CHAPTER 63: THE RING MEANS NOTHING

Braelyn’s POV

"Why didn’t you wear your wedding ring?" It took me a while to understand why he was fuming.

Wedding ring. I felt like laughing at his words but the heavy pressure in the room made that pretty difficult.

"It’s just a ring, why are you worked up about it?" I held his gaze. His jaw worked. Goosebumps formed on my skin, and the air felt heavy to breathe. He was mad and yet I wasn’t bothered by it

A cold prickle skittered down my arms. The room tightened around us, but I didn’t look away. His citrus-based cologne wafted around with a hint of tobacco.

There was a time this scent broke my guard and let me lose my mind, but now it only flares up alarms. Every nerve in my body was telling me to bolt, but there was a part of my mind which didn’t want to run away.

Why should I?

"You are being overdramatic, Raphael, going on over a ring. What value does a ring have when the promise has been broken?" His gaze flickered. For a split second, he lost his composure before regaining it.

"You know we were having an important meeting. How will the clients know you are my wife without the wedding ring..." His voice began sharper...

"Or did you have another plan by staying behind with Dominic in the conference room?" So this was what this was about.

Was he jealous or just being possessive? He thought I was flirting with the investors.

In the face of his rage, I remained in control. My smile widened, it was ridiculous how swallow he was. To be honest, I had forgotten the ring. I normally wore it out of habit, especially on days like this.

I meant nothing by not wearing it today, but with the way he was behaving, I might stop wearing that piece of metal.

"I don’t need a ring to prove our marriage, maybe if you treated me better, no one would mistake who the wife is and...." I replied, and he was stunned by my reply.

It wasn’t my fault that Dominic mistook Amelia for his fiancée. "Only God knows how you treated Amelia. He thought she was your fiancée."

"It was just a misunderstanding. Amelia and I had worked together for this project, you know, she is like a sister to me."

I laughed looking completely amused at his words. "Sister indeed. I guess the Volkov family practices incest, so you happily fuck your sister." I sneered at him.

His lips parted to speak but I cut him off before he could find the words. "Dominic Voss is already married," I stated

Dominic was wearing a wedding ring so it was safe to assume he was married. "I’m not like Amelia neither is every married man like you."

The words hung between us. He was left speechless and I had no other word for him. He didn’t stop me. I left the room without sparing him a glance

I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. My knees threatened to buckle from the pressure of his presence but I held myself. Soft clicking sounds caught my attention, Amelia was approaching with a frown etched on her face.

We walked past each other like strangers. I had nothing to say to her even if we were working on a project together. Her footsteps stopped. "Have you seen Raphael?" She asked like it was the most natural thing ever

"You have a cellphone don’t you?" I replied without giving her a glance. I could feel her glare on my back

*****

Light tapping sounds filled the room as I continued to rapidly type on my keyboard. I was going through some pending work I didn’t handle during the funeral.

My mind kept drifting to Raphael’s reaction earlier. Why did he react that way? I didn’t understand why he was so upset, whether it was because of the ring or the mistake Dominic made.

There was still the issue of the conversation we had earlier. The genuine look in his eyes made it feel like he wasn’t lying. It was for my own good. How was that possible?

The door was suddenly pushed open, I thought it was my secretary Pearl and didn’t bother to glance up from the system.

"Please send out the document as you leave. " I instructed. My gaze narrowed on the screen when I spotted an old email related to this project. Dominic Voss, the Voss surname felt familiar but I couldn’t pinpoint where I heard it from

The Voss family was from another country.

"You are really dedicated to your job despite how he treats you. " A sly voice taunted followed by slurping sounds. My finger hovered over the mouse, my mood instantly plummeted hearing her voice.

"How did you get in?" She didn’t answer. Her footsteps drew closer until I felt her standing directly in front of my table

"I let myself in. Your secretary wasn’t there, and honestly, this is a pretty comfortable office." She chimed followed by the annoying slurping sounds...

"I guess you also lack basic manners to stroll into an office without permission." I continue going through my emails like she wasn’t there not bothering to spare her a glance.

Slam!

She slammed my table with her cup splattering it on the polished desk. "Stop acting high and mighty Lynn. What do you think you are doing coming to work and acting like nothing happened?!" She snapped at me

I didn’t answer her immediately. My eyes were locked on the familiar coffee cup, and a knowing smile graced my lips. He had indeed gotten it for Amelia.

"The world doesn’t revolve around you. I got to this position based on my efforts Amelia. Unlike you, who got to lead a project thanks to someone’s aide, I started from the bottom of the ladder..." I lifted my gaze to her stormy brown eyes before I added.

"Why should I throw away everything I worked for because of someone else’s action?" I asked.

She was in a bad mood like she had just had a fight. Raphael immediately came to my mind. Amelia clicked her tongue, her grip on her cup tightened

I sighed looking at the mess. "This isn’t over, I would love to see your claimed skills on this project," she taunted.

I laughed, finding her words truly naive. I rested my chin on my hand then smiled at her. "Why would I personally handle a minor project like that? You overestimate yourself, Amelia. Even if the sun rises in the west, do you think you are qualified to work as my superior..."

The smug look on her face faltered. The door was pushed open and my secretary Pearl stepped inside. She froze on spotting Amelia in the room and quickly composed herself after adjusting her glasses.

"I’m sorry to interrupt, but there is an emergency internal board meeting in a few minutes, Madam," she informed me. I shut my laptop as I stood up from my seat, then grabbed my stuff.

"Please make sure to clean this mess, Pearl," I instructed her

"I will right away. Let me get a towel." Pearl panicked once she saw the coffee stains then left the room immediately.

I walked past Amelia towards the door, "You can see yourself out." I gave her a last glance.

Amelia chuckled, her voice faded as I left. "I can’t wait for the day you lose everything to me, Lynn."

A smile curled on my lips. " Then try."