Chapter 50

M A R C U S

"Alejandro's not at home," Zara says once she sees me at the door. "He'll be back soon, though. You're welcome to wait inside. I'm baking cookies!"

I raise a brow, she's much cheerier than usual.

The events that occurred a year ago have left a lot of us shaken up to this day. All of us took it hard but the women took it the hardest.

Zara hasn't been wholeheartedly happy since then. I assume she just pretends to be okay a lot of the time. It's not hard to miss the lack of spark in her eyes.

Sometimes, when she's with Alejandro, the spark does come back, very slightly but it's there. From what I heard from Charlotte, the couple has been going to regular therapy for their relationship for about a year now.

I never saw Alejandro as a therapy guy but it's obvious he'd do anything to make Zara happy, she's his whole entire world.

A twinge of jealousy arises through my chest. I chose Alejandro, but he chose Zara. But maybe it's not that, maybe that's not what's making me envious. Maybe it's that I could've had that—no, I wanted that—with Yasmeen but I threw it away.

"Would you like a cookie?" Zara hovers a platter full of chocolate chip cookies in front of me. The deliciously sweet whiff of the baked goods almost made my mouth water. But I decline, "Do I look like a child?"

"No need to be rude. I was just asking," she frowns. "But I'm no longer asking, I'm telling you. Eat a cookie or else I'll step on those fancy shoes you took off at the entrance."

I sigh and take one. "You're in a good mood," I mutter

.

"I am!" She chirps. "Yasmeen's coming back to see me after a whole year!"

I almost choke on the bit of cookie going down my throat. "What?"

"She's visiting for a bit," she smiles. "She said she has good news and I think she's getting married!"

I quickly get on my feet, startling Zara. Every bone in my body feels like someone poured gasoline on it and set it on fire.

"Married?" I ask slowly.

She nods. "She's been looking to settle down and I think she might've found the one."

My hands are formed into tight fists, why am I so upset? She has nothing to do with me anymore. I'm nothing to her, nor is she anything to me. I made it clear to her that day, I set it in stone. That's my fault.

"Marcus?" Zara calls out but her voice sounds muffled in my ears. "Marcus, are you okay?"

"Fuck," I mutter under my breath.

There's no way our paths can cross while she's here because I might not be able to get a handle on myself. I might just take her home and make her mine.

Just as I was about to leave, Alejandro walks in eyeing me with confusion.

"How dare you come into my home and take advantage of my wife's baking?" There's a teasing edge to his voice. "I don't blame you, her cookies are astonishing. But her cooking is—

Zara strides up to him and aggressively shoves a cookie in his mouth, rolling her eyes. "Shut up. Idiot."

"Ah, my wife is just as sweet as her baked goods," he winks at her earning him another disapproving look from her.

"I'll poison your food if you keep this up," Zara threatens, not enjoying his teasing.

"And I'll gladly die by your hands," he says softly. "It'll be a dream, actually."

Zara's hard gaze softens to some degree. She looks at him silently, deciding whether to just ignore him or fight him.

She reluctantly sighs, kisses his forehead, and chooses to bring her attention back to decorating her sweet treats.

Alejandro looks at her adoringly, a gentle smile lingering on his lips.

This man is whipped.

I clear my throat to remind him of my presence. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Yes, of course," he says.

"In private," I add.

He looks at me for a moment and nods, leading me further down to the living room, away from the kitchen.

"I want the week off," I say. "Scratch that, how long will Yasmeen be staying? I want that exact amount of days off."

Alejandro frowns and then, his face hardens. "No," he simply says.

"I have not once asked for days off. I'm asking now," my voice getting more demanding.

"You're running from your problems," he states. "Again."

"That's fucking low of you to bring up," I spit out before I can think. His words sting more than I'd like it to. "You know I couldn't get out. You knew how my father was. I had no choice but to run."

Alejandro sighs, rubbing his temple out of frustration.

"Marcus, you don't love me," he says flatly.

I stumble back, "W-what?"

"What you feel for me isn't romantic, it's platonic, if anything," he continues.

"You—"

"Listen to me, and listen carefully," he says.

"Decades ago, when I saved you from that piece of shit of a father, you were alone, afraid, and without affection. You jumped onto the first person who gave you any decent attention and rolled with it."

I scoff. "Oh? You've gone soft now? The great Alejandro Genovese is no longer a cold, heartless man?"

