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I was already convinced that Marcus's pad was a work of an architectural and design genius.
Not only did he accomplish to make a small space look, well, spacious than it should be, he even had an upper level where it led to a dedicated balcony; the lake in a perfect, sky-high view and the skyscrapers of the city stood tall and proud beside the penthouse building.
The sight from the twenty-seventh floor would easily make a skeptic small town girl like me to move to this superb city. This was, by far, my favorite part of his penthouse.
We sat here all day. We must've enjoyed each other's company that we just noticed that we had consumed the whole afternoon talking about the most random things.
I'd normally call this type of day a waste of time, but Marcus would rather call it one of his rare moments that he'd gladly treasure nowadays.
According to him, he seldom spent his nights in his own abode as he was always occupied by a pile of paper work and endless meetings— he even had a week where he jumped back and forth, country to country, just to meet his business partners, stakeholders, attend charity gatherings, appear to interviews and press cons, magazine photo-shoot, book signing, and public speaking.
It was actually pretty shocking when he intentionally handed over his agenda book from his demi-office. The whole year was already planned out! It was even more mind-boggling that he was so known around the world, yet I never seen his face before.
I must be too pre-occupied by stressing myself with school projects. After all, university cost too much money. Both Nana and Mom were supporting my education; I didn't want to disappoint them by failing a class or even dare dropping a class. I always gave it my best shot.
"You're the CEO, you're the boss. You can take a leave whenever you want, right?" I asked him. But his honest response was even though he had a fancy title attached next to his name, that title only added to the weight he had to endure.
Although he had the prestige label at such early stage in his life, it was rather a curse than a blessing he once said.
I couldn't quite grasp his complaints about his sumptuous lifestyle at first because truth be told, being born into a ludicrously rich family sound much uncomplicated especially for someone like me. No laundry to be done, no dishes to be washed— all he had to worry about was how and where to spend his money!
Or so I thought.
I couldn't hold back the pang of sympathy as he reiterated his humdrum, as he described it, of a childhood.
"I grew up in a strict environment because of our family name, so the way that my mom solved the snooty paparazzi is by putting as much bodyguards as possible, and keep us busy with extra-curricular lessons like music, horse-back riding, and even sports. Home-schooling is also an alternative, but mom figured it'll be better to go to a private school instead."
"After high school, my position as the next heir became more obvious because my dad introduced me to the corporate job as he made me work every summer as an intern in all of the departments. And it became a routine, you know. Every summer, I'll be the intern. I even had the opportunity to see the assembly line in one of the factories up north. By the time I finished college, got my MBA in management, dad retired and I took over."
"The company is responsible for over five thousand employees who work from all over the globe. They work on the front lines, Emerald. I have big decisions to make to make sure that the business is up and running in a smooth sail—also to make sure that my employees are satisfied with working under my care. I need to work ten times more than they do because without them, I wouldn't have been living such a luxurious lifestyle," was another thing he said which struck my mind the most.
Marcus was not the person I typically pictured in my head who had lived large his whole life although he admitted that he had taken advantage, on more than one occasion, of his name and money.
"Do you not like your job?"
"Don't get me wrong, I acknowledge my privileges and am very lucky to be at the pinnacle of the business even before reaching thirty," He glanced back at me, smiling. But that smile slowly straightened. "Sometimes I hate it, sometimes I like it, and for the past year that I took over as the new CEO after my dad, the scrutinizing barely stopped."
It twisted my heart to hear that other people actually couldn't accept him as the new CEO yet. "Can't you fire those who think badly of you?"
He only chuckled. "I wish I could, but thinking wrong of me is not a very valid and acceptable reason to fire somebody who had worked at the company longer than I did. It'd be a bad business ethics. Plus, they are an asset so it'll be my lost if they work for the competition. It wouldn't be a very smart move now, would it?"
I thought about what he said for a brief moment and he made sense in some way. "So you're just really going to allow them to step all over you and... don't have the say?"
Marcus shook his head. "Of course not. I'm a sole believer of the saying: 'No one can make you feel inferior without your consent'. I know what I'm capable of doing. I know the business like the back of my hand, and I can manage even with the old geezers doubting my decisions on purpose. Sure, they are a pain in the ass when it comes to collective decisions but being a CEO is not just about pulling ranks when necessary. It's also my duty to create a healthy culture for the company— a company where my employees are happy and proud to work in and devout their time until the time they retire."
