Joel’s fire-blazing eyes wavered slightly. He stood up on his feet and walked towards the door. He sat down, his arm resting against the door.
“CEO Joel?” Emily called lightly.
“I’m sorry…” She wiped her tears and placed her right hand on the lower part of the door.
Joel raised his left hand and placed it on the lower part of the door from the inside of the room too.
“I, am, sorry. I am. What you saw wasn’t true,… I only did that because I was drunk!” Emily said amidst tears.
Joel clenched his teeth in annoyance. If she kissed Vincent because she was drunk, it meant everything she said, the other day, when she was also drunk, were lies too!
He removed his hand from the door and stood up on his feet. He walks back into the farther part of the room, sat on the floor, and lighted a cigarette.
“CEO Joel?” Emily hastily stood on her feet immediately she heard retreating steps in the room.
Why did he go back? She furrowed her brows and banged on the door with her fists. She didn’t mind her bleeding hands as she kept hitting the door with her fists, tears brimming down her face.
“CEO Joel!” she yelled for the umpteenth time.
“Please open the door; I’ll serve any punishment you give to me. Just, open this door!” Emily cried, yelling at the top of her lungs.
“CEO Joel I don’t know how this will sound but I lo…” Emily had not completed her statement when she heard approaching footsteps.
She turned to her side and beheld the sight of a heavenly beauty. She hiccuped unconsciously as she stared at the angel before her.
“Deo, what are you doing here? You are one of the maids, right?” Danielle scoffed as she stared at the girl in front of her.
“Don’t tell me you think he’ll open the door…” She scoffed.
“Leave!” Danielle ordered authoritatively.
Emily stared intently at the woman. Maybe she should leave before she gets slapped.
She sniffed and hiccuped as she walked past Danielle and out of the duplex.
Danielle smirked as she stood in front of the door.
Joel stubbed out the cigarette he was puffing on the wall. Of course, she should be ready to face his wrath!
Since she made him that way, she should get ready to feel pain too. And why had she not completed what she was saying?
He stood up on his feet and walked towards the door with the thought of crushing his lips roughly against Emily’s in his mind. He was going to teach her a lesson!
“Joel,” Danielle called sweetly as she knocked on the door, and almost immediately, the door swung open.
Joel looked up and flinched a bit backward. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he stared at Danielle- who called the witch? Joel parted his lips slightly.
???★★★???★★???★★★???
Who exactly had called the witch? Joel staggered as he stared at Danielle in silence.
He and Danielle had been friends since childhood. They grew up together and each of them knew everything about the other.
Whenever Joel locked himself up in the room, Danielle always had a way of getting him out and that was because she understood the CEO very deeply.
Of course, every woman dreamt of being the madam of Empire World Corporations, and Danielle wasn’t excluded. She had been eyeing that position for years. She wanted to be the wife of the most powerful and richest businessman in the country, if not the whole of Asia. She had total authority over everything and everyone. She wanted to be able to control everybody the way she liked.
Everyone in the country also felt Danielle was the rightful owner of that position since she grew up with the CEO and she was rich too… But the CEO had never for once felt anything for his beautiful childhood friend- just normal friendship feelings. They were simply friends with benefit.
“My love,” Danielle stood on tiptoe and kissed Joel.
Joel swallowed again unconsciously.
Danielle was a devil. She had so many tricks under her sleeve. Knowing her all his life was like knowing the devil to Joel and now that the witch was back, trouble was back. Joel knew he wouldn’t know peace from that moment henceforth, she would follow him around anywhere he went and call him every time she got the chance if they weren’t together. She would frustrate his life unnecessarily and get him to do things she wanted. Joel knew his workload was back. The witch was back.
“Your eyes are just too red.” Danielle pouted her lips and ran her hand on his face.
Danielle had traveled to California for a three months video shoot for a foreign director. She was a model and an actress.
She was already done with the shoot and had decided she was going to be back in Korea the following week but Michael’s call had made her rush back that day.
“Come, let’s go get you washed up.” She took Joel’s hand and dragged him through the long corridor.
