As Marcus walked into the office, Philip was not there anymore. He found only Lucas sitting down, his gaze glued to his phone.
"Where is he?" He inquired, and Lucas abruptly raised his gaze at him with suprise. He wasn't expecting him to be back so quickly since he mentioned he was going to inspect a project with Nina.
"Oh, Philip? He said he's with Nina. I actually thought you were all together discussing the interior design with her."
"Nonsense!" Marcus grunted. He turned and exited the office, slamming the door.
He walked hastily in the hallway, his eyes darting around the offices in search of them. The offices were built with glass so one could see through from the hallway.
About five minutes later, he finally saw them, but he was enraged that it seemed more like a romantic scene than the professional scene he expected. He barged in and confronted them.
"I thought you left, Nina."
Nina gulped and ignored him, focusing on Philip. "So, like we were discussing, you want the size to be 12 square meters, right?"
"Isn't that too much?" Philip asked uneasily.
To their utmost surprise, Marcus chimed in. "Yeah, 12 square meters is kind of big. Even the one you did for me isn't that size," he said as if his opinion was demanded.
Nina was visibly upset, but she interjected, trying to maintain her composure.
"Oh, that's understandable. You have worked for him in the past? It seems you both had a terrible ending; hence, neither of you is cool with each other," said Philip with an amused smile, but his statement only added to Nina's displeasure.
"We haven't collaborated on anything. In fact, we have not done business together," she retorted with a tone of displeasure.
Philip became confused, and before he could say a word, Marcus spoke up. "Yes. She is right. We haven't collaborated in any business because she was my woman," he said, smiling. He was literally enjoying the unfolding drama.
"What?!" Philip was baffled. Were they trying to prank him, or what? Why did they always catch him off guard when they were together?
"I was never his woman and will never be. Don't mind him," Nina interjected.
Marcus let out a wry smile. He walked closer to her. Due to his height, his breath was fanning her face, which infuriated Nina. She stepped back, only to hit her back against the wall, so she couldn't run any longer.
"I'm just glad that there is glaring evidence to show I'm not making things up. At least Philip would know who he's dealing with. You stopped being my woman when you betrayed my trust. You betrayed my trust and cheated on me!"
"Marcus, I'm sick of you tormenting my life. It's been three years already, and you're not yet satisfied making my life a mess. It took me a whopping two years to heal from the trauma you caused me. You made me...-you made me lose my..." She ended up crying.
"I need to use the restroom, please," she said to Philip, who wasted no time directing her to the restroom, and she left, sobbing as she walked.
When it was only the two of them in the room, Marcus giggled lightly and walked to Philip. "Are you surprised?" He chuckled again.
"Well, I did not know you had a past with her. Just finding out now," said Philip.
"Amazing. That's just what I had been wanting you to know," Marcus said, clearing his throat to continue.
"Now that you're aware, I believe you will back off from her."
"Why would I do that? Do I have any beef with her? In fact, you're the one who's supposed to back off because you're her past while I'm her present."
Marcus was enraged by the statement. He never expected to hear that from him when he thought he had finally won the battle.
He let out a bitter smile. "I have been lenient with you for so long so you could find out, but it seems you're the stubborn type." He swallowed hard, his facial expression an exact definition of disdain. "I'm not going to talk much. This is just a warning: back off because you may not live to tell your story." His voice was authoritative and commanding; however, Philip didn't flinch or back down.
The threats seemed to fuel his ego. He stared directly into Marcus' eyes. "Listen, Marcus. I have been following your commands not because I'm not man enough to challenge you but because of the business we have. Your relationship, or whatever you had, with Nina is over, so step away from our dealings."
Marcus let out a faint giggle. He was silent for a few minutes. "Now listen, Philip. If you still value the dirty secrets you keep hidden, stay away from Nina. Failure to do so will get you exposed."
"Agreed?"