The Billionaire's Revenge

Going through the inventory Jade took note of all the accessories which had been delivered that morning. According to the list, she was scanning everything got delivered. Turning around when she heard heels clicking away she met the stressed looking pixie face of Nia, the sassy shop assistant who always made things a lot more interesting. Sometimes that was a good thing, sometimes that was a bad thing. Today Jade felt like it was a bad thing.

"A customer is demanding to see the manager."

The tension left Jade's body. The situation wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, just a customer wanting to either complain or a 'professional's' opinion. All the girls working in the shop were professionals, they only hired the best, but some customers always asked for the manager instead. She didn't mind.

"What happened?"

She walked out of the storage room together with Nia, closing the door behind her. Nia was standing by the door which led back to the store, looking annoyed. She scrunched her nose as she tapped away with her foot, the sound of her heel clicking away annoyed Jade to no end. But it was a habit Nia had whenever she was stressed or annoyed. Something she couldn't shake.

"We don't have a dress in her size and she is furious."

"I understand." Putting the list on the table, Jade tapped on it, "You take care of the pricing of this collection while I take care of the customer."

"Sure."

Nia didn't look pleased with her decision, but she did what she was told anyway. Jade fixed her hair and ran her hands over her black dress a few times, getting rid of any dust parts or hairs. Opening the door she entered the store and closed the door to the staff room. She spotted the annoyed looking customer immediately. The woman was angrily chatting away with her friend, standing by the register. Making her way through the store, Jade got behind the register and flashed the woman her polite smile.

"Good afternoon, how can I help you?"

"The other girl told me this dress isn't in my size anymore." The woman wasn't yelling yet, but her red face told Jade she was close to causing a scene, "I told her to order it in, but she refused. Not everyone is a fucking stick!" She pushed the dress toward her friend and searched through her bag, finding a crumpled magazine, flipped through the pages and slammed it down on the counter, "Look, it clearly says it's in the sizes one to sixteen. I need a size twelve, why can't she order it?"

Jade kept a smile plastered on her face while she took care of the problem. She didn't want the woman to cause a scene so she called around, trying to find another store in their chain who did have that dress in a size twelve. After a few phone calls their problem was solved. The woman left the store on a better note which was all she wanted. Nia walked out of the staff room, heading for the register.

"Your phone keeps ringing. Think it's urgent."

"Got it." Jade walked around and pointed to the register, "You take care of this and supervise Kayla and Mary. I'll be in the back, call me if you need anything."

"Sure thing, boss lady."

Calmly walking through the store she greeted the customers who were looking around. Quietly entering the staffroom she headed straight for the lockers and opened hers and then quickly unzipped her bag. Picking up her phone to make the ringing stop.

"Jade Sparks."

"Jade, honey! Thank god you picked up." It was her mom sounding freaking hysterical, "You need to come home immediately. The cops are here and your dad-" She was screeching in such a high pitched tone Jade could hardly understand what she was saying, "Please, I need you here, honey."

She didn't quite understand what was going on, but her mom didn't sound like she was doing so well. So instead of questioning her, she ended the call and collected her things. She could leave Nia to take care of the store, she knew Kayla and Mary would be okay without her.

***

Parking her car Jade took in the sight of the cops walking in and out of the house carrying boxes. Her mother was standing at the side, looking like she was arguing with a guy in a crisp white shirt and a nice looking pair of jeans. He had his arms crossed while he listened to my mother. She couldn't see if he actually gave a crap because he was wearing aviator sunglasses.

Approaching them Jade tried to push the nerves back when aviator sunglasses locked on her. Her mother noticed she didn't have his full attention and turned around, looking relieved to see Jade walking up to them.

"Jade!" She met her halfway and pulled her into a tight hug, "Thank god you're here."

Jade hugged her back, "Mom, what's going on?"

"Your father has been arrested." Aviator sunglasses spoke up, "Wanted for fraud, extortion and being an accessory to murder."

"W-What?" She whispered.

Her mother pulled away, throwing a death glare at aviator sunglasses, "They're wrong, Jade. Your father would never do such a thing." Her tone got pretty high again, "Arthur would never do such a thing!"

"Ma'am, we need you to cooperate like I've asked of you. We have a warrant."

Jade walked around her mother and reached for the paper the guy was holding up, "You're collecting evidence?"

"Yes, we're only taking what is necessary." He promised her.