He smiles slightly. "I will always be ruthless and relentless. But life has a strange way of teaching me things along the way. Zara became the one person who makes me want to understand the life around me. Whether I'm going soft or not is debatable but, the only thing I'm certain about is Zara. My life revolves around her whether I want it to or not. She's my everything and I'm willing to try to be someone I should've been from the start, even if I fail."

"So, what we had meant nothing to you? Just a game for you, then?" I grit my teeth.

"Yes, it was just a game because it was also a game for you," he says. "You didn't know how to show gratefulness or affection towards me for saving you from your horrible situation. You had this overwhelming sense of debt that you wanted to pay me so you did the next best thing, the only two things you knew how to give: loyalty and sex. You did it solely to repay a debt of kindness and somewhere along the way, you mistook it for love."

"This is bullshit," I whisper.

My life feels like it's crumbling into pieces right in front of me and I can't do anything to stop it.

"Think about it, Marcus. Were you jealous of Zara because she took all my attention or were you jealous that she took your only source of attention? And when Yasmeen started to give you the attention and affection, how quickly did I leave your mind?" His questions make my head spin.

"Your struggle at that moment must've been loyalty itself, that's it. You were worried that loving Yasmeen means not being able to repay your debt to me or it would put your loyalty on the line but you never realized that what I did for you was never a debt to be paid. I saved you because you were a good friend. That was one of the rare things I did purely out of good intentions."

"Alejandro... I... don't know what to say," I'm truly speechless.

"You're afraid and you're running but this time, I can't help you, Marcus. You have to understand that this is all on you, you're the only one who can do anything about it."

He's right. Goddamn, he's right. She is the one I'm in love with. Hell, she might be the first person I've truly ever loved.

But shit, I fucked up Yasmeen so bad that I would understand if she wanted to put a bullet through my brain.

It would be wrong to break up her new relationship. It would be selfish to say any of this to her now. It would be unfair, so fucking unfair if I say anything to her now.

It would be better if I just ignore her, and avoid her at all costs. Even if it feels like I'll be drowning without a single touch from her, I deserve it. I deserve it for toying with her feelings like that. I deserve it for hurting her. I deserve it for being a complete coward.

"It doesn't matter now. She's moved on and I don't want to ruin things for her again," I mumble under my breath.

Alejandro only sighs and silently nods in a way that says, "do whatever you want, even if what you're doing is stupid".

• • •

Y A S M E E N

I hold my breath while pushing open the door and the moment my eyes lay on a perfectly normal, and clean apartment, I let myself breathe.

This penthouse holds a lot of memories, good and bad. Seeing it look so... mundane is surprising. Obviously, there won't be a dead body sprawled across the carpet or blood splattered across the walls, or Marcus waiting for me to drive him insane. But it almost scared me to open the door.

When Alejandro asked where I would be staying, I asked if the penthouse he let me temporarily stay at a year ago was still available.

I don't know what drew me to choose this place again. Maybe it brings me some kind of a twisted comfort. But I'm also crazy and I like to face my fears to conquer them. Being back in this city, seeing this apartment, and... coming face-to-face with the man who may or may not still own my heart are all fears that I've been living with for the past year. Though the first two fears are being conquered with ease, the third one might end me.

• • •

"So, you're not getting married? That's not the good news?" Zara asks, her mouth agape.

"No!" I exclaim. "What made you think that?"

"I thought the good news was... whoops." She smiles, looking a little guilty.

"Whoops? Whoops, what?"

"I told Marcus and Alejandro you're probably getting married," she laughs nervously.

"Is that why Alejandro wants to gift me the penthouse?" I raise a brow.

She shakes her head. "He wanted to gift it to you before I told him about the marriage that now I know is not a thing."

"How did... how did Marcus react?" I ask shyly.

"Like I punched him in the gut and then shot his brains out," she tries not to grin.

"Oh." I didn't know what else to say.

His reaction doesn't mean much unless he steps up and explains himself to me. Even then, I'm not sure what I'd do.

"What's the actual good news?" She asks.

"Oh, I was able to sell a lot of the property Baba had after he... passed away," I feel a twinge of sadness, "and invested in a few more to rent out and sell in the future. It's a steady income and I can chill."

"That's so cool! I'm so happy for you! You're all fancy and successful now, eh?" Zara giggles.

"That's not the good news!" I smile.

"Oh?"

"I'm moving here, to New York City!" I surprise her.