Joel trailed after her in total bewilderment.
After they stepped out of the duplex, Joel squinted at the ray of light that shone in his eyes as Danielle led him into the villa.
Emily who had been pacing back and forth in the lounge stopped in her tracks as soon as she set her eyes on Joel. He looked pale and lean…
Joel stared at Emily for a while, with the image of what she did, showing in his head. He balled up his fist and looked away.
“Kaja.” Danielle who was oblivious to the fact that Joel and Emily were staring at each other dragged Joel up the stairs.
Emily couldn’t help the tears as she looked up at the stairway; she had been crying and pleading for him to open the door, her hands were even bleeding but he didn’t. Did he hate her that much?
?️?️?️
“You didn’t have to come back, you know.” Joel stated calmly as he walked out of the bathroom.
“I’m already through with the shoot, so…” Danielle shrugged.
“…” Joel nodded his head and fell on the bed.
Danielle smiled and placed her head on his chest as she laid beside him.
“I missed you, CEO Joel.” She teased.
Joel smiled. He missed her troubles too. He stroked her hair gently.
“I’ll resume at the industry next week.” Danielle sighed.
“…” Joel nodded his head.
He was sleepy and so, he drifted off to sleep.
???
Joel yawned as he walked out of the room, hunger had woken him. He stared at Emily’s door for a while and took lazy steps down the stairs.
As soon as he got to the foot of the stairway, he met an unpleasant sight.
He took long hasty strides to the dining.
“Danielle, what happened?” Joel gaped.
“I told her to get me a glass of sparkling water and she came back with a dirty glass of water!” Danielle huffed, tapping her foot on the floor continually.
Joel gaped at the girl that had gone unconscious on the floor. Wait, Emily? He hastily knelt on the ground and turned the girl’s face. A sigh of relief escaped his mouth, it wasn’t Emily.
Joel swallowed the lump in his throat.
“Danielle I have always told you to control your anger.” Joel groaned.
He signaled to the guards and told them to take the unconscious maid to the hospital.
“What did you do to her?” Joel faced Danielle after the guards had left with the maid in a car.
“I only slapped her.” Danielle shrugged.
Joel shook his head, you slapped her and she passed out… the slap must have been hot. He swallowed.
He knew he wouldn’t have peace of mind now that the witch was back.
Joel walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. He gulped down the water and walked out of the lounge. He was taking a stroll around the villa when something caught his attention. He walked towards the line that had clothes pegged on it and looked down at the sleeping beauty.
Joel looked up at the line… wait, what? Did she handwash the clothes? He chuckled lightly; why would Emily handwash the clothes? Ahe had ruined them. He chuckled again.
He dragged a folding chair and sat on it, silently watching Emily as she muttered incoherently in her sleep. He smiled. How he wished she wasn’t a liar.
Joel squeezed his eyes shut as the image of Emily kissing Vincent appeared again. He wouldn’t forgive her for that… He stood up on his feet, looked at Emily for a short while, and walked back into the lounge.
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“Joel, I’m sorry,” Danielle pouted her mouth as whined beside Joel who was watching the TV.
Joel ignored her and focused on the TV.
“Joellll… Hhaaannnn…” Danielle pouted.
She stood up on her feet, walked towards the LED TV, and turned it off.
Joel rolled his eyes and twitched his lips.
“Joel, I’ll learn to control my anger. I promise…” She walked towards Joel and sat on his lap.
“We both know you are lying.” Joel puckered his mouth.
“…” Danielle giggled.
“I’ll control it, seriously.” She tickled Joel.
“Yah.” Joel chuckled.
“Stop,” he laughed and carried Danielle off his legs and placed her on the couch.
Joel tickled Danielle sweetly and she giggled happily. Still giggling, Danielle wrapped her hand around Joel’s neck and pulled his head down for a kiss.
The bowl in Emily’s hands fell on the ground as she watched Joel and the strange lady. She had walked in through the door and met them-gosh-making out on the couch. She tilted her head as she forced back her tears.