Marcus's POV
The entire table fell silent, anticipation filling the air as everyone awaited Lillian's response.I noticed Lillian purposely avoiding my gaze, her eyes fixed on her plate."What do you mean by that, Marcus?" Gabriel asked, breaking the silence.I glanced at Gabriel, offering him a smile."Nothing, Dad. I just never expected Vice President Montgomery to be so closely connected to your family," I replied, trying to downplay the situation."Our family, Marcus," he corrected me, and I simply nodded my head in agreement.We continued eating breakfast, and once I finished, I decided it was time to leave."Marcus, I need you to review the profiles of the qualified candidates for judicial nomination," Gabriel uttered just as I was about to exit."Sure, just send me the file," I responded."I have to go," Gabriel acknowledged with a nod, while Mom smiled at me. Lillian didn't even bother to acknowledge my presence.I left the White House and made my way to my car.Driving towards the condominium building where I currently resided, took me half an hour.I immediately headed towards my unit when I arrived and prepared to get ready for work.Once I was prepared, I headed to the A & M law firm."Good morning, Atty. Sullivan," Alice playfully greeted me as I entered."How's your case?" I asked, stepping inside my office.Alice followed me and settled into the chair where my clients usually sat."Witnesses have conflicting statements, so I have to assess their credibility," she replied, appearing stressed. But after a while, a smile crept onto her lips."I heard you became the Attorney General, the President's son," she teased, which made me laugh."President's son, my ass," I scoffed, grabbing the folder from my desk and beginning to read the document."How does it feel living in the White House?" she pushed further, trying to tease me."I don't live there, Alice. I'm staying at my unit," I clarified. Alice nodded, folding her arms across her chest as she stared at me intently."What?" I asked, meeting her gaze directly."Lillian Hawthorne," she stated, and at the mention of her name, my forehead furrowed."What?" I asked, utterly confused.Alice took out her phone and showed me a picture of Lillian and me, leaning close to her, whispering in her ear."You two look good together, Marcus," she remarked, causing my eyebrows to furrow even deeper."You're gross, Alice," I commented, but she just laughed at me."Is it because she's your stepsister?" she questioned.I set down the file I was reading and looked her straight in the eyes. "It's because she's the daughter of a corrupt official. I won't fall for someone whose family is robbing the nation," I said firmly, not wavering in my opinion of Lillian."But what if she isn't like her father? She's involved in charity work, Marcus. Have you seen her social media feed? It's filled with the charity work she has hosted and attended," Alice argued.I let out a deep breath before responding to Alice."Those charity works are just a cover-up, concealing the corruption her family is committing," I stated, unwavering in my stance on Lillian.No matter how attractive she may be, it doesn't erase the fact that corruption runs in her family.Alice simply laughed and shook her head."It seems like Lillian Hawthorne will be on your hate list forever," she remarked."I have to go," she said after a while when someone called her name.I watched her as she left the room, and once Alice was gone, I refocused my attention on the file in front of me.During lunch, Alice brought me food since I was buried at work. "You should take a break," she said, placing the paper bag on my desk.I glanced at her and nodded. "Have you had your lunch?" I asked."No, I was waiting for you," she replied. I stood up and grabbed the bag she brought."Let's go," I said, leading the way out of my office."Good afternoon, attorney," my co-lawyer greeted me as I stepped out of my office."Good afternoon," I responded, nodding acknowledgement before heading to the rooftop.Alice and I settled at our usual spot on the rooftop, a small table tucked away in the corner. I unpacked the food as we sat down."Do you have any idea how long I waited in line to get your favourite steak?" Alice asked."I didn't ask you to do that," I teased, causing her to roll her eyes."A simple 'thank you' would be nice, Marcus," she retorted, and I chuckled."Thank you, Alice," I said, smiling at her."I haven't congratulated your mom on her engagement. I bet she's excited about the wedding," she commented.I scoffed, recalling how excited Mom had been talking about her wedding."I have no idea what Mom sees in that man," I said, frustration evident in my voice.Gabriel is nothing more than a corrupt individual, and he's not even a good leader. The Hawthorne family is filled with criminals who excel at cleaning their tarnished reputation.I can't comprehend why my mom would fall for someone like him. Perhaps she has a weakness for immoral men. It's the only explanation for why she fell in love with my abusive father and is now a man burdened with countless crimes."That's the power of love, Marcus. We fall for people despite who they are and what they've done," Alice said, taking a bite of her steak."That's bullshit, Alice. We have the power to choose who we love. We can decide who we will fall in love with," I replied firmly.No matter how hard I try, I can't understand my mother's reasons for falling in love with Gabriel."You can say that because you haven't experienced being in love. All you see are laws and cases," she retorted, shaking her head.I looked