Chapter 242

Chapter 242

"Do you think I could ever trust you again?" Elena was inexplicably angry. Her temperament was naturally stubborn. Unable to hail a taxi, she simply decided to walk. She didn't want to give Marco any opportunity, not even the slightest.

"Elena." Marco couldn't help but step forward. It was too cold outside, and too late. But after just a few steps, another car appeared and stopped beside them.

The car's windshield rolled down, revealing Marco's gentle face with its defined features. After glancing at Marco, he said to Elena: "Elena, where are you going? Get in, I'll drive you."

Marco's timing was too coincidental. Elena breathed a sigh of relief and opened the car door without hesitation.

Marco surprisingly didn't move, just watched helplessly as Elena got in the car. The windshield closed, completely separating the two - one inside the car, one outside.

Even as the car drove away, Elena could feel that gaze, making her unconsciously tense her back. Only after a moment did she let out a shallow breath.

"How does he still have the nerve to appear in front of you?" Marco gripped the steering wheel tightly, his face gradually darkening with obvious irritation.

Any normal person would have hidden away in shame by now.

"If I hadn't appeared in time, you probably would have been pestered by him."

Elena didn't react. Her distinct black and white eyes remained open, gazing outside as she pressed her soft lips together and said self-mockingly: "He probably wants to atone."

"Atone?" Marco's brows furrowed tightly. "He can't possibly think that the harm he caused you can be erased just by pestering you relentlessly, can he?"

Elena lowered her eyes, not wanting to continue this topic, so she asked instead: "How did you happen to pass by here? This is in the opposite direction from your home, isn't it?"

"I went to inspect the construction site this morning. On my way back, it was on the route, so I thought I'd come here to see how the Rossi family restoration was going," Marco said. "After all, that place was where I lived for a long time as a child. I remember very clearly - the courtyard posts and stones were carved by me."

Elena had an impression of that too, but Marco would be disappointed. Marco had restored everything very well, down to the smallest detail, except he had completely erased everything Marco had given to the Rossi family.

It wasn't that he couldn't remember - it was purely intentional. Feeling sour jealousy, even the carved items had become his.

She tugged at the corner of her mouth and said: "No matter how well it's restored, it's not the original. Things remain but people change."

Marco was stunned, then sighed. They didn't manage to chat anymore until they reached the company entrance.

As she was about to get out, Marco said: "Remember to come to next week's family banquet. I've saved the finale violin performance for you. Dress beautifully - since you can finally hold your head high, naturally you should outshine everyone."

Marco wanted to use this banquet to build momentum for Elena, to make everyone recognize her status as the number one socialite. Even if the Rossi family had fallen, what belonged to Elena wouldn't change one bit.

Elena was almost stunned, then after a pause, she actually smiled: "Forget it."

She said: "Uncle Andrea never liked me anyway. He'd probably be unhappy just seeing me appear. If I go up there and steal the spotlight, he'd probably get so angry he'd faint and have someone throw me off the stage."

"No." Marco also smiled reassuringly. "I'm organizing the family banquet single-handedly. He's basically retired to the background and generally won't appear. He's given me full authority to handle it. Now that I'm having the former master Vader's last disciple appear at my brother's engagement party, he should be happy."

Elena's smile remained unchanged, but she lowered her eyes slightly: "Let me think about it more."

She understood Marco's intentions, but since birth, whether it was the glory of being the number one socialite or the notoriety of being a rapist's daughter, she'd had enough. She suddenly wanted peace.

But from the beginning, she had lived at the center of public opinion. Could she really get what she wished for?

"Alright, think it over. Anyway, I'll always keep this finale performance for you. Don't feel pressured."

The two said goodbye, and Elena turned to take the elevator.

Time passed quickly. Near closing time, Elena put on her coat and went outside, only to find Marco had been waiting for a long time. When he was impatient, he always liked to smoke. The scattered cigarette butts on the ground showed he'd been waiting for quite a while.

Seeing her suddenly emerge, Marco quickly extinguished his cigarette, afraid Elena would smell the smoke.

Elena looked straight ahead and turned toward the elevator.

"Elena." Marco called out hoarsely, following closely. Seeing Elena quicken her pace, he helplessly stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.

"Don't touch me!" Elena shook him off, her beautiful face colder than ever before. She stared at his face, the anger in her eyes obvious: "Marco, when will your persistent pestering end? Are you only satisfied when you've driven me away?"

She had finally calmed down, only to have Marco's appearance shatter that peace. Over time, she would become irritated and confused too.

"Elena..." The woman's undisguised disgust felt like a knife cutting through Marco's heart. He struggled to stay calm and spoke with difficulty: "You've misunderstood me. About the new district road paving - you were in a rush to submit documents yesterday. I have connections that can make submitting your documents more convenient and efficient. I want to help you."

Elena's beautiful eyes flickered with emotion. She did care about the road paving matter. For the past half day in the office, she'd done nothing but make phone calls trying to contact people.

She remained silent. Marco naturally knew there was still room to continue, so he immediately said: "I can help you contact the leaders above, treat them to a meal, and expedite the document processing. It should be settled by next week."

His words weren't finished. His gaze was deep as he looked at Elena: "The condition is that you come home today and have dinner with me."

Elena said nothing and turned to leave. Marco's voice became urgent behind her: "Elena! Today is our fourth wedding anniversary!"

Her body froze completely. Elena calculated the dates - four years ago on this same day was indeed when she and Marco had gotten married and registered.

She turned around, her expression unnaturally calm: "Marco, you're mistaken. We're already divorced, so there's no such thing as a wedding anniversary. If you want to celebrate one, marry any woman, and next year you can happily celebrate your wedding anniversary."

She gritted her teeth and frantically pressed the elevator button, while pain flooded her heart, making her breathing almost incomplete.

Marco - how did he have the nerve to say those three words "wedding anniversary"?

She had given him an unforgettable wedding anniversary, thanks to him. Even now, thinking about it still made her shudder!

Fortunately, the elevator doors cooperatively opened. She stepped forward to enter, but footsteps sounded behind her. Arms extended on either side, pressing against the walls, trapping her between the wall and his embrace, unable to move.

Behind her, Marco's breathing was restrained. His head gently rested on her shoulder as he pleaded in a low voice: "Just this once, the last time, okay? I can endure any other day, but not today. I don't want to be alone. I miss you - I'm dying from missing you."

"Then go die!" Elena's eyes stung, tears almost frantically crowding out. She used almost all her strength to suppress the tears, but the glimmer of tears still flickered in her eyes, and her eye sockets immediately turned red.