Chapter 2 Meeting Mark Bennet

After calming her mother down with tea, a blanket and a good movie Jade left the apartment. She didn't know how she'd be able to contact Mark Bennet, but she'd start at his office. According to the internet Mark usually worked at his main office downtown. Getting in her car she drove there in a record of time, never in her life being as determined as she was now. Since she listened to her mother vent she repressed her own concerns and thoughts. Mark would listen to her vent and he'd do it quietly. She wouldn't give him time to respond, because she had a lot to say.

While thinking about her mother's situation she only pissed herself off more and more. It was a good thing because when she parked her car she was ready to face Mark and bite his head off. She glanced at her reflection in the window, taking her hair out of her pin she ran her fingers through it. Trying to look decent enough when she'd enter the intimidating tall office building. She was glad she was wearing her work clothes. A black dress and high heels. It wasn't comfortable but it fitted with the style of their shop. It also made her look decent enough to enter a building like the building Mark Bennet owned. It was tall, intimidating and sleek looking. She was sure people who entered that building were only well-dressed people, ready to tackle the world with their financial knowledge.

She walked up to the building and entered it with so much confidence she surprised herself. Knowing Mark wouldn't be hanging out at the lobby she headed for the receptionist who flashed her a polite smile. It was the same kind of smile she always showed her customers, so knew the receptionist didn't mean it. The girl was young looking with her blonde hair tied up in a bun and pinned securely to her head. She wore a bold cat eye look and bright red lips.

"Good afternoon. How can I help you, Miss?"

She spoke quietly, the polite smile never leaving her face. It was almost terrifying. The girl sounded like a robot, going through her day on auto-pilot.

"I'm here to see Mark." She told the girl who raised a bold eyebrow at her, "Mark Bennet."

The receptionist didn't blink as she continued, "Do you have an appointment, Miss?"

"No." She noticed the look of disgust which flashed through the receptionist's eyes, "But Mark knows who I am and he'd want to see me."

The receptionist didn't look convinced.

"Even so, I can't let you through if you don't have an appointment. I'm sorry."

She didn't sound very sorry. The receptionist focused back on her computer so Jade assumed the woman was brushing her off.

"I'm not leaving until I get to speak to Mark. It's important."

"You need an appointment, you don't have one so I really can't let you through. If you're going to make a scene I'll have to ask security to escort you out of the building."

Jade slammed her hands on the counter, making a scene. She didn't care if security would lead her out of the building. She'd come back tomorrow and the day after until Mark would show up. She had time, she was so pissed it would fuel her through the week.

"Mark destroyed my life so until I get five minutes of his time I'm not moving from this spot. He owes me freaking damn five minutes of his time."

She noticed that security was making their way toward her. Two guys in pressed black suits and crisp white shirts. They looked ready to carry her out if necessary, but she wasn't leaving until they did. She didn't care about making a scene. She didn't work there nor did she know the people who did. She'd cause a scene of the century if they forced her to.

"Ma'am, we've been requested to escort you out of the building. Could you please follow us quietly, we wouldn't want to cause a scene."

"I don't give a fuck about causing a scene or not." She told them raising her voice a little which caused other people around them to stare, "Like I've told Miss clown face, I'm not moving until I get to speak to Mark."

"Ma'am, we need you to leave."

They weren't even listening to her, they were following their rule book through and through. If she was their supervisor she'd be so proud. Right now she was fucking pissed though.

"What's going on?"

She flickered her eyes to the tall guy in his charcoal suit. His dark hair neatly gelled, his face looking freshly shaved, his eyes a stormy grey. She could stare at him all day if she wasn't ready to bite his head off. His picture not doing him justice at all. Some people were blessed with beauty, life was unfair like that.

"I need to speak to you." She told him flat out, "At least have the decency to listen to the girl whose house you stole."

The two big security guys cleared their throats, uncomfortable with the current situation.

"We were about to lead her out of the building." One of them told Mark.

Mark never glanced away from her though. She felt her cheeks heat when she noticed his eyes scan her from head to toe. She flipped her hair to the side, clearing her throat in unease. When his stormy eyes darkened she was sure he liked what he saw. She couldn't feel flattered though. He stole their house and made her father go to jail. She needed to slap him in the face rather than blushing in front of him.

"I'll see you in my office." He told her which surprised everyone, including her.

One of the security men behind her sounded unsure, probably thinking she was psycho and would hurt their employer physically "Sir?"

"I've got this." He told them, "Follow me." He told her.

