walked with a slight limp toward the girl who had been occupying his mind. It was a relief to see Aileen in good shape. He don't know how she survived.Aileen and the guard looked up as they saw a car pull into the yard. And Aileen ev