CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
675 Words
Chapter Thirty-four
The sun was gentle that Sunday morning, warmth spilling across the city as Briella stepped out of her apartment in jeans, a soft blouse, and sneakers. It wasn’t her usual elegant attire, and Marcellus noticed instantly when he pulled up in his car.
“You look… different,” he said, eyes lingering with surprise.
Briella adjusted her sunglasses. “That’s called casual. People wear it sometimes.”
Marcellus smirked. “I know. I just haven’t seen you wear it in… years.”
She rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the tiny smile tugging at her lips as she slid into the car.
Minutes later, they arrived at the amusement park—bright colors, echoing laughter, the smell of popcorn and candy in the air. The energy was infectious, and Briella, against her usual composed nature, practically lit up.
“Marcellus, look!” she exclaimed, pointing to a roller coaster that twisted and roared in the distance. “We’re going on that first!”
Marcellus blinked at her enthusiasm. “I didn’t take you for a thrill-seeker.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me anymore,” she replied cheekily, already dragging him toward the line.
When they strapped into the ride, Briella’s laughter rang out the moment it sped forward, her arms lifted, hair flying wildly around her face. Marcellus, beside her, didn’t scream—he watched. He watched the sparkle in her eyes, the way her laughter was unrestrained, and for a moment, it felt like being pulled back into time, when they were younger and freer.
As the day went on, Briella insisted they try almost everything. The carousel, bumper cars, even the ridiculous ring-toss game where she stubbornly refused to stop until she won.
“I told you,” she said triumphantly when she finally landed a ring on the bottle, hugging the oversized stuffed bear they gave her. “Persistence pays.”
Marcellus chuckled. “You mean stubbornness.”
“Call it what you want,” she said with a grin.
Everywhere they went, he found himself watching more than participating—memorizing the little things. The way her nose crinkled when she lost, the way she skipped a step when she was excited, the way her laughter seemed to heal something deep inside him he hadn’t realized was broken.
At one point, they stopped for ice cream. Briella, with chocolate smeared at the corner of her lips, looked up at him. “What?”
Marcellus shook his head slightly. “Nothing.”
“You’re staring again,” she teased.
“Maybe,” he admitted. But he didn’t elaborate.
Just as the day felt complete, Marcellus’s phone buzzed sharply in his pocket. He excused himself, stepping a few paces away.
“Talk to me,” he said in a low tone, his smile fading.
On the other end, Christopher’s voice carried urgency. “It’s bad, Marcellus. Really bad. The Tristan family made another move—they’ve undercut one of our supply chains overseas. If this holds, Nivida could lose millions. Possibly contracts.”
Marcellus’s jaw tightened. He rubbed his temple, glancing back toward Briella, who was happily adjusting the giant stuffed bear in her arms as she admired a group of children playing nearby.
“I’ll handle it,” he said firmly. “But not today.”
“Marcellus—”
“Not today,” he repeated, his voice like iron.
He hung up before Christopher could argue. His chest was heavy with the weight of what he had just heard, but when he walked back toward Briella, he forced a smile. She didn’t notice a thing.
“Everything okay?” she asked lightly, licking the last of her ice cream.
“Yeah,” he said, slipping his phone away. “Everything’s fine.”
And as the sun dipped lower, casting a golden glow over the park, Marcellus walked beside her, quietly choosing not to disturb the rare light in her eyes. Whatever storm awaited them, it could wait another day.
✨ End of Chapter Thirty-Four ✨
- Writer
