Raymond found his mind constantly drifting throughout the day and he could barely concentrate on work, which in turn left him frustrated.
He was very much aware why he was distracted, but then he couldn't do anything about it just yet.
Heaving out a resigned sigh, he glanced up at the wall clock and checked the time; 5:17pm. He might as well get off work since he had hardly been productive at all. Gathering his things, he made his way out of his office and almost ran into Anne who looked like she was just on her way in.
"Are you leaving already, sir?" She asked, looking somewhat surprised. He didn't blame her. The earliest he left work most days was 6:00 pm.
"Yes, Anne. I'm leaving," Raymond replied. "And you're free to leave as well."
"Okay, sir. Mr Efe called, he said your phone has been off and he has not been able to reach you?" It came out more of a question than a statement because Raymond's phone was never off.
"What? No, my phone's not . . . " his words trailed off as he brought said phone out of his trouser's pocket and realized it was indeed off. "Oh. When did this even . . . Never mind. Thank you, Anne. See you tomorrow."
"Alright sir," she replied, going back to her desk presumably to gather her things.
Raymond walked out of the hotel and to his car, waving absentmindedly to a few people on the way. Inside his car, he brought out his power bank and plugged in his phone, turning it on almost immediately. The battery was at one percent and Raymond silently chided his scrambled and distracted mind for forgetting to remind him to charge his phone.
His phone beeped and a text message popped up. It was from Efe.
Your phone is never off, Princess. Hope you're not dead in a ditch somewhere? Anyway, about your request. It's done. Needless to say but I'm saying just in case, you owe me biiiiiig.
Raymond scoffed, ignoring everything else and only focusing on the line that confirmed his request had been granted. Feeling like a burden had been lifted off him, he started his car and headed for Hope's home.
A huge sigh escaped him when he found himself fidgeting in front of her door. He wasn't nervous, not really. Conflicted was more like it, he felt like he was doing the right thing but at the same time making a very big mistake.
Raymond raised his hand to knock on the door, shaking off his turbulent thoughts. It didn't matter now, he would allow time determine that for him.
The door swung open almost immediately, revealing an unkempt Hope who was wearing an extremely big shirt and shorts he suspected she was holding up with a belt and her hair looked like a trailer had passed through it. It was as if she was trying to pass the message to anyone who as much as glanced at her that she was miserable, and Raymond had to admit she had done a very good job at that. Her whole expression shuttered on seeing him which made him feel a lot more horrible.
"Val is not home," she declared coolly, proceeding to shut the door in his face.
Raymond stuck his leg out in time and the door bounced back on contact with his foot. His teeth gritted from the pain and he could have sworn he heard a bone crack. Or maybe it was just his imagination.
"Ow," he muttered, his hands going to massage his ankle which hopefully hadn't suffered much damage. His eyes raised back to her and narrowed at the glee clear on her face from his pain.
Raymond stepped -- more like limped -- all the way in before it could cross her mind to shut the door again. He didn't stop until he was sitting on the couch, his hurting foot gingerly stretched out in front of him.
Hope watched in annoyance as he made himself comfortable in her house, on her couch, without her permission. Granted, it was her mum's house but still. She really didn't want him around yet, not when she hadn't fully set her plans in motion.
"Val is not here," Hope repeated, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him.
"I heard you the first time. You made it very clear," Raymond replied, gesturing at his foot.
Hope didn't like how unbothered he seemed, even though she was making it very clear his presence wasn't appreciated. "You're the one that decided to form ironman," Hope replied, shrugging.
His brows raised at her comment and she shrugged again, passing the message that she wasn't in the least bit remorseful. He seemed to get the message. "Anyway, I'm not here to see your cousin. I'm here for you."
The way he said that made Hope's stomach do a funny flip which she conveniently decided to ignore. Instead, she deepened her frown, masking whatever it was with annoyance. "What for, if I may ask?"
He patted the space next to him and it was Hope's turn to raise her brows. Did she look friendly right now? Wasn't she conveying it enough that she was pissed?
"Just say what you want to say. I'm expecting someone else very soon," she curtly replied.
His eyes narrowed in suspicion at her flippant brush off. "Who?"
Hope ignored his question and graced him with a blank stare.
He sighed, shaking his head. "You know, you should be treating me better seeing as I'm about to tell you I just got you a new job."
Hope froze, stunned as her head struggled to wrap around that piece of information. Say what? "W-What did you say?"
"Me?" Raymond questioned, pointing at himself and looking as innocent and confused as possible. "What did I say?"
"You said you got me another job!" Angel exclaimed impatiently, bouncing on her feet as she did.
Raymond barely resisted laughing out loud at her wide eyed expression, managing to keep the innocent look. "Ah that . . . well, you know . . . I'm feeling very thirsty right now, I could probably do with a chilled--"
His words were left hanging as Hope practically flew into the kitchen, back in less than a minute with a carton of orange juice, a glass cup and the biggest fake smile he'd ever seen planted on anybody.
Raymond chuckled as she all but chucked the drink and glass at him. He took the glass and looked up at her expectantly, motioning to the drink.
