"What happened to your tongue?" Julia asked, still waving the receipts in his face. "It's not what you think. I don't even have the money to buy an engine not to talk of freezer and washing machine." He said in self-defense. "So why is your name appearing as the customer or do you want to say it's wrong?" "I can explain." Crossing her hand across her chest, she said, "Go on," "I told Niko about your frequent trips to the laundry so he decided to get a washing machine for you. You see, it's a gift." He said, flashing a smile at her which she refused to buy. She remained in her position, glaring at him as if he was from another planet. "Come on," he groaned. To make her believe him, he decided to invite Niko over after giving him a rundown of everything that had ensued between them. That morning, after cleaning up, he joined her at the table for breakfast. "Eat up." She said placing his plate in front of him. "Want to go to Zeline?" He asked, trying to start up a co
While Raymond was working, his phone beeped in his pocket but he didn't bother to check the message until he had finished working. "Thank you," Mayor said, looking closely at him to see if he was stressed out. "If I were you, I wouldn't do that," Raymond smirked. He had caught him staring. "But…" "I'm fine, okay. Stop acting like a mother hen trying to protect her chicks." He scoffed and then stormed to his table. It was when he decided to take a cat nap that he suddenly remembered the message he received while he was working. Smirking, he brought the phone from his pocket. "I know." He muttered after reading the content of the message. The message was from Xavier, reminding him of their meeting by noon that day. Meanwhile, Xavier had been making inquiries about Raymond from his PA since the day began. He wanted to be certain that he was in the company. Jaime had just returned from one of the errands and was standing behind the mahogany table, watching Xavier who w
"Do I look like a child?" Xavier asked with a large scowl hoping it would put fear inside of Raymond and then he would confess. "I never said that. I was just clearing the air. I don't want you to be thinking things." He said offhandedly, making Xavier more confused. He strongly believed Raymond was the same man on Dulo's magazine but his contradicting statement was messing with his resolve. "You are on a mission." He snapped. "Yes." Xavier recoiled at his words. Just as a little smile was creeping to his face, Raymond said, "A mission to save the falling company with you by our sides. A mission to save Dexx and place it in the spotlight which was stolen from us, a mission to…" "Raymond." Xavier snapped, sending his fists to the hard table. "Sir," he replied, wearing an innocent face whereas he was glad that he was getting Xavier more confused. His face told it all. "That's good. I hope all the staff can be like you." Xavier managed to say. "Thank you, sir. I will tr
After work, Raymond returned home so tired that even when Julia was talking to him, he wasn't listening. Thinking it was because of her recent attitude, she grabbed his hands, causing him to stare at her with a shock-filled face. "I'm sorry, okay. I felt you were not sincere that's why I was acting that way toward you. I'm sorry." She rapped. The first thing that came to Raymond's mind was to laugh out loud but he had to contain himself by biting his lips. "What's it? Why are you biting your lips?" She asked, separating his teeth from his lips. "Nothing." He muttered, suppressing the laughter that was hurting his chest. "Come on, you are going to bruise your lips. Hold on, let me get dinner." She said before taking her leave. Immediately she left the living room completely, Raymond burst into laughter. He had to bury his head in the chair to stifle it. "What happened? I heard a loud noise." Julia said, running to his side. She had heard him when he initially began to l
Raising his head from his laptop, Niko asked, "How are you able to pull all these within a few days while we are unable to get even a byte of your findings?" "For real. Despite your tight schedule you still outshined us." Adam added. "I have to do this okay? Remember, I have limited time." Nodding, Niko asked, "What about Julia? Is she still suspecting anything?" "I don't know. Sometimes I feel she knows what I'm up to and just pretending to be unaware. At other times it's as if she has no idea about the whole thing." He shrugged, wiping his brow. This was the hundredth time he was doing this under the AC making Adam turn on the fan. "Thanks." He muttered. "Are you sure you are alright? These days the rate at which you produce sweat is alarming." Niko said. "I'm fine." He replied, flashing a smile at them. He didn't want to tell them his body was heating up because it was a sign of the latter stage of the disease. He talked some more with them before he left for Dex
When he stepped out of Xavier's office, he met Jaime making his way towards the elevator. Smirking, he went with him despite his protest. He was apparently enjoying the show that he was putting up. "Stay away from me." Jaime snapped. They were in front of the elevator now. "Away from you? Remember your boss said you should stay away from me else he will cut your pay. You should be the one stepping aside for me." He scoffed. Irritated and angry at the same time, Jaime was about to say something really nasty. Guessing his next move correctly, Raymond turned around, "I think I should speak with your boss." He smirked. Scared stiff of what would happen next, Jaime ran to his side. With pleading eyes and hands placed together he said, "I'm sorry. Leave him out of this." "No way. I'm beyond pissed now and before I regain myself, I have to speak to your boss." He scoffed as he brushed past him. "Don't do this. I promise I won't bother you. Just give me this last chance." "Last
Adam was not saying anything although he wasn't in support of Raymond working closely with Xavier. "I told him I was going to think about it and I guess he is already awaiting my response." "Don't accept. You have already given him a hint on how to go about it. It's left for him to wriggle around and come up with a solution. ." Adam snapped. For more than thirty minutes, Raymond was speaking to his friends since the cars in front of him had refused to move. Suddenly, Niko snapped his finger making the other two fix their eyes on him expecting him to spill the bean. "Accept his offer." He said. "What?" Adam asked, he couldn't believe his ear. "Accept his offer. This is another opportunity in disguise." He smirked. "I don't understand you, please explain," Raymond said "Strike a deal with him so you would be promoted at the end of it." The trio went silent. While Niko was smirking, the other two were staring at him and trying to connect the dots. "I will give it a s
The Brooks Mansion… As the sun began to set that evening, a gentle breeze which caused the trees and ornamental plants to rustle, producing a nice scent blew across the garden. That night marked the 30th wedding anniversary of the Brooks and they were set to celebrate it in a grand style. Their family and friends were not left out in the preparation. They were actively involved in the preparation to make the anniversary a successful one. At about eight pm, the invited guests who were all dressed elegantly and sophisticatedly began to make their way to the garden where they were greeted with a rousing welcome. A live band that had been invited began to play soft melodies, creating a welcoming air as more guests arrived and bonded in preparation for the night. The party was yet to begin but the garden was filled with laughter, joy, and the clinking of champagne flutes. At exactly 9 p.m., the party kicked off with a short prayer before Stella was called to the podium. Stell