Chapter 79
mmediately they got inside Marcus’s office, Elara started apologizing.
“I’m really sorry, Marcus. I didn’t mean to, I’m so sorry.” Her voice was shaking, tears already gathering in her eyes. “I didn’t know he was going to show up here and cause a scene like that. I’m so embarrassed and I’m sorry.”
She looked like she was about to cry, really cry, standing there in the middle of his pristine office with her arms wrapped around herself like she was trying to hold the pieces together.
Marcus walked up to her slowly. His hand came up to her face, gently moving some strands of hair that had fallen forward and tucking them behind her ear. The gesture was so tender.
“I understand you,” he said quietly. “We don’t get to choose our parents or control what they do. You don’t have to feel ashamed or embarrassed with me. I understand you, okay?”
Elara had been staring at the floor this entire time, unable to directly look at his eyes. But Marcus wouldn’t allow it. He placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her face up gently, forcing her to look at him.
When their eyes finally met, he kissed her. Not rushed or demanding, but slow and passionate, like he was trying to pour reassurance into her through the contact. When he pulled back, his thumb brushed across
her cheek.
“But wait,” he said, his brow furrowing slightly. “According to him, he said he’d spoken to you before today. When was that?”
“Oh yeah, yeah,” Elara nodded, the memory making her stomach turn. “When I went to the hospital this morning to see my mum, I ran into him at the elevator. He’s been coming around because he knows she has money with her right now. The money I send her for her upkeep and medical expenses.”
“And he’s taking it from her?”
“She gives it to him,” Elara corrected bitterly. “She feels sorry for him, thinks he’s in some kind of trouble. But we both know the truth. He’ll come for as long as there’s money available. The second that money runs out, he’ll disappear again. Ghost her completely until he needs something else.”
“Damn, that’s sad,” Marcus said, shaking his head.
He was quiet for a moment, thinking. Then he looked at her again, his expression thoughtful. “Do you think I should just pay him off? Give him what he’s asking for so he’ll leave you and your family alone?”
Elara looked shocked, her eyes going wide. “Pay him off? Marcus, no. There’s no paying Luca off. He’ll always come back.”
“But if I give him the million he’s asking for-”
“If you give him five hundred million today, he’d use it all on gambling and alcohol within a month,” Elara interrupted, her voice rising with frustration. “Paying him off won’t solve anything. When the money’s gone, he’ll just come back. And next time he’ll see you as his personal bank. He’ll keep coming back over and over, demanding more every single time. You’ll never finish paying.”
She took a breath, trying to steady herself. “As much as we can’t choose our parents, I really don’t want
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Chapter 79
him around me and my loved ones anymore. It’s so annoying and exhausting and I hate it.”
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The tears came then, real tears born from years of frustration and shame and anger. Elara covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking.
Marcus pulled her into his chest immediately, wrapping his arms around her. One hand went to the back of her head, holding her close while she cried into his shirt. He didn’t say anything at first, just let her get it all out, his hand stroking her hair in slow, soothing motions.
“It’s okay,” he murmured finally. “We’ll figure it out. He’s not getting near you or your mother again, I promise.”
“I’m sorry you had to meet him like that,” Elara said against his chest, her voice muffled. “That’s not how I wanted you to know about him.”
“How did you want me to know about him?”
“I don’t know. Maybe never? Is that an option?”
Marcus laughed softly, the sound rumbling through his chest. “Unfortunately not. But for what it’s worth, he doesn’t change how I see you. You’re not him, El. You’re nothing like him.”
They stood like that for a few more minutes until Elara’s breathing evened out and the tears stopped. When she finally pulled back, her face was blotchy and her eyes were red, but she felt lighter somehow. Like a weight she’d been carrying for years had gotten just a little bit easier to bear.
Marcus grabbed a tissue from his desk and handed it to her. She wiped her face, trying to make herself presentable again.
“Better?” he asked.
“Yeah. Better.”
“Good.” He walked back around his desk and sat down, pulling up something on his computer. “By the way, remember that event coming up in two days? The charity gala?”
“Oh right, the one you mentioned before. What is it again?”
“Youth arts program fundraiser. Very exclusive, lots of important people. I need you there with me.”
Elara nodded. “Okay. Do I need anything to prepare? Besides looking pretty and smiling?”
Marcus smiled. “Just a dress. I’ll have something sent over tomorrow.”
“You really don’t have to do that. I can find something in my closet.”
“El, this isn’t a casual dinner. This is the kind of event where people spend thousands on their outfits just to compete with each other. Let me handle it.”
“Fine,” she relented. “Thank you.”
She stood up to leave, figuring he had work to finish and she’d already taken up enough of his time with her family drama.
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Chapter 79
“Where are you going?” Marcus asked, looking up from his computer.
“Home. I thought you had work to do.”
“I do have work to do. But you don’t have to leave.”
“Marcus, I’ll just be in the way.”
“No, you won’t. Wait for me. I’m almost done anyway, then we can go home together.” He gestured to his lap with a small smile. “Come here. Come and sit.”
Elara stared at him. “On your lap?”
“Where else?”
“Marcus, you’re working. How are you supposed to concentrate with me sitting on you?”
“I’ll manage. Come here.”
There was something in his voice, that mix of command and warmth that made it impossible to say no. Elara walked over slowly, hesitating for just a second before settling herself sideways on his lap. His arm came around her waist immediately, holding her steady.
“Comfortable?” he asked, already turning his attention back to the computer screen.
“Yeah, actually.”
His hand rested on her hip, warm through the fabric of her jeans. She could feel the steady rhythm of his breathing, the occasional shift of his body as he typed or scrolled. It was intimate in a way that had nothing to do with sex, just the simple fact of being close to someone, being wanted in their space.
Elara leaned her head against his shoulder and watched him work. The screen was full of numbers and charts she didn’t understand, financial projections and quarterly reports that probably determined the fate of millions of dollars. But Marcus navigated through it all with ease, his expression focused and serious.
This was her husband. This brilliant, complicated, sometimes infuriating man who’d gone from making her life hell to holding her while she cried about her drunk father. Who bought her cars and made her breakfast and wanted her to sit on his lap while he finished his work.
She still didn’t know what they were to each other, exactly. The contract said one thing, but moments like this said something completely different.
“Stop staring at me,” Marcus said without looking away from the screen. “It’s distracting.”
“I’m not staring.”
“You are. I can feel it.”
Elara smiled and nestled closer into his chest. “Fine. I’ll close my eyes then.”
His hand squeezed her hip gently. “You do that.”
And she did, letting herself relax completely for the first time all day, safe in the circle of his arms while he worked.
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