"Of course." She smiled sweetly, opening the carton and pouring the drink.
"Thank you." He took a gulp of the drink, smiling in content at the sweet and chilled flavor it left in his mouth.
"So, are you going to tell me now?" Hope cajoled, dropping the half full carton on a stool next to the couch and he followed suit with the glass. She batted her lashes at him, trying her hand at being charming.
"Since you're being such a wonderful host . . . " Raymond trialed off, pretending to think about it. "How about a foot massage?"
"A foot kinni?" Hope demanded, almost losing her pleasantness.
"It's fine if you don't want to. It's just that my foot really hurts and it's making it really hard to say anything," Raymond shrugged, leaning back on the couch and closing his eyes. He rolled his ankle dramatically and a knowing smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Hope's fists clenched as she fought the urge to punch in his beautiful face.
"It's fine really if you don't want to," he said again, not even bothering to open his eyes.
"Fine," Hope snapped, crouching so she could lift his 'hurt' foot. She reached for his foot at the same time he moved it so she was left grappling for air. Her head snapped up only for her to see him looking down at her with a twinkle in his eyes that just fed her annoyance. In an instant, he was laughing, a deep throaty chuckle that had her head buzzing. At that point, she wasn't sure if it was out of anger or not.
"Come on, I was just messing with you," he managed to say after his laughter had died down.
Hope huffed, feeling all her anger seep away. She stood up finally to sit beside him, fighting off a smile of her own. "You're very annoying, immature and childish," she said in what she intended a bitter tone.
It only made him laugh harder. He was apparently the only one seeing the comedy in this.
Raymond felt huge relief washing over him as he saw her visibly relax, and he could finally do the same. "I know. But yes, I did get you another job."
Hope's ears perked up at that, finding it really hard to believe. "Really? Where?"
"My friend's cousin recently opened a restaurant so I called in a favor. They needed a waitress so he managed to squeeze you in temporarily. Are you okay with that?"
"It's awesome!" Hope exclaimed excitedly. "It's the exact thing I do in sc--" Hope's hand flew to her mouth as she realized how much of a flop she had been about to make.
"In what?" Raymond inquired, catching her blurp.
"Ah . . . " Hope bit her lip, tugging on a big smile. "I was going to say it's the exact thing I like to do. You know how much I like food."
Raymond hummed, deciding for some reason to leave it at that. "Do I need to remind you that you're going to be serving the food, not eating it?"
Hope snorted and rolled her eyes. "You make it sound like I'm a glutton."
He shrugged. "It is very important that I remind you."
"Why?"
He looked at her in confusion. "Why did I have to remind you?"
"Why did you change your mind?" Hope asked seriously. "Just yesterday, you practically threatened me not to dare think of getting a job, so why?"
Raymond shrugged, stalling for an answer. He had thought about it and the best he had been able to come up with was that she was owing somebody or some people money and it had to be a lot of money and some potentially dangerous people for her to have to lie about it. And if she was involved in something dangerous, the best way to figure it out was to keep her within reach where he could keep an eye on her. He feared what she was capable of if left to her own devices. From what he knew of her, she could do some really crazy things and Raymond also couldn't shake her mum's plea for him to look after her.
Raymond decided to ignore her question, choosing to ask his instead. "Do you not want to do it?"
She looked at him like he was crazy. "Of course I want to!"
"That's good enough then. You don't want to pester me too much, I might just change my mind," he teased, although he half meant it.
"Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You're not going to tell mum, are you? Or Sophie or uncle Alex or Val?"
"I won't tell anyone, Hope," he promised seriously. "I wouldn't ruin your surprise for them like that."
Finally, Hope offered him a genuine smile, one full of gratitude. "Thanks, uncle Raymond. Really."
His nose scrunched up like he'd smelled something irritating. "Why do I suddenly feel like I've aged twenty years?"
"Why? Because I called you uncle?" Hope asked amusedly, guessing what he was getting at.
"When did that start?" He asked, also amused. "Because as far back as I remember, you've been calling me by my name. Now that I'm really thinking about it, you're very rude sha."
"But it's not the first time I'm calling you uncle," Hope protested. "It's not my fault you're just noticing. Don't worry, my mum literally beat some respect into me."
Raymond nodded, not in the least bit surprised. "Ah. I knew there was a reason I love that woman."
Hope scoffed. "I have quite a lot where that came from. Which one would you prefer? Uncle Ray, Brother Ray, Bros Ray, Mr Ray, Daddy Ray, Father Ray--"
"That's your problem to solve," he interrupted, disinterested. "Is your cousin always this late?"
Hope was momentarily surprised at the abrupt change of subject but she immediately snapped out of it. Her mouth formed an owlish grin. "Why? Does it bother you? Are you interested?"
He shot her a funny look, like he didn't quite understand why her mind worked the way it did. "I'm leaving. Tell her I said hi."
Hope shrugged. "She'll probably arrive very soon."
The more reason he had to leave. "I'll come around on Monday to pick you up." He stood up without waiting for her response, preparing to leave.
Hope stood up as well. "Thanks, Uncle Ray. Really."
He smiled back at her. "You're welcome."