"Ma'am?" Amanda called when she didn't answer.
Elena's head snapped back toward Amanda before giving her a small smile.

"Thank you, Amanda. Tell him I'll be right there."

She nodded and walked out leaving Elena alone with her thoughts once more. She took a few deep breaths thinking about different ways to make her situation better.

To make her better in this situation.

You're a Knight, for God's sake. You shouldn't be scared of anyone.

And her mother was right. As much as she hated to admit it, he had seen her in embarrassing positions plenty of times. So, nothing she does or say now should surprise him anymore.

Right?

She tried to make herself feel better with those thoughts, but unfortunately they were not helping.

At all.

The only thing she was sure of is that she really wanted to see him and she also really wanted to not look or sound like an idiot every time she saw him.

"You can do this Elena." She said in a whisper before grabbing her purse and headed toward the door.

She walked out and tried her best to make the walk to the center of the shop as long as she possibly could so she could give herself more time to be ready to see him.

Sebastian could go to hell with his negativity.

She can't die from this, so she has nothing to worry about.

With that thought she made it to the center of the shop to find him standing there. He looked her way when he noticed her coming his way. She clenched her purse tighter to keep her knees from giving out or to stop herself from just running back to where she came from.

She stood in front of him once she got close enough and gave him a small smile. And once the simple action of looking her way made her heart slam against her chest.

Don't stutter, don't stutter, don't stutter!

"Hi, Marco."

Yes!

"Hello, Elena." Marco greeted looking down at her.

"I-I hope you didn't have trouble finding the shop." She said nervously moving her eyes from him to the entrance then back again.

"Not at all."

What's the worst thing that could happen to her during this lunch?

She swallowed heavily.

"Are you ready?" He asked and she looked up at him before nodding slowly.

He slightly moved to side to let her go first and she suddenly wished that she could have called her mom again before coming out of her office.

You can't die from this.

*****

Elena patted herself in the back when they were seated at a table. She congratulated herself for not falling or tripping. And also, for only blushing twice in the car, because that is a record for her.

One was when he asked her if she had a place in particular she wanted to go to.

This restaurant was a recommendation in Sebastian's long list of favorite places to eat. And if there was one thing she could completely trust him with, it was his taste for food.

And it was when the waiter gave them the card and she started looking into the menu that Sebastian's words came back to her.

Probably because of the foods' names. But she still thought about his words earlier.

Marco was not a talkative person. And she was, but not when he's around. She really needed to make herself better and she wanted to.

I can't die from this. So what's the problem?

She briefly glanced at him before looking back at her card and her question was answered.

It's him. All of him.

But why did he want to see her here again?

Victoria told her not to overthink things. But that was impossible for her.

Her mind would take the smallest things and make them bigger than anything. So how could she not overthink Marco inviting her without giving her a reason.

When the waiter came back with their drinks and to take the cards and their orders, she became painfully aware that she couldn't pretend to read the card anymore.

She looked up at him and her hands quickly grabbed her glass when she found already on her.

He bleeds.

He cries.

He laughs.

"Did y-you need something?" She asked really wanting to be sure about one point.

She gulped when he just looked at her as if he was expecting her to say more.

"Like what?" He asked.

She furrowed her eyebrows, not really knowing herself. "I don't know. You just-"

He looked at her and she knew he was expecting her to finish.

"I just?"

The problem was that in these kind of situation, she either talked too much and ends up rambling about things or she wouldn't talk at all.

"I t-thought you might have needed wedding advice." She said almost whispering the last part.

Elena, you are stupid. She thought to herself once the words finally came out of her mouth.

"Maybe." She quickly added. "Not that you would have to come to me if you ever needed some, but you know s-since you're almost family. N-Not family like brother and sister, b-but you're Jason's best friend, so y-yeah."

He slightly lowered his head for a few seconds but she could the small upturn of his lips.

He's laughing at me.

Again.

"I am not getting married." He said when he looked back at her and she felt her shoulders sag in relief.

Good. She would have ruined it if he had come to her for something like this.

"Okay." she sighed before looking back at him.

"I just wanted to see you." He said and she really feared that her heart would give out at any moment.

At least I would with him saying this as the last words I hear.

She placed her hands around her drink feeling her face get hotter, barely believing that he said that. Or maybe she's dreaming.