at Alice intently, took a deep breath, and nodded."You may be right, Alice, but one thing is for sure: I won't fall for people who abuse their power to stay on top," I stated firmly.Alice stared at me, her gaze unwavering."How about Lillian Hawthorne?" she asked, locking eyes with me."Especially not for Lillian Hawthorne," I replied, making her chuckle."I'll laugh the hardest when I see you compromising your principles for Lillian, Marcus," she said, but I simply smiled and shook my head."You can wait as long as you want, Alice, but it won't happen," I responded. Falling for Lillian is beyond impossible.I hate her with every fibre of my being.I despise how she pretends to live a perfect life.I detest how she acts superior when, in reality, she's living in misery.I loathe how she pleases her father and does everything according to his liking.I was snapped out of my thoughts of listing the things I despise about Lillian when my phone vibrated. Upon checking, I saw a message from Lillian.'I got into an accident. Can you pick me up?'Upon reading that message, I immediately stood up and rushed out of the rooftop. I could hear Alice calling after me, but I ignored her and quickly made my way to the address Lillian had sent.After a few minutes of driving, I arrived at the police station where Lillian was being scolded by a man, likely in his fifties."Marcus," she said, relieved when she spotted me. Tears streamed down her face as I walked towards her, facing the man who had been reprimanding her."I'm her lawyer. What seems to be the problem?" I asked, meeting his gaze directly.I could sense his anger subsiding."She needs to pay for the damages," he stated firmly."I'll send the payment to your account," I assured him, not wanting to prolong the conversation.After settling the case, I escorted Lillian out of the police station."Get in," I said, opening the door of my passenger seat.Lillian swallowed hard and hesitantly got into the car. I took the driver's seat but didn't start driving right away. Instead, I looked at her intently, realizing the fear still evident in her eyes. I let out a deep breath and handed her my handkerchief."Why were you driving anyway?" I asked, concerned.Lillian glanced at me, her fear mingling with vulnerability. "I wanted to go shopping, and there was no available driver," she explained softly."Where do you usually shop?" I asked."CityCenterDc," she replied, puzzled by my line of questioning. I nodded in response and began driving towards CityCenter.After a few minutes, we arrived at our destination."Thank you," Lillian began to say as I parked the car, but her words were cut off when I got out of the car as well."Let's go," I said, surprising both her and myself.I had no idea why I had decided to accompany her, perhaps because I felt sorry for her and didn't want to leave her alone after witnessing her distress.Lillian looked at me, clearly confused."You're coming shopping with me?" she asked, trying to make sense of the situation.I nodded, my resolve unwavering."Yes, I am," I affirmed. I couldn't explain my actions, but I couldn't bear to see her cry.As we entered the shopping centre, confusion still etched on Lillian's face, I couldn't help but question my motives.Why am I doing this?Lillian's POVMarcus trailed behind me as I entered Luis Vuitton.He settled on a couch while I headed to the counter, searching for jewellery when a wristwatch caught my eye.Nicole, my shopper, immediately approached me with a smile. "Hi Lillian, looking for something?" she asked."Can I take a look at this watch?" I pointed to a black and gold wristwatch.Nicole retrieved it from the glass case and handed it to me. "A gift?" she inquired."Yeah," I responded, then glanced at Marcus, who was engrossed in conversation with a store staff offering him a drink.Returning my attention to the watch, I heard Nicole ask, "Is he your boyfriend?"I shook my head. "He's my brother," I replied, causing her eyes to widen."Atty. Marcus Sullivan?" she asked, and I nodded."He looks even more handsome in person. I saw him on the news and thought he was a celebrity," Nicole said, her gaze fixed on Marcus."Is he single, Lillian?" Nicole asked, turning her attention back to me, awaiting my respon
Marcus's POVI returned to the A&M law firm and found Alice waiting for me in my office, arms crossed and eyebrows raised."Where have you been?" she asked, her tone demanding.I walked towards my desk and sat down, deciding to check my computer for the profiles of the candidates for judicial nomination."Lillian had an accident," I replied, my eyes fixed on the monitor.Alice gasped, and when I glanced at her, her eyes widened in shock."Is she okay?" she asked, worry evident in her voice.I nodded and focused my attention back on the monitor."It was just a minor accident. We had to pay for the damages," I said, scanning through the candidates' profiles."Thank God," Alice said, relief washing over her."The way you ran earlier, I thought someone had died. Your face showed genuine concern, even though you claim to hate Lillian. Your actions contradict your words, Marcus," she teased me once again.I furrowed my brow and scoffed at her comment."Shut up, Alice. Don't you have work to
