The next morning, her assistant came rushing into her office.
Assistant out of breath "Lisa, you're not going to believe this. We've found the person responsible for the sabotage."
Lisa's heart pounded in her chest as her assistant handed her a file. Inside were photos, emails, and financial records. Everything pointing to one person. It wasn't Marcus. It was Vesper Fashion.
They had orchestrated the sabotage, hoping to take Lisa out of the running for the fashion show and secure their own spot at the top.
Lisa felt a mixture of relief and guilt. She had been so quick to blame Marcus, but he wasn't the enemy this time. As much as she hated to admit it, he might have been telling the truth all along.
That evening, Lisa showed up at Marcus's penthouse. She had debated coming, but she needed to clear the air. Marcus opened the door and saw Lisa standing there, his expression softened.
Marcus quietly called out "Lisa…"
Lisa intoned, her voice softer than before
"I was wrong. About the sabotage. It wasn't you."
Marcus stepped aside, letting her in.
"I told you, Lisa. I'm not here to tear you down." Marcus's voice, a bit serious.
She nodded, feeling a strange tension ease between them. For the first time, there was no fight, no anger, just an understanding that had been missing for far too long.
Lisa looking at him, her voice almost vulnerable "I don't know what we are, Marcus. But I do know I can't keep fighting you forever."
"Maybe we don't have to fight anymore." Marcus his voice low, sincere.
The moment hung between them, fragile but full of possibility. Neither of them knew what the future held, but for the first time, they were on the same side.
Marcus reached out to Lisa one evening, inviting her to a dinner date. Unsure what to expect, she agreed, curious about his sudden change of tone. She arrived at an upscale yet intimate restaurant, surprised to find Marcus already waiting, looking unusually contemplative.
As they sat, the tension was palpable. Marcus looked across the table, his gaze softer than she had ever seen.
Marcus taking a deep breath "Lisa, I owe you an apology. For…everything. I've been unfair. Ruthless. The way I've acted toward you is…" He looked down, struggling with his words. "It's not who I want to be."
Lisa raised an eyebrow, her guard up. She'd heard apologies from powerful men before, but this felt different.
Lisa intoned in low tone, still having some feelings of doubt clouding her heart.
"Marcus, but why? Why the sudden change? After everything.
Marcus's shoulders sagged slightly, and for the first time, she saw a hint of vulnerability.
"Because for the first time in a long while, I'm…ashamed." He looked up, meeting her gaze. "My father taught me that power was the only way to survive in our world. To control, to conquer, to dominate. those were the lessons drilled into me. And I've been trying to live up to that, no matter the cost. But with you, it's…different." Marcus quietly, mumbled.
Lisa's guarded expression softened slightly. She sensed the sincerity in his voice, the shadows of his past spilling out before her.
Lisa softly uttered "Everyone's got scars, Marcus. But you can't keep punishing people for your past."
For a moment, they sat in silence, an unexpected warmth blossoming between them. Marcus reached across the table, his hand hovering near hers, unsure but hopeful. She felt her heart waver, the walls she had so carefully built around herself beginning to weaken.
Marcus (barely above a whisper "I want to be better, Lisa. For you."
But before they could say more, a paparazzi's camera flashed nearby, snapping them out of the moment. The flicker of vulnerability was gone, leaving Lisa uncertain, yet undeniably drawn to the man behind the mask.
The following morning, Lisa was blindsided. Her phone buzzed nonstop with messages from her team and notifications from media outlets. Photos of her at a recent fashion industry event with Victor Delacroix, a known competitor, were splashed across every tabloid. The photos had been edited to make it look as if she and Victor were embracing intimately, with headlines implying that Lisa was using her connections to leverage her fame.
The culprit behind the photos was Vanessa, Marcus's ex, whose lingering resentment for Lisa had taken a vicious turn.