Marcus leaned back to the soft armchair, deep in thought as he stared at the horizon again. "But sometimes, I can't help but think sometimes what my life would be if I wasn't the CEO."
His response made me pause for a second, possible occupation for someone as good looking as Marcus bombarded my mind.
"You're probably going to be a model or some kind of a hot celebrity," I blurted out, a sudden gush of blood rushed through my body and tinted my cheeks a deep crimson shade. Marcus's beauteous amber orbs settling on me, an obvious grin drawn on his face.
"You think I'm hot?"
I rolled my eyes at him. "I mean... I can imagine you as an actor in one of those Nicholas Sparks movie."
"Really? One of his movies won an award for best kiss right?" He asked again, amused. "I think I'm too good for that."
I smacked his shoulders lightly. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
My respect for Marcus grew. He was a genuine person in nature who absolutely cared about the well-being of his people, his subordinates, even those who had misjudged him in the past. He accepted his fate and deliberately sacrificed and neglected his own personal interests, and left his easy-going lifestyle to prove those who second-guessed him otherwise.
I could only imagine the hardship of walking behind the shadow of your father who had accomplished so much before you. Marcus's situation was just like that.
"Have you ever thought about what you could be now if you didn't choose to be a painter?"
His question led me into a prolonged silence and an acrimonious smile slowly crept up the sides of my mouth as images of my disappointed mother clouded my mind. I pursed my lips together in an uninviting line then sucked in my breath before saying anything.
"I'd be pursuing music, I guess?"
"You play?" Marcus was astonished, his conspicuous amused beam written all over his face.
I bobbed my head up and down without breaking the eye contact. "I do. My mom is a piano teacher; she went to Julliard. She wanted to pass the torch to me and had high hopes that I might, you know, fill in what failed to accomplish before she had me. But when I told her that I'm going to pursue my dream of becoming a painter, it was like a drop of a bomb for my mom. After all, she put a lot of effort into teaching me and paying for private lessons."
This time, my eyes were set on the skyscrapers standing proud as I freely reminisce the past. "I don't regret choosing this path. I know it's too early to say that, but I'm ready to face the jagged and narrow path of a struggling artist. My dream is simple. I don't wish to become famous or anything fancy like that—all I want is someone who understands my art." The sides of the mouth were already stretching for a smile. "And hopefully they are nice enough to buy it." I added with a slight giggle.
I turned my head to Marcus's direction once again, meeting his unwavering pleased grin.
"I admire and envy you at the same time, Emerald. You're only in your teen years and you already know what you want in life. You don't ask for a lot—you ask for what suffices. You're very humble," He uttered without leaving his gaze on mine.
"Thank you," His compliment deepened the tinge of red on my now-warm cheeks. A little surprised that I managed to utter my thanks without stuttering.
"What about you? I bet you're living the dream," I said, waggling my eyebrows playfully but he only looked away, his gaze set on the blood orange sky.
"To be honest with you, I have never thought of chasing my own dreams when I was your age. Ever since I was a kid, I was completely aware that I will be next in line to take over the business. It's inevitable. So thinking about pursuing my own dreams is useless and a waste of time," Marcus's tenor sent an aching feeling to my heart as he concentrated to the view in front of him.
My gaze at him held longer— watching him as I read between those lines. The way that the shadows of the setting sun danced within his amber eyes made it harder to look away.
But his words— the way he spoke of his missed opportunity to choose his own dreams put a deep, sharp knife in my dainty heart. Marcus may have had all the abundance of money and luxury in the world, but that didn't make him any less human.
"Hey, if you want, I can call up one of my friends from a museum my dad partially owns. They have really cool scholarship programs for aspiring artists like you." He said as he threw a glance at me and changed the subject quickly even before I could comment.
"R-Really? You can do that?"
He nodded in reply. My eyes rounded in utter bewilderment at his irresistible offer but quickly frowned when I realized something important.
"But, my school is all the way to Vancouver. I don't think they can support someone out of the province." I said, practically kissing my possible scholarship goodbye.
"Oh right," Marcus didn't look too bothered by that fact, instead he displayed a smug smile. "It's okay. You can just transfer to one of the schools here," he finished.
