Chapter 126 Mr.Mark is here!

Chapter 126 Mr.Mark is here!

Alina:

“Sir… Mr. Mark has arrived.”

The maid’s voice cut through the dining room and everybody came to a halt. For a second, I forgot to breathe.

The fork I had been holding hovered mid-air, my fingers tightening around it as my head whipped at Kieran first. His expression changed from warm and soft to cold and unreadable.

“S-should I send him in, sir? He said he wanted to talk to you about some company matters.” The maid said again with a less confident voice, maybe she read the room finally.

Hoseok straightened slightly in his seat, the teasing ease disappearing from his face. Even Emma stopped breathing for a moment.

Kieran didn’t look at anyone except the maid. “Where is he?”

“In the main hall, sir.”

“Don’t let him move further,” he said immediately, his voice controlled but firmer now. Then his gaze shifted to Vocenzo.

Vocenzo understood without needing further instruction. He was already moving toward me, I fidgeted my fingers.

“Madam, you need to go upstairs and stay there until Mr.Mark leaves please.” He addressed me directly and I looked at Kieran, then back at Vocenzo.

Kieran nodded, his voice softened slightly, though the urgency didn’t leave it. “Go upstairs.”

I frowned. “What? I don't want to hide from him, I’m staying here through whatever it is, I don't care abo–”

“Alina,” he said again, more carefully this time, “go to the room. Stay there until he leaves.”

Something about the way he said it made my heart dip. I absolutely despised the idea of hiding by taking a decision that involved me, and that was solely about my life.

“Madam, please hurry. We don't want him to see you here.” Vocenzo said again with a nonchalant voice now, I huffed.

“I’m not hiding upstairs like this is something I have nothing to do with, I’m not a coward. What else could go wrong anyways?” I said, pushing my chair back slightly.

“Alina, this is not the time,” Kieran replied, his patience thinning.

“And when is the time?” I asked quietly, more frustrated now than anything else. “Every time something like this happens, I’m told to stay away and wait. I am tired of waiting outside my own life. I'm not a baby anymore Kieran, we are getting married, whatever it is, it involves me so let's face it together from now on.”

For a brief second, something flickered across his face, like he understood exactly what I meant, but before he could respond, Vocenzo stepped closer.

“Miss Alina,” he said calmly, “please go upstairs.”

The way he said it was not a request. It was a warning disguised as politeness.

“Baby, listen to me, I want you to go upstairs and wait for me, this is not about you, it's about me and Mark, yeah?”

My cheeks burned at the new endearment from Kieran, I held his gaze for a moment longer, then looked at Vocenzo. He wasn’t angry at me, but he wasn’t yielding either.

That was enough for me to understand I wasn’t going to win this argument right now.

“Fine!”

I heaved a sigh and turned towards the stairs, not missing the sight of Vocenzo rubbing his face with both hands, and Kieran sighing in relief.

“Both are idiots!” I muttered and climbed the stairs, except I didn't go to the room.

I stopped midway on the upper staircase that led to the lobby and instead moved quietly toward the pillar that gave view of the main hall and the dining room through the entrance.

I knew this mansion too well by now. I knew where voices carried and where they didn’t.

If Kieran thought he could he would make me listen to him by just a nickname, well…he was in for a rude awakening! He’s marrying the girl he raised himself!

I pressed myself against the wall near the archway and stayed still. I dipped my head slightly to see through the railings, almost half of the dining hall was visible from here.

Mark had already entered the main hall, his head high and posture arrogant. My mouth turned bitter at the sight of my so-called father.

Vocenzo stepped right beside Kieran as Kieran kept eating like he doesn't give a damn about anything. Hoseok and Emma’s faces held grimace but silence.

“What is all this?”

He halted his steps as soon as he witnessed all the decorations and bunches of red and white roses and lavender, hanging from the railings, wrapped around the pillars in veins and also on side tables in bunches.

Kieran dropped his fork elegantly, cleaned his face with the handkerchief placed on the table, then addressed elegantly.

“You didn’t inform me you were coming, father in law?”

“I'm asking you what is this, Kieran? Who's getting married?” Mr.Mark looked around baffled, then his eyes went to Hoseok, and Emma stood next to him like she was taking his shield.

“Are you two getting married?” He squinted his eyes and pointed at Hoseok who rolled his eyes, Emma turned red.

