Chapter 6
Adelie POV
My heart beat rapidly against my chest as I stare at Raymond's love-filled eyes. Should I accept him or not? I'm not sure of my decision at the moment.
"It's fine if you don't want to decide yet, Adelie... I will wait until you are ready for this," As if he read my mind, he suddenly breaks into my thoughts, and I sigh briefly. The last time I remember being in a relationship was four years ago when I just turned nineteen, and it only lasted for one week because of my possessive brother that never allowed me to build a relationship with any man. Even if I want to give this a chance, what about Asher? Will he not destroy everything later? How will he feel when he finds out that I accepted to be my boss's girlfriend?
"What do you care? Stop sounding like you are cheating on him, Adelie. He's your brother and not your boyfriend, for fuck's sake," My subconscious mind screams at me, reminding me that I'm being stupid right now. I have feelings for Raymond, even though it's not that strong yet, so I shouldn't be scared of going into a relationship with him, right?
"What do you say, Adelie?" His voice pulls me out of my train of thought, and I smile at him warmly.
"Yes... Yes! I will be your girlfriend, Mr. Raymond," I smile at him shyly as I turn my face away, and I can hear the excitement in his voice as he scoffs.
"Really? You will date me, Adelie?" He asks, probably to be sure he didn't hear me wrong, and when I raise my gaze to look at him, I find him staring at me with love in his eyes.
"Yes," I nod my head, and he springs up to his feet, then rushes over to me and pulls me into his arms, hugging me tightly like I will disappear if he goes easy on me.
"Thank you so much for this chance, Adelie... I promise that you won't regret this later. I will make you the happiest woman on earth, I promise," He says excitedly as he cups my cheeks in his palms, staring intently into my eyes like he wants to see through me.
"Hmmm," I smile at him shyly, and he pulls me into his arms again, hugging me tightly.
He finally pulls away from me and walks back to sit on his seat, while I bite my bottom lip. I feel so weird since it has been years since I last tried this. I don't know if this will turn out later, but if there's anything I'm so scared of, it's Asher. He's an obstacle that I'm scared will cause destruction later.
"Are you okay?" His voice pulls me back to reality, and I quickly shake my head in denial.
"No, I'm fine. I just feel a little bit weird..." I stop and bite my bottom lip embarrassingly.
"Weird? Why?" He places his palm on mine that's on the table, and squeezes it gently, giving me this weird tingling sensation. I only feel this whenever Asher touches me, so why am I feeling it now?
"Uhm... The thing is, I haven't really been in a relationship all my life, and this kind of feels weird," I confess to him. Well, I have been in relationships previously, but they never lasted for two weeks and we would break up as soon as my brother finds out about it, so I conclude that I was never in a relationship. Well, you won't believe that I'm still a virgin at age twenty-three, right? Well, that's because my brother never allowed me to get close to any man.
I can see the confusion and shocked expression on his face as I say those words to him, and I totally understand. Because for fuck's sake, I'm twenty-three, turning twenty-four soon, so it's almost impossible for me not to have been in any relationship all my life. Like it's hard to believe.
"Hmm, I understand... But you don't have to feel insecure or anything, everything will be fine, okay?" He assures me, but I bet if he knows the kind of devil I have as a brother, I'm sure he wouldn't have said that, knowing that all hell will break loose once Asher finds out that I'm in a relationship with him. I still nod my head, regardless.
We spend some time talking about things and getting to know each other, and after the date, he offered to drive me home since I already called my driver to pick my car from the office earlier.
"No, I'll take a cab home," I quickly decline, afraid that I may get into trouble if Asher sees us together.
"Come on, Adelie. You're my girlfriend now, and I should take responsibility for you. Come on, I'm only going to drop you off at home, and nothing else," He insists, and I slowly nod my head, although I don't feel like going home in his car.
We both hop inside his car in the front seat, and he sets it in motion afterward.
As he drives down the road, I keep praying silently that by the time I get home, I shouldn't meet Asher. Do you want to know the weird thing about my brother? He doesn't have a friend, not even a single one. And as far as I remember, he has never introduced any girl to me as his girlfriend, even as he has many women throwing themselves at him. He's weird.
