Mariah: The M Series: Book Two

by Ryanne Anthony

  I wrinkled my nose. “You and Dr. Cannon were interested in the same woman?”

  “Yes, I was very interested in you, Mariah,” he answered, softly. “I thought that was obvious at your parents' dinner party.”

  “Me? Oh, no, I'm not interested in Dr. Cannon. I don't date married men, Will.”

  He gave me a confused expression. “Marcus Cannon isn't married, Mariah.”

  “Marcus Cannon? I don't know Marcus Cannon. I thought you meant Stephen Cannon.”

  He looked at me questioningly. “Hmm. You probably know him better as Marcus Alexander.”

  My whole body numbed. “What?” I whispered. “Marcus is a... Cannon?”

  “Yes, he and his father are your father's new partners here. You didn't know? No, I can see you didn't. Look, I don't know what game he's playing with you but, yes, he's the Cannons’ oldest.”

  Oldest? What the hell?

  What game is he playing with us?

  I suddenly felt as light headed as I did the night before, and I needed to sit. Will followed me to the steel bench next to the reception desk.

  I felt so betrayed and used, disrespected. Why didn't he tell me?

  This type of shit is what I meant when I said rich people have issues. I told Marcus on plenty occasions that I saw money as a necessary evil; that it can only lead to devastation and turmoil. Sure they work hard for their money, I suppose, but the people at the bottom rung, like my mother, who worked three jobs at a time at usually thankless, minimum wage positions and still struggled every month to buy a gallon of milk, worked even harder.

  “Mrs. Cannon ran Crawford Industries,” Will continued. “It’s the one she inherited from her father. Marcus is a part time player in that company, as the current CEO, but that's going to change next month when his brother returns from his honeymoon. Joshua will be the new CEO and Marcus will be a full-time doctor here. He doesn't want to run the company, but he will sit on the board and have stock in it, which he already does. Why a billionaire would want wipe snot off kids' noses all day long is beyond all my comprehension.”

  “B-billionaire? You're telling me Marcus is a… billionaire?”

  “Yes, they all are. Every Cannon. Even if it wasn't for Stephen Cannon's inheritance, there is still Katherine's company and the Crawford money.”

  “And Marcus Alexander is actually Marcus Cannon?”

  “Yes, he is, Mariah. Ask your father or search 'Marcus Cannon' online.”

  The fucking floor dropped under me in dizzying circles. I closed my eyes and placed my open palm on my forehead and rocked it left to right. This is why he disappeared into his office at his apartment after dinner while I cleaned. Almost every fucking time. I stupidly thought he was doing paperwork for the clinic.

  I took out my phone and pulled up the search app. I typed 'Marcus Cannon' and, sure enough, there were several pictures of Marcus, some smiling, some not, in tuxedos and business suits, some in the company of women, all types of nationalities, including Adina and a couple of women of color. They all only had two things in common: they were women and they were beautiful. At least there's one thing he didn't lie about: he does not discriminate when it comes to a lover.

  Not one caption mentioned he was a doctor.

  “What happened with you working here, Will,” I asked quietly, putting my head down, closing my eyes, praying for the room to stop spinning.

  “Marcus called me after you walked off with your sister, telling me you were hands off. I expressed to him that I wasn't the one engaged and if it came to choosing, you should be the one to make the decision, not him. That didn't sit well with him at all and he terminated my contract. 'Lack of camaraderie with fellow physicians,' he called it.

  “I guess he saw me as a threat or something. Marcus and his brother had me blackballed in this state. Cannon doesn't use his last name often, but when he does, it carries a lot weight, especially in the medical field. I had no choice but to accept an offer I was given on the east coast.”

  “It's my fault. H-he was with me in the foyer that night and we had a screaming match about you. I didn’t know it was because he was interested. He warned me to stay away from you because of the many ‘notches on your headboard’. I never thought he was able to dismiss you from here. I'm so sorry.”

  Will sighed and took my hand, squeezing it. “Look, Mariah, I'm a big boy and I usually land on my feet, but Marcus can be a dangerous guy to be involved with. And his brother is, too, and both can wield damage when they want. Sometimes, you need to just accept what’s been handed to you and move on.