The decision was a tough one but it's confirmed and I'm confident in it. A couple of months after I returned home, Baba passed away from a few health complications, I was devastated. I was truly alone now that both my parents have passed.

My mental health was declining, I was close to losing my utter mind. Zara did her best to comfort me, flying back and forth from New York to Toronto constantly. That's when Alejandro reached out and helped me manage my finances because all of Baba's work was shifted to me, which overwhelmed me to the max.

With Alejandro's help and a couple of trials and error, I now have a steady stream of income. He really pulled through and became a older brother in a time of need.

Zara's jaw drops and her face breaks into the biggest grin. She squeals, jumping up and down, then bringing me into a hug.

"You're serious?" She gasps.

I nod, smiling. "I've invested in a few properties here with Alejandro's help so I thought I'd move here to make things easy for me and be close to you!"

"This is the best piece of news I heard in forever! I say you take the penthouse that Alejandro has offered and live there if you're comfortable so we're close!"

The thought of living in the same building as Marcus... no, I need to conquer my fear. I have to, I can't keep living on like this.

Suddenly, the phone rings, and Zara picks it up.

"He's already here?... In the elevator?... Okay, thank you!" She hangs up and quickly reaches into her hoodie pocket for something.

"Who's coming? Alejandro?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "Marcus. He comes by sometimes to drop off files or documents that need to be signed."

My heart drops. I don't know if I can do this. I don't think one year was enough time apart for me to be okay with him nearby.

Zara slips a ring with a diamond on it onto my ring finger on my left hand. I raise a brow.

"I told him you were getting married, just play along," she grins.

"Since when did you become some mischievous?" I ask.

"Since sharing my space with Alejandro for too long," she answers and swats at my hand when I try to slip off the ring.

The doorbell rings and I feel like jumping off of the balcony.

"Xara, I don't think I can pretend," I say nervously.

Though, I would love to see how he'd react to this "engagement". I'm too nervous to carry out the plan.

"Yes, you can. You took drama class in high school," she teases and runs to go open the door.

I wait nervously in the living room when I hear Zara say, "Alejandro asked you to look into a few contracts that he left in his study. He said to finish them up here."

The second Marcus walks into the living room, he freezes mid-step. His eyes linger on me momentarily, he licks his bottom lip, making a shiver run down my back. Then, his gaze falls on the ring on my finger. His mouth sets into a straight line and his hands form into tight fists. He's looking at the ring as if the ring is provoking him to fight it.

I try not to smirk at his reaction and look away. But being unable to sit still, I quickly stand up.

Both of us stare at each other for a long second until I decide to break the silence.

"Hi," I curse myself for letting the word come out so breathy.

"Hey," he shoves his hands in his pockets.

Say something. "How are you?" I ask, trying to fill the deafening silence.

"Good, you?" His voice is flat.

"Good, great," I try to smile.

"I can tell," he says, eyeing my finger.

"Oh? This?" I raise my left hand to flash him the ring. "Yeah, I thought it was time to start that family I always dreamt of."

Zara's trying not to burst into a fit of laughter behind him. And I'm trying not to look at her to keep my composure.

He doesn't say anything further. Instead, he storms off in the direction, which I assume is Alejandro's study.

"No, I really thought you were going to ruin it," Zara giggles.

"Ugh, why are we bothering the poor guy?" I roll my eyes.

"Because he messed you up, it doesn't hurt to give him a taste of his own medicine," she says with an edge to her tone.

"I know. But..." I stop myself.

Zara's right. I was constantly thrown around by him, a little game with him won't do much.

• • •

"Marcus, are you going home?" Zara asks him as I tie the bag of cookies she packed for me.

He doesn't turn back to look at us but silently nods.

"Take Yasmeen with you. She's going home as well," she says, making me tie the knot on the bag too tight.

"Zara," I aggressively whisper. "No."

She only swats at my arm. "Is that a problem?"

He's quiet for a couple of seconds, then, says, "Whatever."

I hate you, I mouth towards Zara, who's grinning at me, as I run to put on my shoes.

I accidentally trip trying to squeeze my foot into the shoe and grab Marcus's shoulder for balance. Just as I touch him, I swear a felt a jolt run through me. He shakes off my hand just as quickly.

"Sorry," I mutter.

The car ride is quiet. I ask him short yes or no questions and he either nods his head or shakes it to answer me.

