Billionaire’s Love~A Second Chance CH 4

Handing over my work was way more of a hassle than I thought. I had so many jobs to pass on, and it wasn’t like I could dump them all at once.

Plus, Markus wasn’t the easiest person to deal with. I had to spell out every little thing for him.

So, I grabbed a notebook and started jotting down everything that came to mind, from tiny details to big stuff.

This little detour meant that the handover, which was supposed to take a month, got pushed back. And that landed me right in the middle of the last thing I wanted to do: pick up Judith from the airport and take her to the Serrano’s house.

There were rumors that I had some wrong ideas about Markus. Even though I didn’t do anything, I felt a bit guilty seeing him.

Judith was wearing a bluish-white dress, with an emerald pendant that cost a fortune around her neck. Her hair was done up with a hairpin. She had a kind of elegance that made her stand out in a crowd.

I put on a smile and walked up to her. “Ms. Velez, Mr. Serrano sent me to pick you up.”

On the way, Judith asked me some questions about Markus. It was natural to feel nervous when she was about to marry someone she had only met a few times.

I could tell she was anxious, so I softened my voice and said, “Mr. Serrano is a good guy. Ms. Velez, please don’t worry. You can come to me if you have any concerns.”

Hearing this, she looked up at me gratefully.

We kept talking all the way to the Serrano’s house. I planned to drop Judith off and leave, but Markus’ grandpa, Donovan Serrano, stopped me.

He was known for his ruthless business tactics back in the day. Now in his seventies, he was still sharp as a tack, especially with those piercing eyes.

“Raquel, where’s Markus?” he asked.

Markus wasn’t home?

I kept my face calm and answered carefully, “There’s a lot going on at the company today. Mr. Serrano might be late.”

Donovan gave a cold hum and, being nice for once, told me to bring Markus back.

I had seen Donovan punish Markus before—six lashes, leaving his back all scarred. He still had the marks.

Once I was out the door, I called Markus. Thank goodness, on the third try, he finally answered.

I asked him where he was, but he didn’t answer. After a while, he said my name, “Raquel.”

His voice sounded fuzzy, like he had been drinking, and there was a loud sound of sea wind in the background.

I had a hunch where he might be. When I got there in a hurry, I saw him sitting by the rocks on the coast, with a few cans of cheap liquor from the supermarket next to him.

His hair was messy from the night wind.

Markus glanced up at me when he heard me coming. His eyes looked kind of out of it, but still sharp, like he was drunk, but not really.

“Here you are. Hang on, I’ll be done in a second.”

Markus patted the spot next to him. “Come sit. Let’s chat.”

The Serrano’s house was quite close to the sea cliff. At night, it was all lit up, yet its classical design gave it an ancient charm.

Markus suddenly asked, “Is it pretty?”

I was staring at his nice jawline and blurted out, “Yes.”

My face turned bright red, but he didn’t seem to notice. He continued, “But actually, it’s a tomb. No matter how beautiful it looks, only dead bones are buried inside.”

He said it with a smile, but he sounded totally serious.

People said the Serrano family didn’t play fair when they got rich. There were some shady things going on. But they had been trying to clean things up these past few years.

I had been working for Markus for seven years, watching him slowly take over the Serrano Group.

There were so many tough fights and hidden traps. It was not something I’d tell anyone.

So did he ever get tired? I wondered that and asked, “Are you happy?”

The answer kind of stuck in his mouth. He smiled but didn’t respond.

Instead, he looked at me and said, “Your fiancé isn’t good enough.”

I was taken aback, but he didn’t say more. He nodded and apologized, “Sorry, I crossed a line.”

After finishing the last sip of his drink, he stood up. In an instant, he was back to being the refined CEO of the Serrano Group.

On my way home, I kept thinking about what Markus meant by his words.

I thought about it for a long time but couldn’t figure it out, just like I never understood why he showed up alone on that old building’s rooftop over a decade ago.

But none of it mattered to me anymore because I was quitting.

We’d probably never see each other again.

The day I quit was rainy. The rain in the south was always light and heavy, pattering down like it’d never stop.

I sat at my desk, silently packing up my stuff.

I had been in this spot for almost ten years, growing from a clueless girl in my early twenties to someone who could handle things on my own now.

I knew that every morning at nine, the sunlight would hit the cactus I had.

I also knew that if I tiptoed quietly, I could catch a glimpse of Markus through the gap.

I had been holding on to these little things to get by in this world, but now I was leaving.

I had repaid my debt of gratitude for eight years. It was time for Judith to be with Markus for the rest of his life.

Eva’s eyes were watery as she looked at me. I wiped her tears and smiled, “Come on, it’s not like we’ll never see each other again.”

But deep down, I knew we probably wouldn’t.

This city had too many painful memories for me. It was time to leave.

When I turned to go, I felt a bit of regret. I had dragged things out for so long, but I never got to see Markus one last time.

After I quit, I slept a lot at home, like I was making up for all the sleep I missed over the years.

I even bought some booze and cranked the TV all the way up.

There was a comedy on, and I laughed my head off, like a complete fool.

But after the laughter died down, I sat there on the floor, staring at the dark room, feeling kind of lost and not knowing what to do next.

When I was little, all I wanted was to do well in school. I thought if I got good grades, my parents wouldn’t fight.