He wanted to see me! Her voice came out in a high-pitched scream in her head.

She briefly pressed her lips together and tried to hold his gaze but only failing after a few seconds.

He needs to stop looking at me.

"I'm sorry." She ended up muttering as she moved her eyes to the droplets sliding down her glass.

He just looked at her waiting for her to continue.

"I'm n-not like this." She added defending herself for again being like this.

"I know." He said but that went unheard.

She continued. "I am a very normal person."

"You are?"

"Yes, I swear." She said furrowing her eyebrows.

What normal person would need to swear that they are normal?

"You are normal. It's everyone else who's not." Marco said and she couldn't but let a small laugh slightly lowering her head.

When she looked back up at him, he had a small smile on his face.

Her grip around her glass loosened slightly.

"I'm surprised Sebastian didn't follow you." Marco then said and she couldn't help the frown that appeared on her face.

It would be a miracle if her brother or father just left her alone like that. It's impossible. They are incapable of letting her breath. She really thinks that Jason would have given her a break at this time though.

Just because it's Marco.

"He might be here. Somewhere." Elena said briefly looking around with a shake of her head. "He has issues."

"He's a brother." He said when she moved her eyes back to him.

Well brothers are annoying.

That made her wonder how Victor was doing. Marco's younger brother.

"How is your brother?" She quietly asked taking a sip from the ice tea she had in her glass.

"Still in medical school."

She slightly tilted her head in question. "Is he surviving?"

"He wanted it, so my father isn't giving the chance to complain." He said with a tiny smile.

From what she's heard, Victor was never interested in the family business. He wanted to study medicine.

"He didn't want to work in the family business." She sais more to herself.

"He was never interested. He was clear about what he wanted to do at a very young age." He said and she nodded slowly.

"That is a good thing." She said. "I don't know about Jason, but I'm sure Sebastian would been a chef, or something related to food."

She had barely noticed that she was actually having a normal conversation with Marco until he paused and looked at her. His piercing eyes on her made her painfully aware of the situation she was in and she was with.

She slightly shifted in her seat as her nervousness came back crashing in full force.

It was good while it lasted.

"How have you been since Kevin?" He then asked.

"G-Good, actually." She started and mentally kicked herself for messing her words again.

She was doing so good and he just had to stop talking and look at her.

"Really?" He questioned and she nodded.

"M-My father is the one who lost someone he loved." She explained looking down at the table feeling her chest clench at the thought. "He has been really sad after that, even if he wouldn't show it."

Marco slowly nodded as she looked back at him. "Your brother told me."

A small smile appeared on her face because she was glad. Every time she hears something like this, she could only smile. It was good that there was another person her brother trusted with his life, beside their family members.

"He really does tell you everything." She practically whispered but he heard her.

"More than I would like to know."

"I'm glad." She nodded. "You're the only friend he's ever had."

"And he's another brother to me." He said and she felt warmth spreading across her chest.

That's good.

She shook her head but her smile didn't leave her lips. "He... He's amazing, but you do not want him as a brother."

"You're probably right."

He didn't say anything after that and just slightly leaned back on his seat keeping his eyes on her.

He's trying to kill, isn't he?

If she didn't know better, she would swear that he was doing this on purpose.

He wouldn't.

She nervously shifted in her seat once more as her eyes moved from the table to his eyes.

"W-What?" She asked in a whisper because she couldn't take it.

"Why are you scared of me?"

His question caught her off guard and she slightly tightened her hold around her glass. She looked at him in surprise, never expecting that question to come from him.

I am really that obvious.

"I-I'm not." She denied, wanting once again to beat herself up for not being able to be normal around him.

It's all his fault anyways. Why does he have to be so HIM?

"I want to fix it." He said again, managing to really surprise her once more.

"F-Fix it?" She repeated, her voice higher than it's been since they got here.

He slowly nodded before continuing. "You're going to Italy."

"Yes." She said barely being able to keep a smile from showing.

She couldn't help but smile every time it was mentioned. It does make her nervous, of course. But the happiness she feels whenever she thinks about it surpasses any negative thoughts she might have.

"We're going to spend a lot of time together."

She was so grateful that she wasn't strong enough to break the glass in her hands, because each other he says just makes her tightened her grip around it even more.

She gulped slowly. "W-We are?"

"And I want you to be comfortable around me."

"You do?"