My mouth gaped at his suggestion, raising my tone an octave at his ludicrous idea. "What!? No way! My mom will kill me."
"What's wrong with that? It's not like going away for university is new," He whipped in a matter-of-factly tone.
My palms started to sweat. I was completely aware of that fact, but I already had enough giving my mom trouble for coming here. "You don't understand Marcus. Transferring schools to another province? That's crazy expensive."
"I went to another country to go to school. What's your excuse?"
I rolled my eyes, he was completely oblivious of my financial struggle. "Even if you wish to go to Mars you can still afford it," I said, pointing at him. "My ridiculously expensive tuition, books, apartment, even my art supplies— it already cost mom and Nana an arm and a leg. Transferring here will cause mom a heart attack."
Of course, the then thousand grand prize from an anonymous buyer of the painting would suffice for another year of my schooling, but mom would kill me if I even breathe about the idea of transferring schools here.
My mother's warning practically rang to my ears. Anywhere but Toronto, dear.
I had no clue why she always had a problem about my coming here. She went ballistic the first time I opened up my reason to coming here. I had countless attempts of learning the reason behind it, but all she said was it was for my own good. Until now, the meaning behind those words had left me unsettled inside and my urge to really learn the story behind it grew stronger.
"You have your Nana's house here, remember? Just live there."
I slapped my palms to my forehead, resounding a loud smacking sound. How could he had forgotten that the house was at stake from the very contract that he initiated?
Releasing an exasperated sigh, I shot him daggers. "That's not really a very reliable option since the house is part of the deal. What if the plan fails?"
Finally remembering the contract made my gut coil. My remaining time here in Toronto was slowly passing, and we haven't made our move yet. We had yet to come up of a good, foolproof plan.
"We will not fail. I assure you that,"
"But what if we fail?" I pressed on.
"Stop thinking negative,"
"This is just a reality check,"
He paused for a bit to come up with a good answer. A few seconds later, he beamed.
"If all else fails, I'll just pay for your schooling."
Again, my palms met my forehead in an instant, then pinched the bridge of my nose.
"Marcus," I said, prolonging his name then sighed. "You're really getting out of topic here. We will stick with what we agreed on, okay? The last thing I need is a sugar daddy who will support my financial needs."
"Excuse me," He gasped as he exaggeratedly clutched on his chest like as girl, making me roll my eyes at him. "Do I look like a wrinkly old man?"
"Come on, stop being talking nonsense and let's talk about what really matters here—the plan. Forget the scholarship for now."
Marcus displayed a crafty grin then sat close to me. "Calling me a sugar daddy—you're asking for trouble, Emerald."
Slowly, he tipped forward with a suggestive smile on his face, making me put both my hands in between us. He stopped.
"Focus!" I deadpanned. "Listen. I'm leaving in two weeks. The house is at stake, my canvas is nothing but a blank space, and I'm not sure if I will be able to see what I come here for. My mom was upset when I decided to come here without her blessing only to find out that the museum I was supposed to see even before I met you is gone! Nada! gone! I don't want the house to be gone either! So, I don't want to dilly dally anymore and let's settle a plan right here, right now."
The rapid up and down motion of my chest dwindled, my vision clearing. I saw Marcus quickly straightened up, stunned.
Holy crap.
A tired sigh escaped my mouth. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell and vent at you."
"No, no. It's okay. I initiated it."
I collected my thoughts internally. My mini panic attack about our plan coming to an epic fail got the best of me. "No. Sorry."
"Wow," He added.
With another sigh, I muttered. "I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize. No harm done," he said.
Ugh. I feel bad! I wanted to disappear before I melt from embarrassment. "Sorry."
"You're scary when you're mad. I like it." He displayed another devious grin.
"Seriously!"
He released another boisterous laugh that it almost echoed. "Sorry you're so red I can't help but tease you."
"Come on, be serious." I muttered. I felt the warm blood on my cheeks within my palms, trying to hide it from Marcus.
I shot him another glare, one eyebrow arched as I watched him suppress his laugh he could hardly manage to keep.
"Are you done yet?" I asked with disinterest.
"Yeah. Sorry. I'm enjoying this too much. I promise it won't happen again."
My eyes narrowed at him then sighed. "You don't act like you're twenty-nine."
"I'm only twenty-seven," he defended. "And I act like my age when it's necessary."
