“Oh shit!” Rachael cursed deeply as she groggily sat up, rubbing her temples hard to massage away the pounding hangover. “Why do I feel so much pain in my head?”
She kept trying to figure out what had happened the previous night but her mind remained blank. Not until she to her bedside table and saw a written note. The writer’s handwriting was easy to detect.
“Take the medicine with the water, it will help with the hangover” were the words written on the note that made Rachael blush in embarrassment as memories of last night flooded her mind. She dug her fingers into her hair and pulled it out, screaming at herself for showing her vulnerable side to a man.
“I hope I didn’t say anything out of line?…. Or should I ask him?…. No.. no.. he might taunt me with it. I should just act like I don’t remember… It’s not like I can recall everything, anyway. So, it’s a half-truth” A whole lot of speculations and confusion ran through Rachael’s mind as she took the medicine and hurriedly prepared for work.
“Oh my goodness, I’m really in for a pep talk this morning” she muttered to herself, checking what the time said on her phone. She could see several missed calls on her phone, some mostly from Damien.
She scurried out of her apartment and hailed a cab to the Russo enterprise. There, she met the security man who had a worrisome expression on his face.
“Is anything the matter, Miss Rachael? You don’t look okay” The security man cautiously pointed out to her disheveled appearance, a sign that she had come unprepared to work. “Is there something going on?”
Rachael bowed her head in shame and hesitantly replied to the man, saying “It’s nothing, Mister. Just a little problem here and there, but I have it all under control” she mumbled and briskly walked away, without forgetting to mutter a thank you
After much trouble with her heels, she finally got to the door of her boss’s office. She inhaled deeply before landing a light knock on the door. She walked in to see Damien and as expected, his cohort, Gina.
“Good morning, sir” she mumbled in a meek voice but snorted with scorn in her heart. “I’m sorry I’m late”
Damien eyed her suspiciously and uttered with uncertainty. “I believe there should be an explanation for this, right?”
“Yes, sir. There is” Rachael replied with her eyes still staring at the ground. “The thing is I….”
“Haha…. You had a nice time last night, didn’t you?” Gina interjected with disdain in her voice. “You can’t deny it. Your flushed face from drinking tells the tale”
Gina’s words made Rachael cower in embarrassment, her red face attracting Damien’s attention as his curiosity got piqued. “Is that true?” He asked but got no response. The stern gaze he got from Gina made him hide his emotions.
“You should be careful and make sure to drink alone, to avoid being taken advantage of by anybody”Damien uttered with an indifferent tone while pondering on his words in his mind. “What if she was really with another man?”
“Does it matter if she was alone or not?” Gina questioned with a scornful gaze on Rachael. “She’s not a child, she can take care of herself if anything happens to her”
“Okay, fine” Damien gave up with hesitation. He really wanted to find out what had happened, and why she didn’t refute Gina’s claim but Gina herself, was a great hindrance. His heart can’t couldn’t help but feel hurt at the thought of Rachael with another man.
“She should get to work instead of standing there all day” Gina uttered with pride, thinking she was successful in getting Damien’s mind of Rachael but reverse was the case.
“I’m sorry” Rachael muttered again and walked out of the office, not forgetting to throw Gina a vengeful glance.
***
“Anastasia, what do you feel about my son reconciling with his fiancee?” Rose asked, staring at the maid who stood before her, with a curious and expectant gaze on her face. She had signaled to Anastasia to join her after the couples had gone back to their room to prepare for their outing.
“Ma’am, I can’t seem to understand what you’re talking about” Anastasia feigned ignorance, tracing her footwear on an imaginary line. “Your son is my boss, nothing more”
Rose was irritated by her pretense but gritted her teeth in patience. “I’m not stupid, Ana. I can tell from how you look at him and your satisfying smile whenever I make an attempt to insult Isabelle. Even your actions a few minutes ago, prove it all… so, what else do you want to hide?”
“Um… Madame Rose, I’m sorry but I don’t think there’s anything to say” Anastasia shook her head in denial. “I have no thoughts towards your son”
“Hmph… Your shameless act is already irritating enough” Rose snorted with a playful smirk on his face. “You need a better plan if you want to have him all to yourself, with his wealth”
“Ugh… Madame” Anastasia broke down in a cold sweat. For some reason, she couldn’t trust the woman before her. If Rose couldn’t accept a beauty like Isabelle, what then would make her accept a lowly maid. She was wary but her greed and obsession were far more stronger, it had to give way to them. Her rationality was replaced by the urge to hear what better plan Rose had to provide.
She thought for a while, then voiced out. “Erm.. your son is quite good looking and I’ll never try to do anything stupid to convert him, but…. I can’t seem to get my mind off him”
“Exactly what I wanted to hear” Rose had a triumphant smile on her lips. Her plans were now making progress. “If you want to have him, you have to prove yourself worthy”
“How?” Anastasia curiously asked. “How can I make him mine?”
“I have made plans, Anastasia. The only thing left is your cooperation” Rose replied, staring intently at Anastasia who was lost deeply in thoughts.
“I’m ready. I’m willing to do anything to have Mr. Callahan all to myself” Anastasia declared with a sense of determination. “What do we do?”
Alright. I’ll tell you” Rose uttered.