Genevieve had a crush on her boss. Yes, HAD. After witnessing how much of a cold, dead-on-the-inside grinch he was, she gave her interest in the man a firm kick in the butt and promptly moved on with her life.
So it was a little more than a surpris...
"You are awesome," Haruto gushed, eyes sparkling. "Can I touch your wings? Why are they pink? They are so wide. Mine were much smaller."
Ada spread one of her wings. Her heart broke at the wistful look in Haruto's eyes as he patted her feathers. If she told him about the face he was making right now, he would probably deny it. There was another reason she wished to visit the Rifter Division but she wouldn't dare tell Haruto. She made a mental note to visit the Innovation Department when she goes to her division. If she must do what she must do, she must do it well by making the perfect plan.
***
"Well, this is unexpected," Ray said as he observed the modern-style two-story building.
"What's not expected?" Genevieve stopped next to him and looked at the building too. "What are we looking for?"
"I was expecting some rundown boat house? I'm talking sleeping in hammocks, living on whatever the ocean offers, mosquitos biting my eye."
Genevieve laughed. After wiping at the corner of her eyes, she made her way to the front door. "Gosh, boss man, you are funny."
Latheef opened the door and an attendant—an actual attendant with a crisp uniform— assisted them to get their luggage inside.
"Even though I made you tag along for these trips as a way to get back to you for treating me like shit, I still like comfort. Yeah, we will do some sea farming and coral restoration business but I still see this as a vacation of sorts. I even plan to explore the city a bit. You can tag along if you want."
Instead of sharing an opinion, Ray followed after her as they made it into the house. The interior was even better. The furniture appeared fancy but sturdy, and the decor was tasteful. There was no staleness in the air either. It all felt too good to be true. "Is that a Wifi password? I worried for nothing."
Genevieve flashed him a mischievous grin that did wonders to her eyes. "You wound me, boss man. I'm not out to get you."
Ray didn't bother fighting his smile. "I still think it's too soon to relax."
They made their way upstairs. Two bedrooms faced each other. The first bedroom window opened to a bean-shaped pool at the back. The backyard was fairly wide with lush gardening, some pool chairs and collapsed umbrellas. The idea of viewing all this as a vacation of sorts began making more and more sense. It has been long since he relaxed and let life flow around him.
No. Frowning, Ray turned away from the window. There was a reason he embraced workaholism in the first place; so far, it had proven to be the best escapism tool yet. The fear of sinking into the pit of despair he was rescued from still loomed in the background. And doing nothing but relax? The thought was appealing, but a warning blared in the background.
The second bedroom opened to the beach. Its space was bigger and there was a balcony with rafia scoop chairs and a glass-top centre table. Clearly better than the other room but—
"I'll take this 'cause it's bigger," Genevieve declared as she took in the room with bright excited eyes.
Did she select this room because of what he said about the beach?
"I can see the wheels turning in your head. I picked this room 'cause it's bigger not 'cause I'm trying to save you from your beach phobia."
That's a relief. He would hate it if she began walking on eggshells because of what he shared with her.
"Yep." Ray walked to the balcony and took in the stretch of blue water. It was not like he was scared of the beach. The problem was what it reminded him of. Those terrible memories wouldn't leave no matter how much he longed to be free of them. Therapy had been useless, or maybe he just had shitty doctors. Whatever it was, those hours of talking and listening did nothing but guzzle funds and remind him of things he did not wish to confront. Even now, the memories remained fresh and were fast ruining his mood.
He glanced Genevieve's way when she joined him. The sea breeze whipped at her hair as she stared ahead. She appeared relaxed, fully at ease and without a care in the world. There was a time he had been like that. What will he not give to go back to who he once was? But the guilt, it wouldn't let him breathe.
"A cook will come later today." She pulled her phone from her back pocket and began tapping away. "I'd send you the schedule of how we'd go about this restoration and farming business." She pushed her hair behind her ear as she talked and Ray's eyes followed the movement. On a good day, Genevieve was insanely attractive but what was making things worse for him was her refreshing personality. Navigating the coming days... ah, shoot. No need to be uptight and sink into worry. He should relax and see this as a vacation as she suggested. She had helped with his workload during the flight so taking out a little time for some fun activities cannot be bad.
Even when she comes back to work with him, because Ray was certain she would, things wouldn't be awkward for long because he would do as he promised her mother and have her transferred to their Abuja branch. So, as he looked at the schedule, he freed his heart a little. What's the worst that can happen?
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It has been 9 million years, indeed. Sowi. Last week, I checked the date when I last uploaded a chapter and I was shocked to discover it's been over a month. I kid you not, for some reason I assumed it had been merely two weeks since I last uploaded a chapter. So strange. Anyhoo... sowi.