"Okay, we're getting out of topic here," I warned him. "Like always."
"Oh, right. Sorry." He cleared his throat then focused on me. "The plan right? Okay, the plan is..."
I watched the poor billionaire mumble to himself, tapping his pointing finger excessively on his lap. That wasn't a good sign— at all!
"Please tell me you have a plan," I said, mentally saying a prayer on my head.
"I'm a CEO dammit! I've approved countless business plans from investors, I approved a lot of marketing initiatives and set budget plans," Marcus chuckled. "Of course I have a plan."
Skeptical, I asked him. "Oh? Then let's hear it."
I folded my arms across my chest, waiting for his response. I watched him swallow hard and it made me shake my head.
We were about to head into battle and we had no strategy in hand! If this was a real war with Marcus as the general, heck, I'd be dead even before I step into the battlefield.
Another tired sigh escaped my mouth. "I heard from Nikki—Nikolas," I bit my lips at the slip of the tongue. "He said that talking to your mom is like talking to a rock."
Marcus nodded torpidly. "The talking to a rock description is pretty close. She can be a little intimidating but that doesn't mean she's heartless."
That's true.
"So, how are we going to convince her?"
If acting all romantic and in love was the only recipe for his marriage predicament to end—it'd be no problem. And coming from Marcus, he said she wasn't heartless. Somehow, that was comforting.
It wouldn't be that hard to woo a high class woman with intimidating aura, right?
I gulped. "Is she nice, at least?"
He paused, pondering my question then grinned. "Let's find the answer to that tomorrow,"
"What do you mean?"
"Dine with the family. How does brunch sound to you?"
That's actually not bad. But dining with the family didn't sound promising.
"Okay. And then what?"
"How about we tell them I got you pregnant?"
My eyes grew in bewilderment. "OH HELL NO MARCUS."
I saw Marcus's expression morph sourly when he realized how ludicrous his idea was—we were practically digging our own graves.
I agreed to this madness too. We kissed passionately last night, and we are talking without feeling awkward about the kiss. Yup. My grave is deeper and it'll take a while before I get out of this mess.
"Right. That's a terrible idea," he answered.
I zeroed in my gaze to him as soon as an idea came to mind. "What if we just talk to them? You know, like make our relationship sound believable. I'm sure if we let them warm up to our fake relationship then they'll... somehow... cancel the marriage,"
"Why do I have a feeling that you've done this before?"
I shot him a quizzical look. "What? What did I do?"
"This..." he said, making circle motion with his pointing finger. "The whole I-want-to-meet-your-mother scenario."
An image of Jack's mother quickly came to mind. "Well, I have a decent relationship with my ex-boyfriend's mom so I'm pretty sure—"
"Wait," he stopped me midway. "You were that serious with your ex?"
That made me roll my eyes. "You're getting out of topic again."
Instead of dropping the subject, his curiosity only grew. "How long have you been together?"
"Marcus," I said, shooting him daggers.
"Emerald," he said, mimicking my glare but his carefree smile long gone. "Just answer the question."
But I had a feeling that he won't let the subject go without an answer. I breathed in then let out a long outbreath with a groan.
"Four years,"
I wasn't sure if a ruined four-year-relationship was enough to stun him that he just fixated his gaze at me. The longer he stared, the more I felt uncomfortable.
"Hello?" I waved my hand in front of him, snapping him back to reality.
"And you're still a virgin!?" he yelled, surprising me.
"Marcus!" I yelled as I absent-mindedly slapping his shoulders again and my cheeks painting a few shades of red. "S-stop! It is one of those pure kind of relationship, okay!? Well, it was— but the point is it doesn't matter anymore. Just... leave my purity alone."
"Did you wear a purity ring, too?" He said, suppressing a laugh.
My cheeks warmed up again. "Marcus, stop teasing me already! Or else I'll give you another purple bump on your forehead." I taunted.
My taunt only led him to another round of boisterous laugh, making me glare at him. My dirty look must've stung him as he quickly cleared his throat. Marcus nodded in approval then beamed.
"Alright about the plan— I think it's good. Since you're pretty confident with meeting a potential in-law, then it shouldn't be that hard. I'll notify them that I'll join tomorrow's brunch with you."
"Any advice?"
"Just be yourself," he said with a grin on his face. "Let's show them how much we need each other, how inseparable we are, and how much our love defines the saying: "Love conquers all"."
