CHAPTER 17: MEETING VEGAS THEOPHILUS.
“Can I get two egg rolls and a bottle of Sprite, please?” Evelyn requested at the counter. It was a sunny day, thank goodness that she was already dressed up as lightly as she could. If not she would have been sweating like a Christmas goat for slaughter. The woman passed what Evelyn had requested to her and she collected her payment. Just as she turned around, she had a collision and what she was holding fell to the ground.
“Ouch.” She bent and picked them up.
“I am sorry, I am so sorry…” The masculine voice apologized. Irene looked at who it was.
A man dressed in tuxedos just like Raphael, his hair was perfectly styled. He had a nice and we’ll trim beard that made him look more manly but somehow gave a playboy vibe to Evelyn.
“Hello, I seem to be so attractive if you can stare at me this way without blinking,” Vegas said proudly. Evelyn blinked and shook her head as if that would bring her previous thinking back.
“Excuse me, what?” She asked in confusion then she looked at the eggrolls in her hands, they were dirtied already so she couldn’t eat such again.
“Here, let me buy you another one.” He offered.
“No, I am good. You don’t have to.” Evelyn rejected.
“I insist, Miss…”
“Evelyn.”
“Yes, Miss Evelyn.”
Vegas bought the two egg rolls for her while she threw away the ones that had fallen to the floor. Vegas smiled at her.
“My name is Vegas Theophilus, I don’t know if you have heard about me,” Vegas said. Evelyn widened her eyes on discovering who it was. She gulped and bowed a bit.
“Forgive me, Mr. Vegas, I didn’t know what you look like, if not I would not have accepted this. You are literally my boss.”
Vegas laughed, “You don’t need to go all formal with me. Alright, if you consider me your boss then let me treat you to lunch.” He offered. Evelyn chuckled nervously as she tried to look for a way to escape it. There were people around and she did not want rumors to start spreading. She had already been standing for so long and now they were the center of attention.
“Mr. Vegas, I would really love to but now, my boss needs me to do a few things, and right now, he must be waiting for me. I don’t want to lose my job…please, excuse me.” She said hurriedly and rushed out of the place.
Out of all day she had to meet with Vegas Theophilus, she didn’t feel comfortable being with him. The way his eyes were following every of her body movements made her nervous…not the type of nervosity that could make her think of how good-looking he was, it was the type of nervosity that screamed ‘I want to get out of here.
She crossed the street and walked back into the building. It was already past lunchtime so she was late.
On getting to her seat, Jeremy called her in that the boss wanted to see her while he excused himself. Jeremy was starting to get all confused yet relieved after his boss informed him that there was no need for him to search for the ghost of a woman he had invested his time in for three years. Instead, his boss would occasionally zoom out and smile like a silly man, he had only come to notice that when a man happens to be in love so does that mean his boss was in love? What? That was impossible.
“Quit thinking!” He scolded himself as he came out of the elevator.
“Sir, you called for me,” Evelyn said as she came in. She was fidgeting a bit and tried to look more closely at him. Her steps were slow and her body was bent slightly as if trying to figure out who he was indeed. From the corner of his eyes, Raphael could see her walking like a predator towards him, and then he looked up at her, startling her move.
“Are you alright, Miss Evelyn?” He asked and she blushed.
Evelyn coughed slightly and turned around, trying to avoid his gaze.
“Yes…I am fine.”
“Do you perhaps want to ask a question, Miss Evelyn?” Raphael asked with a brow raised as he rested his back against his swivel chair. He propped his chin while staring at her intently.
“Er…I…uhm…”
How was she going to ask this question to clear off her doubts? Won’t he think too weirdly of her?
“Go ahead. I don’t bite, I might be strict but no matter your question, I am willing to answer as politely as I can.” Raphael said gently.
‘And that is because it’s you.’ He added in his heart.
“Okay, I know that this is weird but I do hope that you will understand, please. I…Uhm, did you sleep with a certain lady about three years ago?” She finally asked and covered her mouth. Raphael smirked when he saw her expression before changing his to confusion.