Lillian's POVcould feel my hands growing cold as Marcus stared at me intently.With each step I took towards him, his gaze remained fixed on me.Leaning against his car, he played with his car keys in his right hand. When I finally stood just a few steps away from him, he stood straight and opened the car door for me."Where's Daddy's driver?" I asked before getting into the car."Busy," he replied curtly, and as I stepped inside, he closed the door and walked around to the other side.Sliding into the driver's seat, he started the engine."So, are you two together now?" he blurted out, causing my forehead to crease."It's none of your business, Marcus," I firmly replied, turning my head to look out the window.We settled into silence, but it was soon broken by the sound of his ringing phone.He answered the call, putting it on loudspeaker since he is driving.I don't want to eavesdrop but I can't help but listen to their conversation.I caught a glimpse of the caller's name, Alice,
Marcus's POVMy heart pounded loudly in my chest as I looked at Lillian.Taking the opportunity, I held her hand and led her out of the crowd, pulling her along with me.Once we were out of the crowd, we walked back to our table, and I guided her to sit on the couch.She appeared extremely intoxicated, and annoyance washed over me as I watched her.She closed her eyes, leaning back against the couch."Drunk?" Dylan asked, looking at Lillian.I nodded and let out a deep breath."Let's do body shots, guys!" Alice suddenly appeared, holding a cocktail as she walked toward our table."Enough, Alice, you're drunk too," I said firmly, but she just smiled at me and approached Lillian.Taking a seat beside Lillian, she started tapping her face."Hey, babe, let's do body shots," Alice said, attempting to wake Lillian.Lillian groaned, then after a while, she opened her eyes and upon seeing Alice, a wide smile spread across her lips."Alice," Lillian called, wrapping her arms around Alice's wai
Lillian's POVHis words echoed in my head like a broken record.I felt insulted.No one had ever turned me down before.It was the first time someone had rejected me.I was used to getting what I wanted, but when Marcus came into the picture, he became a constant reminder that I couldn't have it all.As we arrived at the White House, I stepped out of his car, prepared to walk towards the front door, but he pulled me towards the back of the house."Someone might see you if we use the front door," he said, guiding me towards the backdoor that led to the kitchen.As soon as we stepped inside, Martha appeared, her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at us."Why are you late?" she asked sternly, then turned her gaze to Marcus, who stood behind me."I'm sorry, Martha. A friend invited me to a party, so I decided to bring Lillian," he said, causing my eyebrows to furrow.He was giving a different reason, probably to cover for me, but I wouldn't let him take the blame."No. I insisted on coming w
Marcus's POVA smile tugged at my lips as I watched Lillian walk away, covering her ears like a child. Once she was out of sight, I turned my attention back to my laptop and resumed typing."You seem happy," my mom's voice broke through, and I quickly erased the smile, meeting her gaze with a straight face."Are you talking to Alice?" she inquired, trying to sneak a peek at my laptop, but I promptly closed it."No, Mom," I replied, but she gave me a mischievous look, a teasing smile playing on her lips.She walked over to me and planted a kiss on my cheek. "I have to go. Have you seen Lillian?" she asked."She's already outside," I informed her, and she nodded before walking away.Once Mom was gone, I opened my laptop again and continued my work. An hour later, just as I was about to leave, Alexander appeared."Vice President Montgomery," I greeted him, extending my hand, which he gladly took."You're too formal, Marcus. Just call me Alexander," he said, and I nodded."Alexander, y
Lillian's POVIt was late when we arrived home.Finding a sponsor for the charity auction isn't easy but thankfully Victoria is good at talking so she successfully convinced those elites to sponsor the event.I headed towards the kitchen to get some water and there I saw Martha preparing our dinner. She is busy mixing the sauce in the pan.I dipped my hands in the sauce so she slapped my hands."Did you even wash your hands?" she asked but I just laugh at her and stepped out of the kitchen and walked towards my room.I was about to step inside my room when I heard Victoria call my name."Lillian," Victoria said, her voice filled with sincerity.I looked at her, anticipating her next words."Thank you for helping me," she said, gratitude evident in her voice.A genuine smile graced my lips as I nodded."You're welcome, Victoria," I replied.I had to admit, spending time with Victoria today was enjoyable. She was fun to be with."I'll just wash up," I excused myself, heading towards my
Marcus's POVI felt a lump in my throat as I gazed at Lillian, who stared back at me with anticipation, waiting for my response.My hands grew cold, and my heart pounded loudly in my chest.As she took a step closer, I instinctively took a step back, afraid to get too close to her, as I no longer had control over myself."What are you doing?" I asked, trying to maintain a facade of indifference.This was the first time I felt intimidated by someone. The first time someone made me so nervous."I'm just asking you a question," she replied casually.I swallowed hard, lowering my head and meeting her gaze directly."I don't like you, Lillian," I mustered the courage to say, my voice trembling slightly.Her expression changed. The confident facade faded, and a small smile appeared on her lips as she nodded."I know," she whispered weakly, confusing me even further."What are you doing, Lillian?" I asked, perplexed by her actions and words.Why was she asking me such a question? Did she li