For a split second, Hope felt like she'd been transported all the way back to secondary school; those times she'd done something wrong and ended up being chastised in the staff room in front of a number of teachers. The only difference now was that there was only one chastiser yet she felt the guilt twice as hard.
Hope watched keenly as Raymond paced back and forth in front of her, not daring to utter a word -- not that she even had any idea what to say. She could almost feel the steam coming off him and that in turn made her palms clammy. She rubbed them against her skirt nervously as she waited for him to speak. She somehow sensed whatever she said at the moment would most likely be to her own peril.
He turned to her briefly and she gulped, bracing herself for the outlash she was sure to receive but instead, he shook his head and resumed pacing.
It seemed like forever until he finally stopped pacing and turned to face her full on, considerably calmer. His head tilted slightly to the side, his facial expression now giving nothing away. His voice was level when he finally spoke, "You have a lot of explaining to do."
She knew she did, but he was scrutinizing her like he had all the time in the world to analyze and butcher whatever excuses she came up with and that made all the words die in her throat. It didn't help that they were alone in the manager's office. Mr Edward had sensed something was off and suggested they 'talk' in private. Apparently, whatever meeting he had with Raymond wasn't important enough.
"Are you going to tell mum?" She blurted out what was at the forefront of her mind. She held her breath as he took his time replying, hoping he wouldn't.
"Depends," he replied simply.
"I have no idea where to start from," Hope muttered, hoping a miracle would happen so she could erase the last hour off Raymond's memory and never had been caught. She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she'd been caught on the very first day. What kind of luck was that?!
"You could start with telling me where your tutorial classes are holding in this hotel," he supplied casually, shrugging like it was no big deal.
Hope winced. She doubted a slap on the face could have hit harder. She saw right through his calm exterior; One wrong word and she was toast. "I-I can explain."
He nodded enthusiastically as if glad they finally agreed on something. "Exactly what I'm waiting for. Your explanation."
"So the thing is . . . " she started, wringing her fingers together nervously. "There's no tutorial."
"No shit," he deadpanned, unamused.
Hope sighed, knowing there was no easy way out of this. She tried again, "I only lied about the tutorial classes because I knew mum wouldn't have allowed me to work otherwise."
He didn't say anything, waiting for her to continue. He was too relaxed and that admittedly put her more on edge.
She'd had about ten minutes to come up with a believable story because there was no actual way she was going to tell him the truth. Still, she couldn't come up with anything believable so she tried to stall, "I suppose you want to know why I'm working in the first place?"
His eyebrow raised, communicating clearly that he wasn't impressed with her attempt at stalling.
Hope sighed, deciding to settle for the excuse she'd given Tayo. She could only hope he'd buy it like her friend had. "My mum and Sophie have really done a lot for me, especially these past few years and I just want to get them something special for Christmas." Hope was amazed at how easily the lie flowed out of her mouth despite how nervous she was. She was becoming a concurrent liar and she wasn't exactly proud of herself for it.
His hard gaze softened and she felt relief washing over her; he seemed to have bought her excuse. He didn't look so cold anymore, but in it's place was confusion, and something else that had her heart plummeting in her chest -- doubt.
"Christmas is still months away," he pointed out.
"Yes, but once school resumes, I won't have any other opportunity to raise the money," She instantly replied, grateful she'd gone through the same process with her friend.
He still didn't look convinced and she felt her panic level rising once more. "What about your monthly allowance? Can't you save up out of that? If it's not enough, I could--"
She interrupted before he could go too far, her fear weakening her voice, "The whole point of this is doing something special for them. I want to get them gifts out of the money I worked for, not from what they're giving me."
Raymond couldn't resist as his anger ebbed away. How could he stay angry if she was doing this for her family? Still, he felt the need to ask, "Are you lying to me, Hope?"
He was watching keenly for her response so he caught the change in her expression as her eyes shuttered and the tight clenching of her fists didn't escape him either. Disappointment washed over him as he knew he already had an answer no matter what she said.
"No," she gritted out but he didn't believe her. She was lying. He was sure of it, and for some reason, it hurt him. He'd had a lot of people lie to him and he didn't like that the same was happening with her.
He however decided not to pursue it, much to Hope's relief. Instead, he opted for a simple, "Okay."
"Okay?" She repeated uncertainly like she couldn't believe he was going to let it go just like that. She was right. He hated to dash the hope he could see building up in her but . . .
"While I do agree the gesture is thoughtful, I don't think it's a good idea."
He saw the girl physically shrink and he almost felt bad. He had to remind himself it was all for her good.
"But . . . " she started but seemed to falter when she didn't have anything to say.
"Even if I wanted to turn a blind eye to it, what happened today would definitely not let me. Mere picturing what could have happened . . . " he felt his fists clenching involuntarily as his mind drifted back to the event that'd precedented their conversation. He forced himself to release them.
"No, no. That was just coincidence. I've been having a bad day generally. It's not like anything serious happened," Hope argued urgently.