"And here we are," Mr. Raymond's voice jolts me back to reality, and I quickly snap my head to check the building first if Asher is watching from upstairs, and thankfully that he's not there. I can't conclude that he has gone to bed since it's just 8pm. He doesn't go to bed that early.
"Thanks for the ride, Mr. Raymond," I smile at him, and he scoffs.
"I'm your boyfriend now, Adelie. Quit with the formality," He rolls his eyes at me, and I bite my lip in realization. I should start addressing him casually now, but it'll feel weird since I'm used to calling him Mr. Raymond.
"Alright. Thanks for the ride, Ray," The name feels weird in my mouth, but I think I love it.
"Now, that's it. You're welcome, baby..." He says to me as he holds my hand, and my heart misses a beat. It has been a while since a man calls me 'baby', and it makes me have this tingling sensation now. Not that Asher doesn't call me that, but to me, he's just fooling around with me.
"Come here," He places his palm on my cheek, and before I can comprehend why he did that, he leans forward and pecks me on the lips, making me freeze on the seat as my heart thumps heavily against my ribcage.
"Good night, and dream about me," He says to me, and I slowly nod my head as I push the door open and walk out of the car. I wait for him to drive away, and when he's finally gone, I turn to go inside the gate, but I flinch and stop on my track when I find Asher leaning against the gate with his hands crossed on his chest while glaring hard at me like he's going to devour me anytime soon. I think I'm in trouble now...
Chapter 7 Adelie POVI stare at him for a few seconds as I feel my heart thump heavily against my ribcage like it'll force its way out anytime soon, and I gulp down the sudden lump that forms in my throat as many questions come running through my mind. Did he see Raymond drop me off? Did he see us kiss? What is he thinking right now? For the first time, I wish I can read minds so I'll know what's going on in his.Finally pulling myself together, I force myself to move my legs which are already stiff and glued to the spot. Moving close to him, I feel my legs drawing me back, my soul feels like it's going to leave my body anytime soon. I have never been so nervous or terrified rather, all my life. "Asher... Wh... What are you doing outside at this time of the night? Are you just coming back home now?" I ask him nervously and gulp down nothing, but he only stares at me blankly, and it's scary."Where are you coming from?" His voice sounds cold and scary, and I gulp down nothing as it
Chapter 8"Ash... Asher?" I stutter nervously and gulp down the sudden lump that forms in my throat. By now, my heart beats rapidly against my chest like it would force its way out anytime soon. Staring at him sitting there while having his eyes all over me and a smirk dancing at the corner of his lips, I can literally feel my death hovering over me, and my soul leaving me slowly. It feels as though I'm in the middle of the forest in a vampire's den, waiting to be devoured by the demonic creatures. That is how scared I am right now."What... What... What are you doing here?" I further ask as if it's not obvious what he's doing in my room. As usual, he came to torment me, and I can't deny the fact that it's working now."Nothing... And when has it become a crime to enter my little sister's room?" He finally stands up to his feet and shrugs, crossing his arms on his chest, as he emphasizes on 'little sister'. He's up to something, although I have no idea about what it is."I... Didn't s
Chapter 9Raymond POVI can finally smile genuinely now that I finally have the woman I have always wanted. For the past few years I have been working with Adelie, I have always had my eyes on her and looking forward to the day she'll finally be mine. Well, it was love at first sight, but my fear of getting rejected later didn't allow me to speak up my mind and confess my feelings to her. I wouldn't have gotten the courage to ask her out, but thanks to Rowan, my best friend that encouraged me to go for her.I throw myself on the bed as soon as I walk inside my room, and staring up at the ceiling, I can't help the smile that forms on my lips. For the first time in a while, I feel so happy and alive."I thought you were never going to come home. What kept you so long? Did anything happen?" I almost jump out of my skin when I hear my mom's voice speak, and I quickly sit up on the bed, and there she is, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed on her chest. What the heck! When did s
