Gina looked up to Mark Hughes's name on the net after reading through his card. She guessed he must be a public figure, or so she thought. Immediately his photos came out from the web, she abandoned her jaws on the floor.
"Mark Hughes…the man I had a one-night stand with is the grandson of the retired Mafia don!" She gasped, his legs trembled as she found nothing related to his identity on the net and only saw just some photos of him. Gina couldn't deny to herself that he stood out, and his aura was imposing. He was the CEO of the biggest textile company in the states and the most eligible bachelor.
Gina fell at a loss for words at the moment, her head was completely blank as she was short of words. She had a one-night stand with someone like Mark Hughes, was it something to be up against? He did take advantage of her but still, she started thanking her stars for making her misfortune worth it.
"I'm such a fool, he took advantage of me just like Williams." She tossed her phone on the other side of the bed and began to contemplate whether to flee or work for him.
She stretched her arms and tried to get up from the bed, wrapping the sheet on her body as she reached for her clothes that were tossed on the floor. She needed to leave his house.
With a sigh, she memorized everything she was going to tell him but just before she could conclude what she wanted, he appeared unawares in front of her, making her startled as she fell on the floor.
"You scared me." She shutters, her voice barely above a whisper.
His aura was commanding, he stood tall and mighty in front of her, making her breath hitched. Seeing how hard she stared at him made him wonder what was going through her mind.
The room was heavy with silence, each passing second intensified Gina's internal turmoil. She still sat on the floor with her hand on her chest, as she felt her loud heartbeat while gazing deep into Mark's blue eyes. Mark Hughes stood still, a contemplative expression on his face as he observed her.
Mark clenched his throat, breaking the tense silence. His voice was gentle but firm. "What are you thinking about?"
Gina was jolted back into the world of reality, as she helped herself up from the floor, her balance was unstable as she managed to sit back in the bed. Embarrassed, she avoided his gaze.
"Have you taken time to reflect on yourself, Miss Gina?" He asked a small smile plastered on his face as she wondered what was amusing him.
"I don't have anywhere to go." She confessed bitterly. "My ex-husband dumped me here with nothing. My luggage fell off the cliff. I'm ruined."
Mark's expression didn't change as he walked up to her, brought a chair and sat opposite her. "That's quite sad."
"It is." She said softly, avoiding his gaze.
"So what do you want to do now?"
His question sent shivers down her spine. She hasn't fully reflected on what she wanted yet. Somehow, she wanted to work for him and raise money she could use to care for herself, but then again, she wanted to disappear from his life completely, pretending like she never met him.
"I'll work for you." Gina found herself saying, as she clenched her fist into her dress nervously.
Surprise flickered across Mark's face. "Work for me?"
Gonna nodded. "I need to earn for myself. I won't be anyone's responsibility.
Mark chuckled softly, shaking his head. He didn't know why he found her determination funny, but he wanted to know the reason she made that decision all of a sudden but couldn't bring himself to ask.
"I don't see anything bad about working for me, but I already have a maid."
And then, Gina's heart came crumbling. What other thing could she possibly do if not being his maid? She was not fit for any other job aside from his maid at this point.
"But I could help you change your life if you do according to my bidding."
Gina's eyes flashed with defiance. "I would do anything you want…
"Huh…huh!" He shook his head disapprovingly. "The last time you said so, you regretted it afterward. I'd let you take your time."
"I just want to get revenge against my ex-husband for using me to take over my family shares and leave me here in the States without anything. I also want to fend for myself." Gina explained, desperation flashing in her eyes.
"I can help you with all of that if you're willing to comply with what I want."
What does he want? She thought inwardly as she gulped hard in her saliva. What if she couldn't do what he wanted? What does he want? She thought to herself.
Suddenly, he stood up from his seat with a nasty smirk on his face. "I'll tell you about it when the time comes. My assistant will bring you some clothes so join me for lunch." He said before leaving her alone to reflect on herself yet again.
Gina contemplated her next steps as she was disrupted by the vibration of her phone that was on the night stand beside her. Startled, she glanced at the screen which had her ex-husband's name boldly written on the caller ID.
Her heart skipped a beat. Williams, her ex-husband. The man who tore her world apart. She hesitated, turning between answering and ignoring the call.
With a steadying breath, Gina silenced the call and set the phone aside, she couldn't confront him now, not when she was on the brink of starting her life over again, picking the pieces he had left for her. She would face him on her terms.
Just at that point, she wanted to get her mind off Williams when she heard a knock on the door and guessed it was Mark's assistant. She opened the door and found a tall guy with pink hair, staring at her while handing over to her a package.
"The boss wants you to wear them for lunch." The pink-haired man said before taking his leave.
Gina closed the door afterward and moved on to unwrapping the package only to find a sleeveless evening dress with a pair of shoes. "What does he want?" She muttered in confusion.