The Billionaire's Revenge

The woman in red

Arriving back home after a weird day at work, Jade ran into Betty. The older woman just finished cooking dinner and was about to leave.

"Had a rough day today, honey?"

Jade nodded as she reached for the teapot and filled it up with cold water to boil it, "It wasn't a fun day." She admitted to Betty.

Betty was shrugging her jacket on, "It's a good thing I made comfort food then."

Jade glanced at her and smiled, "Yeah, is Mark already home?"

Betty flashed her an apologizing smile, "Oh, honey, I nearly forgot." She reached out to Jade and placed her hand on her arm, "He called earlier letting me know he couldn't make dinner. He said he called you as well, but you didn't answer." She pulled away and buttoned up her jacket, "He is coming home late tonight because something came up."

Jade knew something came up alright, the woman in red whom she dressed came up. She didn't want to show how annoyed she was in front of Betty so she smiled instead. She knew how to keep up a fake smile since she did it most of her day at the shop.

"It's fine, I need some me time anyway."

"Honey, I feel you." Betty turned around and headed out of the kitchen, Jade followed after her to see her off, "Hope you enjoy the soup. Maybe take a bath, it always helps me calm down."

Jade nodded, "Thank you, Betty. Have a good night." She closed the door when Betty left and leaned against it, taking a deep breath.

Mark wasn't coming home early like he mentioned last night. He told Betty something came up and nothing more. It could be because he didn't want to share something personal with Betty or he didn't want Jade to find out about his meeting with the woman in the red dress.
Trying to shake it off Jade threw a bag of peppermint tea in her teacup, poured the boiling hot water in it and let the bag sit while she went through the cupboards to find a bowl. The pot with soup was still hot so she figured she could have dinner. There was also a salad and garlic bread, but Jade didn't feel like it right now. Instead she poured the creamy mushroom soup in the bowl and took her soup and tea to the living room.
Kicking her heels off she left them to the side of the rug, placed her bowl and cup on the coffee table and reached for the remote control. Curling up on the couch she settled on a comedy show and sipped her soup. It was delicious and warmed her belly up. It helped her settle down and momentarily made her forget about the stupid woman who walked right in her shop to check her out. What she wanted to know was how the woman knew who she was. It was creepy. She might be one of those stalker ladies who couldn't leave Mark alone. She had seen too many of those in movies, read about them in books. They were never going to let go which meant trouble for her. She hoped she was wrong about the woman in red, but something told her she wasn't.
Washing her bowl Jade took her cup of tea with her to the bedroom. She placed it on her bedside table and undressed, shrugging on her robe and tying it tightly around her waist. She filled up the tub with warm water, poured some lavender smelling bath salt in it and locked the door. She took her time in the tub, laying down and trying to calm her chaotic mind.
When the water turned cold she got out, dried off and moisturized her body. Tying her robe up again she left the bathroom, stepping to her bedside table and finished off her cold tea. It was disgusting, the cold tea, but she didn't want to waste it. She checked the time. It was nearly ten and Mark wasn't home yet. She'd worry if Mark meant anything her, but she didn't. She was curious though if he'd tell her he met up with the woman in the red dress. She'd ask him subtly, wanting to know if he'd lie to her.
Instead of shrugging on her usual joggers and tee for bed, she changed into something more fabulous. It wasn't to let Mark know what he was missing, it was to make her feel better about herself. She might not be as confident and busty as the woman in the red dress but she was beautiful too. She wanted to feel that way when her future husband was meeting up with a woman who wanted to put her claws in him.
Her pale blue camisole had white lace at the bottom, the same for her matching bottoms. She brushed her hair through and ran her fingers through her silky hair a couple of times. Pleased with how she looked she shifted the sheets ready to crawl into bed when her whole body froze, hearing sounds in the hallway. It were footsteps, probably Mark's, if it wasn't she had a serious problem on hand. Taking a deep breath she calmed herself down and faced the door, her gaze meeting stormy eyes.