  “I know my reputation, and I assure you the tale is far worse than the truth. I'm no saint but I'm not a predator, either. Believe me when I say my interests in you were genuine; I had no intention of pursuing you as just a bed mate.”

  I nodded as the word ‘dangerous’ bounced around in my head.

  Marcus, dangerous? Damn, how wrong were you, Hollander?

  Back to ‘me’ again. Back-pedaling fool gets on my nerves.

  “I believe you, Will.”

  “I can see he won you over and if you're happy, I’m happy for you but I think you should seriously question his motives in not telling you something as simple as his name, let alone his connections and wealth. You have to know I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't know you were going to be here but, Mariah, you have every right to know the truth and make up your mind for yourself.”

  He's right: we have to question why Marcus didn't tell us who he actually was.

  Back-pedaling. Again.

  I sighed. “Why are you here now, Will?”

  “Severance check. I'm picking it up from Thomas.”

  This was all a fucking joke. An attached man getting rid of what he thought was competition: an unattached man who'd only asked for date.

  A talented doctor, from what I've heard, who could have brought decent revenue to this clinic.

  “Thank you for telling me, Will. Please don't worry about me and my feelings for Marcus. I truly am sorry about being the cause of your contract termination. I wish you the best of luck in New York.”

  I stood and walked to the stairwell.

  “Are you going to be all right, Mariah,” Will asked with worried tone.

  “I don't know,” I said quietly as I opened the door. “It's not every day I have my heart broken by a guy who swore he never would less than a week ago.”

  “Mariah...” he started. I woefully walked back to him.

  “It's fine, Will, honestly. I'm a big girl who didn't do her research but I promise I'll do better next time. You were right to tell me... he should’ve had the nerve to do it himself and long ago. Goodbye and again, best of luck in New York. Thank you.”

  He hugged me and I tearfully kissed his cheek. I released him and walked back to the stairwell. I opened the door and ran down to the fifth floor. My vision too blurred to continue and scared I’d do myself harm, I sat on the landing and had my cry.

  Marcus has money. Billions.

  Okay, I can't change that. I mean, what's he going to do, flush it all and be a pauper? Even I don't want that for him and he can't help he was born into that.

  All right, the money is an issue but not one I couldn't get around with a little work and tolerance. The biggest issue is the lie about who he was. Why the omission of his last name? And his intentions with his career and businesses. If he really loved me, all this would have been water under a bridge, discussed and discarded long ago, and I wouldn't be sitting in that stairwell, pondering everything about my relationship with him; questioning everything he’s ever said to me.

  Maybe it's that he didn't trust me. Compared to him, I had nothing so there was nothing to offer him. I only had a little money because of a rich stepfather who ignored my wishes to not to put money in my checking account. I'd never touched that, except when I bought the season tickets.

  What did I have to offer a man like Marcus? Not a damn thing and he knew it. He'd never marry a woman like me and I coul
dn't marry a man who didn't trust me. Our relationship never had a chance, so why did he insist it did?

  No blue-eyed, black haired angels for me. Damn it all, I mated with the wrong guy again. I knew I was supposed to spend my life alone and this had to be the ultimate proof that I was right, all along.

  Fine.

  Tears were pouring down my face and I didn't know they’d started again. I needed to talk to somebody; someone who could shed some light on this entire fucked up situation and show me I'm fucking crazy to end this relationship, or that I definitely need to count my losses and move on, alone.

  I took out my phone and called Lisa.

  “Hi, Cookie! What's up,” she happily sang.

  I wanted to choke her.

  “Lisa…” I sobbed then whimpered. “Lisa, did you know?”

  She instantly panicked hearing my voice. “Please, calm down! Did I know what?”

  “Did you know Marcus was a Cannon,” I asked, breathless.

  She inhaled sharply. That told me she did.

  “Why didn't you tell me? Why did you let me get involved with him, knowing who he was?”

  “It wasn't my place, Cookie. It should have come from him!”

