Stuck Outside.

Everything looked perfect. 

The lights, the music, the delicious aroma that followed the butler around. 

Leia and Mark arrive at the hotel where the celebration is being held, and she marvels at the prestigious face she saw around her. 

Everything there was good. 

"You never thought you'd be in their midst one day, did you?" Mark whispers closely, tickling her ear with his breath. 

Leia flinches from surprise as she jumps back. Her brows curve in anger.

He was right though, during her journey as a journalist, she always had to wait until she was called upon to attend such gatherings.

When Leia did attend, she had to wait until she got the opportunity to be called upon to interview them. 

For a journalist, this was paradise. 

"If you had just stayed by my side a little longer, maybe you wouldn't need to wait for such occasions to speak with them," he said. 

The both of them stare at each other for a brief moment. 

Something was telling her to be on guard so she could never be comfortable around him. 

"Mrs. Sky!" She hears a cheerful voice call out. 

In a puzzle, Leia's eyes start to wander through the crowd in search of whoever was out there calling to her. 

Finally, buried in the crowd, she spots Kasen's attorney making his way towards her. 

With two glasses of champagne in his hand, and a woman behind him, attorney Harry hurries towards her.

"Didn't expect to see you both here," he greets Leia with a gaze of scorn directed towards Mark who reaches out to him as they shake hands. 

Although surprised to see Harry there, she couldn't be more thankful to him for lighting the mood. 

"This place is fantastic, isn't it?" he asks. 

She looks around and couldn't agree more, her eyes have been stealing glances ever since she arrived. 

"This hotel is beyond beautiful, the owners must have spent a fortune on their hotel," she says to Harry. 

"Leia? I presume," a calm unfamiliar voice whispers close behind her. 

She turns around only to be faced by a woman probably in her eighties. Next to the elderly woman is her husband who looks quite older than her. 

Leia didn't need guesswork to know who these two were, but just as she was about to speak, she felt a hand around her waist and a slight pull back, and she felt Mark's breath upon her neck as he whispers into her ear. 

"Now's your chance," he tells her, before pushing her forward once again. 

"It's an honor to meet you Mr. and Mrs Fabien," Leia greets them both. 

"There's no need to act so formal, my godson told me so much about you," the glad woman says with a chuckle. 

She feels relieved knowing that things were now going to be a lot easier since she didn't have a terrible view of Kasen now that his name has been sullied. 

"I'm sure my husband did," Leia laughs.

"No, no, not him… well, they're both my godsons, but I'm talking about Mark," the woman answers. 

Leia eyes widens as she stares in confusion, she leans forward, unable to hide her shock, "Excuse me?"

"Well, I wasn't expecting you to reveal that story so soon," Mark laughs, joining the conversation as a puzzled Leia just stares. 

"It doesn't matter now, does it? You're both my godsons, which makes her my goddaughter," the woman says. 

Mark laughs loudly, his hand crossing over to Leia's shoulder as he shakes her shoulder.

"We haven't told anyone but," the woman leans forward as she whispers into Leia's ear. 

"It's a good thing I finally get to see her before the big announcement, we were planning for you and Kasen to share this spotlight since we'll be handing our shares to the both of you, but since Kasen is in that dreadful state we'll have to leave things in Mark's hand until Kasen comes out."

Having heard this, Leia is left pale and frozen. 

Mark grins at her, while she stares blankly with shock, "Look, Leia's too stunned to speak," he teases her. 

His eyes seem to question if she understands the situation she was in, and she couldn't help but lament at this discovery. 

It wasn't the Fabien's she was supposed to please, if she wanted to save the company, the person she needed to suck up to wasn't them.

"Goodness, are you, alright dear?" Mr Fabien asks. 

"Yes, I am, I just wasn't expecting this," she laughs nervously.

"Of course you weren't, it was meant to be a surprise," Mark replies. 

"Don't allow my wife to bore you with her talks, please, feel free to look around," Mr Fabien says, escorting his wife away. 

"Certainly uncle," Mark nods, his hand gesturing towards a direction, "this way," he shows her. 

Without question Leia follows him as he leads her to the back door, which certainly wasn't what Mr Fabien meant when he asks Mark to show her around. 

When they arrive, Mark gently closes the door, blocking out the music as he walks forward. 

"I suppose you now understand what you're supposed to do now don't you?" He starts. 

She couldn't deny this realisation, and it pains her to think that she would need to get his good grace if she wanted to save the company and secure her position. 

"What is it you want?" 

"Renounce your position and I'll consider helping," he announces.  

His word doesn't come as that much of a shocker but she didn't think he'd be so forward with this. 

"I don't understand why you're acting this way, they are your family after all, so what is the problem?" She asked.  

"They are, but I care less about them, I'll deal with them in due time," he says without a single ounce of worry. 

His actions fear Leia who worries about what may become of her since she's already on his hate list. 

However, this version of Mark was different. 

The Mark she knew would talk all about his family all the time and how much fun they've had. 

"What happened?" She wonders. 

With deep breaths she musters up courage. "This position was given to me by my husband, I won't do it." 

"Leia…. Look, no one here wants you in this family in the first place, I'm trying to help you, princess, just take my advice and leave this place, and I'm willing to forgive you for what you did to me."

How painfully cruel his truthful words are that she can't help but feel unwanted and like an ungrateful woman, if only that was how their history went. 

If it weren't for Kasen then she would have been long gone, and it is for his sake that she's putting up with such words. 

"No!"

"Then have it your way," he says, showing her his back as he moves towards the back door. 

"Just in case they haven't told you, your husband, my cousin will be having his first court hearing tomorrow, I suppose those documents you were saving will surely come in handy once I get my hands on them."

Her brows narrow and she rushes towards him, grabbing his hand as she questions him. 

"How do you know about those documents?

Does that mean you've been spying on me, is that it?"

With her questions coming one after the other, Mark reaches out to her as he strokes the locks of her hair. 

"You're despicable…"

"Ahhh, you do want to save the company, don't you? You shouldn't use words like that on your helper, I mean where would you find a lover who decides to help his ex," he tells her.  

Leia's blood was boiling, and if she was with a gun, she could have killed him, but it's his rotten luck she doesn't. 

"I'll leave you to calm down a bit princess," he says, gently taking her hand off his as he reaches for the back door.  

With a twist of the handle, he tries to open it, but no matter how many times he tries, it seems as though…

"Ha! We're stuck!" Mark and Leia were stuck.