Chapter Five

Marie's POV

My heart hammered against my ribs as I chased after Mark.

"Mark, wait! Please!" I called, my voice cracking. He didn't stop until we reached the elevator bank just outside the private lounge area. When he finally turned, the hurt in his eyes nearly broke me.

"A friend for lunch?" he spat, his voice low but trembling with barely contained anger. "Really, Marie? I was worried sick after last night. I thought maybe you needed space, but I followed because I care. And I find you in his goddamn penthouse suite at a five-star hotel? What the hell is going on?"

Tears blurred my vision as I grabbed his arm, refusing to let him pull away. "It's not what it looks like, I swear. He texted me last night saying it was important. I didn't want to go, but after everything at the gala…I thought if I just heard him out, it would end. I told him no, Mark. I said no to all of it."

Mark laughed bitterly, running a hand through his hair as the elevator doors dinged open. He stepped inside and I followed, the small space feeling suffocating. "No to what, exactly? Because from where I was standing, it looked like you two were in the middle of something pretty intense. God, Marie, I trusted you."

The elevator descended, and I wiped at my cheeks, the guilt twisting like a knife. I understood how things may have seemed for Mark, and I knew it wasn't making my case any easier. If I wanted to get out of this without widening the already existing rift between us, then it was best to tell him the truth.

"He proposed, Mark." I started and watched as Mark's face immediately contorted with fear and shock. "He offered me five million to do it."

Mark's face went pale, then flushed red with a mix of shock and rage. "Five million? Jesus Christ. So this is what you are to him? A transaction? And you went up there anyway, after promising me last night that he was just history?"

The doors opened to the main lobby, and we stepped out into the bustling hotel entrance. I pulled him toward a quieter alcove near the revolving doors, my hand trembling on his sleeve. "I'm not taking the money. I'm not going back to him. I love you, Mark. You're the one who makes me feel safe, who remembers the little things, who builds a real future with me. Andrea is chaos. He's always been chaos."

He stopped, turning to face me fully. His hands cupped my face gently, thumbs brushing away fresh tears. The respect was still there in his touch, even now, and it made my chest ache harder.

"Then why did you go? Why didn't you tell me about the text? I thought we were past secrets after the gala."

"I was scared," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "Scared that if I ignored it, he'd show up again and ruin what we have. But I swear, I told him no. I told him I have you, that I'm not the girl he can buy anymore."

Mark searched my eyes for what felt like forever. Then, without warning, he pulled me close and kissed me, heated but controlled, his lips firm and familiar. His hands slid to my waist, holding me like I might disappear. I kissed him back, pouring everything into it, trying to remind myself why this was right.

But as his thumb traced my hip, my mind betrayed me. For a split second, I remembered Andrea's serious face across that table, saying "I want us to get married for real." The memory sent an unwanted spark through me, my thighs clenching at the ghost of his possessive touch from two years ago. I pulled away slightly, breathing hard, guilt flooding me anew.

Mark noticed. Of course he did. "What is it?" he asked, forehead resting against mine. "You're here with me, but part of you is still up there, aren't you? When he called you wife last night… did some part of you want that? Be honest with me, Marie. I'm fighting for us, but I can't do it if you're torn."

Tears spilled over again. "I chose you," I whispered fiercely. "That's all that matters."

He softened a fraction, pulling me into a hug, his chin resting on my head. "I want to believe you. I love you, Marie. But this guy… he's not going to stop. Five million? That's a lot of money. And the way he looked at you…" Mark's voice cracked. "It felt like he already owned you."

Mark was probably right, with something as big as his entire empire on the line, it was unlikely that Andrea would stop anytime soon. But what could I do? How do I stop him from thinking about me, about this ridiculous offer?

"Please take me home." I finally managed to whisper after taking more than a minute to think without finding answers. Avoiding Andrea would be difficult, he was like an all consuming plague. Should I run away again? Go to a new country and start a new life there? It seemed like my best option at the moment, but what about Mark? What about my job and the friends that I had made here?

Ahhhhhhh!!!! I screamed inside my head. I just couldn't seem to think of a way to escape that man. Should I accept the offer….

No! How dare you even think about that?! I scolded myself. I couldn't betray Mark, not like that. He deserved so much better.

I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts. I needed to stop thinking about Andrea for now, focusing on myself and my relationship was probably the best thing to do at the moment. And until I was done patching things with Mark, Andrea would never be a thought in my head.