Chapter 9 You Are The First One

Staring at her beautiful face, Mark was stunned. He had seen a lot of women, but this was the first time he had kissed one.

His lips were a sacred thing that nobody dared to touch. If someone tried to invade his personal space, they would come to no good end.

However, at that very moment, he didn't have it in him to stop her. He let himself enjoy the kiss.

To his own surprise, he wasn't disgusted or repulsed. His hands didn't want to push her away.

After some time, her lips left his lips.

She stared at the man with her bright black eyes.

So that was his face!

His face was covered with scars and his features were hardly visible. Yet there was something about it that told her he was a gorgeous man.

He had a pair of deep eyes, a high bridged nose and his lips were sexy.

Jessie was certain he used to be a very handsome man. It was a pity that things turned out to be like this.

A smile played on his lips. Mark looked at her and said, "So that's all?" Jessie was still in a daze, and didn't trust herself to speak coherently. Making use of her silence, he continued, "Until today, no one dared to take off my mask. You are the first one. Jessie, I'm really curious. Aren't you a little scared seeing my real face?"

Jessie sneered and asked, "Scared? Why would I be scared? Haven't you heard the saying that the most terrible thing in the world is a human being's mind? A lot of horrendous things happen there." What she said was true. After all, compared to those vicious minds, his scarred face was nothing. She wasn't frightened. Some people possessed ugly minds but had beautiful outer appearance. According to Jessie, they were the worst kind.

As she thought about this, a sad expression flashed across Jessie's face. Her beautiful eyes gazed into Mark's.

'Is it possible she could be acting?' he wondered.

He tried to look past her sad face and said, "So tell me, why you didn't show up that day?" He wanted to see if she was smart enough to explain why she was missing for three days.

Jessie paused for a moment, repeating what she had just said to Nelson. Seeing that Mark looked calm and composed, she figured he had bought her story as well. Secretly, she felt relieved. Although her story sounded a bit ridiculous, it was much more normal than being kidnapped.

"You are from a rich and powerful family. Don't you have a driver? Your father loves you very much, how could he let you out without a driver to escort you? Besides, if you encountered taxi robbery, why did you disappear for three days? Why didn't you call the police? Why didn't you go to the police station when you came back? Why did you stay at home and wait for your wounds to heal on its own? Miss Jessie, are you lying to me? Or those hearsays are all wrong?"

Mark began to throw a dozen questions. Jessie's heart began to thud against her chest. She didn't expect that he would turn out to be so smart.

It seemed like he was a tough nut to crack.

Seeing that Jessie didn't say anything, he assumed she had given up. A sneer escaped his mouth.

"Miss Jessie, have you ever wondered what will happen when the truth comes out?" he asked, looking at her with smug satisfaction. "I thought you were different from others. But you turned out to be just like other women. In order to marry me, you are making up stories. Let me tell you, women like playing cat and mouse games. They try to gain a man's sympathy, hoping those tricks will get them what they want. I am sorry, but such dirty tricks won't work on me. I've seen a lot of women like you!"

"How dare you speak to me like that! I admit that I lied. I also admit I am doing my best to stop you from breaking off the engagement. But do you really think that I want to marry you?" Jessie's eyes, which had been brimming with nervousness, turned sharp in an instant. She looked straight into Mark's eyes, not afraid of him anymore.

She went on, "Yes, I admit the reason I gave for breaking my promise was a lie. As for the true reason why I didn't come, it is pointless telling you. It sounds far-fetched and hard to believe. Also, people may say Darren is a great father, but you have no idea what he is truly like. If you like to think he is a great man just because of what people say, then it will be pointless talking to you. If you don't want to marry me then I guess-"

"Mr. Mark, the Lin family is here. Mr. Nelson asked you and Miss Jessie to go to the main building."

The servant's voice cut Jessie off.

Jessie finally realized the gravity of her mistake. 'What did I say just now? I came here to apologize. But instead, I just made things worse,' she thought.

She bit her lips nervously. She was supposed to help her mother and brother!

After the servant left, Mark turned to Jessie. "Miss. Jessie, you can continue from where you stopped."

"I... I have nothing to say," Jessie stammered.

"Nothing to say?" Raising his eyebrows, Mark said, "Okay. If you are done talking, I think it's my turn to talk. From what you just said now, I can tell that you don't want to marry me at all. You are forced to do it. From your tone, I gather you are choosing to marry me as some kind of a compromise. If you had a choice, you wouldn't be marrying me. Miss Jessie, am I right?"

Jessie was stunned. Mark was much smarter than she had anticipated. All she did was utter a few lines. And from that, he had understood everything. It was like he had read her mind.

"No, I didn't mean that. I..." she said, trying to pretend he had made a mistake.

"Well, you don't have to explain. I completely understand," he said, shrugging it off.

Before Jessie could say anything more, he asked the servant to push him into the elevator.

Jessie sighed, looking depressed. 'So that is it!' she thought. It seemed that by coming here, she had ruined every chance of marrying him.

In the main building, the atmosphere was harmonious and pleasant, a complete contrast to what she was feeling.

"Dad." "Mr. Darren." Mark flashed them a gentle smile. Jessie couldn't bring herself to smile. Instead, she said hello, and sat down beside Darren.

Nelson looked at Jessie and asked, "Jessie, did you talk to Mark? I should have warned you about his temper. You have to be very tolerant to handle him."

Nelson's words prompted Jessie to glance at Mark. She noticed a bitter smile had crept up on Mark's lips.

'Why does any of it matter? His temper issues have nothing to do with me.

Didn't his words suggest he didn't want to marry me?

What is the point of talking about all this?' Jessie thought, feeling even more frustrated.

They continued to chat but there wasn't any mention of marriage or engagement. The three men talked but every now and then Jessie zoned out. She noticed Mark hadn't talked much, but he seemed to be in a good mood.

Everyone looked harmonious on the surface, but there was a strong murderous storm behind.

Nelson glanced at his watch. It was lunchtime. He looked at Darren and Jessie, asking them to stay for lunch. But Darren turned down the offer.

As Darren and Jessie walked out of the Lan family's house, Darren suddenly turned to her and said, "Take care of yourself and move to the Lan family's house next week."

What? Jessie was puzzled. She thought she had heard it wrong. "Why would I move here?" she asked foolishly.

"You are going to marry Mr. Mark. Of course, you can't expect to live with us after that," Darren said, not attempting to hide his indignation. "You're lucky as they agreed for this marriage. And thankfully, the Lan family wants you as their daughter in law as soon as possible. If you mess it up this time, I'll surely teach you a lesson."

Jessie stopped listening after this and fell deep into thoughts.

'Will Mark marry me?

But he said he knew I didn't want to marry him. How could he still say yes?

What's going on?'

Jessie's thoughts were in a muddle.