Chapter 21 Boy's Night Out
Mark’s POV
The rooftop always looked better at night. From the top, the city looked like a bed of night flies.
For years, this was our spot, no cameras, no board meetings, no pressure.
Just us, a few drinks, and a sky big enough to drown our noise.
Our economical position didn't matter here. We were just like high school friends.
Eric spotted me first. “Well, well, look who decided to remember he has friends!”
I smirked as I walked up. The table was already messy,bottles everywhere, cold half eaten chicken wings and a left over pizza.
Ethan was laughing too loud at something that probably wasn’t funny.
“Sit your rich ass down,” Ethan said, passing me a glass. “You look like someone who has drained the last drop of his soul.”
“It's work, Ethan,” I replied, taking the drink.
“Bullshit,” Eric said. “You’ve been busy for weeks, man. You have forgotten what fun looks like?”
I leaned back in the chair, pretending to relax. “I’m here now, aren’t I?”
The truth was, I hadn’t been in the mood for noise..
But tonight, I needed to stop thinking. I had to stop seeing Becca’s face every time I closed my eyes.
I needed a deviation and this was the best therapy.
“Carmen has been calling me,” Eric said suddenly, interrupting the memory.
I shot him a look. “Why?”
He shrugged, swirling his drink. “She asked about you. That you have been distanced, I think she is worried,”
“Are you two good?” He questioned.
“Carmen, doesn't worry,” I muttered.
Ethan grinned. “Maybe she misses her favorite brother.”
Eric chuckled. “Or maybe she’s just bored. You know she gets weird when she’s not the center of attention.”
“Please,” I said, my voice sharper than I meant. “She’s not weird, she’s dangerous. Don’t let the smile fool you.”
Eric lifted a brow. “You’re saying your own sister’s dangerous?”
I met his eyes, dead serious. “I’m saying she’s a bitch with a hobby for ruining lives. Don’t get too comfortable.”
The laughter at the table got louder..
Then Ethan lifted his glass. “To bitches with hobbies, then.”
Everyone laughed, raising their glasses to Ethan.
Eric chuckled, nudging me. “Relax, man. We’re just joking. Besides, I kinda like Carmen’s fire. The girl has confidence.”
I said dryly. “You’ll regret it later.”
He only grinned wider. “You sound jealous.”
I ignored him and drained my glass.
The bourbon burned my throat, but the numbness that followed was worth it.
Ethan leaned forward, smirking. “Speaking of fire… your assistant has been the talk of the office lately.”
I raised a brow. “Becca?”
“Oh, he said the name,” Eric teased. “He’s hooked.”
“Relax,” I said, though the corner of my mouth twitched.
“How about the bet?” Ethan chuckled
“Are you losing your shares to us?”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “I’m not losing anything,”
“Is that because she's hot,”
“She’s not just hot,” I said before thinking. The words slipped out “She’s… different.”
They both froze, eyes wide.
“Holy shit,” Ethan said. “He’s in love.”
I laughed, too loud, trying to cover it. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Come on, Mark,” Eric said. “You’ve been smitten since day one. Admit it.”
I leaned forward, pretending confidence I didn’t feel. “Fine. You want the truth?”
They both nodded like schoolboys waiting for gossip.
“I won her heart,” I said, letting a grin spread across my face.
The table exploded with noise, cheers, whistles, clinking glasses.
Ethan nearly spilt his drink laughing.
“I knew it!” he shouted. “Mr. Ice finally melts for the intern.”
“Secretary,” I corrected, laughing despite myself.
“You will have to prove that,” Eric added.
“How?” I smirked.
“Make a video of you two making out,” Eric spilled out.
That was gross, I couldn't imagine myself, making a sexual content of Becca.
Even if I did, sharing it was a no no.
“That's not working,” I muttered.
The guys went silent for a while.
“How about you bring her to the corporate party and you make her yours?” Ethan suggested.
Eric snapped his fingers. “That’s a good idea. Kiss her in front of everyone.
I smirked. “You need proof?”
“Hell yeah,” Ethan said. “You talk all the time,show it.”
The bourbon hit harder this time, warmth crawling up my neck.
For a moment, the weight on my chest lightened. “Fine,” I said. “You want proof? I’ll kiss her at the gala,”
The guys cheered, knocking their glasses against mine.
Olivia’s POV
I stood near the railing, far enough not to be noticed but close enough to hear every word.
“Kiss her in front of everyone.” Eric’s voice carried, and Mark’s laugh cut straight through me.
Kiss her.
Becca.
That name had been clawing at my mind for weeks.
So this was his new game, making me the villain while he played the broken man chasing redemption.
I clenched my drink tighter, the glass cold against my skin.
He thought an apology would wash away what he did?
That he would live happily ever with her.
I would never let the two of them be.
I slipped away before they saw me, blending through the crowd and going into the elevator.
The anger sat in my stomach like fire, sharp and alive.
By the time I reached the lobby, Carmen was waiting by the car, smoking like she didn’t care if the hotel had banned it.
“Well?” she asked, blowing out a slow cloud of smoke.
“Did he take the bait?”
“Oh, he took it,” I said, sliding into the backseat.
Carmen smirked. “Good. Then we move to phase two.”
Her voice was calm. Not like someone that her brother had chased out because of a filthy woman.
“I want her humiliated,” I said. “I want Becca gone for good.”
Carmen glanced at me in the mirror. “And how do we make that happen?”
I smiled, slow and deliberate. “Eric still likes me. He always has.”
Carmen’s grin widened. “Oh, you’re going to use that, aren’t you?”
“Of course,” I said. “He’s gullible, and he wants me so bad that he will do anything I ask.”
“What do you want from him?”
“Just a favor.” I leaned back, tapping my nails against the leather seat.
“I made him to spike Mark's drink,”
“What?” Carmen raised her brows.
“He would be drunk and I will meet with him,”
“If I have his baby, Becca would be out of the picture,’’ I muttered, holding my baby.
She laughed softly, flicking ash out the window. “You’re cold.”
“I learned from the best,” I said, glancing at her.
At the rooftop
The laughter was louder this time, the glasses fuller.
Mark was already half-drunk yet relaxed.
Eric sat beside him, tapping the rim of a small glass nervously.
“It's nothing serious, just a little something to help him loosen up,” Olivia's voice flashed in his ear.
Watching, Mark laughed like a little kid, guilt caught up with him.
Mark leaned in, grinning. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Eric forced a smile. “Just thinking, man.”
“Stop thinking. Drink.”
He lifted his glass for a toast. “To second chances.”
Eric hesitated, the pill in his palm slick with sweat.
Then Olivia’s words replayed in his head
“I believe in you, Eric,” And the kiss she’d pressed against his lips just before leaving.
He closed his hand, dropped the pill into Mark’s drink, and forced a laugh.
“To second chances,” he echoed.
Their glasses clinked.