Chapter 487: Chapter 487 – Welcome Back to the Family

Earlier that morning, Mark was checking the proposals sent by his marketing team concerning the opening of a new restaurant.

He was surprised when his door pushed open without a knock, with Aliya standing there meekly. A scowl lined Mark’s face, and he seemed irritated by her unwelcome entry.

"Who let you in? Where is the secretary?"

Mark was about to reach for the intercom when Aliya hastened and placed her hand on his. "She was not at her seat, so I took advantage and walked in."

"And why is that?" Mark withdrew his hand, causing a detachment between them. Aliya sat in front of him, disheartened by his action.

"I came to talk."

"About what?" Mark asked dismissively. Aliya wondered why the sudden change in him. Then again, why won’t he when she had plainly stated that she was going to pursue Robert?

"I’m sorry for how I reacted the last time," she apologized, but Mark seemed disinterested.

"What song are you singing, Aliya? I can’t get the rhythm correctly." The sarcasm in Mark’s tone as he ignored her was very painful, but she endured it because it was all her fault.

"Mark, I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said the last time."

"Have you finished pursuing your heart’s desire?" Mark asked irritably, his piercing gaze boring into hers. Aliya uncomfortably lowered her gaze.

"I didn’t." Mark let out a relieved sigh, but it was so soft it almost went unnoticed. If she had tried to win over Robert and failed at it before coming to him, he would have chased her out of his office instantly.

"Look. No one forces me to do things, and even if I was drunk, I believe that nothing would have happened between us without my permission."

"So?" Mark asked sarcastically. Aliya felt like there was no reasoning with him but could not relent.

"What I mean is, what happened between us meant that I felt something for you."

Mark was so moved that he almost smiled, but then again, "Maybe it was because of the alcohol and sex adrenaline."

Aliyah refused to accept it. "Then why couldn’t I seem to get you out of my mind?" She sounded desperate, but Mark did not intend to make it easy for her after how she got him upset.

"How will I know?" He pretended to focus his attention on the laptop, but he was paying attention to her every word. Aliya pleaded,

"I need a second chance. I want us to give it a shot like you suggested before."

Mark glared at her and responded in a flat tone, "I don’t know if that opportunity still exists."

"Please Mark, I’ve been hurting for days. Give me a chance." Aliya had unshed tears in the corner of her eyes. Mark wanted to give in but,

"I’m busy," he said, stood up, and walked to the door. Aliya lost hope. Perhaps, this door was completely shut because it was too late.

A bitter smile escaped her, but unexpectedly, before Mark opened the door, he turned around and asked, "Have you had lunch already?"

Aliya smiled. She thought he was going to send her away. Rising to her feet, she walked up to him.

"Does it mean you are giving me a chance?"

Mark smiled at her for the first time. "You’d better not disappoint me."

"I won’t," she replied sharply.

He opened the door, and in front of them were Jasmine, her ex, and a young woman he didn’t know.

"Jasmine, what are you doing with him? And since when did you get engaged?"

Mark was enraged but was also shocked. A few days ago at the party, Jasmine was single, but suddenly, she was engaged when she never introduced a man.

"Rex and I are back together."

"After he left you for another woman?" Mark was not taking it kindly and raged.

"I will explain it to you later, but what is she doing here? Wasn’t she with Robert at the party?" Jasmine asked. Mark realized how he, the pot, was calling the kettle black.

"I think you should all wait together in the private room. We need to talk."

Mark arranged for their meals after. Joining them, they chatted and ate together after they explained things to each other.

Mark was happy for Jasmine, just as Jasmine was happy for him. "So Rex, why don’t you join us here? The pay is much better, and for the position I’m offering, there will be so many incentives."

All the families loved to bring their partners into their businesses so Mark figured that so long as Rex was going to get married to Jasmine, he would automatically join any of the companies.

Rex was excited by the offer and was ready to aim for it when Jasmine retorted, "Why should he work for you when he’s getting married to me?"

"You didn’t mention it," Mark pointed out. Rex was shocked that Jasmine was equally considering giving him a job and began to wonder if she knew about his relationship with Clay.

"That’s because I have to talk to mom and dad about it, but I will be going to meet his mom too," Jasmine explained. Rex stiffened slightly when she mentioned visiting his mom, but after some thought, he decided to bring his mom over to his small apartment in Manhattan.

"Fine. In case things don’t go as planned, I will still hold the position for some time before advertising it," Mark stated, but Jasmine refused. She already had plans for her man and wasn’t going to let Mark win.

"You better advertise it now. He isn’t working for you. Or you can consider Aliyah."

Aliyah’s eyes lit up. She hadn’t thought about it before, but it seemed like a brilliant idea. "She’s right, but we can discuss that later."

Mark agreed. "Rex, welcome back to the family," Mark lifted his glass, and they clicked it together.

***

Two weeks later at the conference room, Giselle was feeling funny during a conference meeting. Whether it was the perfume scent of one of the female executives or what she ate earlier, she couldn’t tell, and neither could she hold it.

She rushed out of the meeting room, and without thinking, Robert had followed suit, leaving the executives flabbergasted.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read