The darkness in the room helped to alleviate the migraine, she turned to her side facing the doorway where the light from the corridor splashed specs of colour on her wine rug, she squinted and was about to turn when the silhouette of a person appeared in her doorway, she didn't know who it was until the person called her name, she immediately wished she could escape and not have to face him.
''Jade are you okay?'' She sat up and swung her leg to the floor but she didn't stand as she couldn't trust herself to without falling. "Yes I am, is something wrong?" Marcus gaped at her reply, "I should be the one asking the questions, do you mean to tell me you were having migraines during dinner and instead of excusing yourself you stayed because of manners?'' he asked exasperatedly, Jade was grateful the lights were off so she couldn't see his facial expression.
''What would you have me do?'' she asked, ''Leave of course, let's go I'm taking you for a walk round the house''. Jade immediately shook her head, ''No need I'll be fine'', she replied but Marcus was past listening and pulled her out of her room only stopping briefly to grab a thick wool sweater and a blanket before pulling her outside.
When they got outside Jade remained silent, if he wanted to be annoyed then two could play the game after all she had plenty to call him out on. ''Why won't you take care of yourself for goodness sake, what if it had gotten worse?'' He stopped in his track when he realized Jade wasn't following him, he turned to find her bent at the waist with one hand on her head and the other on her knee, he immediately ran to her and held her up by her elbow, she leaned head on the hollow between his jaw and chest and breathed in and out slowly, he put his arm around her and stayed still not knowing what else to do.
''I'm sorry'', she muttered and kept walking, ''For what?'' he asked incredulously.
''Everything, can I seat please?'' Marcus lifted her in his arms and carried her to the swinging chair Brandon and Emerald played house on and sat her down beside him so that she was leaning on him and he covered her with the blanket.
''You don't have to do this'', she said and began to pull away. ''Stay still Jade'', he said but Jade wasn't listening as she was too busy trying to pull away.
''You shouldn't be here, you are my employer, it unprofessional''. ''I don't care about any of that don't make me worry about you!'' he yelled but his yelling didn't affect Jade as much as his words, she clutched his shirt in her fists and searched his eyes for the truth. ''What?''
''Don't make me worry about you Jade'', he said and she lowered her eyes but he used his index finger and lifted her chin so she looked him straight in the eye. ''Keep your eyes on me''. ''Mr Valiant you shouldn't be saying this to me''.
''Use my name Jade'', he said but Jade shook her head and looked away, she wanted to run far from the emotions she saw in his eyes and the effect they had on her.
''I'm sorry for the way I acted today, what happened wasn't your fault and I took my annoyance out on you, it had nothing to do with you I was being inconsiderate and I apologise for that''.
''You have to understand that Jasmine is your betrothed, I couldn't just tell her to leave''. Marcus began to laugh and Jade gave him a puzzled look, ''Jade Jasmine was never my betrothed, Alexander and I called off the arrangement my parents had with them and with Jasmine and Laura, which is what you witnessed today''.
''What? I thought you were interested in getting married?''
''Oh yes I am but to another woman who I am very much interested in', he said and Jade got the inkling he was referring to her but she shook it off and laughed at herself. ''You can rest Jade, I'll take you up when you fall asleep''. Jade moved to him, laid her head on his shoulders and slowly drifted off. Marcus kissed her head and pulled her closer.
He didn't understand the need within himself to protect Jade, he couldn't stay a moment without wondering if she was okay, he decided then that he would not fight it anymore, God has his reasons why he was pulling them together and he wasn't going to waste precious time fighting God, it was time to court Jade and give her solid reasons to trust his intentions.
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The next morning she woke up early to pray, her heart was full of joy, she was so blessed with opportunities that felt so surreal to her and she was so grateful for it. She showered and dressed in a blood red wrap dress, she was in the midst of brushing her hair when she remembered the talk between her and Marcus the night before, she couldn't stop the blush that creeped up her cheeks, just then Olivia came and Jade tried in vain to cover her face but Olivia already saw the blush and smiled secretly.
''Morning Jade, how are you feeling?''
''There is still a dull ache but besides that I'm fine''. ''Give me that I'll style it for you, which reminds me, I don't think I have ever seen you with your hair down'', said Olivia and Jade shrugged, ''I don't know, I never thought about it, it gets in my way''. Olivia shook her head and smiled, "There is no such thing, you are a woman and your hair is one of your assets hello!'' Jade chuckled while Olivia got to work brushing her hair until it shone then she parted it
sideways so that it fell on her right cheek.
When she got to work she immediately set up everything that was needed for the presentation and as she predicted, her hair kept getting in the way but she dared not pack it considering how much work Olivia had put into it. When the shareholders began trickling in Jade left to get the handouts, Alexander was standing outside the boardroom when she got back and he did a double take.
''Jade you look absolutely gorgeous''.