  “What's happening, Lisa,” Nathan asked.

  “Bullshit, Lisa! You are supposed to be my sister! How can I ever trust you again, either?”

  “Mariah, please calm down,” Lisa pleaded, tearfully. “Where are you? I'll come and get you and we can talk about this. You are my sister but I was sworn to secrecy by Mandy and I couldn't tell you. I honestly thought he would have told you by now!”

  “She has to calm down before she gets a migraine, Lisa,” Nathan shouted. “What didn't you tell her?”

  “Not now, Nathan! Mariah... please stop crying and tell me where you are! Please!”

  “No, I need to be alone. I don't want to be bothered with anybody.”

  I hung up and called Mom next.

  “Hi, honey. How are you? Are you ready for tomorrow?”

  “Mom, did you know Marcus was a Cannon,” I wailed.

  Silence. Damn it! Was I the only one who didn't know?

  “Mariah-”

  “No, Mom! Jesus! I can't trust anyone and no one trusts me! What the hell is the problem with me?”

  “Honey, please calm down. I know you're upset and you need to express that but remember your head. I don't want you to have any pain.”

  “Damn it, Mom! Can't you hear that I'm already in pain? My heart is broken and by everyone I love and claimed to love me! Do you know how that makes me feel? I've been lied to and making love with a man who couldn't find the time to tell me his real name and prosperity but repeatedly warned me away from men who were nothing but truthful with me! I feel used! Betrayed! So disrespected! And untrusted. I fell for him and told him. If he lied about his name... he said he loved me...oh, God! Was that a lie? Was anything he ever said to me true? I gotta go, Mom, I need air and a walk!”

  “Mariah, please. Stay on the phone with me, don’t hang up. Let's talk about this!”

  “I have to, Mom. I need to be alone and try to clear my head.”

  I hung up and pulled out tissue. I cleaned my face the best I could and blew my nose. As I had some water, my phone went off. Lisa. I sent it to voice mail.

  I grabbed Marcus' keys from my purse, then took the anklet off and went to the second floor. It was after five, so the clinic waiting area was empty. I approached the desk. His fucking birthday balloons were still sitting there. If I had a knife, I’d stick it through each one of those mocking balloons.

  I half smiled at the two nurses at the desk. I knew I looked quite a fright, having cried off and on for at least a half an hour.

  “Good evening, ladies. Is Dr. uh, Alexander available?”

  They looked at me and frowned, then one replied.

  “No, sweetheart. He's just gone in with his last patient but he should be finished in about fifteen minutes. Do you want to wait?”

  I sniffled. “No, I can't.” I pulled out a pen and post-it from my purse. “Do you have an envelope? I have to leave something for him.”

  “Sure.” She held out a mini-manila envelope. “Will this do?”

  I half-smiled, nodding. “Perfect. Thank you.”

  I placed the keys and the anklet in the envelope and wrote a short note.

  Dr. CANNON,

  Please make sure “Dr. Alexander” gets his things back.

  M.

  I folded it, placed it in the envelope, sealed it, and handed it back to the nurse.

  “I'll give it to him as soon as he comes out,” she assured.

  I smiled a little as a tear fell down my cheek. “No rush, as long as he gets it before he leaves.”

  I'm going to miss Marcus.

  Whew.

  “Are you all right, sweetie,” asks the second nurse, softly.

  “No, I just... needed to do this before I could leave.”

  “Go on, we'll see the doctor gets it.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered and walked back to the stairwell. I flew down the stairs, crying hard, praying no one I know saw me. I kept my head down as I exited the stairwell then the building. I sighed when the warm air hit my face.

  A cab pulled up in front of me. The driver was a Caucasian woman with long brown hair who frowned when she saw my face.

  “You call a cab, Miss? I've been circling looking for you.”

  Yes!

  Someone's going to be pissed but I didn't give a shit. I got in the back and she took off immediately.

  “You still going to the airport,” she asked.

  “No, I forgot the address. Let me find it,” I muttered.

