Earlier this morning.
Raymond woke up to the warmth of his beloved woman beside him. Lina’s arms and legs were wrapped around him like an octopus as she slept peacefully, snuggling in his chest. Her soft breathing fanned his skin, sending a shiver down his spine. It was like a dream coming true for Raymond – waking up with the woman he loves by his side.
Apart from the time Lina was hospitalized that he had slept with her in his arms, this was the second time they were nestled together, on the same bed, enjoying each other’s warmth. Raymond softly brushed the strand of hair covering Lina’s face to the back of her ear, pecking her forehead. “I love you babe.” Raymond whispered into Lina’s ear.
As his warm breath caressed Lina’s ear, she subconsciously smacked her lips, a gentle and relaxed smile spreading across her face like she had heard Raymond’s whispered confession in her sleep.
Raymond’s heart skips a beat looking at the gorgeous woman nuzzling in the crook of his arms. The warmth of her body, the rise and fall of her chest, with the soft whisper of her breath on his skin all conspired to awaken the flood of memories of their intimate night together.
The way Lina’s eyes had sparkled with desire, the soft moans that had escaped those soft succulent lips of hers, the way her body was covered in glistening sweat, and the way her body had melted into his, all came rushing back to Raymond’s head. He felt a surge of passion and love for the woman in his arms, and his heart couldn’t help swelling with emotions he hadn’t felt in a very long time.
He felt a strong reluctance to leave Lina alone on the bed, not after what happened between them last night. He wanted to stay wrapped in her warmth, to bask in the love and connection they shared. But he knew that without clearing his name from the scandal Ashley had orchestrated, Lina wouldn’t be free to confess her love for him. She would always be tied up with the past history between him and Ashley.
With a heavy sigh, Raymond carefully untangled himself from Lina. He was gentle enough not to disturb her peaceful slumber. He slowly stood up from the bed. Looking at her beautiful face, he felt a tug on his heart. He leaned in and pecked her lips with her forehead once more, savoring her sweet heavenly womanly scent. “I will be back soon, my love.” After saying that, he reluctantly walked to the door and left the room.
He had dropped his phone somewhere in the living room yesterday. His eyes scanned everywhere for it. After finding it, he placed a call on Lucas, his assistant.
“Get me a change of clothes and bring it to Lina’s apartment immediately. I will be heading out soon.” Raymond instructed assistant Lucas on the phone after entering the living room. He couldn’t bear the thought of wearing his wrinkled clothes from the day before. Looking at the towel wrapped around his lower body was a constant reminder to the heavenly night he had spent with his wife.
“Right away sir.” Lucas replied before Raymond was able to hang up. He couldn’t help thinking about how the trending news had put a strain on his boss’s relationship with his wife. He had never seen his boss so restless before. Within the two days that Lina had left the mansion, not speaking with Raymond, Lucas knew how lifeless his boss looked. He was happy that his boss was finally able to make it into his wife’s apartment, though he doesn’t know how or what happened.
Ten minutes later, a knock was heard on Lina’s apartment door. Raymond, who had been pacing back and forth in the living room immediately went to open the door knowing it was Lucas.
“Good morning boss. Your change of clothes sir.” Lucas greeted as he passed the small bag in his hand to Raymond’s awaiting hand.
“Thank you.” Raymond whispered before he rushed back to Lina’s room to change. Lucas smiles at his boss’s actions. As he looked around, the memories of the day he and his boss had come to propose marriage to Lina, came back rushing into his head.
Who would have known that in the span of three months, his boss, who had been single since he had been working with him, would fall in love with his contracted wife. He was happy for his devilish boss whose cold heart was finally moved by Lina’s warmth.
As Lucas was immersed in his swirling thoughts, Raymond descended from the stairs, his freshly pressed black suit accentuated his chiseled features, exuding an air of confidence and sophistication. “Let’s go.” He instructed Lucas, his voice firm and authoritative.
Lucas nodded before trailing behind his boss, his eyes scanning the empty hallway. He couldn’t help noticing Lina’s absence. The image of Raymond, wrapped in a towel earlier, with a few faint scratches on his skin, played like a movie in his head. A knowing smile crept onto his face as he imagined how intense the previous night encounter between his boss and lady boss must have been.
As they reached the entrance of the apartment, Lucas rushed forward to open the door of the car for his boss. Raymond squinted his eyes for a few seconds as the bright sunlight enveloped him with its warmth. As his vision adjusted to the sunlight, Raymond’s gaze swept across the street, taking in the busy and vibrant atmosphere of the city, before entering the backseat of the sleek black car parked in front of him.
Few minutes later, Raymond was on his way to his company. He scrolled through his phone as he read all work related messages and emails. A message suddenly popped up on his screen.
“You brat, I’ve been calling you since yesterday night, you didn’t pick up. How are you planning to deal with your scandal with that slutty ex-girlfriend of yours? If I lose my granddaughter-in-law I haven’t even met because of this, be ready to get smack with my cane.” Raymond’s eyes narrowed as he read the messages in his grandfather’s voice. He could feel a headache coming.
“Lucas, is all the information I asked you to get on Ashley ready? Are all the plans that would clear my name from the scandal already put in place?” Raymond asked, his voice laced with urgency.
Lucas nodded, his eyes locked on the road ahead. “Yes sir. We’ve gathered all the necessary information on this matter. Our PR team has crafted a good strategy to spin the story in your favor sir. All we need right now is just your go-ahead, and the plan would be executed immediately.
“And what about the evidence we need to prove that Ashley was the person behind the leaked photos?” Raymond’s expression was thoughtful as he gazed out the window.
Lucas glanced at Raymond briefly from the rear view mirror, before focusing on the road again. “We’ve obtained testimony from a reliable source that Ashley had been in contact with a paparazzo on the night of the incident. We also have records of her communication and transactions with the media outlet that first published the story. Our team is confident that we can prove Ashley’s involvement and clear your name from this mess.”
Raymond nodded, a sense of relief washing over him. “Good. Let’s move forward with the plan. I want this scandal to blow over as quickly as possible.”
The car sped up the road as it made its way to World-Glow enterprise. A shrill ring of Raymond’s phone broke the silence in the car. Raymond frowned as he saw the unknown number displayed on his screen. This was his private number. He could count the number of people that were privileged to have this particular number of his.
He ignored the call, but the call came through once again. Thinking that the person who has gotten his number must be someone of great importance, he reluctantly picked up the call.
“Raymond darling, it’s been a while,” A seductive feminine voice echoed from the phone, spreading all over the car, breaking the silent atmosphere.
Lucas suddenly felt everywhere in the car turned cold. He couldn’t help the quivering of his hands on the steering wheel. He adjusted the air conditioner in the car a bit, but he still felt something was wrong.
On looking at the rear view mirror, he could swear that the look he saw on his boss’s face was one he hadn’t seen in ages. Who was the person that just spoke to his boss on the phone just now? Lucas thought as his gaze shifted back to the road, not understanding what was going on.