Mark Darius entered his Porsche, deciding to go for a drive. He needed to clear his mind, he needed to think. He needed that space, he needed to leave the side of people, the side of human beings for a while. How did he know that it wasn't Karen Shapiro that was planning this? That she wasn't the one in charge of the betrayal scheme? He knew Karen Shapiro quite well. She was one that took good care of her workers unless unfortunately, she didn't have anything at all. And she was going to do anything to keep them. That was why he was confused. He was confused because he wasn't sure of who the man that wanted to see him was,or why he wanted to see him. He was someone who prided himself on his sixth sense and his instincts, but this time around, there was nothing. His mind was blank, and he knew that even if Karen was the one in charge of the plan, she wouldn't know. Could she sacrifice a man's life to get to him? Yes, she could. However, he was going to give it a try. That was
When they stopped at the Goshen fast food, Mark Darius felt his heart hammering in excitement. Trying to calm his nerves, he did some breathing exercises. The last thing he wanted was to stutter when clearly, he had been handed a chance with the woman of his dreams on a platter of gold. He didn't want to mess up this second chance, and he was going to take it with both hands. It was a golden chance, and letting it go was going to be a very big mistake. He didn't want that to happen, not at all. He removed the seatbelt that had Atticus bound, smiling at him. Instantly, the kid slipped his little hand into his, then gave his mother a cunning smile that seemed to say “gotcha!” It was clear that Farida didn't like her son attaching himself to strangers immediately on first meeting. But he didn't care. All Mark Darius cared about was that he was doing good, and that meant he had a huge chance to earn her number, that he had the chance to at least drag her from the unhappiness that sh
“Whatever you say, Mr Darius. I'll take your word for it. I can put on the television, if you like.” “Oh, yes please, I would like that. But before that, Farida, I want to ask a question.” Staring at him with a smile playing on her lips, Mark Darius noted that he had just broken the defenses of a woman that hadn't seemed interested in him at first. “Shoot, Mr Darius.” Rubbing his hands, he stared at her, looking into the green pools of her eyes and wanting to remain there, enchanted and ensnared by those beautiful eyes of hers. “Haven't I done enough to earn your phone number?” “I suppose you have, Mr Darius.” And with those words, she gave him her number while he grinned from ear to ear. Settling into the sofa that faced the television, he stared at his wristwatch. He was going to go back home pretty late, but he didn't care. As far as it meant spending more time with Farida Atticus, he was in. “Can't find the remote. Please stand Mr Darius, Atticus loves keeping them on
The next morning, Mark Darius was already up before his usual wake up time, brushing his teeth and then taking a quick shower. The kiss he had shared with Farida Atticus was evergreen in his memory, and he knew that it was going to be etched there throughout the day. God, it had been a wild few minutes. A wild few minutes that had left him breathless, that had left him wanting more, that had left him looking for things he certainly didn't want at that stage of his life. Farida Atticus was going to be his undoing. Even though it was late, he knew that he had known earlier. From the time that he had seen her in that office, to the time that he had played the good Samaritan as she was stranded in the middle of the road. It was something that he had known as soon as he had glimpsed her eyes. She was going to be a force to reckon in his life, a force that he had probably never even known that existed. He didn't want to put a tag on what they shared yet, but there was one thing
The Splendid bar was filled to the brim when Mark Darius entered, flanked by his two most trusted guards. Terry was on his left and Sergei on his right. Easing himself into the VIP section of the bar, he tapped his foot comfortably to the music that filled the room. The VIP section was probably a madhouse at night. He knew that because of the poles he saw which meant they had strippers, and because of the strong smell of weed which was still in the air. Probably, the previous night had been something of a party bash, he thought to himself. He ordered a cold beer for himself and one for Terry, then smiled as Sergei ordered a bottle of water instead. He smiled at the chief of his guards, knowing that the man was never beating the allegations. He was never going to drink beer, no matter the kind of pressure that came with it. Maybe in his next life, Mark Darius found himself wishing, maybe in his next life he wanted to be like Sergei, a strong old man that ate only fruits, meat and
“So, Scar, are you saying that Karen doesn't pay you well?” Mark asked, finishing his beer and proceeding to just sit, ready to squeeze and wring out all the information he needed from the man seated across from him. “I don't work alone, I think you should know this already, Mr Darius. She has other workers and most of the time she has her hands full. The money that I receive is split between my men and I, and it isn't enough to cover my mother's hospital bills. This is why I decided to do this. You can guess how tough it was for me to even consider it.” Mark nodded, then bent, not relaxing on the comfortable sofa of the VIP any longer. “Well, Scar, how much is your mother's hospital bill and medical expenses?” Mark looked at Scar, watching him sigh. He acknowledged that even the strongest of men had their fears, and a man like Scar who had probably been shot multiple times was afraid of death not coming to him, but to his mother instead. “Twenty thousand dollars will cover e
Mark Darius exited his office, having met with the members of his board concerning the new line of business he was about to partake in. He felt that it was going to be good for them to know, for them to at least not discover by chance or coincidence. He wanted them to know he was being totally honest with them, and that was why he was telling them in the first place. Leaving his office, he retrieved his phone from his pocket, proceeding to call the one person that had been on his mind even during the meeting. He hadn't even texted her after getting her number two days ago. He wanted to give it enough time, he wanted to make sure that he was sure of what he was doing before he did it. And now that he had managed to settle the debate in the back of his mind, he was kind of excited because he wanted to explore. He wanted to be with her, and no one but her. That was all he wanted at that moment. “Hello, Miss Atticus?” “Mr Darius, what a pleasant surprise.” The voice at the other
“So what are you saying, number one?” The light of mischievousness, evil and cunning shining in her eyes, Karen Shapiro was shocked that one of her best men didn't see it too. How hard was it to spot? The script had already written itself, and all she was applying were the finishing touches and nothing more. “Can't you see it, Scar? We attack him where it matters most. We attack this new girlfriend of his. That is the only way to bring Mark Darius to his knees. Through her. He loves her, Scar. And to make him do whatever we want him to do, we first of all, snag a loved one.” She watched Scar nod his head, looking shocked and surprised. She sighed nosily, wondering if Scar had suddenly started to grow soft. He was normally pumped up for these kind of things, but at the moment he didn't seem to be. He looked very uncomfortable, and glancing at the burner phone in his hand, Karen Shapiro found out that for the first time, she was suspicious of Scar who was one of her best men by a