''Oh thank you Alex, your sister's handwork'', she replied and he chuckled. ''I'll bet, how are you feeling now?'' ''Much better thank you''.
''Could you please inform Marcus that I need to speak with him before the meeting starts?''
''Sure thing, just give me a minute'', she replied and walked into the boardroom. The presentation hadn't started yet so some shareholders were standing and discussing some matters while others were seating and going over statistics. Marcus was at the far end talking to two men in black suit, the way they stared around the boardroom and analyzed Marcus's movement didn't seat well with her. It was a good thing Alexander wanted to speak with Marcus, that way she had an excuse to pull him away from them.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Marcus saw someone in red walking towards them and turned to see who it was, he did a double take to make sure it was really Jade and he loved what he saw. When she got to where they were two pair of greedy eyes turned to her in annoyance but covered it up quickly.
''Gentlemen this is Jade Colby, my Personal advisor, Jade meet Peter and Joshua our newest addition to the board'', said Marcus.
''It is a pleasure to meet you Jade'', said Joshua as he extended his hand which Jade shook firmly and also that of Peter who was still scanning the room. ''The pleasure is all mine'', she said with a brilliant smile which ignited envy in Marcus. Jade turned to Marcus with the same smile and placed her hand on his shoulder so she could pull herself up enough to speak into his ears and Marcus bent a little to accommodate her all the while keeping his hand supportive on her back. Marcus nodded, excused himself and followed Jade outside the office were Alexander was still standing.
"Please excuse me", she said with a smile and walked away from them towards Marcus's office and Marcus kept on staring until she took the left turn.
"What do you think?" asked Alexander with a smile as Marcus kept staring in the direction Jade went.
"Utterly beautiful, my goodness".
"Not Jade man, at least I know where your head is", remarked Alexander between chuckles and Marcus realising what he had been doing, he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, in that moment he looked carefree and Alexander knew Jade would be good for him. "Have you told her she looks nice?" "No I haven't but when I do get the chance I'm going to make sure she blushes", said Marcus with a smile and Alexander chuckles as he remembered their inside joke.
"I actually came by to tell you myself that the house is ready, you can check it out whenever you want and let me know what you think, I have to rush back now".
"Okay see you at dinner, Mom threatened to have our hide if we don't come", said Marcus and Alexander nodded.
"Make sure she blushes Marcus", Alexander reminded and Marcus scoffed, "Like I need you to tell me". He shook his head and walked back into the boardroom, Jade came in two minutes later and the meeting began. Her eyes stayed on Peter and Joshua but on different occasions they strayed to Marcus. She didn't understand why Joshua's countenance was unsettled and Peter's eyes kept moving from Marcus to the screen, she looked at their hands and the tremor in them confirmed her suspicion that they were up to no good.
The first half of the meeting lasted for two hours and Jade's fingers were beginning to cramp from all the writing so she was relieved when Marcus called for a twenty minutes break. Marcus stepped out to make a phone call so Jade began putting the chairs back in place, five minutes later Marcus came back in to find Jade rubbing her head and staring out the window.
"Jade are you alright?" She turned so fast it gave her a whiplash, Marcus grasped her shoulders to support her. "Easy Jade, how are you feeling?" "I'm fine really, just a whiplash".
"There is something I need to tell you", she began and Marcus nodded for her to go on. "There is something strange about Peter and Joshua, they have been acting nervous ever since they walked in, their palms were sweaty and shaky when I shook them, they kept staring at you and the other shareholders as if assessing your worth or something".
"I know, they are scammers", he said calmly and Jade gaped at him. "You knew! Why didn't you call the police?"
"I don't need to call the police; I just need to let them fall into their own trap.
"It's dangerous, what if they try to hurt someone?" Marcus smiled and took a step back but Jade followed him and his smile widened. Jade was so agitated by what he wants saying she didn't realize she had been backing him up until Marcus was sitting on the conference table and she stood in front of him.
"Seriously Mr Valiant what if they pull some dangerous trick, you never know with these people". "Don't worry Jade, I have been dealing with these kind of people for years", replied Marcus a smile Jade was beginning to get annoyed with. "Why are you smiling? This is serious!"
"Why shouldn't I smile when someone beautiful is standing close to me". Jade was about to reply when his words sank in and she realized where she was standing, she gasped and took a step back and Marcus felt sorry that she moved away.
"I'm sorry Mister Valiant, whatever you decide is fine", she said and cringed at her words, 'is fine! Really! She wasn't looking at Marcus so she didn't see him move towards her. "Whatever I decide is fine?" he questioned, Jade cringed again and took another step backwards but Marcus followed her. "Yes Mister Valiant, I meant that it is your decision at the end of the day", she replied and took another step but he followed again. "My decision?" he asked in a teasing tone but Jade was too on edge to notice so she replied, "Yes Mister Valiant".