“I'm not that lucky yet Mr.Mark.” Hoseok replied dryly.

“Then what is all this preparation for? This doesn't look like any album launch celebration eit–”

“I'm getting married!” Kieran dropped the bomb as he nonchalantly stood from his seat, Mr.Mark’s eyes widened, he froze right there.

“What?” His face went pale, then he chuckled.

“Finally you got tired of being alone, didn't you? I told you to find a suitable girl and settle down with someone. Who wouldn't want to marry you? Who's that? Sara–”

“I'm marrying Alina.” He stepped closer, facing Mr.Mark head on. Mr.Mark forgot to breathe.

“What??” He whispered.

“I'm marrying Alina, father in law. Oh! What a coincidence. Now I can really call you father in law again. Looks like we are not getting separated in this life after all.” Kieran massaged his temples as he chuckled, enjoying the scenario a bit too much.

“What the fuck are you talking about? You're marrying Alina?? My daughter??!!!” Mr. Mark growled, stepping too close to Kieran, who simply nodded.

“That's right father in law, I'm finally marrying the love of my life. Finally getting what I always wanted!” He exhaled and poured himself a drink.

“You're marrying my daughter and I don't even know?? What kind of fuckery is this Kieran?”

“Oh, it's not fuckery Mr.Mark. It's called personal life and personal choices. Why would I seek your permission to marry a girl I love? It's not like you raised her.” He shrugged, taking in the aroma of the drink.

“If anything, you should have informed me before embarking on my wedding preparations. This was supposed to be private.” He offered the drink to Mr.Mark who glared at him instead. Then he shrugged again and drank it himself. I held my mouth tight to keep myself from chuckling upstairs.

“I am her father,” Mark snapped. “I don’t need permission to enter.”

Kieran let out a quiet laugh, but there was no humor in it. “You’ve started remembering that part quite suddenly.”

Silence followed that, thick and uncomfortable.

Then Mark spoke again, more controlled this time. “You are marrying my daughter without informing me.”

“I am marrying Alina, isn't that what you also wanted?” Kieran corrected him. “So now when I'm actually doing it, you're not happy with it either. Let's just not forget the fact that I don't need your approval.”

“That’s not how this works.”

“That is exactly how it works when the person you are trying to control is not a child anymore.” This time Kieran growled, and Vocenzo shifted beside him, all on guard.

I felt my fingers tighten against the wall.

Mark’s voice turned colder. “You think you can take her away from me?”

“I think you stopped having the right to say that a long time ago.”

There was a shift in the air after that, a very uncomfortable one.

Then Mark laughed once, bitterly. “You speak as if you are not the reason my family keeps collapsing.”

That made Kieran go quiet.

And I hated that silence because I already knew what followed silence like that.

“I am not the reason,” Kieran said slowly, “for anything that happened to your family. You made your own choices.”

“You think I don’t know what you are doing?” Mark’s voice rose slightly. “You are dragging her into your revenge against me.” That word made my stomach drop.

Revenge?

Kieran didn’t respond immediately, and when he did, his voice had changed.

“I don’t need revenge on you,” he said, his voice low. “You’ve done enough damage to yourself, father in law. I have always loved her and now I'm marrying her, nothing can change that now!”

A heavy and dead silence fell in the dining room. Mr.Mark’s fist clenched and unclenched beside him, his mask of composure slipping.

“Zian is dead.” My breath faltered for a second. My brows furrowed, why was Mr.Mask suddenly talking about Zian?

“Yeah, I heard that. Sorry for your loss father in law.” Kieran smirked.

Mr.Mark shifted his steps from right to left.

“…What did you say?”

“Nothing. I'm just giving you my condolences.” Kieran went and sat on the sofa, gesturing to him to take seat, which Mr.Mark ignored.

“He was found near the abandoned warehouse,” Mark continued. “Don’t act like you don’t know anything about it.”

Something shifted in Kieran’s tone then. “I don’t.”

Mark scoffed. “You expect me to believe that?”

“I don’t care what you believe,” Kieran said, and his voice had turned dangerously calm now. “But if you are suggesting I had anything to do with him, then you should be very careful about what you say next.”

My heart started beating faster, pretty much having the idea where this was going, but I still didn’t understand enough.

Then Mark said something that made everything worse.

