Chapter 5

Marcus called his assistant, Ben, and handed Leo over to him.

Then, we sat in the car together, in silence.

He rested an arm on the window, his fingers idly stroking his lips, a deep frown etched on his face as he watched a distant plane take off.

I knew his concern.

"It's fine. I won't ask you for child support, and you don't need to be responsible for Leo."

Suddenly, Marcus exploded.

He snapped back to reality, seizing my wrist, pressing me back into the seat. His eyes were blazing red with fury, his voice shaking with raw anger.

"...You think I'm worried about child support? Aria, five years! You disappeared without a trace for five whole years! Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you? I've needed sleeping pills every night just to get some rest! Every moment, every second, I've been terrified, dreaming of you being cruelly murdered, trafficked to some island, or having your organs harvested! Do you know how scared I was?!"

Scared?

I never thought those words would come from the formidable, legendary CEO Marcus.

But the bloodshot intensity in his eyes was real, not an act.

His reaction completely threw me off.

I was utterly bewildered.

This bewilderment only infuriated him again.

But this time, he looked deeply hurt.

"What? In your eyes, am I truly that heartless? That I wouldn't care if you vanished?"

I scoffed.

"You're married. Why are you putting on this 'devoted lover' act?"