His sudden apology surprised Cara, and she turned her head and looked into his eyes. Did he really mean it? She did not know why he was apologizing to her. What made him change his mind about her?
Suddenly, Maria’s warning rang in her head. Was it all a ploy to punish her for hitting him?
“I don’t need your apology, Mr. Donnelly. I’ll be thankful if you’ll just stay away from me,” said Cara with a sigh, looking away.
“I won’t. Why can’t you accept my apology? I meant it from my heart. I shouldn’t have misjudged you and misbehaved with you,” he said, running a hand through his already messed-up hair.
“Okay,” said Cara in a soft voice, yet she didn’t look at him. Marcus felt frustrated at her lack of response. He wanted her forgiveness, not her aloofness.
“So does that mean that you’ve forgiven me?” he asked eagerly.
“No, it only means that I’ve accepted your apology and henceforth we can stay out of one another’s way,” she said, staring at the incessantly falling raindrops.
“Why are you harping on that continuously? Are you afraid to be with me?” he asked with frustration. Cara shook her head.
“No, I just need this work badly. We have nothing in common and nothing to talk about. Please don’t create problems for me, Mr. Donnelly,” she said in a solemn tone.
Getting up, she dashed inside, wanting to run away from him as far as she could.
Marcus kept sitting still with a frown on his face. Her rejection disturbed him, and he felt restless. Why couldn’t she just forgive him? He had apologized, after all. It was the first time he had apologized to someone. Why did he feel the need to apologize? He did not know. In the past, he never bothered or cared enough, but with Cara, his heart longed for her forgiveness.
After ten minutes, he walked inside but froze upon seeing Cara sitting with Nicholas. The way they were sitting together made him want to throttle his own brother. For the first time in his life, he experienced intense jealousy that he could not restrain.
“So, you are Cara? Sienna told me about you. I’m Nicholas Donnelly, the youngest,” Nicholas said with a smirk.
“Yes, I’m Cara and I’m the oldest,” she said with a smile. Cara instantly liked the youngest brother. His effortless charm and a friendly smile made him completely different from his family, especially his mom.
“Oh, being the eldest sucks. You have all the responsibility in the world,” said Nicholas.
“Yeah, but I’m not afraid of responsibilities. I’m all they have,” said Cara. It was a simple statement, but it touched Nicholas’ heart.
“You’re very hardworking. I’m sure you’ll find success in everything you do. So are you pursuing your studies as well? You can’t be over eighteen,” said Nicholas.
“I’m eighteen, but I couldn’t complete my school. My parents died, and I had to drop out. So no, I don’t go to college,” said Cara with a sad smile on her face.
“That’s very unfortunate! So if you’d ever get an opportunity to study, what would you take up?” asked Nicholas.
“Music, I’d study music,” said Cara, her eyes twinkling with eagerness. Nicholas looked at her and understood her passion for the subject.
“Why music? Do you want to be a musician?” asked Nicholas curiously. Cara gave him a dazzling smile.
“I’m already a musician, performing every evening at Kingston Club on Long Island. I compose my music as well,” she said with a grin.
Nicholas was stunned and gave her an incredulous look.
“Really? That’s amazing. I have to listen to you someday,” he said with a grin. “So, you’re a diva, a star already, right? I’m sure one day you’ll shine all over the world. Will you give me an autograph, then?” asked Nicholas with a chuckle.
Cara giggled shyly, and that was enough to drive Marcus crazy with jealousy. He strode up to them, his face grim, his eyes burning with anger. It was obvious that he was trying to restrain the tremendous feeling of jealousy bubbling inside him.
“That’s enough Nicholas! You cannot flirt with every girl you meet,” he barked, startling them with his sudden presence.
“We’re just chatting, bro. Have you become blind?” asked Nicholas with a knowing grin. It made Marcus angrier, and he took a step towards his brother. Cara’s face paled, and she jumped up with fear. Would they start a fight?
“I’ve got to go,” she said, escaping from the two brothers who seemed to be ready for a duel. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her to the small room that she was to share with Maria.
