CHAPTER 95: TROUBLE IN THE COMPANY

Braelyn’s POV

Amber almost exploded, her entire body trembled with rage. She was completely dumbfounded she couldn’t find the words to say

I didn’t spare her any more of my time. I already had one bitch breathing on my neck. I didn’t have time or energy for another one.

The sound from the hall faded into the distance the further I strode down the passage.

As I stepped further into the passage, a familiar voice sliced through the quiet. My brows pulled together, confusion written across my face.

"Things might get worse than expected...." The familiar voice I recognised immediately drifted towards me.

Raphael.

I slowed down instinctively, and the soft murmur of another voice joined in with Ronan. The voice was coming from the room ahead. The door was slightly ajar. My curiosity was immediately piqued. I slowly approached the door to shamelessly eavesdrop.

Raphael had left the hall abruptly earlier with Ronan. Something was wrong; it had been a while since they left. Something bad enough that he wasn’t there for Amelia’s presentation.

His tones were low as he spoke. I couldn’t hear the conversation clearly as I stood beside the door.

"...not tonight, Ronan. If this leaks, we’re finished," Raphael muttered with a strained voice laced with exhaustion. Another voice replied with something sharper. I could recognise the speaker as Ronan, but couldn’t get what he said.

His tone was low for my ears to catch, but the tension between them vibrated through the cracked doorway.

My pulse faltered. I found myself sneaking closer to the door also at the gap. Another fragment slipped out before the door muffled the rest: "This might become a problem. This is the second time we lost such a big deal and it’s the same company." Ronan hissed.

Footsteps drew closer to the door. I immediately moved backwards to the wall. I froze, breath tightening as the door suddenly clicked shut, cutting off their voices.

I tried to piece together the conversation. One thing was sure something was wrong with the company. It was bad enough that it had shaken Raphael enough to drop his calm composure, and I needed to know what it was.

A smirk graced my lips at the thought. This was interesting. I was secretly elated.

I turned on my heel, about to leave, taking a few steps away from the door when it was swung open. My shoulders froze, and the fear of being caught crept up my spine.

I straightened my smile and continued walking in the wrong direction, acting confused. "Braelyn..." I heard Raphael call out. I glanced over my shoulder, and the genuine look of surprise and confusion was written in my eyes, which suddenly went wide.

"Raphael..." I blurted, turning towards him. My act was so perfect you would never guess I just overheard something they probably needed no one to.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him before he asked the question. Ronan was still inside the room

Raphael’s eyes narrowed suspiciously at me. He took a few steps forward. From the way his brows arched, I had an inkling feeling he wasn’t truly convinced, but I wasn’t going to end the act now.

He stopped a foot away from me. Although the facade remained on my face, my palms had turned slightly sweaty. His presence was overbearing and intimidating. I nervously took a step back. "I should be asking you that question," I said calmly.

I gulped while still holding his gaze. "I got lost wandering around. I needed a break, Raphael." I said with a soft voice before adding. "Everything is still as overwhelming as it was before."

Something flickered in him. A subtle shift like concern or pity. I couldn’t read his thoughts, at least I guessed he thought I was overwhelmed by the party following my history of social anxiety.

He sighed, his demeanour softened. "I had to leave for an errand. I can walk you back." He explained. He didn’t seem to suspect a thing..I guess my acting skills have improved considerably.

But Raphael was a very sceptical person. Maybe he suspected but chose to ignore it.

I nodded at him. Normally, I would have refused, lately, we had been staying out of each other’s space as much as we could. His expression didn’t change but something softened in his gaze..

"This way.," he beckoned me towards the hall. We walked in silently, neither party was willing to speak, and Raphael seemed a bit distracted. Was he thinking about the company?

"You have been performing excellently as a vice chairman," I mentioned, and his eyes slowly glanced at me. Confused, I was speaking to him. I smiled at him, my intention was to bait him for information..

"I thought you stopped noticing anything about me," Raphael said dryly, my smile stiffened holding back a retort.

"I guess I shouldn’t have asked," I replied, choosing the least reply I had in mind. The sounds of the hall were getting clearer. It seemed like a dance was going on. Amelia was already done with the launch.

I was glad I missed that. We were almost there, at the same spot where I had almost made Amber explode. "Work has been great, just a bit more challenging than I expected." Raphael unexpectedly said.

I gave him a sharp glance, not expecting he would actually reply, but his reply confirmed my suspicion. Raphael wasn’t likely to easily admit he was going through challenges.

I stopped for a moment, about to step back into the hall. "I know you will figure out a way.." I said even though I didn’t mean a word of it.

"By the way, you were the one who stopped seeing Raphael first..." I added before finally walking into the hall. As soon as I crossed the pathway, the soft music drifted into my ears and my eyes went to the dance floor.

A Waltz was already going on. My eyes immediately started to search for Lucien’s familiar figure but I was distracted by an arm which wrapped around my waist and pulled me towards the dance floor

My head bobbed up to see Lucien’s clenched jaw. His demeanour was oddly rigid. My heart started to race, puzzled and scared.

He abruptly stopped, causing me to slam into his chest, knocking the air from my chest. His hand immediately wrapped around my waist and he pulled me closer. His other hand started to lead the dance.

"How was your rendezvous with your husband?" He whispered with a head tone. I blinked slowly at him, confused at the moment. I slowly reached out for his shoulders and quickly noticed we were in the middle of the dance floor.

Eyes moved our way and Lucien was holding me too close. The lack of distance between us made my head spin. His scent enveloped me and the heat emanating from him. He smelled like jasmine and cedar wood, with probably something more, something masculine that didn’t help slow down my heartbeat.

My bosom was pressed tightly against his chest. I could perfectly feel every slight movement of his taut muscles. Lucien had been slightly off all night, and now his mood seemed worse.

I gulped, struggling to find the words. "You are acting strange; if I didn’t know better, I would say a jealous lover." I managed to say.

He completely overwhelmed me; I could think of nothing aside from how close he was. He leaned down his voice heavy with malice. "Don’t I have the right to be a jealous lover?" He asked and I sucked in a breath.

"After all, you disappeared with him. It makes me wonder if you are giving up already." He taunted.