Once I reach my apartment door, Marcus was about to turn around to leave but I stop him, "Won't you come in?"

He shakes his head.

"For water? Tea?" I ask.

He smiles, only a little. A smile that surfaced involuntarily. "Just a cup of tea... in silence."

We've had this exact conversation before when he saved me from Aayan the first time. That's why he's smiling. It's because he remembers.

"Oh, come on! There's no way I can stay silent!" I pout.

Instead of leaving, he says, "Lead the way."

As I turn on the kettle to boil water for the tea, he sits on the bar stool by the counter. I take a seat beside him, making sure to not sit too close or else I might lose my mind.

"How have you been holding up since... everything?" I ask.

"I thought I was getting silence?" He sighs.

"No, I'll die without a conversation," I say dramatically.

He rolls his eyes and focuses on the wall in front of us. "I'm whatever. It was just another day at the office," he answers flatly.

"That's good, I supposed. I mean, it's bad that it's so casual for you but it's good that it didn't impact you," I say.

"I see you found yourself, someone, since you left," he stares at the ring on my finger.

Oh, I forgot to take it off. "It's not m—" I pause, how far can I push this? "It's not a big deal. I was bound to find someone with my sparkling personality and my amazingly good looks."

He only gives me a sad smile. "Oh? And who's this unfortunate clown who fell for your supposed good looks and sparkling personality."

I frown. "Supposed? Take that back!" I lightly smack his arm. "And he's not a clown. He's the most beautiful man I've ever laid eyes on. He has the sharpest eyes and softest lips. He's a little grumpy and cold but when he softens up for me, I'm ready to give him anything and everything he asks for. He's also hesitant when it comes to showing his affection but God, when he does show it, it's like feeling the pleasant warmth on my skin on a cold winter day. He's everything I could've asked for and more."

I notice I started rambling so I look over at Marcus but his expression is almost numbing. He's gripping the edge of the counter as if he's seconds away from ripping off a chunk from the granite. His jaw is set in an angry line, his eyes burning with envy.

"Marcus—"

"I have to go," he stands up and was out the door before I could even get another word out.

This stupid man didn't even realize I was talking about him. I groan and run after him, he needs to explain why he's acting up when he can just speak, just communicate his feelings.

I take the elevator down and when I get to his door, it's already open. He didn't even have time to close it, he must've just rushed in.

I walk in slowly, "Hello? Marcus?"

Strolling through his home, I notice his master bedroom door agape. I walk up to it and slowly peer the door open and see him pacing back and forth.

"Marcus, you're literally so stu—"

He whips his head in my direction in a manner that makes me stop mid-sentence.

"Fuck, Yasmeen..." his voice comes out low and rough.

He takes only three strides towards me to reach me. He cups my face, pushing me between the wall and his body, and kisses me. His teeth angrily tug at my lower lip, his mouth curving against mine in ways I can't imagine.

He takes my hand, guiding it down his chest and letting it rest on his lower half. One of his hands grips my waist, pulling me against his very clear hard-on and the other caresses my body as if it's made out of silk. His knee slides in between my legs, making me moan as my legs begin to give out.

He pulls away ever so slightly, our lips still touching. Our breathing was hot and heavy.

"I can't do it," he says hoarsely. "I can't let another man, have you. I don't fucking care how undeserving I am. I'm yours, my little dove. I'm yours body and soul."

"What if I don't want you anymore?" I whisper.

He makes a guttural noise, crashing his lips into mine once more. "Tell me," he says in between our kiss. "Tell me you don't want me." He moves over, leaving a trail of kisses on my exposed jaw. "Tell me you don't want my tongue in your mouth." He goes back into m mouth. "Tell me you don't want my hands over your body. Tell me you don't want my mouth on your pussy. Tell me you don't want me to fuck you until you're screaming nothing but my name."

"Marcus..." my body is getting dangerously close to going limp. "Marcus, I can't..."

"I'll be so good to you," he moans against my lips. "I'll be so fucking good to you."

Yes, yes, yes, please. Oh, please.

Before I lose every inch of my sanity, I cover his mouth with the palm of my hand. Catching my breath, lean on him for support because there's no way I can hold my own weight right now.

He moves my hand away, resting his temple on mine. "I'm sorry, Yasmeen. I'm so damn sorry for being a coward, for being confused, for being afraid, for being a shitty person. I wasn't raised to accept love and affection so easily. I was raised on nothing but hatred, anger, drugs, and sex. But that's not an excuse for what I did to you, that's never an excuse."