Chapter 10Adelie POVThe sound of my blaring alarm pulls me out of my deep slumber, and I toss on the bed tiredly before forcing my eyes open. I intend to move my body, but I feel something heavy on me, so I tilt my head to see Asher laying on the bed next to me, while having his hand hugging me tightly to himself, and his leg pinning me down to the bed. I have forgotten that he slept in my room yesterday night.Taking a deep breath, I carefully remove my body from his trying not to wake him up. It's not that I care so much about him that I don't want him to wake up, I just want to get away from him. I finally manage to get off the bed, and I drag myself into the bathroom tiredly. I crash against the wall and run my fingers through my hair as soon as I get into the bathroom, releasing a deep sigh. What the hell should I do? I can't possibly run away from home, right?'Raymond' his name resounds in my head, and I close my eyes tightly. Will this relationship work? Will Asher not try
Chapter 11 Adelie POV'I'm watching you, Adelie. Don't do something stupid at the office' his words replay in my head as I drive down the road, and I feel shivers run down my spine. It took me forever to arrive at the company, and once I park at the garage, I step out of the car and stride toward the entrance door, trying so hard not to appear miserable, because that is how I feel right now. "Hey, sweetheart. How are you doing today?" Just before I take the elevator to the third floor where my office is, Cynthia walks elegantly up to me with a wide smile lingering on her face. Just how I wish I can be this cheerful, but it seems like it'll never happen. Not when my brother still lives with me. "Cynthia... I'm fine. Did you sleep well?" I force a smile at her as we both enter the elevator, standing side by side. "No, I didn't. I spent the whole night, thinking about my prince charming," She smiles creepily as she cups her cheeks in her palm, and I can't just help
Chapter 12 Amelie POVThe rest of my day at work was boring as I expected. The office hour is finally over, and I am getting ready to leave when Raymond shows up. "Hey momma," His voice sends chills down my spine, and the sound of that makes my heart misses a beat. No man has ever called me that before, and I kinda like it. I wish he can call me that always. "Hmm?" Turning to face him, I give him a demanding look. "Do you mind strolling with me tonight?" He asks, and I blink my eyes in shock. "Sure, why not," Even if I know Asher may not let me out of the house, I still feel like it'll only be right if I give him this chance again. He is my boyfriend now, and I should do what will make him happy, right? "Great. We're just going to have fun outside, get fresh air, and grab ice cream together," He says to me, and I must confess that it doesn't sound bad. "Alright, I will be more than happy to go with you," I smile at him, and he chuckles softly. "I will c
Chapter 13 Adelie POV After spending some time with Cynthia, I finally decide to go home. The drive back home was tiring and exhausting, and luckily, Asher was not around by the time I got home. Maybe he still hasn't returned from work yet. Besides, dad left a lot of things for him to take care of before he traveled. Releasing a deep sigh, I throw myself on the couch and ruffle my hair slowly. I'm stressed. Recalling that Raymond asked us to stroll tonight, I stand up to my feet and drag myself up to my room upstairs, and as soon as I walk in, I strip out of my clothes, and dash into the bathroom. My phone suddenly starts ringing, and I pick it up from the bed as soon as I step into my room. It's Raymond on the phone. "Hey, momma. I'm waiting for you outside," His voice sounds from the other end as soon as I answer the call, and I glance at the wall clock to see that it's past 8pm. "I'll be there shortly," I reply to him before the call ends. Now, thin
Chapter 14 Adelie POV I toss on the bed for the umpteenth time and finally lay on my back as I stare up at the ceiling. It has been three hours since I got home, and it's midnight already, but I still can't bring myself to get some sleep. I sigh briefly, sitting up on the bed and reaching out for my phone that's just lying on the bedside table. Raymond has called me nonstop, but I couldn't bring myself to answer his call after what I did to him back at the restaurant. At this point, I'm beginning to think that I can't handle it having a boyfriend. If I can't do this, maybe I should just break up with him and not give him high hope. My phone suddenly beeps, and as I unlock it, a message pops on the screen. 'Can you please answer my call, momma? I'm worried about you and can't even sleep' reading the message from Raymond, I sigh deeply and turn the screen off, tossing it on the bed afterward. Maybe making him think that I'm already asleep won't be a problem. I drag myse