AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But Logan grabbed my shoulders, looking straight into my eyes. “There are people I don’t trust. Give me time to deal with the situation, okay? I don’t want you to be part of it all. We have babies to think about, life to plan.”
Logan’s concern seemed a little bit out of character back then. I thought it was just an excuse to keep me away from a stressful environment. What if he was talking about questionable practices?
Perhaps it’s just Mark’s warped view of the world that makes him see everyone twisted and corrupted. I don’t know if I should believe him. In fact, I doubt Mark’s perception, since his past impacts his judgment.
Gasping from phantom ache, I shut my eyes, burning with tears and anger. Mark can’t do this to me. It’s not fair to throw those allegations and hope I’ll just accept them.
But what if it’s true? What if their business partners and investors are dangerous people? The truth is, I didn’t get to work with any of them. But during the balls, I saw their cunning ability to dominate the world, turn the tables with a flick of their wrists, manipulate the economy, merge family businesses, using their children and wives. But still . . .
Cold shivers crawl up my spine as some sort of feeling seeps into me while I think about it. I need to know. I stand up and go into the living room to seek answers and to find out, if all this time, I was too blind to see my family for who they are.
“Someone hacked the system and erased the camera 124 and 165 feeds. We could try to recover it, but it’s better if we concentrate our resources into finding out how they got access to your condo . . .”
Some guy looking like the man from secret services reports to Mark. They’re all gathered around the laptops, looking at the screen in sharp concentration. My phone rings and I dive back into the room to get my purse. I rummage through it.
“Cassandra?” Mark’s husky voice trickles behind me, and I forget the call. “I need to tell you something.” My alarm bells rise as Mark shifts on his feet, raking his hair, torn up about something. “They sent the video to your in-laws.”
I blink at him, trying to make sense. “What?”
Mark draws me into his chest. “I’m sorry, baby. I wish I could turn back the time and change this.”
“Oh my God.” I feel faint as I try to filter through the emotions bombarding me.
My worst fears are coming true. I sway on my feet, grasping for a thread of sanity. Before my legs give out, Mark pushes me down to the floor. My phone rings while I watch his manic gaze darken with worry for me.
“Stay here.” He jumps to his feet to get my phone.
“Who is this? Lucas, what the fuck, man? Nah, I have my own men here. They are trying to see if we can . . . no, stay where you are . . . are you kidding me, of course I can! Lucas . . .” he growls and then throws the phone onto the bed. It bounces off to the floor with a soft thud on the carpet.
“You okay?” Worry lines are etched on his handsome features like the permanent mark I want to erase.
Someone clears his throat and pushes a glass of water into my shaking hands. I gulp the contents, trying to curb my panic, winding me tight.
“Someone was here while we made love, Mark. I feel violated, sick, and scared.”
“I know.” He lowers his head to the ground, but when he looks at me, I see the same emotion mixed in layers of protectiveness and male pride staring back at me.
“This is my fault. Whoever he is, he wants to hurt me. Now that I have someone I care about . . . and love. He actually can.” The anguish pulsates from him in waves.
He gently strokes my hair with a mix of fear and anger boiling inside his irises.
“I’m so sorry. I wanted this day to be special for you.”
“I know.” Unable to take his anguish, I jerk him to me. “I love you too, Mark. And this love is so intense, it terrifies me. It makes me blind, erases all the reason.”
He is about to say something when a knock on the door interrupts us.
“Sir, we have to talk.”
A shrapnel of worry burrows deep into my mind, but I rein it in. Now is not the time.
“Go,” I urge him, not knowing how else I could help.
My mind floods with memories of our night. Our lovemaking was intense and not a vanilla kind. If it gets out . . . It will destroy me. I need to talk with Darren about it, but I can’t find the strength. My stomach coils in a tight ball, and dark spots appear in my vision as I think about what they’ll do. I stumble until my hands touch the wall, and I press my back to it, trying to control my fear mixing with humiliation. My attention snaps to the phone.
It rings again, and I stumble to grab it.
“Hello?” I pull away to see who’s calling as I hear strange noises on the other side. “Hello, can you hear me?” Heat bursts through my chest to my limbs as I hear an unfamiliar voice on the other side.
