Chapter 0202
After the heated argument between Marcus and Maximus, Frederick managed to calm the two men down. In the end, Marcus needed to speak with his wife and convince her to tell Serenity the truth. Maximus reluctantly agreed, though the decision left a bitter taste in his mouth. Frederick had hit the nail on the head–neither Maximus nor Marcus were the right people to have that conversation with Serenity.
Frederick and Marcus headed toward Regina’s house in tense silence. Marcus’s thoughts wandered, lost in a memory triggered by Frederick’s earlier attempt to mediate A smile crept across his face. ‘When my wife gets angry, a few demons come out,‘ he thought. To Frederick, it was a few; to Marcus, it had been full–blown hell. He chuckled, remembering a time when Valerie had been furious–and the worst part was, she hadn’t even been his wife yet.
[Hesperia, nearly 17 years earlier]
When Frederick was hospitalized for appendicitis, he assigned Valerie to handle all matters related to his friend and boss, Marcus. Frederick knew Marcus well–he didn’t like dealing with unfamiliar people. Valerie wasn’t exactly well–known to Marcus either, but she was the only option available. She was smart, a quick learner, and had helped Frederick before. Frederick had no doubts about her capabilities.
Like many late work nights, Marcus ordered pizza for dinner. Valerie pushed the papers aside and cleaned the conference table to make room for the food. She was starving after what felt like an endless day, and there was still work to finish. She missed Frederick, who was still on leave recovering from his surgery. Frederick rarely took time off, but Marcus had insisted he rest and fully recover. This time, there was no arguing.
The night seemed like any other, except Marcus couldn’t help but feel uneasy around Valerie lately. Just seeing her made his skin prickle and his stomach tighten. Something had shifted in the past few days. He knew exactly what it was but refused to admit it to himself. ‘No, not her. It can’t be her,‘ he thought.
Valerie, meanwhile, was experiencing a similar unease. Spending more time working closely with Marcus had started to change how she saw him. She remembered how, before being assigned to the CEO, she and her colleagues would occasionally chat about how good he smelled. They had all guessed his cologne had a citrusy scent. Now that she worked closely with him, she had discovered the truth: Marcus wore Prada Luna Rossa. She’d looked it up and found it was a blend of lavender, orange, mint, and other notes. The scent lingered in the office and in the hallways he passed, intoxicating and unmistakable.
As Valerie reminisced and tidied up the table, Marcus stood from his chair and began to remove his suit jacket and vest. He loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top of his shirt, rolling up his sleeves. He glanced at Valerie, who was still busy with the table. He couldn’t deny it anymore–she was starting to captivate him. But she was off–limits. She was his friend’s partner and the mother of his niece. That desire had to be erased from his mind.
Both were lost in their thoughts when a knock on the door snapped them back to reality.
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