Unlike her mom, she knew her father was capable of doing what the cop accused him of. Her mother pretended not to see and hear things when it came to Arthur and the shady things he got himself involved in. Her father had underworld ties and like she told him when she left the house, one of these days the cops were going to find a lead and things would end. She wouldn't look back and feel sorry for even a second. Things were different now though. Now that things caught up with him she felt bad for her mother. The life her mother was so accustomed to would end and she knew the woman couldn't deal with that. She couldn't live average, she was used to luxury.

"We'll be okay, mom." Jade promised her, handing the paper back to the cop, "We won't get in your way." She promised him.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Jade, this house, they say we need to leave it. That it's not our property anymore-"

"Did dad contact a lawyer?"

"Yes, they're meeting up with him at the station."

More than one lawyer? Jade knew it was bad if her father was going all out, she just held her tongue, not wanting her mother to lose it.

Jade handed her mother her car keys, "Mom, why don't you wait in the car? We'll go to the station as well. Find out what's going on with dad."

Her mother seemed to like that idea so she took the keys and left. Turning to face aviator sunglasses.

"Is she right about the house?"

"The guy who gave us the lead had legit paperwork which stated that the house actually belongs to him. So yes, once everything settled down you need to collect your possessions."

"Who is this guy?"

"Can't say, ma'am."

"He is stealing our house from us, I think I have the right to know who is making my mom homeless!"

"Sorry, can't help you further."

Knowing she wouldn't get any information out of him, Jade huffed and spun around. Heading to her car to join her mother. She'd find out who took their home away from them. She'd let the guy know he wasn't any better than her father for stealing their house and kicking her mother out without notice.

***

After talking to the lawyer Jade found out who kicked her mom out of her house. She wasn't too surprised to find out the guy had a lot of reaches. He was friends with the police chief and funded a lot of public services. He made friends with the right kind of people causing him to get away with whatever he had planned for her father. She had no doubt in her mind that this was about getting even. It was the way it worked in their world.

"Mom, I'll drop you off at my apartment. You can stay there for now." She placed her hands on her mom's shoulders and gave her a soft squeeze of reassurance, "Tomorrow we'll go to the house and collect our things."

"It's my house! I'm not leaving it-"

"Mom!" Jade squeezed her shoulders a bit tighter, getting her attention, "Unfortunately the cops were right. That house doesn't belong to us anymore. Dad signed it off to some guy named Mark Bennet. It belongs to him now."

"No, Arthur would never do that."

Her mother was still in the denial. It tired her out, but she knew it would take a lot of convincing to make Camilla understand. Her mother was good at staying oblivious.

"Mom, he did do it. He isn't getting out of here any time soon."

"He didn't do it!"

Sighing Jade pulled away, "Let's drop it, for now, we'll go to my apartment, okay?"

Her mother didn't disagree which she was grateful for. Getting her mom in her car she drove off to her apartment. She'd drop her mom off and meet Mark Bennet at his office. She'd let him know how much he fucked her day up. She knew it wouldn't help them, but she'd feel better after snapping at someone. Particularly the person who put her in this situation in the first place.

She had to stay strong in front of her mom because the woman was practically having a nervous breakdown. She didn't have to keep it together when meeting Mark though. He'd know what it felt like dealing with a hysterical woman. He'd wish he never crossed paths with her.

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."

Jade left the office building on wobbly legs, not really seeing anything because she was living in her own mind. Mark didn't seem like a bad guy at first, he remained calm and collected while she accused him off a lot of things. Then he suggested something to her which didn't feel right to her. It made her doubt his character. There was no way he suggested what he did because he had genuine intentions toward her.

Unlocking her car she got behind the wheel and inhaled deeply, trying to get rid of the anxiety which started building in her stomach and making her heart race. She promised herself she'd do whatever he wanted to get her mother their house back, but now she was doubting herself. Willing to break a promise to herself for the very first time.

She jumped when she heard rapid knocking on her window. Tilting her head to the side her breathing picked up when she met Mark's stormy gaze. Rolling her window down she watched him reach for something in his pocket and handed it to her. It was a business card.

"I've written down my personal number on the back." He told her, "Let me know what you've decided."

"Okay."

"You have till this Friday, Jade."

"Okay."

He didn't move away so she figured he wasn't done talking. He didn't say anything for a while, just taking her in. She wanted to ask him if something was on his mind but then he continued talking.

