Head high…
Chin up
And…smile.
Lisa stared at her reflection in the large bathroom mirror while reciting her mantra in her head. She reapplied mascara on her long lashes and added an extra layer of red to her already red lips. The knock she had been expecting finally came on the door. She didn’t go out immediately; she did her breathing exercises before opening the door. Outside, Sally, her Personal Assistant was waiting for her.
“The Press are ready for you, ma.” She reminded politely.
Lisa nodded and offered her a small smile before heading to the door that separated her from over hundred hungry news mongers that were ready to detect even the slightest fluctuation in her emotions and land her in nearly all front pages. She had chosen a not-too-in-the-face, one piece, white dress with green floral designs, matching it with a dark green pair of heels and her favorite Chanel bag. By the door, her husband stood, waiting for her. He wore a black Armani suit.
She approached him and adjusted his tie to hide the lipstick mark on his collar before linking his arms through his. He reeked of perfume that she found disgusting. It wasn’t his perfume. After living with him for two years now, she knew just how much he loved Dior perfumes and couldn’t do without them. The scent on his body wasn’t Dior perfumes. They weren’t hers either; neither was the faint red lipstick stain on his collar hers too.
The hall went into a frenzy on their arrival; Cameras snapped away furiously and Reporters pushed forth questions from all corners. Lisa forced the thought in her head behind her and waved to the crowd with a small smile. At the side, Raymond wrapped his arms around her in a protective and possessive stance, leading her to the stage. Of course, the little act of love didn’t go unnoticed by the horde of cameras. Lisa stood in front of the microphone while Raymond held her left her, showering it with silent kisses from time to time.
As she was about to speak, the noise in the hall died down completely. Every one of them was eager to capture the best news.
“Friends of the Press, I am glad you honored our invitation.” She began, her voice calm and smooth as she spoke eloquently. “Recently, there is an unruly viral video spreading all over the internet. A video that is said to be a leaked sex tape of my beloved husband.”
She paused, looking at the man beside her with so much indulgence before turning to face the crowd. “My husband and I are a loving couple. It is sad that someone is trying to sabotage the beautiful love we share.” She paused and nodded at Sally who was standing backstage. She quickly came up and handed her an envelope. “With me here are evidence that the man in the video is not my husband. I hope after this, Ray and I will be left alone…”
An hour and thirty minutes was all it took to convince the hungry newscasters that Raymond North was the victim and not a cheating husband. The Press were already nodding in approval, some even apologizing as the duo left the stage through the door they had come in through. they were barely out of sight when Lisa quickly removed her hand from his, her gentle smile fading away.
“I’m sorry, you have to do. I promise I’ll be careful next time. I didn’t know she would try to blackmail me.”
Lisa scoffed. Why was she surprised? It wasn’t like she was expecting him to agree to stop sleeping around with those cheap ladies that could barely match up to a toe of her foot. “If you are truly sorry, try not to show up for a press conference that was meant to clear your name with evidence that would give the Press something to talk about and reeking of a mixture of unpleasant perfumes.” She could barely wait. She walked away wile Sally followed her from a distance. She had always known better than stay around when the two were having one of their fights.
Lisa was led outside through the VIP passageway of the hotel they had hosted the interview in order to avoid running into random Reporters. On a large billboard a meter away, the scene of the interview played. Although she didn’t want to, Lisa still stopped to take a look before proceeding to board the black Aston Martin whose door had been opened by her chauffeur.
“Hotel Presidential.” She said, leaning back on the fur seat and throwing her sunglasses on while hoping to catch some sleep. For the next coming weeks, she was sure the reporters would stay off her news; unless Raymond decides to mess around again. Sleep didn’t come as soon as she had expected it. Her eyes were wide awake. Having no other option, she looked out through the window, relishing the rays of the summer sun that kissed her porcelain skin. if anyone could see her at the moment, they wouldn’t believe the high and mighty CEO enjoyed sun kisses too. She laughed at the bad joke. Well, before she was CEO, she was human. Unfortunately, people would never see that.
When the car came to a halt in front of a very large hotel, she slipped out and made her way in, followed closely behind by Sally who seeing her Boss’s bad mood, tried not to infuriate her further.
They took the elevator and arrived at the third floor. She walked past a few doors before finally swiping the room card at the fourth door. Inside the room, was a girl—no, a lady. She was beautiful but one could tell from a glance that nearly all part of her body had gone under the knife. Her make-up was smudge, leaving purple and black lines across her face which Lisa considered ugly.
“I have done what you have asked. You will let me go, right?” she stuttered on seeing Lisa.