Stop repeating his words!

"So, I want you to tell me what makes me so scary." He finished and she didn't even know what to say in response.

Beside the fact that you're wonderful?

She slowly shook her head looking at the table before moving her eyes back to him and took a deep breath to make her words come out properly.

"You are not scary." She said.

"Good to know."

"W-We just don't see each other a lot. That's all." She said, her voice barely above a whisper.

She didn't even care if he heard her or not. And she didn't plan on repeating herself.

"Then we'll have to change that." He stated as the waiter came their way with their food.

*****

"Thank you, Marco." She said as soon as she got out of his car when he took her back to the shop.

She could barely believe that she survived a whole meal with him and she was actually here after it.

"You're welcome." He said. "I'll see you tonight then."

Her head snapped toward him in question. "Tonight?"

"Your mother invited me for dinner. She said she had things to discuss with me." He simply said closing the car door.

Things?

What things?

She looked back at him and gave him a small nod.

"Tonight then." She whispers absently.

Does her mother really need to do things like that!?

She walked toward her shop and looked back as Marco walked around his car to get back to the driver's seat.

With a small nod, he started his car.

She took a deep breath and released a long sigh as she watched him drive off.

Thoughts of her mother quickly left her mind as she remember her situation.

I survived!

She had lunch alone with Marco. It has been so many years since the last she's been alone with him, but she's made it.

And now that it was over, she wanted it all over again.

"We're going to spend a lot of time together." She smiled slightly as she felt her face hearing up at his words.

She took a deep breath and with a small shake of her head, she walked back into her shop only to find Amanda and Lucia, two of the employees that usually at the front looking at her with big smiles causing hers to go away.

"What's the matter?" Elena asked looking at both women's smiling faces.

"He's very handsome." Amanda said.

She looked at them with furrowed eyebrows trying to keep her annoyance from showing on her face.

"So, what about it?" Elena asked and both women looked taken aback by her question.

Amanda's smile slowly decreased, unlike Lucia's own that only got bigger.

I hope I'll only have men apply when I started hiring people in Italy. She thought knowing that would be practically impossible.

She mentally groaned as she remembered that she also had to hire people there and she didn't like doing interviews. She was always uncomfortable around strangers.

It would have been easy if her mother spoke Italian, but she didn't. So, she was stuck with that.

And the only reason she was fluent in Italian was because of Marco.

Their father always wanted them to know languages so when Jason and Sebastian were busying themselves learning Mandarin, Korean, and Russian for Jason.  

She was just really interested in Italian. Though her father also forced Mandarin on her. She was now thankful for that though.

"Is he a client?" Lucia, with that ever-present smile on her face, snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Wouldn't you know if he was?" Elena asked once more.

"I thought he might have come here to meet a future bride." She said with an even bigger smile. "So, is he a friend of yours?" She asked but quickly straightened up and her smile slowly faded at the serious look on her boss' face. "I don't mean to pry."

"Then, don't." Elena simply said before walking further into her office. "It's that easy."

She slightly shook her head and walked away before she snapped at them.

How is it their business who he is? Smiling like they've won the lottery or something.

Better cherish that image of him. That's all they're going to get.

She didn't go far and stopped when the entrance of the shop ringed signaling someone coming in. She almost dropped her stuff when she looked back and saw Michael walking in. He looked directly at her shoving his hands in his jeans.

"Hi, Elena."

She raised an eyebrow at him slightly tilting her head.

Her mind replayed him leaving her family dinner and running out of her parents' house like he was being chased and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing.

The same man her father called "Usain bolt" this morning.

She bit the inside of her cheek harder to really now laugh.

What on earth was he doing here?

"Can we talk?" He asked.

This should be good.

¥¥¥¥

‼️No spoilers Answers to a few general questions from some of you.

Q: Did I make Marco before Jason?
A: Forced marriage is my first story. So yes, I did create Marco before Jason.

Q: Why is Marco so calm now compared to when he was a kid?
A: He just grew up and calmed down naturally. He has to be calm and patient to handle female hunter.

Q: Is Marco a possessive person?

A: He is Lucca's son. I'm surprised some of you even wonder.

Q: Should we be worried for Marco or Elena?
A: I would be worried for Marco. Elena is a nut job. Just give her a few more chapters.

Let me know if you have more NO spoilers questions.

Love you all!!