For over five minutes, these two just looked at each other. Diana was the one who was mostly scared no matter how much she tried to hide it and play cool - perhaps something about the way Marcus was so calm and collected, as if there was nothing going on.
"Hey stranger..." said Marcus getting closer to Diana. "I haven't heard from you the whole day" he spoke directly to her ears and she shivered with sensations plus fear. Marcus was literally breathing on her and he knew the rush he was causing to Diana.
"I... I have been busy"
"With work?"
"No, I..." Diana rose her eyes and looked at Marcus. Their eyes locked and it wasn't that romantic like it was before, this time Diana wanted to burst out and say what she wanted to say, what she desperately wished she could say. Instead she settled with "My hormones, they have been making me anxious"
"How so?"
Diana sighed, then she went after the door and opened it "You wouldn't understand Marcus, it's more of lady's stuffs" she said and walked inside, Marcus followed her and closed the door.
"I had a rough day yesterday, I... I almost blacked out. I... kinda get some episodes sometimes and they are not always pretty" said Marcus placing his hands on his pockets.
Diana placed the keys on top of the table, then she took out her coat and sat on the couch. "What episodes?" she asked taking out her shoes.
"Um... just some episodes"
"Are they that bad?"
"Can be sometimes... Martin has to restrain me from hurting myself, it's not always easy"
Diana finished taking off the shoes and threw them away "Are you alright now?" she asked.
"Yeah, I guess..."
There was a tense feeling between them, Diana gained her confidence and she put on a brave face against Marcus - now Marcus was the one scared to face Diana. Not that scared but nervous because Diana had that sense of alpha female in her and it wasn't something she could control herself on.
"Sit!" Diana ordered. Marcus slowly and quietly sat on the couch close to Diana.
"What is going on Diana?"
"Did you kill Khloe?" Diana asked straight away her eyes fixed on Marcus.
"I don't know what you talking about, I don't even know her. And I don't know if she's dead"
"Then why did she leave this?" Diana took out a piece of paper with numbers written on it. "Why, tell me"
"I don't know..."
"Don't play dumb Marcus. The waiter who gave me this piece of paper told me Khloe warned me to stay away from you, and that you are not a good man. So I ask you one more time Marcus, did you kill that poor woman? Did you know her?"
"Are you really going to acuse me because of a waitress opinion of me? How sure are you she's connected to Khloe? Did you call the number and find out who's behind it?" Marcus reversed the case and now Diana felt stupid for just believing what she was told instead of actually doing her research.
"I called the number and it didn't go through, they said it wasn't active"
Marcus grabbed the piece of paper which Diana was holding and then he typed the number on his phone, then he dialed it. Unlike what Diana was experiencing yesterday, today the number was picked up and a voice of a Latino woman came on speakers "Holla... Buenas noches" she said. Diana was amazed and she grabbed Marcus's phone to talk to the woman.
"Holla, Me llamo Diana..." said Diana in Spanish and that's when she understood the importance of not missing her Spanish classes during junior year.
"Diana? The American..."
"Yes, is Khloe with you?" asked Diana hyped and almost panicking.
"No mi amor, she was taken by the police just few hours ago. They said she broke the law"
Diana was awestruck, she looked at Marcus "What? She broke the law?"
"Yes mi amor, she went to America to meet a lawyer for her case. She got caught and sent here"
"Where's here?"
"Columbia. I have to go now, if you want to help I suggest you don't do it. It's a serious case" said the woman and then hang up.
Diana had to double check the number more than three times just to be sure it was the same number she was given by the waitress, she feared maybe Marcus altered it but it was the same one and when she was done, she sat down quietly.
"What is it? Where's she?" asked Marcus.
"She was taken to Columbia by some cops or something... Good Lord!" Diana exhaled and then she turned to Marcus "I thought you fucking killed her"
"Diana, why would you even think that?"
"Because... you have been acting weird and it's almost like everything around me is just so confusing. Someone is watching me Marcus, and I'm scared it's the same person who shot Jacob. I don't feel safe anymore..."
"Diana..." Marcus tried to say something but then he paused and looked away from Diana, he had to act like that since she just accused him of murder and he had to act offended just so she doesn't become suspicious of her.
Diana then started to cry, not that much but she had a few drops falling between her cheeks. It could be because she hadn't slept for over twenty four hours and her head was spinning - or it could be because she knew she ruined something which could have been good with Marcus by accusing him of murder.
"I gotta go" Marcus stood up.
"No, no, please... I... I'm losing my mind Marcus and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't mean to accuse you of such crime"
"But you did Diana, and that doesn't change the fact that you think of me as a murderer than your boyfriend. I'm done..."
"Marcus wait, are you breaking up with me?"
Marcus walked out of the apartment with a frown look on his face, but it was all the act he pulled while Diana raced after him. To the elevator they got together while Diana pleading Marcus not to go, she was literally begging him to stay but Marcus didn't and he pushed her on his way outside the building. "Marcus..." Diana wept for him but he didn't come back.
That night got even way more intense than Diana thought it'll be, and she had that type of night where she couldn't sleep and insomnia hit her hard she couldn't even get up to go to work the next day. It may have been worse for Diana but cause for celebration to Marcus - he threw a whole party at his other mansion in Brooklyn where several filmmakers were invited and that included none other than Shandla James as one of the invites. The moment Marcus saw Shandla he started organizing words and actions to woo her to his web.
Shandla wore a beautiful satin black dress with a red scarf around her neck, and black heels which made her have that tallish figure she's always been complimented about, but not taller than Marcus who stood at six foot two. While the band was playing, and the people were taken by the circus showcasing Marcus and Shandla were walking around his gardens holding glass of Martinis.
"You are NYU alumni so far I've heard, right?" asked Marcus, his right hand on his pocket and the other holding a drink.
"That's right Mr Orlando, and what about you... Where did you learn to maintain such empire at your age"
Marcus smiled "I guess I was born natural"
"Oh!"
"I mean I did take few classes in London when I was nineteen, I had just inherited my father's fortune and there was too much on my plate, I couldn't finish them but I wish I did"
"What stops you from finishing them now?" asked Shandla, she was way comfortable with Marcus and she just found herself getting even more and more comfortable as they stroll down the gardens.
Marcus didn't reply straight away, rather he stopped and looked at her.
"You think I can pull it off, at this age?"
"But you are in your early thirties Mr Orlando, at this age you can accomplish anything you want and there's nothing that can stop you" said Shandla with a huge smile on her face, then she made a toast with Marcus and they continued walking.
The next morning Marcus woke up and found blood on his bed, too much blood that he panicked at first - then he saw Shandla James dead on his bed possibly stabbed to death. His eyes widened with amazement and he had a panic attack, he started screaming for Martin while trying to get out of his room. "I didn't do this... I swear I didn't do this" he said to himself running outside with only a short boxer calling for Martin because only he can fix what happened. Along the way Marcus was shocked and confused whether he killed Shandla or he didn't, it all felt like a distant dream but the reality was waiting for him to fix.