After Daron went upstairs, he was about to head straight into the reception hall, but was surprised to see Marina facing of against the entire Ross family, not intimidated at all and showing zero nerves. He stopped in his tracks and quietly retroced to the corner to observe.
In just a few minutes, Marina had shut the Ross family down, forcing them to leave on their own, not daring to say another word.
Once the Ross family had left, Daron walked into the reception hall. Catching sight of Marina, calm as ever, he said quietly
“Already had a backup plan, huh? You knew they’d show up, didn’t you?” Daron asked.
Marina just gave a quiet “mm.”
“My grandpa always said, never let yourself get backed into a corner. No matter what happens, always have a way out,” Marina replied.
When she and Lavern first got together, she couldn’t accept him completely, so she signed those papers back then, just in
case.
But after all these years, now that Lavern had control of Ross Group, he probably just forgot about it.
Or maybe he didn’t forget at all. He figured, with Marina’s parents gone, she had no one left but him. So of course, everything she had was his, or so he thought.
He got so full of himself that he forgot where he came from.
Seeing Daron quiet, Marina pressed her lips together, a trace of a smile flickering at the corner, and said softly, “I figured they’d come looking for me, but I didn’t expect them to show up straight at Zamora Group’s door.
“Yara has no idea I’m working here. Probably someone else is giving them advice from the sidelines. But whoever it is, they don’t really know what’s going on, so they thought I’d be easy to bully.”
Daron nodded, said coolly, “Not bad, you’re clever.”
Marina lifted her chin and met Daron’s gaze, her tone steady. “I just know how to handle whatever comes my way.”
Her grandpa always told her that the Zamora family was a tangled web of drama. If she wanted to last there, she had to learn to keep her feelings under wraps.
Most of the time, playing the part of someone fragile was the easiest way to hide her true emotions.
That was probably why Lavern dared to cross the line. He figured she was the type who’d never blow up.
But she’d been raised to be the future lady of the Zamora family. Like she’d really be someone without a backbone.
It was just her habit, all these years, to never let herself turn into some screaming drama queen.
So before Lavern even realized Marina had sold her shares to Daron, he was still convinced he had leverage over her.
Daron lowered his gaze, taking in her calm, composed face. Suddenly, he flashed a sly smile and said in a low voice. “Looks like I’d better stay on my toes, or one day you might just sink your teeth into me when I’m not looking.”
Marina looked up at him, wanting to say “I wouldn’t,” but the words lingered on her lips and she swallowed them back, her mind swirling with uncertainty.
1/4
5:27 pm D M
Chapter 276
No one knew about the future.
Marina said softly, “If that day ever comes, I hope we can both leave things gradutty
Daron’s face darkened as he listened to her, his voice turning, cold. “You seriously think that’s eves posible
‘She’s actually talking about “if” like it could ever happen, Daron scoffed inwardly, weyece Saching in his eyes
Marina bit her lip and kept quiet, not saying a word.
Chloe stood off to the side, picking up on the brooding vibe coming off Daron in waves.
Then she noticed Marina was dressed extra festive today. The color of her wit looked Exe..
A flash of shock flickered in Chloe’s eyes as she snuck a peek at Daron’s tie, and the suddenly let out a beary nigh
No wonder almost every employee had gotten a red gift box of chocolates from some fancy brand first thing this morning.
Everyone just figured it was an early present for the company’s anniversary, since the big celebration was still three days
away.
Who would’ve thought that was the real reason behind it all.
After stumbling onto the truth, Chloe didn’t breathe a word. Instead, her eyes toward Marina grew even more respectful.
Marina noticed Chloe’s curious look, glanced at her own outfit, then at Daron’s tie that matched hers, and gave a subtle
smile.
Chloe was no fool. She must’ve put two and two together by now.
“Chloe, I’m counting on you to keep this under wraps. Mr. Zamora and I aren’t planning to go public anytime soon, Marina said.
Chloe quickly assured her, “Ms. Finley… Mrs. Zamora, you can count on me. I won’t breathe a word.”
Marina gave a gentle nod.
Daron stood to the side, his expression calm and unreadable.
