Chapter 31 Chapter 31

Chapter 31 Chapter 31
MARK'S POV:

I had said I did not love Martha, but it was so difficult to get her out of my mind. Especially now that I knew the wedding would not go on.

Martha was the sole heir to the Roger Corporation. Her father left everything in her name. When Sandra discovered the truth, she killed him with my father’s help.

They agreed that once Martha and I were married, she would sign everything over to me as her husband. Now, our plans had been ruined.

As I drove back to my father’s house, the road was silent except for the rain falling heavily and wetting the roads and streets.

The streetlights illuminated the quiet road, and soon I arrived at the gate of my father’s house.

When the security guard pulled it open, I drove in and parked my car.

Getting out of the car, I waited for Elena to step out, and we rushed toward the front door as the rain showed no mercy.

When I rang the doorbell, a maid came to unlock the door and welcomed us into the furnished living room.

"Mark, Elena... what happened?" Mom asked in shock as she rushed over to meet us. She was of average height, wearing an orange nightgown, with long brown hair and beautiful brown eyes.

Dad had already gotten the news, so he strode downstairs to meet us.

"Good evening, Dad, Mom," I greeted them, but I was too tired to go into details at the moment.

"What happened?" Mom repeated her question as Elena greeted her as well.

"Good evening, Ma."

"Welcome, Elena. What is wrong?" Mom pressed. Dad sighed, knowing we had to find a way out; otherwise, Martha would claim everything or send us to jail.

"It’s Martha. She got my mother arrested. She went on a live stream, accused us of abusing her, and now she has gained King Kendrick’s favor," Elena sobbed against my mother’s arm, and Mom frowned.

"How can Martha do that? Where is she? You need to call her and let me speak to her. What she did is wrong," Mom said, trying to pacify Elena, but Elena shook her head.

"Martha is just too stubborn. She refused to let the police grant my mother bail. They said until they are done investigating, my mother could go to jail. I don’t want to lose my Mom," Elena cried aloud, her body trembling from the cold and the heavy rain that had drenched her.

"Don’t say that. Martha will not go that far. I watched Martha grow up. She is like my own daughter. Mark, call Martha this minute," Mom turned to face me, still comforting Elena in her arms.

I frowned and replied, "That’s not possible, Mom. Martha has already blocked me."

"What? Why would she do that? What is wrong with Martha? Did you offend her?" Mom inquired, and my scowl deepened.

Of course, my mother knew I didn’t like Martha, but she had encouraged me to stick to the wedding plan until we got what we wanted.

"Mom, I didn’t do anything wrong. Martha found out that I do not love her, and she is planning to cancel the wedding. She is just too stubborn, and I don’t think she will change her mind," I replied coldly.

Mom frowned as I walked away. "I will be heading to my room to change out of these wet clothes. Excuse me, Mom and Dad."

I moved past my parents and climbed the flight of stairs.

I didn’t want to be there, but Dad called for my attention.

"Mark, where do you think you are going? We have to look for Martha now and convince her to withdraw the case," Dad yelled, but my fists clenched on the staircase railing.

"Dad," I gazed back at him and said, "You can try to call Martha on your own. She has her boss backing her, and you know Mr. Weston is very influential in this city. He owns a big restaurant and other businesses, and I don’t think I can afford to offend or cross him. If I had gotten the Roger Group, I could have been able to. But now, I am tired."

I turned away and did not want to look back at my parents. My day had been ruined, and I didn’t know why I was so irritated.

I should have been happy. Martha should have easily complied if not for involving the King.

When I reached my bedroom door, I swung it open and strode into my room. Anger coursed through my veins as I gazed at the night sky. The moon sat pretty over the clouds as the rainfall dwindled. My mind flashed with a recollection of how Mr. Weston’s eyes had glowed with a golden hue.

Shaking my head, I went to undress out of my wet clothes and took a warm night bath.

Once I stepped out of the bathroom, I dried my body and moved into my closet. Picking out a white robe and black shorts, I put them on and went to dry my short black hair. A knock resonated on my door, and I moved over to pull it open.

Dad stood there, his expression cold. I asked him, "Dad, what do you want?"

"Mark, do not pretend you do not know that we have to find a way to silence Martha."

"So what are you suggesting?" I asked him as he stepped further inside.

"Let me in."

I moved aside, and Dad strode into my room. I shut the door and turned to face him.

"What do you plan to do now, Dad?" I asked him calmly.

Drawing a deep breath, Dad met my gaze and said, "I will call Martha and tell her that you are not going to marry her again. I will try to make her understand that she needs a husband who can protect her, and that you are sorry for your past mistakes. I cannot allow her to dig into her father’s death. If she finds any evidence against us, we are doomed."

Looking at my father’s worried face, I said, "Dad, Barrister Williams suggested this to Martha, but she brushed it off. She clearly refused to listen. She even threatened to send Barrister Williams to jail. So that’s not going to work. Tomorrow the police will investigate, and we all have to stick to the old script and tell them Martha’s father died of cardiac arrest. It’s been two years since his death, and they will not find any evidence against us. Or do you think Martha will dig out her father’s grave to find evidence to jail us?"

Dad’s expression hardened. "I do not think so. But if we let Martha off, we will lose."

"Don’t worry, Dad. Martha knows nothing about the company. We can convince the shareholders not to accept Martha as the new CEO. That way, you still have privilege over her as Sandra’s assistant."

"You’re right, Mark," Dad said, laughing. "I haven’t thought about any of this. That’s the best plan for now. We should join your mother and Elena for dinner."

"Alright, Dad," I agreed as he turned to leave my room. Once he left, I stepped out too and went downstairs to join my family for dinner.