"There is no saving your father. The evidence speaks for itself, he is guilty and will be put away for life. Your mom, she'll lose all her savings and will have nowhere else to go. From what you've told me, she isn't someone who can live independently. You'll have to take care of her the rest of your life, but she won't be grateful because you won't be able to offer her the same lifestyle your father had. Slowly things will get so bad between you two you'll get sick of living with your mother. You'll end up blaming each other for the miserable life your father made you live."

"Sounds like you know what you're talking about."

"I've been there, Jade. Different reasons but same ending. It will be tough and horrible, do you really want to go through that?"

"What happened to your mother?"

"She got remarried and is now someone else's problem."

"You're not talking to her anymore."

"I rarely talk to her. Too much shit between us to make things right."

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

She placed her hands around her steering wheel and squeezed it tightly, "Because it's my father who made you go through all that." She flickered her eyes back to him, "Why would you want to marry the daughter of a man who destroyed your life?"

"Does the reason why really matter? In the end, both of us get what we wanted."

"It matters to me."

"It's personal." He glanced over his shoulder, "I need to run, call me whenever you've made up your mind."

With that, he walked away. Leaving her to figure out why he wanted to marry her. She knew deep down what his intentions were though, it wasn't that hard to figure out. He didn't want to tell her because he figured she'd run when he told her the truth. And she knew she should actually run. But the reasons he gave her for accepting his deal made a lot of sense, he wasn't wrong. She had till Friday to make a decision, she'd take her time because whatever she decided she'd do would change her life forever.

***

Arriving back at her apartment, Jade tossed her keys in the bowl by the door. She locked up the apartment and headed to the living room, her mom laying on the couch still curled up in a blanket while she watched a cooking show. As she entered the room her mother's eyes flickered to her.

"You went back to work?"

She took a seat beside her mom and focused on the cooking show, which was oddly calming to watch, "No, I went to talk to Mark Bennet."

"The Mark Bennet?"

She shifted her gaze to her mom, finding it odd how surprised her mother sounded.

"You know him?"

"Who doesn't know him?!" Her mother seemed a lot more alive now, "He made his first million at the age of twenty-eight. He is a billionaire now and only thirty-six. How do you know him?"

She didn't, but if she agreed to marry him she'd get to know him pretty well she assumed.

"I don't know him that well."

"Did he come to the shop to buy something extravagant for one of his girlfriends?" Her mother totally forgot about her depression and focused entirely on Mark Bennet, the dollar signs very clear in her eyes, "Heard he is between girlfriends at the moment. Honey, you shouldn't let this opportunity pass you by! You're a beautiful girl." She ran her fingers through Jade's locks, "You'll get his attention if you play your cards right."

She pulled away from her mother and got to her feet, "Mom! Seriously."

"You've been single for a long time now, Jade. You're not getting any younger and if you land a guy like Mark You'll be set for life."

"I'm not marrying a guy because of what he makes."

"You need to start thinking about your future." Her mother gestured around the living room, "You want to keep living like this forever?"

"Like what?" Now she was triggered, not liking how her mother was judging her, "Like an independent woman who doesn't owe anyone anything? I was actually quite happy with my life so far, away from you and dad."

"I'm sorry we were so horrible." Her mother whispered.

"Mom, I didn't mean it like that."

Her mother wasn't getting over it though. She had hurt her feelings and now she was retreating. Maybe that was for the best. Things were being said which both of them didn't mean.

"I'm heading to bed." Her mother announced, leaving the room.

Jade sat back down on the couch and curled up to a ball, trying to tune everything out but the cooking channel. She needed every dark thought to leave her mind so she could make a decision based on her own opinion and not her mother's.

***

Getting ready for work, Jade curled the ends of her hair and ran her fingers through it. Making them loose and wavy. She was wearing another little black dress with a statement necklace. Pleased with her look Jade reached for her bag and headed to the living room. Her mother got up early and muttered something about preparing breakfast. She couldn't remember when her mother last made breakfast for her. They had staff who took care of the cooking when she lived with her parents. She assumed that hadn't changed until the day her father got dragged away by the cops.

Dropping her bag on the couch she headed into the kitchen and watched in awe as her mother set the table. A plate with a stack of pancakes sitting on the middle of the table along with a bowl of fruit and a pitcher with syrup. Taking a seat at the table she thanked her mother for plating her breakfast.

"Smells good, mom."

"Eat up, you have a long day at work."

"Thanks."

"I have a charity event on Friday night. I hope you can join me since your father is not available at the moment."