I stroke his cheek, feeling my own tears brimming in my eyes.

"Fuck, you deserve better, you deserve whoever this guy is," he touches the ring slightly. "But I can't imagine living without you, I can't live without hearing your voice. I can't live without feeling your touch. You don't belong to me, no. I belong wholly to you. You own me body and soul. I'm yours to use and abuse. Do whatever you please with me, as long as I'm with you. I'm yours and only yours."

"Marcus... I..." I can't find the words because his are taking away my ability to speak, to breathe.

"I never learned to be selfish. I always did what I was told, I followed orders, and I did what was logical and correct. I thought if I chose you over Alejandro, my debt to him would never be paid. But for the first fucking time in my life, I want to be selfish. For the first time in my life, I don't care about logic and order. I don't care if we don't make sense. I don't care if we're not good for each other. I don't care if you deserve better. I don't fucking care."

"And?" I ask slowly. "What do you want, Marcus? What do you really want?"

"I want to touch you, I want to kiss you, I want to make love to you," he pauses for a second. "But more than that, I... I want a family with you. I want to grow old with you. I want to spend every waking moment with you. I want you, I need you, Yasmeen. I need you so fucking bad because I can't imagine loving anyone else but you."

"You damn idiot," I say shakily, holding in my tears. "You're the clown. You're the fucking clown I was talking about! You never listen, do you?"

"W-what?" His words stumble as the realization sinks in.

"I'm not engaged," I clarify. "Zara wanted to play a small prank. It wasn't even supposed to last this long."

"You're not engaged?" The relief on his face is clear as day.

I shake my head, letting out a short laugh. "When I said he's the most beautiful man I ever laid eyes on, I was talking about you. I thought the grumpy part would've given it away but I guess you're actually stupid."1

Immediately, Marcus picks me up and spins me around. I squeal, insisting that he to let me back down on the floor.

"Will you give me a chance? Give us a chance?" He says, holding me in his arms.

"How can I say no to someone who practically begged me and cried to me to make him my slave for life?" I chuckle.

He kisses my cheek. "You can tie me up and do whatever you may please to my body, Mistress Yasmeen," he whispers against my ear in a low, deep, almost seductive voice.

His comment catches me off guard and I pull away for a second. He throws his head back, letting out an ethereal chuckle. The sound of laughter is such a rare sound to come from him that I want to capture it in my mind, recording it to store in my heart.

"Tease me and I'll tease back a hundred times harder, my little dove," he warns. "So, is that a yes, Yasmeen?" His eyes are full of so much hope.

"Yes, I'll give you a chance but only if you marry me," I grin.

"Tomorrow. We'll be wed tomorrow," he states as if it's that easy.

I raise a brow, thinking he's just exaggerating because paperwork cannot be completed so fast. But I go along with it anyways, "Sure, my handsome king. If that is what you wish."

Little did I know, he was not exaggerating.

He had brought over a filled-out marriage license for our marriage certificate the very next day, along with a marriage officiant. He already had Alejandro and a Zara sign the witness parts and only needed my signature to make it official.

"W-When did you plan all this?" I ask once the officiant leaves.

"I just had to put in a phone call and it was done for us," he smiles. "You have to realize the Cosa nostra aren't an ordinary group. They have people everywhere and for everything."

Oh, that makes a lot of sense.

"Now, do I have permission to fuck you until you remember no one's name but mine, Mrs. Marcus Wang?" He smirks as he guides me to his room by his hand.

"Permission granted, my handsome king," I smirk.

My confidence only lasted until I realized I had to actually get naked in front of him and show him my actual body.

But it didn't take long for my sexy husband to convince me to literally fling my clothes off for him.

I may have died without our happy ending. In a way, we saved each other while we were both drowning. And honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

- - -

- author note -

How did you like Yasmeen and Marcus's end? I think their development was my personal fav lol >.<

My friend said she was going to kill me if I didn't give them a happy ending so here we are 🙄🤚🏼 I hope you're happy, Ms. Girl! 😡 LMAOO!

I also thought since I gave Zara and Alejandro such a bittersweet, almost twisted + dark ending, that I should give Yasmeen and Marcus a sweeter one to balance things out.

I have a two-part epilogue (with spice ✨) coming up and one extra thing that I wanted to put in!