“Stay away from her, Nico. Next time I won’t be nice,” said Marcus, storming away, leaving Nicholas chuckling.
“Admit it, bro. You’re whipped with her,” he chuckled more.
“F*ck off,” yelled Marcus over his shoulder.
The movie didn’t interest him and he again started looking for Cara. Why did she always escape him? Couldn’t she laugh and talk to him the way she did with Nicholas? Did she like Nicholas?
He seethed all the more and walked towards the gym room to work out. It might help him vent his frustrations. However, after a workout, he was all the more frustrated to see her so busy with work that she hardly had time to even cast a glance towards him!
Everyone was ordering her around and she rushed around with the errands. So Marcus sat in one corner grumpily and played football on his mobile phone, all the while monitoring her. So, by the time they all gathered around the table, he was a grumpy, jealous, and irritated guy whom no one would want to cross.
But it didn’t stop Alyssa, who was the sister of his enemy, Alexander Van Every. She purposely sat on the chair he pulled out for himself just to tease him.
She then purposely placed the shrimp, tomato, and feta pasta dish forward, knowing Marcus’s hatred for seafood, and served him on his plate. “Hey, stop the drama and serve yourself!” gritted out Marcus angrily.
“You can pass that plate to me, Marc, and take another one,” offered Sienna, to help with the situation. Marcus pushed the plate towards her and looked up at Cara, who placed a clean plate in front of him.
He smiled at her, thanking her while his heartbeats sped up at her nearness.
When Cara went forward to serve him the lasagna she had prepared, Hayley interrupted her. The water had spilled when Alexia tried to pour it into a glass and there was a mess. Cara rushed to clean the spill.
“Alex, let Sienna help you pour water, dear,” said Granny.
“Can’t you clean it properly? There’s still water here,” said Claudia Donnelly, looking displeased. Maria came forward and helped Cara. Finally, everything was back to normal, but Marcus hadn’t served himself anything yet. He had been waiting for Cara to continue where she had left off.
“Why aren’t you eating, Marc? You had skipped lunch as well,” scolded his mom.
“I’m waiting to be served,” said a grim-looking Marcus, staring at Cara, who was helping Alexia. Alyssa grinned maliciously and picked up the pasta again to serve him.
“I’ll serve you, Marcus, dear,” she said with a fake sugary sweet grin. Marcus’s jaws clenched with anger and he just got up and strode away from the table. His mom gave Alyssa a look of anger, making Sienna nervous.
Lucas sighed and urged Sienna to go after him. Sienna got up from her seat.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll just serve him a plate and take it to his room. Cara, will you help me?” she asked. Cara nodded, a blush creeping up her cheeks at the prospect of going over to the lion’s den. But thankfully, she would be with Sienna and not all alone.
“Why bother Sienna? Cara can take the plate to him,” said Granny. Cara nodded and served a plate for Marcus. The matter was closed and everyone else enjoyed dinner.
Nicholas grinned at a nervous Cara as he was the only one who knew how nervous she was! Cara knew exactly what to serve since she had already figured out that he didn’t like the pasta. She took the plate upstairs carefully, down the corridor to the corner-most room that Marcus was occupying.
Standing in front of the closed door, she took a deep breath. Would he get angry with her for invading his privacy? Would he yell at her?
She pushed the door, and it opened. She peered inside. He was sitting on the bed with his mobile phone in his hands. However, his eyes went wide with surprise when he saw who entered his room.
“Umm, I brought your dinner, Mr. Donnelly,” she said awkwardly.
“Why? Why do you care?” he asked with a sulk. Cara walked inside and placed the food on the table, pushing the table in front of him.
“Please eat,” she said, not answering his question. She turned around to leave his room, but he was faster. In one quick movement, he reached the door, closing it and blocking the way to escape.
“I want an answer, Cara. Why do you care?” he asked slowly, his eyes holding her gaze.
“Mr. Donnelly, please,” she whispered, looking away.
“Marcus,” he prompted her.