Lisa smiled, settling comfortably on a chair beside the bed where the woman sat. She crossed her legs, looking as graceful as ever with her pigeon egg diamond ring shimmering in the sun. Her eyes lingered on it as if admiring it but before long, her eyes were back on the lady in front of her. “I must commend you for your help then.”
It was her. The lady in Raymond’s leaked sex tape. The one who tried to blackmail him with the video. She had gotten the lady to make a video of herself apologizing and admitting that the man in the video was not Raymond. She handled the rest herself; including getting a renowned designer to add some tweaks to the man in the video, as well as professionally edit a few pictures in her phone to prove that she and Raymond were home the same night when it happened.
“I’m sorry.” The woman broke into tears. “My family needed money. I had no choice.”
Lisa smiled awkwardly. Perhaps, if things hadn’t gone the way they did, would she have been in this young lady’s shoe too? Trying not to lower herself before the woman, she opened her bag, brought out a cheque book and signed it. Tearing it off, she offered it to the whimpering lady. “Here is a cheque of fifty million dollars. I am sure it will go a long way for your family. I have also prepared a passport and visa for you. My men will take you to the airport. You can go anywhere you want. Just make sure I don’t ever set my eyes on you. Ever. I don’t care what excuse you have to give to your family but I hope this stays off the media. You wouldn’t like it if I found out you tried to do something funny, again.”
She dropped the cheque on the bed, alongside an international passport. Then got off the chair, heading for the door. After this, she would go home and have a long, long sleep. Just then, it occurred to her she still needed to be at the office to attend some meetings.
Behind her, the pale woman snickered. “You must be feeling smug.”
Lisa halted. She didn’t turn back. The woman’s words were akin to the last words of a dying man. She didn’t care less about what came out of her mouth knowing she was only trying to rile her.
Perhaps, it was because of the pent-up feelings she needed to let go, Lisa turned to look at the guard that had appeared by the door. “See Ms. Cornwell to the airport. I am sure she would not like to be late for her flight.
“Why? Are you scared? That’s right. You are no better than me, Ms. High-and-Mighty.” She gave a wry smile, throwing all form of sanity to the wind. “It must be hard for you. Don’t you want to admit it?”
Again, Lisa halted.
“It must be hard for you. Don’t you want to admit it?”Lisa halted again and turned to the pale woman. How could she not know it was a trap to get to her? “Do have a safe trip, Ms. Cornwell.”She walked back to her car and let the chauffeur drive off. “Are we heading back to the office, Ma’am?” Sally asked carefully from the shotgun seat. She could tell just how tired the woman at the back was.Lisa sighed. “Take me home. Postpone all my schedule to tomorrow.” “Yes, ma.” Sally tactfully agreed. Despite that the meetings were of huge importance; she could tell her boss was nowhere in the mood to work.The car drove into a large, beautiful villa, stopping right at the door. When she alighted, the driver drove off to park the car. Lisa strolled into the house while the maids rushed out to collect her bag from the car, echoing their greetings as they walked by her. She stopped by the door to kick off her shoes and change into a pair of comfy home slippers before heading straight up
Lisa jerked out of her train of thoughts, grabbing her phone almost immediately. Looking at the caller’s ID, she sighed, deliberating whether to pick up the call or ignore it. Just then, a soft rap came on the door. “Who’s that?” “Dinner is ready, ma.” A maid’s voice sounded from outside.She sighed. “I’ll be down in a bit.” She replied without bothering to open the door. She then returned her attention to her phone and put it quietly on her ear. “Hello, Dad.” Maybe because she was a bit tired, her voice was crackly as she fought back tears from her eyes. “I saw the news. You handled it quite well. I am proud of you.”Even if he couldn’t see her, she smiled wryly with a ‘hmm’. She had not expected him to say anything less but somehow, in her heart of hearts, she had hoped he would ask after her. Even if he didn’t mean it. “The Chinese agency called.” “Oh! Did they?” After the press release, she had been so tired and had gone straight home. Sally was yet to update her.He g
Raymond kept his word and showed up early for Lisa’s mother’s birthday party. Lisa had returned home that evening and was quite surprised to see him home, sitting comfortably in the sitting room. Perhaps, because she was used to having the big mansion all to herself. “You’re back.” He greeted and she hummed in reply, caught off guard by his gentlemanly attitude. “Don’t stare at me like you have seen a ghost. I promised to come, didn’t I? Well, I am here.” He turned to the maid nearby. “Quick. Take madam’s things to her room and set the table for two.” His gaze returned to her, “We’ll be having dinner together.”Lisa looked at him in surprise. Well, that was Raymond North. One minute, he was the guy who slept around with nearly all the ladies in town, and the next, he is back to acting all loving like the best husband ever. She chuckled dryly when the maid left to carry out his bidding. “Are you okay?”The smug smile on his face irked her. “What? Isn’t it what you wanted?” “You d
