After a long day from work, I finally got the chance to get up from my swivel chair and stretch my body and as I glance at the clock ticking, I realized that it had gotten so late and I forgot to give my husband a call that I will be home late, but damn, did he even care?
I mean, he is probably fuming right now, but not because he was worried about me or whatsoever, but because of the fact the he comes home to an empty house, without me serving him, like a self-proclaimed KING he is.
My husband... Rae Harrington, 32, a well-known CEO of a company under my family's business enterprises and this marriage of ours, is nothing but a marriage of convenience for him.
I mean, don't get me wrong, of the 8 years of our marriage, I would be lying if I said that didn't fell for him, but will it even matter if he was too open about how I look average and the only thing that is good about me is my family's wealth?
Sighing, I just found myself finally leaving my office, and as I went inside my car and started the engine, my phone rings, it was a call from my guy bestfriend, Rick.
"Hey, fancy talking to you, mister Kirkstone." I answered playfully, taking off from the parking.
"Where are you?" It replied with his ever cold tone, but I knew there a something hidden on it, making me erase my playful approach.
"Driving home from the main office. Why?" I asked with somehow a worried frown.
Then he goes silent for a minute. "Meet me, in my hotel, right now." He said, commanding.
My eyes widen in his uttered command. "Dude, what are you even thinking? I'm a married woman you know? you can't just invite me like that!" I protested.
Making him groan from the other line. "Sayo Hopper, I am not playing with you right now, and I mean it, you need to be here and see it for yourself."
Hearing the urgency on his voice, I groaned to myself before speaking again. "Fine, fine! I'll go, but you have to promise me that you'll back up on me if Rae hears about this."
"I can't promise that, Sayo. Just goddamn get here before I lose my patience." Rick said anger etched on his voice, ending the call.
Sighing, I groaned again as I drive to his hotel, but for the record he's not there as a patron, but as the owner of that hotel.
Rick Kirstone, 32, a hotelier, he could be cold and stern but that guy is a hopeless romantic and had been a good friend of mine ever since we met at the college with Rae.
And with him calling me like that, I just knew it is something bad, though I can't point my finger to it, I just felt like it has something to do with Rae.
"I know he doesn't love me and I already accepted that, but please, if this is really about Rae... I hope it doesn't involve another girl because I can't... I just can't." I muttered to myself hitting the gas up.
After sometime, I finally got into the Valet parking and as I handed my keys to the Valet staff, I entered the hotel and went my way to front desk.
"Excuse me, Miss. Where Mr. Kirkstone?" I asked politely.
The girl from the front desk then eyed me with a suspicious look on her face, then lets out a sneer before dialing a number on the telephone. "Hello, this front desk, there is a lady here looking for Mr. Kirkstone, is the boss expecting some entertainer tonight?"
My eyes widened in her uttered words,hurt, but I kept my thoughts to myself, thinking that she was just protecting his employers.
Then the girl sassily flips her hair, asking. "What's your name?"
"Sayo, Sayo Hoppers." I said.
She then smirked when I said my name to her, "You? Miss Hoppers? oh please! You gotta be kidding me, a simple lady as you couldn't be someone that high!" She mocked, until a voice interupts her.
"I heard enough. What's your name?" Rick asked the receptionist, resting his hands on the counter his face unreadable.
The girl flinched in the sight of Rick but easily recovered, "Sir, I'm sorry but she really can't be Mrs. Hoppers! Maybe she's just fooling you!" The girl accused.
It was then Rick lost it, slamming the counter before looking at me. "Give me your ID." He demanded.
"Eh? But why?" I said, almost casually, a big indicator of how close we were.
"Just damn do it, Sayo!" He repeated, his voice firm, no room for an argument.
Sighing, I hand him my company ID, and Rick slams it into the counter and glared at the girl. "If that wasn't enough to make you believe that, then I am sorry, you're fired. My hotel doesn't tolerate this actuations." He said, making the girl come out of the front desk, and knelt before him crying.
"Sir, I'm really sorry for what I did. But I really need this job!" It plead to him, but he couldn't be bothered.
"Then you could have at least be nicer..." Rick said until I interrupted him.
"Rick, can we just let this go. I can't blame her for thinking that way. Even my husband thinks like that too, yeah?" I whispered to him.
Rick's jaw clenched with my muttering. "No, Sayo. This is my business and I am running it according to my principles, and I am not bending it for you." He said firmly, looking at the girl. "You're lucky that this lady is too good for her worth and I am not making the security drag you out here. Now go!"
And with that, the girl exited, crying and of course, what just happened caused a big scene making the guest and employees rattled, but Rick isn't bothered at all, instead he dragged me into the employee elevator.
"Where are we going?" I asked, but not pulling away since he isn't hurting me something.
"To the control room." He said, his voice back to its coldness.
"Control room? But why?" I asked again, totally lost to what is the intent there is.
"Would it hurt to keep quiet, Sayo?" He asked sarcastic.
That comment made me pout but I got no choice to follow him into the control room, and as we went in...
"Sir, I got the footages you asked, do you wish me to play it now?" A staff said.
But he waved dismissively to it. "I'll take it from here, will you guys give me and my friend a privacy?" He told them.
Nodding, the employees went out and it was only us now. "Rick, can't we just cut to the chase? You're making me scared." I requested.
But he's not having it and goes sitting me into a chair, hitting enter from the keyboard and the 'footages' came playing.
I was about to call him out for the suspense vibe he is giving me but my eyes sight a familiar face and suit on the screen.
"T-that was... Rae..." I mumbled, my eyes now fixed on the screen, trying to make up on the girls he is with, but as it was a CCTV footage it was hard to pinpoint on who it was.
Just as thought I had seen enough, another video comes in and this time it was on the elevator, and boy, it wasn't wholesome at all, not with them literally making out without a care to where they are.
My stomach churned into the sight that I had to slam the laptop close as I stormed out of the control room and made my way to the nearest lady's restoom.
And there, as I looked at the mirror, the insecurities and all the pain finally sinks in, making me regret the fact that it was Rae whom I turned to that night...
"Could it have been better if I had turned to Rick, not him?" I muttered to myself as I fell into my knees and onto the floor.
But there was no use of thinking that now, it was not like I have some powers to turn back time and do a redo of my life.
So as the exhaustion and piled up stress I had incurred, claiming my body, it just shut down on its own making me collapse.
After that, I have no idea to what the hell happened next, all I knew is that I am feeling refreshed, and it felt like I have no problem at all, until what I saw that night came flooding back into my mind.
"Oh God! Did I collapsed?!" I shrieked as I sit up, only to wake up in a small cubicle in a clinic, and with the looks of it, I am certain, it was the campus clinic, the one where I first met Rae and Rick...