Marcus pushed Cassie off him and got up from the bed in a fit of rage. They had been arguing non-stop since the moment he entered the room. He was about to leave when Cassie took him by surprise and pushed him on the bed and climbed onto his lap to kiss him. It was so sudden that it took him by surprise! Unaware of the conspiracy going on behind his back, he glared at Cassie with extreme hatred.
“Keep your filthy hands off me. I shall never marry a who*e like you,” he yelled at her, his whole body trembling with a mad fury. Cassie clapped her hands sarcastically, glaring at him furiously.
“Great Marcus! A pot calling the kettle black, is it?” she gritted out angrily. “So this is about that pantry worker, right? You’re blocking me out because of her. I get it now. No wonder your mom wants to throw her out of your life. You’ve completely lost your shit because of her. What does she have that I don’t, huh?” yelled Cassie angrily.
Marcus clenched his teeth trying to restrain the need to throttle her to death. “She isn’t a pantry worker. She has a pure heart unlike you. She has a pure mind, unlike yours. I hate you with a vengeance while I love her,” said Marcus angrily. Cassie’s body trembled with a fit of mad jealousy as she blocked his way in an attempt to stop him from pursuing the pantry worker. She knew what her mom and Marcus’s mom were up to.
“How dare you!” she said attempting to slap him across his face but Marcus caught her hand and twisted it behind her back while she yelped with pain.
“Don’t even think about it. If you had been a guy, I would have broken your bones right here and now. Don’t try to cross my path, Cassie. I won’t be nice next time. I’ll destroy your dad’s business and you all will be on the streets. So, stay away from me,” he hissed, meaning every word he said. Suddenly leaving her hand, he walked away from her, making her stagger and fall to the floor. Marcus opened the door and stormed out just in time to see Malory Thornton and his mom escaping. Were they spying on their conversation?
Furious, he walked into the room where his mom escaped. She looked up at him with a nervous expression on her face. Marcus instantly knew that she had been up to something but what? “Mom, I’m leaving,” he just announced, walking out of the room. He went to granny’s room to look for Cara when the door opened and his mom walked inside. Granny opened her eyes and looked at the two of them with dread.
“Where’s Cara, granny?” he asked but his granny looked at his mom instead. Marcus glanced at his mom.
“Where’s Cara?” he asked, slowly as fear gripped his heart. His mom shrugged.
“Must have left,” she said casually. Marcus turned around and walked towards the door, eager to get away.
“Wait, Mark! How can you leave? We had planned your and Cassie’s engagement tonight. I’ve made all the preparations,” said his mom, making him freeze mid-stride. He slowly turned around, his face red with fury.
“Are you out of your mind, mom? Have I ever agreed to marry Cassie? How can you make preparations without my permission?” he gritted out angrily.
“You were heartbroken without her so I thought you still love her,” said his mom defensively.
Marcus closed his eyes and counted to ten, not wanting to lose his composure and blast his mom. “I was never in love with Cassie, mom. It was because of you that I agreed to marry her but after she betrayed me, I cannot forgive her at all. She had se*ual intimacy with Bryan behind my back while still being engaged to me. I can’t overlook that, can’t you get it? What if dad did the same to you? Would you have been able to forgive him?” he asked, his eyes glinting with understated fury. His mom gaped at him, her cheeks flushing at the insult.
“How can you say that for your own dad, Mark?” she seethed.
“Then why are you interfering in my life, mom? I’m twenty-nine, not nine,” he said impatiently.
“I don’t care what you do, Mark. I just have problems with that maid of yours whom you seem to favor so much,” she said glaring at him with an intense hatred for Cara. Marcus’s jaws dropped knowing that she meant Cara.
“Cara isn’t my maid, mom. She might be a poor orphan but she works very hard for a living. She’s very bright and is a valedictorian at her college, having received scholarships and state grants for her excellent performance. How can you compare her to that who*e, Cassie? Just because her mom is a good friend of yours doesn’t make her less of a bitc*,” said Marcus, turning away to go.
“She is that scoundr*l, Henry Sullivan’s daughter. How can you forget that it was because of him that your dad died?” asked his mom, looking aghast.
“No mom, dad died because he trusted his vice-president too much. He should have started an investigation on this instead of blindly accusing someone without any proof. In fact, we have destroyed a family and brought four children on the streets because of our callousness,” said Marcus, making his mom stagger towards a chair.
“How can you support them and not your own family, Marcus? I’m sure that bitc* has done something to you,” said his mom looking at him with disbelief.
“Have you gone crazy? I just love her. I’m speaking the bitter truth. Stop interfering in my life, mom and let me be happy with the girl I love,” he pleaded. Granny cleared her throat but couldn’t utter a single word.
“I won’t let you choose her. You can’t go against your family. I’ll sever all ties with you if you do, Mark,” threatened her mom.
“Fine, mom you can sever all ties with me but don’t ever think I’ll marry Cassie. If I can’t marry Cara, I’ll remain single all my life,” he announced and walked out of his granny’s home, maybe for the last time.
His heart was heavy and a strange dejection filled his mind. He had expected his mom to at least understand him and accept his feelings for once. He had listened to her when she wanted him to marry Cassie, but not again. He loved Cara and would fight for her. How could she want to sever a mother and son’s relationship because of her stupid wish to get him married to Cassie? Why couldn’t she see Cassie’s reality? Cassie was the worst daughter-in-law she could ever have. How could she be so blind? He climbed into his car and drove away deep in thought. He just hoped that his mom hadn’t insulted Cara in her fury. Fear gripped his heart at the thought and he parked the car in the underground parking area of his apartment and rushed in.
“Mr, Donnelly, your keys,” said Mrs. Morgan, the receptionist. Marcus whirled around and froze as a feeling of dread washed over him. Keys? How can she have his keys? He had given them to Cara as far as he could remember.
“How do you have my keys, Mrs. Morgan?” he asked in a tense voice.
“Your guest left with her luggage around forty minutes back, Mr. Donnelly. She deposited the keys here on her way out,” said the middle-aged receptionist, making Marcus’s jaws drop with shock. Cara left? How can that be possible? Why would she leave without informing him? He thanked the receptionist and taking the keys from her hands, he rushed towards the elevators. Surely, she had been mistaken. His Cara can’t leave! He would check for himself. He stormed into his apartment and looked everywhere like a madman, his heart sinking more with every passing second. Ransacking the bedroom for Cara’s stuff, he slumped onto the bed with his face in his hands. She had indeed left with all her luggage. But why? Did his mom insult her? Did his granny say something to her?
Helpless tears fell from his eyes as his hopes crumbled to dust. He would have confessed his feelings for her if his mom hadn’t interfered. Where could she have gone? She didn’t know anyone in New York. Maybe she has gone home to her family. Marcus got up and tried her phone but strangely she had switched off her phone. He was now determined to go to her house and bring her back. He would beg for her forgiveness and bring her back somehow. He can’t live without her. Quickly packing himself an overnighter, he called up Mr. Warnock and gave him clear instructions on the work that needed to be done in the next two days.
He was about to leave when his phone buzzed with an incoming call from Maria. Although he was angry and upset, he knew he couldn’t ignore the call. “Yes, Maria,” he barked into the phone.
“Granny has suffered a cardiac arrest after you left, Marcus. She is critical. We’re rushing her to the hospital. Please arrive there as soon as you can,” said Maria, giving him the details of the hospital. His entire world shattered and he rushed out towards his car and drove like a maniac towards the hospital to see his granny maybe for the last time.