CHAPTER 70: LEAVE IT TO ME

The restaurant Raymond chose to meet with Helena wasn’t crowded, not at this hour of the evening.

The dim lights pooled in golden rings across the polished wood of the tables, and the low hum of background music provided just enough privacy for two people intent on speaking in hushed tones.

Raymond sat with his back to the wall, his drink untouched in front of him, his gaze fixed on the entrance. His leg bounced beneath the table, a physical betrayal of the energy crackling inside him as he waited patiently for Helena.

Helena arrived ten minutes late, striding through the door with all the force of a storm. Her heels clicked sharply against the tiled floor, her hair glossy and tumbling around her shoulders, but her face—her face was all fire. She spotted him almost immediately and walked over.

"You," she hissed as soon as she slid into the seat opposite him, not bothering with pleasantries. "Why would you send me there? Do you have any idea what I saw?" she asked irritably.

Raymond’s lips curled, not quite into a smile. He leaned back in his chair, studying her like a scientist studying a volatile reaction. "If I didn’t know, I wouldn’t have sent you there," he said smoothly.

Her hands slammed onto the table, making the glasses rattle. "Are they dating? Is that their son?"

He clenched his jaw. "So, you finally believe me now." he said, his voice edged with bitterness. "Although that boy isn’t his son, but you see it, don’t you? He’s slipping away from you. Sliding into his assistant’s life as if he’s belonged there all along. It’s because of her he is rejecting you, Helena."

Helena’s eyes flashed, and for a moment, the veneer of her beauty cracked, exposing something raw and dangerous. "No," she snapped. "He doesn’t belong with her. There’s no way he’d pick that girl over me, not while I’m still in the picture. I won’t stand by and let her take what’s mine."

Raymond’s lips curved, satisfaction blooming inside him. Helena’s fury was exactly what he needed, sharp enough to cut through the facade Jake and Bella had been building all day. He leaned forward, lowering his voice.

"Then maybe it’s time you stopped waiting and actually make him yours."

Helena narrowed her eyes, suspicious. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Raymond said, each word deliberate, heavy, "if you really want Jake to yourself, if you want to rip her from his mind and plant yourself there permanently, then you’re going to need more than jealous words. You’re going to need a plan. And lucky for you... I have one."

Helena sat back, folding her arms. She looked like she wanted to tear the world apart with her bare hands, but curiosity flickered beneath the anger. "A plan," she repeated. "You better not be wasting my time."

Raymond smirked. "I never waste time when it comes to Jake." He let the silence stretch a moment, watching her impatience grow. "What if I told you I could set things up so that tomorrow, you and Jake end up... together. Alone and intimate. At least, that would give you a fighting chance."

Her brows arched. "Intimate?"

"Yes. Sex," Raymond said bluntly, his eyes gleaming. "The kind of thing Bella wouldn’t forgive him for once she found out."

For a heartbeat, Helena stared at him, and then she laughed—sharp, almost bitter. "Sex? You think that’s a big deal to him? What if we have sex and he just dismisses it as adult stuff? I mean, when you look at it, sex isn’t exactly a big deal to people like Jake who have had a lot of women and yet didn’t commit to any of them——"

Raymond leaned across the table, cutting her off with the weight of his words. "It’s not the act itself, Helena. It’s what comes after. Imagine this: you get him into bed, and you don’t just keep it between you. You make sure Bella finds out. Maybe a picture. Maybe a little message dropped in her inbox. Maybe even something as simple as leaving Jake smelling like you. Anything to make her know."

The idea hit her like a strike of lightning. Her pupils dilated, and slowly, a cruel smile curved her lips. "You’re saying... I let Bella know. Rub it in her face. Make her see that while she’s busy playing happy family in the park, I’m the one Jake comes home to."

"Exactly," Raymond said, satisfaction dripping from the word. "You’ll break what little fantasy she’s building with him. Destroy it before it even takes root. Do you know how women like her work? They live in illusions. You show her reality, and she’ll crumble."

Helena leaned back, her fingers tapping lightly against her glass, her smile turning thoughtful. "I like it," she said slowly. "I like it a lot." Then her gaze snapped back to him, sharp. "But tell me—how do you plan to get Jake into my bed? He’s not exactly easy to corner these days."

Raymond’s smirk returned, dark and confident. "Leave that to me."

"You’re sure?" she pressed, her eyes narrowing.

"I’ve known Jake my whole life," Raymond said. His tone was slick with old rivalry, with the bitterness of years. "I know his weaknesses, his routines, his pride. Trust me, I can set the stage. You just have to be ready to play your part."

Helena studied him for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Fine. I’ll play. And when Bella gets those pictures..." She chuckled, low and dangerous. "She won’t just walk away from him. She’ll run."

Raymond raised his glass finally, tilting it in her direction like a toast. "Then it’s settled. Tomorrow, the game begins."

Helena clinked her glass against his, her smile sharp enough to cut glass. "Make sure you don’t screw this up, Raymond. If you deliver, you’ll have me as an ally. But if you don’t—"

He met her threat with calm defiance. "Don’t worry. I hate Jake enough to make sure this works."