"Mr Valiant you said?" he said and stepped forward again, that was when Jade realized what he wanted to hear. "I meant Marcus!" she exclaimed but too late he leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips.
"You look absolutely beautiful Jade, red is your colour", he said while holding in his laughter. The gradual darkening of Jade's cheek to red further added to her embarrassment, she didn't know where to look and Marcus was not letting her escape. The worst was she wanted him to kiss her again and she feared he could see it on her face.
"Thank you Mister Valiant', she said too fast and covered her mouth when she realized she had not called him by his given name. Marcus who was heading towards his seat turned back and walked towards her, his intent clear on his face.
"It seems to me you have something against my name". "No! No I don't, it was an honest mistake!" she exclaimed but Marcus pulled her to him and surrounded her with his arms, he slowly bent and captured her lips in a slow waltz, she was trembling by the time he released her, her hands slid from his shoulders and rested in between them, Marcus placed another kiss on her forehead before stepping back with a silly grin on his face.
The colours on her cheeks deepened and she took a deep breath to calm herself because the shareholders were returning from their break, Marcus winked at her before taking his seat. She had to force her muddled brain to concentrate; she sat stiffly till the end of the meeting because if she had allowed herself to relax she would have started daydreaming. When the meeting ended Jade's hands felt like sandpaper. She quickly arranged the board room to its original state. Marcus followed Peter and Joshua outside which made Jade nervous as she didn't want him anywhere near them.
She walked quickly to her office so she could have the minutes on Marcus's desk before he got back. Marcus was hard on her sometimes to get things done so she had learned to do things the way he wanted them which meant having the meeting minutes on his desk no later than two hours after the meeting when the details were still fresh in his head. An hour later she walked into his office and was surprised he wasn't back yet, she dropped the minute on his desk so it's the first thing he sees and flexed her neck, her shoulders and fingers, she was staring at the view outside his glass wall which she found breath-taking when he walked in.
She averted her gaze and headed for the door, the memory of their kiss still fresh on her mind, Marcus caught her left arm and pulled her close to him, he took her fingers in his hand and massaged them gently but she pulled her hand and stepped back. "I'm fine really, I'm gonna go now", she said awkwardly and turned to go but Marcus took both her hands and turned her to him again.
Taking her hands in his again he gently moved his hands over her fingers then he dropped her hands and moved to her shoulders. The slow rhythm of his hand caused the tightness in her shoulder to ease up, she sighed and dropped her head, Marcus stepped forward so her head could lean on his shoulders but she stepped back again.
"I shouldn't let you", she said more to herself than to him, "Why not?" he asked.
"Because I am not the woman for you, everyone is rooting for you and the woman you will marry but she isn't me".
"I see and you are among the people rooting for me and this so called woman?" asked Marcus and he got his answer. Jade hesitated for three seconds before nodding in affirmation. "Okay I understand, you can go home now, I won't be in the office the rest of the day", he said quietly and walked towards his desk, she took that opportunity to leave. It felt like a wall had come down between them, she felt she had done the right thing by him but why did it feel like she was drowning in the aftermath of her decision. She barely noticed Olivia on her way to her room.
Olivia stepped in a moment later and was alarmed by the tears on Jade's face. "Jade what's wrong?" asked Olivia frantically but Jade shook her head and wiped her tears, Olivia smiled and sat beside her knowing fully well who had brought the tears.
"You like him don't you?" asked Olivia and Jade turned to her in surprise. "I don't know what you want me to say", replied Jade. "I want you to tell me the truth" replied Olivia.
"I like him, I like him too much it scares me, the thought of him being with another woman doesn't seat right with me", said Jade in annoyance.
"There is no such thing as liking someone too much Jade, and for what it is worth I am rooting for you two". Jade gaped at Olivia and chuckled. "Listen Jade I'm not saying this to make you feel good, I'm saying this because it's what I have observed. Most of the women who come to Marcus want a relationship where they would cling to him and he would take care of them but the you came around, a woman who can stand on her own and you began to take care of him in little ways, he sees that and is drawn to that inner source in you that makes you complete. He is gentle and cautious, and has a childlike enthusiasm when he sees you. He is confident that you can take care of yourself even when he isn't there". Jade felt a huge weight lift from her shoulders and light in its purest form chased away the darkness that had threatened to rob her of the love of a good man.
"Thank you Olivia", said Jade but Olivia shook her head, "Don't thank me; thank God because I didn't know this too until during dinner when you had the migraine, I had been observing you since then". Jade couldn't contain her smile at finally knowing what to do. "Good to see you are smiling, don't rush the process and do not push him away". Jade nodded and hugged her tightly.
"I'm going to meet a friend so get some rest and think of ways to make him run for his money", said Olivia and Jade threw a pillow at her. "You are incorrigible!"