Marina shot him a glance, caught the stormy look on his face, but just pretended not to notice. She kept her voice soft as she said, “Let’s head upstairs.”
Daron gave a quiet “mm” and tried to pull her into his arms, but Marina slipped out of his reach with practiced ease.
‘Weren’t we supposed to keep things low–key? Marina thought, a little amused.
If the front desk caught sight of them, gossip would spread like wildfire and the whole company would know before lunch
Daron took a deep breath to steady himself, then strode out, clearly annoyed.
Marina, just like always, slipped into the elevator right behind him.
When they reached Daron’s floor, Marina started briefing him on the day’s agenda
As she spoke, she reached out to open the office door for him, attentive as ever.
2/4
5:27 pm D D D
Chapter 276
But Daron beat her to it, pushing the door open and striding inside,
Marina followed, pulling the door shut behind her as she stepped in
“You’ve got a video call at two this afternoon, and Marina started, but before she could find the not com Daron had stopped in his tracks,
He reached out, his arm snaking around her waist, and yanked her flush against him.
Marina bit back a startled gasp, instinctively pressing, her hand to his chest.
“We’re at the office, you she began, her voice low and tense.
Daron lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.
“This is my office. My private territory,” he said,
As he spoke, he placed a finger over her heart.
“And you? You belong to me, too. I’ll hold you, kiss you, whenever I want, his tone possesive.
With that, he pressed another kiss to her lips, as if marking his territory.
Marina could tell he was still brooding over the way she’d handled things with Chloe just now.
Stuff like keeping things under wraps. He figured that was his call, not hers. If she said it first, it’d just bruise his ego.
“Why does he get to call all the shots? Marina thought, a flicker of annoyance crowing her mind. He’s the one who wanted to keep it a secret, not me!‘
Annoyed, Marina bit him back, a little payback for his attitude.
Daron drew in a sharp breath, surprised.
Marina quickly let go, thinking maybe she’d bitten too hard and hurt him by accident. Her eyes flashed with worry
But before she could get another word out, Daron just grabbed her face and kissed her hard, not giving her a chance to speak.
Marina was so mad she started smacking his chest, and only then did he finally let her go.
“No more kissing me at work!” she demanded, her tone leaving no room for argument,
Daron licked his lips, grinning as he replied, “Alright.”
“Alright.”
Daron tasted blood in his mouth. ‘Damn, this girl bites hard,‘ he thought, wincing.
Seeing how quickly he agreed, Marina added, “And don’t you dare…”
But before she could finish, she spotted the bite mark on Daron’s lips and was momentarily stunned.
“Wait, you’re bleeding?” Marina blurted out, her voice laced with worry.
I swear I didn’t bite that hard, she thought, suddenly feeling a little guilty.
Chapter 276
She quickly grabbed a tissue and started wiping at his lips.
Daron watched her frantic fussing with a smirk, then said in a low voice, “Now you’re all nervous? Where was that when you were sinking your teeth into me just now?”
“Now you’re all nervous? Didn’t see you holding back when you bit me earlier.”
Marina fired back, not backing down for a second, “Oh, like you ever showed any mercy with your mouth when you were mocking me.”
Daron snorted with a laugh, wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her closer. “So, is this you getting revenge on me now?”
Marina was frantically thinking about how to hide the mark she’d left on his lips. He had a big exec meeting this afternoon. and in three days, he’d be front and center hosting the company anniversary. If someone caught a glimpse of that mark and snapped a photo, who knows what kind of gossip would explode online.
Hearing Daron’s teasing, Marina just nodded, half–mocking. “Yeah, yeah, you got it. I’m totally getting back at you. Marrying you was all part of my revenge, just so I could shut that mouth of yours for good.”
Daron didn’t get mad. He just laughed softly and nudged his face right up to Marina’s, teasing her.
Marina suddenly found herself face–to–face with his ridiculously handsome features, way too close for comfort. “What are you up to?”
Daron fixed his deep eyes on her, looking completely serious. “Didn’t you say you were gonna bite my mouth off? Well, go on then–prove it.”
Marina just stared at him, completely lost for words.
‘Unbelievable. He really has no shame,’ she thought.
4/4
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