Then my dad left, and my wish was to make a lot of money so my mom could live on.

After my mom passed away, I wanted to be Markus’ right-hand woman. If he was happy, I figured I’d be happy too.

But now, I didn’t even know what I wanted anymore.

I was zoning out when the doorbell rang. I looked through the peephole and saw Markus.

I opened the door in a rush and then realized I was still in my pink bunny pajamas.

It was too late to close the door, so I had to suck it up, invite Markus in, and try to look somewhat professional.

Markus was way calmer than me. He said, “I called you.

“The document for today is urgent. I couldn’t find the backup, and I happened to be driving nearby.”

I blushed for a second, but then I put on my professional smile again. “Okay. Please have a seat. Let me look it up.”

While I was searching for the document, Markus sat on the couch. He didn’t look around because he was raised to be polite, so he kept looking at me.

It made me uneasy. The more nervous I got, the harder it was to find the document.

Markus smiled, “Take your time.”

Then he asked, “Doesn’t your fiancé live here?”

I lied without thinking, “He’ll be back later tonight.”

I spent a good half hour gathering all the documents I needed, printing them out, and handing them to Markus.

When he took the papers, he suddenly stared at me, and it made me feel a bit awkward.

Just as I was about to speak, he smiled—that same warm but distant smile. “I’m getting married soon, and I can’t find anyone to handle it. Can you help me out? I’ll pay you your regular salary, of course.”

I had never said no to Markus before, and my body seemed to answer before my mind did.

I nodded for no particular reason and then watched as he gave a faint smile. The words I was about to say got stuck in my throat.

After that day, I found myself back by Markus’ side, organizing his engagement party.

I guessed it was for the best. Maybe seeing him get married with my own eyes was the only way for me to truly let go.

I felt bad about Judith, so I did everything myself, hoping to give her a perfect engagement party.

But Markus had been busy lately and hardly showed up. He only got in touch with me for anything, and then I told everyone what he wanted.

It was like this engagement party wasn’t even his, but someone else’s.

Judith seemed to get more and more downhearted each day. When we were trying on the dress that day, she looked at me pleadingly. “Raquel, could you ask Markus if he’s coming over today?”

I shouldn’t have made the call, but I did anyway. When it connected, Markus answered, “Hello?”

It was noisy in the background. His voice was a bit rough like he had been drinking at a party.

I was about to hang up, but then I remembered Judith’s sad face. So I carefully said, “The dress is here today. Are you coming back?”

There was silence for a while. I was about to apologize for overstepping when Markus said, “Yeah, sure. Come pick me up.”

I didn’t know why he wanted me to do this, but I agreed.

I hurried over. By the time I got there, the party was already over. Only Markus was left, lying on the sofa, all drunk and dazed.

I squatted down and gently patted him, calling out, “Mr. Serrano? Mr. Serrano?”

Markus suddenly lifted his head and stared at me with his sharp eyes for a moment. I was kind of stunned.

But the next second, he got that blurry look in his eyes again, like he was still drunk. It was as if I had just imagined that sharp look.

I helped him up, and we stumbled to the car. As soon as we were in, he fell asleep.

Through the rearview mirror, I could see his face. I didn’t usually get to look at him like this, so I couldn’t help but take a few extra looks.

My guilt about Judith got even worse. I tore my eyes away and tried to calm myself down.

For some reason, I suddenly felt a weird sense of unease. I had always trusted my gut, and my mind started racing.

A black SUV was following me. It had been tailing me for half an hour now.

“Mr. Serrano? Mr. Serrano?”

I tried to wake Markus up, but he didn’t move in the back seat.

Out of options, I stepped on the gas. The car behind me did the same, and we sped along the coastal highway.

It was obvious that the car had been modified. No matter how fast I went, it kept up with ease. In the end, it plowed into me and then drove off.

With a loud bang, my car flipped over. Luckily, I managed to turn the steering wheel at the last second and avoided plunging into the sea.

I saw blood everywhere, and my head was spinning. I struggled to crawl out from between the seats.

Markus was pinned behind the seats and finally opened his eyes. He tried to get out, but the frame of the car had him trapped.

I found a crowbar in the trunk and used all sorts of physics tricks to try to pry the door open, but it wouldn’t budge.

Gasoline was spilling from the tank, spreading everywhere, and there was a faint smell of smoke and fire coming from the back seat.

The more urgent things got, the clearer my head became. I blocked out all that useless fear and panic. All I could think about was getting Markus out.

The fire was spreading, and the car could blow any second. Markus raised his eyes and looked at me. “I don’t pay you enough to risk your life for me.

“Raquel, you should go. The car is about to explode.”

I was already annoyed. With Markus still talking, I cut him off sharply, “Shut up!”

For some reason, Markus suddenly started laughing. I didn’t have time to figure out why. The fire was still spreading.

Somewhere along the way, I must have cut my hand. Blood dripped onto the ground. With the last bit of strength I had, I finally got Markus out of the car.

Then I helped him, step by step, slowly making our way out.

Not long after we were clear, the car exploded. It was bright red, lighting up the whole night sky.

I was glad I wasn’t into that skinny look. I was strong enough and had enough stamina to save both our lives.

In the distance, I heard an ambulance. The delayed exhaustion hit me all at once.

Everything went black.