Raymond found his anger riling up once more at the absurd words she'd uttered. He'd come for a meeting with Mr Edward, the owner of the hotel and had been shocked to see Hope there. When he'd heard she had been assaulted . . . The only reason he'd let the bastard go scot free was because he hadn't wanted to get Hope in trouble.
"No," he replied, his voice coming put gruffer and harsher than intended. "I'm not going to let you work here a second longer."
"But -- " she started to protest.
"Or anywhere else for that matter," he added just in case it wasn't clear enough.
"Uncle Raymond, please . . ." Hope pleaded, but with no real conviction. She somehow knew there was no changing his mind.
"It's either that or I tell your mum. It's your choice," he concluded finally. His set posture leaving no room for negotiation.
Her eyes begged but the stubborn set of his jaw made it obvious he'd taken a stand and wasn't budging. She could see subtle signs of his anger in the way his jaw worked, how his fist kept clenching and unclenching even though his face was the perfect mask of unbothered and indifferent.
Letting out a defeated sigh, she murmured, "I'll get my things." She didn't wait for a response before she turned around, making her way out of the office. Tears threatened her vision but she stubbornly refused to let them out. It was only her first day and not only did she lose her job, she also didn't dare try to find another. What was she going to do?
• ~ •
The ride home was silent. Raymond kept glancing at the girl whose face was turned away from him, a faraway look in her eyes. He didn't know if she was doing it on purpose to avoid looking at him but he could see the almost imperceptible quivering of her lower lip and he knew she was only a second away of crying. That made him feel like the lowest scum of earth even as he tried to convince himself everything he was doing was for her own good.
"Hope, please . . . " he called out softly, his gaze fixed on her even as he tried to concentrate on driving. "Try to understand I'm trying to protect you here. I can't just leave you there after what I witnessed today."
She didn't even as much as blink or give any indication that she'd even heard him. Maybe she hadn't. Sighing, he decided to let her be. Hopefully, she'd cool off and come to understand him.
The thought had him releasing a humorless chuckle. She was the one who had lied -- and probably was still lying, so how had it become him begging for her to understand him?
Her eyes fleetingly flicked to him when she heard his laugh and it was enough for him to see her eyes were clear. Raymond found himself letting out a relieved breath. In the very least, he wasn't going to have to deal with her crying.
The second he parked in front of her house, she bolted out of the car and ran inside, ignoring Raymond who was calling her name.
He walked up to the front door and was about to grab the knob when the door swung open, revealing a wide eyed Valerie.
He was momentarily taken aback as he took in her disoriented state. She looked like she'd just woken up and her hair which she'd packed in a bun was sticking out in different areas. Raymond's heart did a funny flip as she tiredly rubbed her eyes to rub off the sleep.
"What happened to Hope?" She muttered groggily, like her mind wasn't fully at work yet.
Raymond found his sore mood returning as he remembered everything that had gone down. He was almost tempted to tell her everything so he didn't have to carry the weight alone. Shaking his head, he replied, "I don't know. Bad day, I guess."
"And you two are together how . . . ?" She asked as she raised confused and disbelieving eyes to him. He found himself staring a second more than necessary.
"We just kind of bumped into each other," he replied vaguely. It wasn't far from the truth.
"Oh . . . and you have no idea what could have caused her bad mood?" She pressed. "I was taking a nap when I heard the door door bang shut and I woke up only to see her running to her room crying."
"She was crying?" He repeated, sighing. If he didn't feel bad before, he definitely did now.
"No, not really but she looked a second away from it," Val replied, worry clouding her beautiful features. "Do you think she's fine? What could have happened? Was she like that when you bumped into her?"
Raymond sighed again, suddenly feeling exhausted. "Not really, I don't know. Look, I'll just take my leave now. Please, take care of her, okay?"
"You're leaving already?" She asked, obviously disappointed. Raymond wasn't sure if it was because of him or the situation. "You're not going to come in, just for a bit?"
Her eyes were imploring him to stay and he wanted to. He really wanted to, and that was why he decided not to. She had some sort of effect on him and he wasn't going to just sit around and let it blossom into something out of his control. Better to stop it before it really began.
"Not today. I only came today to drop Hope off," he replied, and he could barely watch as she grew even more disappointed. He found himself adding, "Next time maybe. I'll definitely be checking on you both soon."
That seemed to pacify her a little as she nodded. "That would be nice. Take care then."
"You too," he replied before turning around and walking back to his car.
Throughout the ride home, his mind kept drifting back to Hope and how Val had confirmed she'd almost been crying when he left her. She'd probably tried to keep a bold front in front of him. All he was really trying to do was protect her like her mum had asked of him so why was he feeling so guilty even though he was was convinced his decision had been the right one?
He couldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding something, and whatever it was disturbed her more than she let on.
Swerving to the right and parking his car, he brought out his phone before he could actually think it through and talk himself out of what he was about to do.
Dialing, he waited as the phone rang and the person on the receiving end picked the call.
"Hello princess," his friend's teasing greeting rolled over the phone.
"Efe," Raymond started, cutting straight to the chase. "I need a favour."
• ~ • ~ •
Happy new year beautiful people🤗.