CHAPTER 59: TOM HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED.
The rest of the following days were the best for Evelyn as she felt so glad to start exploring her work. If it had been her major effort then it wouldn’t have counted, Raphael did help her a lot and even introduced customers to her but he did everything secretly to avoid any rumors. Sometimes she wondered why he could do this but not free himself but then no one knows the depth of a person’s life except the person himself.
Her colleagues were able to come and visit her new shop, have fun and patronize her when needed. It was like a new life for her and she was willing to make the most use of it. She didn’t get any contact from her father since that Sunday even though she was a bit curious about the whole property thing. But what use could it be to get yourself involved in something that you won’t probably be able to bear to the end? So it was better if she just let things be.
Evelyn was able to get an assistant at her newfound job. She was a twenty-year-old girl whose major was also art, seeing how dedicated she was, Evelyn introduced her to Kira.
Evelyn got out of the cab and paid the driver as soon as she got to her shop. She just dropped Tom off at school. Evie walked confidently into her shop, it was neat and the things were properly arranged. There were a few cakes on display and even drawn ones for choice’s sake.
“Good morning, ma’am.” A young lady wearing a green long sleeve shirt and black skirt greeted her with a smile. Her hair was quite short since she had it cut but it suited her look.
“Stella, how are you doing? Good morning.” Evelyn replied and placed her bag on the side table as she took off the warmer around her neck.
“I am alright. You have a visitor waiting for you in the next room.” Stella informed her.
“Visitor? Hmm, okay. Thank you.” Evelyn pats her shoulder and walks past her to the waiting room that was opposite the entrance.
Evie opened the door eagerly as she felt that she might have been keeping a potential buyer waiting but her throat dried up when her eyes met with Vegas. The latter looked up from his phone and smiled at her immediately. He stood and put his phone into his pocket. He was wearing a brown overall on his suit and his hair was plaited at the side; cool style though Evie thought but back to reality, what was he doing here?
“Ha, Mr. Vegas, it is a wonderful surprise seeing you here. How were you able to find your way?” She asked him. Vegas chortled and took two steps forward. Evie had still not moved away from the door, her hand was holding the handle while it was partly opened.
“I guess it is a surprise. You didn’t tell me that you wanted to leave the company, you put me into a lot of trouble having to look for you all around.” He responded.
“Uhm, why would you be looking for me all around? Do you need me to help you bake a cake?” Evelyn queried him.
“No, not really. Will you be free this weekend? Any plans?”
“Yes, with my son.”
“Any other person aside from him?”
Evelyn placed her hands on her waist and looked at him with disbelief. How else was she supposed to say this? Didn’t he understand the body language of an unwilling woman?
“Mr. Vegas, I don’t know what you are thinking of me but please let it end there because there is no chance for you.” She spoke directly
Vegas stretched his two hands forward, “Why is there no chance for me? The last time I checked, you are not in a relationship.”
“That I was not in a relationship doesn’t mean I won’t be in one presently. Mr. Vegas, someone has successfully managed to capture my heart so I am satisfied. Right now, my work and my son are my motives, any other source of distraction is not allowed. Please, let this be the last time you will appear here without any business purpose so as not to create unwanted attention for both of us. I hope that you understand my perspective and will respect it.” Evelyn said all she wanted to in a polite yet aching manner for Vegas who nodded and had to put on a pretentious smile to cover his hard face.
“I do understand but I need you to answer a question of mine before I leave. Are you and my brother that close?” Vegas asked with shaking lips. Evelyn was stunned at the supposed unexpected question, her eyes wandered around for a bit before landing on Vegas’s shoes.
“Why did you ask?”
“No reason, I just wanted to know.”
“Since you have no reason then I won’t be answering that. Please, see yourself out.” Evelyn moved out of the way after opening the door wide enough.
Vegas hit the heel of his shoe against the ground before walking away. He didn’t glance at her or the shop for the last time and Evie was grateful inwardly. He smelt like trouble anytime he was with her.
Just as she brought out her phone to put a cross through to Raphael, a news notification dropped in and she clicked on it to read. The headline was written as RAPHAEL THEOPHILUS & THE A-LIST FEMALE ACTRESS IN AN AUCTION TOGETHER; Are we not aware of something?
Then she scrolled down to read more and the pictures from that auction she refused to attend were what she saw and they seemed intimate. She was a bit confused, what was this? Erica was the smiling one while Raphael was the Savage one. Evie then flashbacks to what Erica had told her when they met at the museum weeks back.
“Hello.” Someone’s greeting interrupted her thinking. Evie quickly puts the phone back into her pocket to attend to the customer as she was a first-timer.
“Welcome to my baking world, lol, how may I be of service to you?” Evie asked warmly, slowly neglecting the earlier feeling that has popped up due to the pictures.
_*_*_*_*_*_
“It has already been done, ma’am. The pictures are all over the gossip sites and are being written to suit their tastes.” A man reported to the sitting Erica who was receiving a head massage. She raised her fingers and the man bowed before leaving. Erica picked up her phone and went on social media to see if the news might have gotten anywhere.
The first one she saw pleased her deeply and she read more. Now, this was her way of starting to bring their relationship into the limelight, slowly but very fast.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*
It was evening already, Raphael shut his computer gently and bent his neck sideways to release tension. It was already 4 in the evening and the last time he had been online was early in the morning. He brought out his phone and was about to go online when Jeremy knocked and entered the office on Raphael’s acknowledgment.
“Boss, have you seen the fire that is burning on the mountain?” He asked eagerly.
“Unfortunately, we have no mountains around here so there is no fire for me to see,” Raphael replied with a lack of interest, and Jeremy’s mouth hung open for a minute or so before shaking his hands in disapproval.
“I meant that have you seen the news about you and Miss Erica yet?”
“No, what’s wrong?” Raphael quickly unlocked his phone and what he saw thereafter was out of the world, this was a scandal. How could they have written this? They were pictures taken from the auction and for Jeremy, they looked more ordinary except if they were photoshopped.
“I don’t understand, none of these things happened. What trouble is coming upon me now?” Raphael growled in frustration.
“I think someone must have been monitoring you and Miss Erica at the event.”
“But why? No one knows anything!”
“Well, she comes to the family mansion every time in pretense to see your parents so…”
“Raphael!” Micheal barged into the office with a smile on his face. Ralph looked frightened for a second when he heard the sudden sound.
“You have never ceased to surprise me…” Before Micheal could complete his words, the door suddenly opened again this time and it was Evelyn at the door with a rough face. She was panting heavily and nonstop.
She dashed toward Raphael with tears on her face, totally ignoring the presence of the two men.
Raphael caught her by the waist immediately he stood up.
“What is wrong, sweetheart? Why do you look disturbed?” He asked worriedly.
“Tom…he is…Tom…” She said in between harsh breaths.
“What happened?”
“Tom has been kidnapped!” She cried out and fell onto his shoulder, crying hard.
“He’s been what?” Raphael was shocked.