Chapter fourteen: What lady are you talking about?

For some reason, he had been eluded of his peace. His thought was clouded with the thoughts and images of a girl whom he knew nothing about and seemingly wronged when they finally got to meet.

This was a feeling that was completely strange to him and he wasn't in control of how crazy his mind was driving him. He always loved to be in charge. Piloting every affair, he was involved in. but here he was, lost and confused.

For days which slowly turned into a week, he watched her like a hawk.

He was sure that his secretary had sent her that email confirming that she was employed, but there was no response from her. He looked out of the window, a look of discontent and frustration gracing his countenance. As he gazed into the sky, clouds of anxiety swirled within him like a gathering storm. The days of waiting were long and torturous, yet he had held on to hope that she would eventually respond.

But his hopes were waning and his mind was in a state of utter confusion. How had he let himself become so entwined with someone he barely knew? Someone who could not even be bothered to respond to his offer.

Did he upset her so much that she no longer wants any association with him or his company? The mere thought of this sent shivers down his spine.

He enlisted the help of his secretary, Kim, to alter her daily route just so he could steal glances in the hope of catching a glimpse of her. Every night, he would drive by and wait, and more often than not, he would spot her.

"I heard she's working at a restaurant now!" Kim mustered up the courage to speak one evening.

"Who? What are you talking about?" Ray muttered, visibly startled, his gaze and attention firmly fixed outside the car, focused on her doorstep.

"Anna Briggs. The woman you've been fixated on."

"What woman? Me, the most eligible bachelor, the most sought-after guy in New York, fixated?" Ray scoffed and sat up straight, unwilling to admit how evident his infatuation was for Kim to notice.

"I'm just scouting locations for our new studio."

"Oh, my apologies, sir. I jumped to conclusions. So, you're not interested in knowing where she's working?" Kim apologized with a slight bow of his head.

Ray glanced briefly at her door, then cleared his throat. The inner voice prodded him, urging him to swallow his pride and ask.

He cleared his throat and spoke, "By the way, where is this place where the woman you mentioned works?"

"The Red Roses. Let me take you there," Kim offered, tapping the driver to move. A faint smile curled on Kim's lips.

Ray sat in silence, his mind racing through various scenarios for their meeting.

'Hi, Raymond here. I just want to apologize for what happened during our last encounter,' he rehearsed in his thoughts.

"Shit, that's rubbish," he screamed in his head.

'Hi, Anna. Do you remember me? Raymond Sno...' His thoughts trailed off. Of course, she would remember you, he reasoned.

The car eventually slowed down, and Kim pointed out the restaurant. There she was, standing beneath the fluorescent streetlight.

He watched for a while as she rubbed her hands together, visibly cold. He was about to open the car door and approach her when another car pulled up right in front of her.

Not just any car, but a Bentley. He didn't focus on the make of the car; his gaze was fixed on the driver.

A young man.

He watched and smiled as they conversed, yet for some inexplicable reason, his heart ached. Why was all of this happening? What had she done to him?

It wasn't until she left with the young man in his car that he snapped back to reality.

"I believe that was Kelvin Rodrigo, the owner of the Red Roses," Kim stated, swiping his finger across his iPad's screen, displaying Kelvin's Instagram profile.