Raymond was in the kitchen. He opened the cabinet where he kept his stash of supplements and roses, thinking, “Mr. Reid definitely needs a boost after last night’s… repen, inil the bed was a complete disaster.”
Meanwhile, Vespera wasn’t about to wait along the elevator pod only knowing who might be coming up or down at that hour. Some random neighbor from the 20th floor suddenly decided to crash there too. She decided to take the stairs. Thankfully, once she reached the emergency stairwell, she punched in the code and finally made it back into her apartment safely.
In the bathroom, she dropped her robe. The moment she caught sight of herself in the mirror, covered in lipstick and bruised warmth, she stood there in silence, her body radiating heat. She scrubbed off everything sticky and leftover from the night before.
Once dressed and ready for work, she pulled the infamous shopping bag out from under her bed. One glance at it was enough. She put it straight into her wardrobe and shoved it into the very back of the bottom drawer.
Just as she was about to head out, she realized something terrifying: her phone was still upstairs. A wave of inner conflict washed over her. There was no way she was going back up there right now. But then again, this was a workday. If anyone tried to call her… she checked the time; it wasn’t even 7:00 am. Dominic probably wasn’t awake yet. If she moved fast, she could sneak into the guest room, grab her phone, and get out before anyone even noticed.
Heart racing, she headed back upstairs. She walked into the penthouse, trying to look calm and collected. Then, the moment she stepped into the living room, she locked eyes with Raymond. Hammond was startled and nearly jumped.
“Vespria,” Rastond greeted her with a warm, grandfatherly smile. “Good morning, Mr. Chandler,” Vespera nodded calmly, doing her best to sound casual. “I just came by to check on the kitten.”
He called out again, pulling something from his pocket. “Vespera, did you maybe drop this last night while…” There it was—her phone, in his hand. Her calm, composed expression instantly turned red.
By 9:00 am, Vespera had already been at her desk for an hour. The moment she left the penthouse, she drove straight out of the complex like her life depended on it. Now, she sat stiffly in her chair, wrapped in a ball of emotions.
Soon after, Dominic and Gerard arrived at the office. Vespera pulled herself together, put on her best “everything is perfectly normal” face, and walked over to greet them. Duisanic looked at her for a second, then nodded. “Mun, you’re up pretty early.” Thru, beschiled faintly and walked into his office.
Gerard chuckled, a portly undercurrent of “good coming from Mi Reid.” He leaned in subtly, lowering his voice like he was sharing a juicy secret. “You didn’t hear it from me, but Mr. Chandler went nuts this morning. Loaded Mr. Reid up with every male vitality supplement in existence.” Vespera went silent again. Gerard was grinning; however, he could pretend to be unimpaired.
“Vespera was acting weird today for…” what was going on with her? She made a beeline for her desk, only to catch her heel on the edge of the carpet. She stumbled and flopped rather ungracefully into her chair, her gaze unfocused as she slumped back in her seat. “Mr. Chandler gave Mr. Reid all kinds of vitality supplements this morning.” She let herself fall back into her chair like a woman utterly drained.
Esperanza straightened herself. “Come in.” She was expecting someone from the secretary department. She sat up slowly, rubbing her face like she was trying to bring herself back to life. Only to look up and see… From relaxed to petrified in one second flat. Her mind instantly went to static. He calmly closed the door behind him.
“What’s wrong with your face?” he asked, tone light, posture calm—completely at peace with the world. “Nothing,” Vespera replied quickly, putting her hands away from her face and standing.