She was still in denial. It actually made Jade's heart hurt for her. Her mother didn't want to face the fact her father had done horrible things to get as far in life as he had. It was pretty sad.

"Friday night? I do have work."

"It starts at nine, so you have plenty of time to get ready after work."

Her mother was bribing her to tag along with breakfast.

"Okay, sounds fun."

Her deadline for accepting or rejecting Mark's offer was on Friday. It made her heart race just thinking about him. Her mother approved of the guy only because he was worth billions. The age gap didn't even matter to her. Set for life, that's what she said. She wasn't sure if accepting Mark's offer meant that she'd be living large. He promised he'd annul the contract her father had signed if she agreed to marry him. To please her mother. Nothing had been promised toward her. She wasn't sure if she wanted more from him. She didn't want to owe him anything at all. It sounded like owning the devil your soul if she took anything Mark offered her.

"Mark will be there too, it's a charity cause we both support."

She was sure her mother would continue her conversation from last night, thinking she had calmed down enough to bring up Mark's money again.

"Really?" She asked, acting like she was surprised.

"Yes, he supports a lot of charity causes. He likes to give back, you know. Such a good guy. Men like him are rare, you know."

"I know."

"If you know you should try and talk to him Friday night. See where it goes."

"Mom, what if he brings a date?"

"Who cares? Everyone knows Mark hasn't been serious about any of his women before. All the same beautiful women with no personality whatsoever. Women who he can easily break things off with when he gets tired of them." Her mother smiled at her, "You're different. You're making a career and you care about more than make-up and the latest fashion trends. And it's a plus you're a pretty girl too. He'll like you, I know he will."

"Mom, I'm not the type of girl who'd try to hook a man while he already has someone in his life."

"He's between girlfriends. I've told you that."

"But you know he never shows up without a woman on his arm, so he'll find someone to accompany him Friday night."

Her mother looked annoyed by her, "There is nothing wrong with starting a conversation with someone."

"We'll see what happens Friday night." Jade ended the conversation with that, "I need to run. See you tonight, mom."

She got up, kissed her mom's temple and left the apartment heading to the shop.

***

Jade was standing behind the counter going through their weekly income and expenses when Nia walked up to her, looking like a kid who just met Santa. The big grin spread across her pixie face actually terrified her.

"There is a guy here to see you." Nia whispered, glancing over her shoulder, "He said he's your boyfriend and he needs to speak to you privately."

Glancing past Nia her breathing hitched in her throat realizing it was Mark. She wasn't sure why he came over, but the amused look in his eyes told her to be cautious of his intentions.

"I'll talk to him, please take care of the register while I'm gone."

"Sure thing, boss lady."

Leaving Nia to it Jade headed straight for Mark, her heels clicking loudly against the floor. Mark didn't flinch, he folded his arms across his chest, causing his jacket around his arms to show off his muscles. He looked breathtaking in his navy suit with his perfectly gelled hair and his nice leather shoes. The guy knew how to dress. She liked that about him.

"Mark."

"Good afternoon, Jade."

"How can I help you?"

"Your mother contacted me this morning, sounding very excited about the upcoming charity event this Friday and she asked me if I had a date."

She closed her eyes, letting out a tired sigh. She wished her mother wasn't a meddler. Things were already awkward between her and Mark because of his offer standing in their way. Her mother made things even worse.

"She doesn't know about you."

Mark's lips curled up to a smirk, "I suppose your father never told her anything."

"And she is pretty good at denying things."

Mark's eyes scanned the shop, "You dress well." He told her straight out, "So I assume you have a proper dress you can wear Friday night."

"Excuse me?"

His eyes flickered back to her, "I'm taking you to the event Friday night. I'd like you to wear an appropriate dress."

"I haven't accepted your offer." She reminded him.

"You will."

He couldn't sound cockier. The smug look on his face making her scrunch her nose.

"Mark..."

"I'll pick you up at eight thirty, I need to be there on time since I'm giving a speech."

After his announcement, he turned on his heels and left. She didn't have time to think about what just happened because Nia ran up to her and squealed rather loudly. Questioning her about Mark. She tried to brush Nia off but the woman wouldn't shut up about how handsome Mark was. She had to agree that he was easy on the eyes. But that was all there was to him. He was pushy and convinced she'd agree to marry him because her mother messed things up for her. She didn't like men who tried to take control of every aspect of her life.