Lisa’s brows furrowed. Now, she was really curious about the gazes she got. Plus, Belinda’s naughty smirk irritated her. “Did something happen?”The other ladies exchanged known glances as if deliberating if to let the cat out of the bag. On Belinda’s face was a dirty smirk, like she was about to face an enemy. Now, Lisa had no doubt there was trouble. “Oh! It’s actually nothing. I just got an exciting piece of information. Would you like to hear it?”On a normal day, Lisa would have turned it down without a second thought. Belinda was no bearer of good news, but now, with nearly everybody’s gaze on her, she was indeed willing to hear whatever piece of information it was. She nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat.Belinda didn’t rush. She raised her glass to her lips to take a sip of wine, her face still carrying the dirty smirk. “Well apparently, your beloved husband was seen seconds ago fucking one of those girls on a black uniform; whoever they are.”Lisa froze. Of all the ex
Belinda watched Lisa leave hand in hand with Raymond, her face nearly tearing up in anger. How could she not tell! The bitch had done it just to infuriate her!Her glass fell from her hand, scattering into a million pieces as they hit the floor. Around her, the other ladies were dead silent, but it seemed like their every eye movement was intended to mock her. She hated this! Hated the feeling of being at the losing end. Hated to be mocked by these low-life socialites who were not even up to her level. “I’ll see who dares to leak a word of this to the public.” She threatened, her eyes glaring daggers at them. Maintaining her graceful poise at this point was hard for her but suddenly remembering that she might be watched by one of the nosy reporters, she quickly adjusted her expression and turned to the lady who had whispered into her ears earlier. “Are you sure of what you saw?”The lady stuttered. “I-I don’t know. The man looked so much like her husband.” Even if Lisa had proven
Lisa let out a tired smile. It was supposed to be her mother’s birthday! How the hell did it turn into some sort of meeting? She approached a tall table with a smile. She didn’t dare show the fatigue on her face. She reached out and grabbed a glass of wine from one of the waitresses. It reminded her of Belinda’s words earlier. The thought of receiving wine from the same whore who slept with her husband barely hours ago irked her. “There she is.”Lisa jerked out of her reverie, turning to see her mother approaching her. “Hey, mom.” “Lisa…”She rolled her eyes. “Did dad come complaining to you again?”She shrugged. “Maybe. He said you left without meeting all the people he wanted you to meet.”Lisa took a large gulp of wine before replying to the woman standing opposite her. “All the people literally meant ninety-nine percent of your guests. You should know dad by now.”She nodded with a smile. “What do you think? I knew he wouldn’t stop bugging me till I came here to talk to you.”
Lisa was fuming by the time she got to the office. Even her entire staff could feel it! Their boss wasn’t the usual smiling boss but they had never seen her this mad. “I demand an explanation!” She barked at Sonia. First, it was Raymond who had gone out right after dropping her home and didn’t return for the entire night. Not like it was the first time, but she had a hard time pushing the picture of him in the arms of another woman behind her. “I am so sorry, ma.” Sonia was frantic. She prayed she wouldn’t lose her job. “The driver only reached out to me this morning to take a leave. I have tried reaching him since but—” “I am two hours late for the meeting. I lost a contract worth billions of dollars. Will your excuse make up for that?” She growled at the quivering lady, ignoring the warnings of her heart to calm down. Her entire body was bursting with anger and she needed an outlet. Her chauffeur provided her with one when he didn’t show up at the usual time to pick her up to
Lisa leaned on the door of the car as it slowly drove down the highway. It had become like a little tradition for her to lean by the window each time she sat in it. Perhaps, it was Raymond’s senseless behavior that caused it. If he had been kind enough not to fill her schedule with his reckless act of ‘love making’.She sighed loudly, her eyes traveling to the rare-view mirror where she found her assistant staring at her. The minute she caught her eyes, the lady quickly turned her head and pretended to be busy on the phone. “You have something to say, Sonia?” Although Lisa could tell what the poor girl had in mind, she needed some kind of distraction to keep the sorrow that was threatening to swallow her whole every single time. “N-nothing ma.” Sonia swallowed hard, her every action showing how scared she was. It was not easy to forget how angry her boss had been barely hours ago.Lisa sighed. “You pity me, don’t you?”Sonia broke into a sudden fit of cough. It wasn’t exactly what