"Thank… thank.. You…for…saving me" James laughed at Merry sitting on his desk, mimicking her voice Merry, still flustered, grabbed a nearby crumpled piece of paper, quickly rolled it into a ball, and threw it at James. "Stop it... you jerk! I hate you…" she exclaimed, her face still red with embarrassment.
Marcus entered the office with a broad grin. "Good job, my soldiers. We're getting a lot of recognition from the other teams, especially you, James," he said, looking pointedly at him. "You might've made some rivals without even realizing it."
He walked over and sat down in his chair, still eyeing James with an amused look. "Keep this up, and you'll be a target for more than just the bad guys," he added, leaning back with a smirk. "All I can say is, it feels lonely at the top" James replied leaning back facing the window "marcus why don't you just kill this onion head and live peacefully in jail"
"I think about that each da- wait how did you know…?! at this point you are scaring me" Marcus with his jaw drop, amazed by him knowing about Marcus story he kept secret
Both Ben and Merry, intrigued by the exchange, looked between the two of them, curiosity written all over their faces. Merry finally asked, "What's the story here?"
James grinned, glancing at Marcus. "Should I tell them, or do you want me to keep it under wraps?"
Marcus sighed, leaning back in his chair. "You might as well tell them now, James. I know you'd just spill it behind my back anyway," he said with a resigned smile.
James began explaining the story, his tone casual but clear. "Marcus and his wife, Mina, used to work together on the same team for years. About four months ago, their team ranked up to Tier A, and everything seemed to be going fine. But then, one day, during a criminal encounter, Marcus got his hands and legs injured. Things would've eventually gone back to normal, but Marcus's old rival, Tyler Dean, took advantage of the situation. He got Marcus fired for incompetence, using false accusations. Marcus, full of hatred for that onion head, asked Mina to leave the team, but she refused. They got into a big argument, and since then, they've been living apart, not speaking to each other."
Merry and Ben, now fully engaged, exchanged glances before Ben asked, "So, Marcus was set up? He was falsely accused?"
James nodded. "Yep, Tyler saw his chance and took it. Marcus didn't stand a chance at the time."
Merry, looking concerned, asked, "And Mina? She never tried to reach out or make things right?"
James shrugged. "She's got a child to raise—their daughter, who's two years old now. She wasn't about to give up a well-paying job just because Marcus, who was jobless at the time, told her to. Looking at the whole situation, I'd say Marcus wasn't thinking straight back then, and he probably still regrets arguing with her."
"That explains why they are still not divorced. their daughter is the reason, they both love her." said Ben
Marcus sat there, completely silent, staring sadly at his laptop. The weight of the conversation had clearly hit him hard. Sensing his mood, James leaned forward with a grin. "Marcus, what if I told you I've got an idea to fix things today?"
Marcus's eyes, which had been dull with sadness, suddenly flickered with a hint of hope. He glanced up from his laptop, his voice cautious but curious. "How?" he asked, his tone soft, as if afraid to believe that there could be a solution.
James leaned in, still grinning. "It's been a few months since you both stopped talking from that day, hmm.. it's never too late just do as I say"
He continued, outlining his plan. "Take Mina to a location that holds good memories for both of you. Think of a place where you shared a special moment, like where you kissed or hung out while you were at the FDA. Recreate that moment. Kiss her again and tell her you love her. Make her remember why you two fell in love in the first place."
Marcus listened intently, his expression shifting from sadness to determination. "You really think that will work?" he asked, a flicker of hope in his eyes.
James nodded confidently. "Absolutely. Sometimes all it takes is a little reminder of the past to reignite those feelings."
"When should I do it?" Marcus asked, his voice tinged with a mix of excitement and apprehension.
"Right now," James replied firmly. "Go find her while she's probably still in the office. Just grab her hand and take away"
Marcus looked uncertain, but James added with an encouraging smile, "And don't be nervous. She's your girl after all."
With that, Marcus took a deep breath, steeling himself for what lay ahead.
Marcus without wasting any time dashed through the door going straight to the office of Mina
Without wasting any time, Marcus rushed through the door, heading straight for Mina's office.
He entered and quickly grabbed her hand, catching her off guard. "What's going on?" she asked, surprise evident in her voice. Ignoring her question, he led her up to the rooftop, where they could have some privacy.
Once they reached the rooftop, Mina was reminded of the exact moment years ago when Marcus proposed to her on the rooftop. Marcus pinched her near the wall, looking deep into her eyes. "I love you," he confessed, his heart racing. He leaned in and kissed her, pouring all his feelings into the moment. They stayed locked in the embrace for a few minutes, the world around them fading away. Overwhelmed by emotion, tears welled up in her eyes as she approached him. "You know how hard it's been living without talking to you," she said, and without another word, she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
In the office
Merry, her voice a bit shy, glanced sideways at James and asked, "You really think it will work?"
James nodded confidently. "How about you check the CCTV from the rooftop?"
Without hesitation, Ben pulled up the live CCTV footage on his laptop, having access to it for some reason. Merry's eyes locked onto the screen as she watched the scene unfold, her breath catching as she saw Marcus and Mina hugging each other, their emotions evident even from a distance
James sitting in his chair eyes closed "for all the time after that argument Mina was waiting for Marcus to apologize and fix things, while Marcus didn't had any confidence left to do so, it was win-win for Marcus, ok enough you both close that live cctv tab give them some privacy" looking at merry with a grin he said "where are your morals now little mermaid?"
Merry tried her hardest to ignore James's teasing.
But he couldn't resist passing another comment. "Those are deleted scenes from your life."
In a moment of frustration, Merry threw an empty coffee cup at his face, but James managed to dodge it just in time.
"Is that all you've got?" he taunted, a smug smile on his face.
Merry glared at him, her hands clenched into fists. "Next time, I'll use pink spray on your car!"
James smiled at her, his gaze locked onto her bright green eyes. "How quickly people forget the savior of their lives," he remarked,
"Next time, please let me die," Merry muttered sarcastically.
"Sure," James replied with a smirk.
Just then, Ben's phone rang. After a brief conversation, he hung up and stood from his chair. "Alright, we've got something. Let's go."