She didn't think twice about it and followed after him. The elevator ride was awkward, standing side by side while facing the door. She didn't even dare to breathe. Thankfully there was soft background music playing. Once the elevator door slid open she let out a sigh of relief and followed after Mark who took big, confident strides. She could hardly keep up with him in her heels, but she tried. Her heels clicked away on the marble tiles, echoing through the hallway. Once they reached his office he held the door open for her. She walked in, turned around and faced the impassive looking Mark.

"What kind of man are you?!" She told him once he closed the door behind him, "Stealing away a house from a woman whose man you send to prison. Don't you have a conscious at all?"

He held her gaze for a minute before he walked past her. She immediately spun around, not letting him out of her sight for even a split second. He got comfortable, shrugged off his jacket and placed it over his desk chair. Taking a seat behind his glass desk he folded his hands in front of him and met her gaze again.

"Your father signed it over to me. I didn't steal anything." The taunting tone making her blood boil, "That's more his style, is it not?"

She ignored the fact that Mark mocked her father. Maybe it was more Arthur's style to stab people in the back and take things away from the weak. She didn't come here to agree with Mark about her father, she came here to yell at him so she continued.

"He'd never willingly sign it over."

"But he did." Mark assured her, "He owed me a lot, so instead of paying me off he figured it would be better to sign over his property."

"You're no better than him." She whispered.

His stormy eyes glistered, "So you do know your father is an asshole who destroyed many lives."

"Don't you dare talk about my father like that." She warned him as she stalked to his desk and leaned in, narrowing her eyes at him, "And are you admitting you're the same?"

"You know your father is an asshole." Mark continued casually, brushing her off, "I'm nothing like him. Everything I do is legal. I'm not going to jail and I don't plan to either." His lips curled up to a smirk which made her swallow her nerves, "You need to brace yourself, your father made many enemies. I'm not convinced he'll survive his time in jail."

Her mouth dropped as she realized he sounded pleased with that, "How can you even say that?" She whispered, "Aren't you human? He's a husband and father. There are people who do give a crap about him."

"What about the families who lost their husbands and fathers?" Mark asked her, "Don't you care about them? Your father didn't seem to care when he took away my father's company and his money. And he definitely didn't seem to care when an eight-year-old boy lost his father. But also his mother because she is an empty shell after his father committed suicide."

"I didn't-"

"You had a wonderful life, didn't you? Living in an ivory tower like a princess. You had twenty-something amazing years in your castle which was paid off with blood money. Your happiness came with a price."

"I have nothing to do with my father's actions and neither does my mother. That house you're taking away is everything my mother has. She lost it completely when my father got taken away by the cops and now she's an empty shell because she also has no place to go."

"She has you."

She couldn't imagine her mother being satisfied with living in a small apartment which only had one bedroom. They had to share her bedroom and to be honest she wasn't looking forward to sharing a bed with her mother. They weren't that close and it was going to be awkward.

"That's not enough for her."

Something about that made Mark pay attention. He had his eyes narrowed on her, she could feel him analyzing her.

"What's your name?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your name, you know who I am. It's only fair I get to know you."

"Jade."

Mark gestured to the empty seats in front of his desk, "Please, take a seat, Jade."

"I'm not here to have a nice chat. I'm here because-" She was rushing through her words, wanting to get things off her chest, she knew it all sounded like a blur but she couldn't calm herself down, "Because-Because-"

"Jade, please take a seat." He never lost his composure, it embarrassed her she did.

She did as told, having lost her determination completely. Her father had destroyed Mark's life. His father committed suicide and his mother had lost it. She wanted to pretend she had no blame and her mother had no blame but she knew better. Her mother always looked the other way and she left the house when she could to leave it all in the past. It amazed her Mark stayed calm the entire time because she knew if the roles were reversed she would have lost it.

"You care about your mom."

She frowned, "She's my mom."

"Your mom was attached to that house?"

"My mom is used to luxury. Living together with me in a one bedroom apartment and having to work for a living is not something she is accustomed to nor she'd be willing to do."

"She's selfish but you love her anyway."

"Of course."

Mark nodded, "I'm sure we can work something out."

That threw her off her game completely.

"W-What?"

"Your mother needs the house to keep herself sane. And you need your mother to be sane while your father rots away in jail." He leaned back in his seat, the leather creaking as he shifted, "I'm sure we can work something out which will benefit the both of us."

"You're willing to help?" She asked, confused by his offer, "Even after what my father has done to you and your family?"

"Don't get the wrong idea, I'm only willing to help you because I think it will be beneficial to me. Not because I feel sorry for you."

She knew this was the moment she ran and never looked back. But she couldn't. Whatever he had to offer her, she'd take it. She'd do anything to give her mother their house back.

"Okay, I'm listening."

His lips curled up to a smirk, "Glad to hear that."