“You killed him, didn’t you?”

I forgot to breathe. Emma shifted closer to Hoseok.

And then Kieran spoke again.

“Why are you suddenly so interested in Zian?” He asked, his voice dipped in sarcasm. “Aren't you too worried for an unknown person?”

I understood that question, I sat down gradually, holding the wall like I didn't trust the floor beneath to stay firm.

Mr.Mark didn't respond immediately, his jaw went tight. And that silence did more damage than any confession could have.

Kieran continued, lower now. “Unless you are involved in why he was around Alina in the first place.”

Then Mark snapped. “You are accusing me now?”

“I am asking a question,” Kieran replied, “based on patterns you created yourself.”

My fingers curled against the wall.

I couldn’t stay there anymore. I backed away before I could lose my balance, moving quickly towards the room Kieran let me choose on my own, my legs suddenly feeling unstable.

I reached the room and closed the door behind me, but I didn’t sit down.

Everything I had just heard was circling inside my head, refusing to settle.

Zian is dead….and if he was someone sent by Mr.Mark, then Kieran definitely killed him.

But…why would Mark send Zian in the first place?

I pressed my palm against my forehead, trying to breathe through it, I went and sat on the couch next to the wall sized window.

A few minutes slipped by when the door opened behind me.I turned sharply.

Kieran stood there. His expression changed the moment he saw me. He stepped towards me urgently, sitting in front of me, rubbing my hands to calm my breathing down. It took me a while to feel composed again.

“So you heard,” he said quietly after some moments of utter silence.

I didn’t answer immediately.I couldn’t.

Because my mind was still trying to hold all the pieces together.

“You lied to me,” I said finally, voice low.

“I didn’t lie,” he replied, moving closer, his breath fanning my face,“I didn’t tell you everything.”

“Why?” Somehow, I wasn't mad at him for lying to me, I was just confused and clueless.

“I didn’t want you involved in this part,” he said after a moment.

“Because I can’t handle it?” I asked, looking at him with uncertainty.He shook his head.

“No,” he said immediately. “Because I don’t want you carrying it. We are getting married, you shouldn’t worry about a bastard being dead before he could even hurt you.” He held my face with his right hand, his thumb caressing my cheek.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then he inched closer, his voice softer now. “I need you to stay calm.”

“I am calm,” I said, though it wasn’t entirely true.

His eyes searched mine for a second longer.

“I did not kill Zian,” he said clearly. “But I ordered Vocenzo to do that, let's say that I did not stop what happened to him. And that is something I will deal with.”

That honesty landed heavier than anything else. I looked at him deeply, that was the first time ever that he confessed a crime in front of me like that.

“Why did you kill him?” I whispered.

“Because he was a threat to your life Alina. He didn't like you. No! That was never the case....that motherfucker was a pawn by Mark, he would have married you, and kept you confined in Mark’s custody until you gave everything away to that motherfucking Mark.

That would have been the same fate as Lily. And I was not letting that happen at any cost.” A chill ran down my spine as I remembered how Zian stood in his doorway, looking at me with those huge eyes mysteriously.

“He even went that far to send him to your parent's house,”

“Our parents,” I corrected him.

“Our parents….it was Mark’s way of threatening me with my family. He had to go anyway, Alina. Who do you think was the man that pretended to be me?” Kieran leaned down and pecked my forehead, my eyes went wide at the reckoning.

“It was h-him? Zian?” I looked at him shocked. He nodded.

“Yes sugar pie, it was Zian, Mark’s worker that was used for blackmailing and doppleganging. He was also a serial killer. That's why I didn't want you to know much about it. You would have panicked.”

He exhaled again and his tone changed slightly, more controlled now. “We are getting married in two days. I don’t want you drowning in this before that happens.”

He caressed my hair now, I leaned in to his touch. “Go to sleep Alina, it's late.” He whispered.

“I am not a child,” I said quietly.

“I know,” he replied. “That is why I am asking you instead of telling you.”

That silenced me for a second.

Then I turned slightly away.

“I am going home tomorrow,” I said.

His expression shifted instantly. “No.”

“I am. I want to spend my time at my mom's villa, and walk down the isle from there” I continued. “And I need a night by myself.”

He studied me for a moment. Then finally nodded once.

“Fine,” he said. “But security stays with you.”

I didn’t argue this time.