  She stopped the cab at the end of the lot. I scrolled through my contacts. When I saw Ethan's, I pressed send. Please pick up, I prayed, and thanked God when he did.

  “Cookie?”

  “Hi, Ethan. Have you talked to anybody lately?”

  “I talked to Pops a few minutes ago. He told me how upset Rachel is about a fight you guys had.”

  “Promise me you won't call anyone and tell them I called you.”

  “Okay, I promise.”

  “Can I come to you? I can't go anywhere else.”

  “Of course, Cookie.”

  “Okay. What's the address?”

  He gave it to me and I repeated it to the driver. She nodded and drove off.

  “I'm on my way. No one, Ethan, okay?”

  “You got it, Cookie. See you in a few.”

  My phone rang repeatedly as we travelled. Lisa, Mom and Nathan, in succession. It was so nerve wrecking and annoying. I put it on vibrate. It buzzed immediately.

  Marcus.

  Now, it was the four of those fuckers. Mom. Lisa. Nathan. Marcus. Sometimes they called back to back. It was sooo aggravating. Too bad they didn't think about my feelings before they all lied to me.

  * * *

  The ride to Ethan's was about twenty long minutes. When the cab pulled up, Ethan was standing out front, waiting. As I pulled out my wallet, he reached inside and paid the driver, insisting she keep the change as he held the door open for me.

  When I stepped out, he puts his arms around me. I grabbed him and held on for life. He held me in the middle of the sidewalk and let me cry, rubbing my back in silence until I stopped, then quietly took me into his apartment.

  We sat on the couch and I cleaned my face as he held me close, rubbing my arm.

  “You wanna talk about it?”

  “Marcus is a Cannon.”

  Ethan raised his eyebrows. “He is? How? A cousin or something?”

  “No, he's their first child.”

  He whistled. “So what's got you so upset that you picked a fight with Mom?”

  “He didn't tell me.”

  “Okay. And?”

  “He said he was Dr. Marcus Alexander. That's the way Pops introduced him to me but today I found out he's actually Marcus Cannon, billionaire pediatrician, who moonlights as the CEO of his mother's Fortune
500 company. Everyone around me knew the Cannon part! I was the only one in the loop who didn't know who he really was. He's also part owner in the clinic, which means I'm fucking my boss, who was engaged when he first approached me. He fired a doctor just because he asked me out, then blackballed him in California. He told me he loved me, Ethan, but how can you love someone and lie to them on a daily basis?”

  Ethan didn't comment right away, so we sat in silence; the only sound was my vibrating phone. I wished I knew what he was thinking.

  He finally cleared his throat. “I'm sorry, Cookie, but I just don't understand why you're so upset. Granted lying about your name is a bit out there, but he's told everyone his name was Alexander for business purposes, it seems, which you fit into when you met him. Sounds like only a selected few knew the truth and I agree he should have told you his real stats when he told you that he loved you, at least. Don't you think you should have asked him why instead of running from him?”

  I sighed heavily. “I went to the Peds floor but he was with a patient. I’m glad I didn’t see him because now I feel as though I can’t trust anything he says. I even gave him the chance to confess twice without knowing if he had anything to confess and he chose to keep still.”

  “No, he shouldn't have, that's true.” He frowned. “How did you find all this out, anyway?”

  “I ran into Dr. Wexler at the end of my shift.”

  “Dr. Wexler?”

  “William Wexler. He's the Plastic Surgeon Marcus fired for showing me interest.”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “No, Ethan, he didn't even know I was there.”

  “Maybe, but it sounds very convenient for Wexler to show up as you were leaving, and break damning info on your boyfriend to you.”

  “Regardless, it should’ve been Marcus to tell me. Days ago. It was a risk he shouldn't have taken and now I have to question everything he's ever said to me. Will didn't lie, Marcus did and on something as basic as his name, among other things. If he could do that, then he could lie about any and everything.”

  Ethan studied me for a moment, pensively. Quietly, he said, “I get it, Cookie, but I also see the other side. I think you should call Marcus, at least. Tell him what the issue is and listen to what he has to say. Maybe I wasn't the right one to come to with this.”