I swallowed an imaginary lump in my throat as breathing became a harder task than usual. "Alright. Take me home then so I can get my beauty sleep," I suggested.
His smile turned upside down in an instant. "What's wrong with sleeping here?"
"Um... so many reasons that I can't say?
"If you're worried about fresh undies, I have a lot of extra boxers, and don't worry, they're all clean."
"No! I'm not wearing boxers the whole day, and Erin is left alone all night last night. I need to go home,"
"Well, let's invite her over then,"
I shot him another deadly glare for being too persistent.
"I'll get the car."
******
Time was a forgotten notion whenever I was around Marcus.
The twenty-minute drive from his penthouse seemed to feel like a ten-minute drive (he wasn't speeding or anything) due to our excessive random conversations in the car and singing to whatever song that had come up on the radio.
My enthusiasm level drained to zero when I saw him pulling over to Nana's small garage. The living room was already since the dusk had taken over completely.
Like the gentleman that he was, he exited the car first to open the passenger door for me. He offered a hand, supporting my unstable strides.
When we reached the door, I turned around to bid my goodbye.
"Thanks for everything today," I said, my voice faint but flashed him a grateful smile.
"It's my pleasure," he replied, his hand still holding mine with a slight pinch.
"I must say, today is really fun despite the cooking mishaps. But you completely top it off with sunset viewing from your balcony," my smile widened, my heart picking up speed when he held both of my hands.
"Actually, that's not what I wanted to show you,"
My brows furrowed. "What held you back?"
He tipped his gaze up, my eyes followed as if on cue. "Let's just say the heavens is not ready for it yet."
A tinge of red painted my cheeks again and my heart pummeled quickly that I could hear every beat drum in my ears. "Ah, very romantic. Not bad." I teased him.
"I'm not really used to saying those corny lines but it's worth a try."
"Well, congratulations you've won my heart,"
My laugh instantly faded into thin air when he just gazed at me, contemplating me. I wanted to bite my tongue for my slip of the tongue.
My panic-stricken inner self wanted to scream at the top of her lungs for not choosing the right words. He might even think I meant it!
"Goodnight Marcus,"
I was about to turn around when he put a little force on his grip, making me jump back to my position. Only this time my eyes were levelled to his chest so I slowly lifted my gaze up. The space between us was a breath away.
"You're forgetting something," he said in a low and gruff voice.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"Where's my goodnight kiss?" he probed, pouting.
So straightforward.
I scrunched up my nose, hesitant at first but decided to give him one anyways. For one, he doesn't settle for a no. Slowly, I tip toed a little to reach the one side of his face. As soon as my lips touched his warm skin, I whispered a goodnight to his ear.
Although it was a chaste kiss, it did not fail to make my face was feel like burning when I met his eyes. I gave him a wobbly smile.
I took a step back, ready to reach the doorknob when he pulled me in, his left arm locking me in very close to his body— chest to chest— and his right hand cupped my face.
He didn't even wait for me to catch my breath from our close distance when he captured my lips, claiming me. I shut my eyes close when his arm pulled me in closer as he pressed his lips more.
I was already lost in the notion of time.
He was just pressing his lips on mine but it already affected my thinking— lost in the heat of his palms and the way he locked my body against him.
The parting of our lips held me dumbfounded for a second, contemplating where, when, and who I was. When I met his eyes, they were the same just like last night— they burned with passion that it could melt my frail composure right now.
"That's the second kiss," I reminded him.
The side of his mouth curved into this slightly arched smile. "Goodnight, Emerald."
My voice was rendered useless at that time that I only nodded. I watched him walk back to his car, my heart ache every time he threw me side glances. His car engine went on then disappeared into the night.
While I, on the other hand, just stood to where he left me, biting my wet lips that he just claimed, reliving the sweetness in my head.
I only snapped back to reality when I heard a squeal coming from the inside. I took a couple stride to glance at the living room window, only to find Erin hollering at me— waving and fanning herself in delight.
Great. She saw the kiss.
And she'd get me to stay up all night to tell every single thing that had happened since yesterday.
It'd be a long night.
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A/N: Here's another one! I hope you guys are still with me as I go through the excruciating pain of editing. Please also follow my other accounts to get in touched! I'll be happy to hear from you outside wattpad.
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