Just like he wanted.
“I slept with a lot of ladies three years ago so which one of them are you talking about?”
“I…”
“Are you perhaps concerned about my sex life?”
“What? Hell, no!”
“Then, let me tell you, I don’t remember how many I had sex with or their faces.”
“Oh okay, that’s…it’s good?” Evelyn replied half-heartedly, she didn’t know what response to give in such a situation. She wanted to hit herself hard for putting herself in such an embarrassing situation by asking a bizarre question.
What was she even thinking? This was Raphael Theophilus, a son from a reputable home. Almost all the time she had spent with him during business hours was invested in work only so there was no way he would do something so bad as that to tarnish his image.
Raphael stood up and walked closer to her when she was lost in her world, his eyes never leaving hers. Finally, he was standing right in front of her.
“But there is one lady who managed to catch my attention some time ago.” When he said this, Evelyn’s heels suddenly had a mind of their own as they went ‘ crack ‘ against the floor but Raphael caught her before she could fall. He pulled her closer, his hand wrapped firmly around her waist.
Evelyn looked into his eyes, her hands were already on his shoulders. Her heart was racing faster than ever but then, what cologne was this man using? The scent was…more like mint or maybe strawberry or…she was confused about which scent it could be but she was certain that it was made from fruit.
“Now that I am noticing this, you have quite a beautiful pair of eyes, Miss Evelyn.” He complimented. She became flustered, her brain still not in the warning mood yet.
“Tha.. thank you.”
“If I may ask, are you in a relationship?”
Wait, was he asking her out? Her eyes widened and she blinked them continuously.
“Stop staring at me like that, I am not asking you out.”
“No…no, I was…I am not.”
“Do you mind telling me about Tom’s father?” Raphael carefully asked and then Evelyn’s brain finally clicked. Her hands dropped from holding Raphael’s shoulders.
Raphael on realizing this released her from the hug. He went back to his seat.
“Your question is quite…how do I put it? I wasn’t expecting that. But the answer remains the same, I don’t have any idea about any woman that I have slept with in the past nor am I concerned about them. Anyway, I need you to clear tomorrow’s schedule for me. I might probably not be around to attend all the meetings and pending work.” He discharged the atmosphere of intensity with his bossy attitude.
Evelyn nodded and was about to leave, “Tom’s father is dead, and thank you for answering my question, Mr. Raphael. I apologize if it sounded too inappropriate.” With this, she walked away. Raphael gripped his pen and broke it into two in frustration. Was this what she had gone around saying whenever Tom was brought up?
“Trust me, Evelyn. Just give me a few more days and I will make you mine.” He said affectionately.
He once thought that he wouldn’t be able to see her face anymore after that morning but he was wrong. He once thought that he wouldn’t be able to heal up from the hurt his ex-girlfriend made him go through but here he was, chasing after another woman who had completely won his heart the first time he saw her face but because of the pending situation on the ground that day, he couldn’t stay long and made a grave mistake of not dropping anything or maybe writing a note or just anything but now that fate had brought them back, he wasn’t going to deny himself the life that he ought to enjoy and live just because a silly lady once ruined it for him.
This time around, he was going to be the man portrayed in every romance novel he had come across, the tough, cold, and unbent boss who only has his heart given to the one he loves.
THREE YEARS AGO.
Raphael arrived at the Theophilus mansion that same morning that he left the hotel. Jeremy had called to inform him of the sudden uproar even getting closer to the mansion was a problem because paparazzi were everywhere, trying to get a good shot of the whole scenario that might be awaiting them.
He got out of the car, ready to face the humiliation and the worse that fate could have for him. He stepped into the mansion and almost died if not because he saw the shadow object coming.
“You bastard!” The yell came after the throw. Raphael’s heart had already packed up its luggage and was ready to leave when this happened. His body was trembling as he glanced at the shark knife on the floor. Everyone was trying their best to calm his father down as he was breathing like he just escaped the hands of a ghost.
TBC…