~Beth~
The ceiling seems like the only interesting thing to look at as I lay upside down on the couch in my living room. I've been lazing around all day with nothing to do. That is until I hear a loud, harsh knock on my door. I sit up, confused as to who would be knocking on my door like that. I fall off the couch, then stand up to go open the door.
Celine barges in, almost hitting me with the door.
"What the hell?" I say, as my eyebrows furrow to form an arch. 
"Girl, have you seen the news?" She asks, her hands on her hips as she fixes her gaze on me.
"Which news?" I slam my door shut.
"You've got to be kidding me. You don't watch the news or what?" 
"Why would I watch the news, it's for old people. Besides, why would you ask me that?" I say as I walk past her to sit on the couch.
"Well, turn it on. You need to see what they're showing." Celine says as she grabs the remote and turns on the tv, changing the channel to the news channel.
My curiosity is piqued.
On the news, I saw a video recording of Ted beating the hell out of Mark who was on the ground at some kind of event.
"What?!" I'm mortified. "What is going on?" I ask Celine, and she shrugs.
"Could it be because of me?" I say, my heart beating fast. 
"I think you should call Ted to ask what the problem is." Celine says as she stands in front of me. 
I think for a while before I finally decide to call Ted. I stand up and go to pick up my phone that is on the kitchen counter. I'm about to dial Ted's number but a loud knock on the door momentarily stops me from doing so. 
"Don't worry, I'll get it." Celine says, walking to get the door as I look down at my phone screen.
I lift my head up to see Celina frozen at the door and I become confused.
"What's wrong?" I ask, but she doesn't say a word. "Is not that Elle?" 
A tall huge figure starts to walk into the house, and I instantly recognise it to belong to Mark. My eyes widen like saucers as I watch him walk into the room with quick strides.
His face is all battered and beaten up. He looks really bad. It is most likely the result of Ted's beating.
"Hello, Beth." Mark says, an evil smirk evident on his beaten up lips. 
I take a step back from him as he walks closer to me.
"What are you doing here?" I shakily ask him.
"I came here to make a proposal." He says.
"Leave, Mark. I don't have anything to say to you. Leave now!" I yell at him.
"I don't need to remind you of what I have against you." He raises a brow. "You better behave yourself or you will have a lot of things to regret." 
Celine who is still standing at the door looks at us like we have grown two heads. 
"What is going on? Why are you harassing her?" She dares to probe.
"I'm sorry, Celine but can you excuse us?" I say, pleading with my eyes as well.
"Alright. If he tries something nasty, alert me with a yell." She says still looking skeptical but she finally gave us privacy.
When I feel she is gone, I turn to Mark who is walking around my living like it was his own.
"Leave my house, Mark." 
"Don't chase me away, Beth. I'm not going anywhere till I have said what I want to." The satisfied look on his face angers me even more.
"I don't want to hear anything from you, Mark. Especially not now." 
"Well you will be very interested in what I have to say when I say it, so you better listen to me." 
I sigh. "Fine, say what it is you want and get out fo my house. I don't want my sister to come back and see you here". 
"If that is what you want, I won't threaten you anymore." He says a my eyes narrow at him.
"What do you mean?" I can't full believe him because Mark is a very cunning person.
"Well I will stop only on one condition. I have my men watching Ted right now and if you don't do what I say, I'll have them kill Ted without hesitation. And not only that, Elle will also be harmed and that tape you are so adamant on keeping secret will be out before you know it." 
I take a step back, my whole body tense from what he had just said. Mark was a ruthless and wicked man, I had always known that but I never expected him to go this far.
"Why would you do that to me? I've never done anything bad to you." I say, tears almost spilling out of my eyes.
"Well, I didn't say that I will just do it. I have a condition for you to fulfill. If you do as I say, then I won't do anything to anyone of them." He says, a smile on his face like he had just said something funny.
"How can you even come up with such a thing? No, I'll never do it." I say, shaking my head.
He smirks and digs his hand into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He taps for a while and shows me a video of his men monitoring Ted. 
"Wait, wait." I say, panicking. "I'll do it, I'll do it, whatever it is." I repeat.
"Well, that's nice to hear. I knew that with a little bit of convincing, you'll be a good girl."
"What I want you to do is to testify against Ted, saying that he has been blackmailing you into being with him and that I had been the one protecting you." 
I stand there frozen for the umpteenth time that day. For Mark is just a cunning fool.