Chapter 17
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It was a scorching morning today. Raina and Roux occupied the front seats of the SUV as he hummed a tune and tapped his finger on the steering wheel once in a while. Roux Addington was the driver of the day after giving Wilbert Walker the day off.
He wanted to spend the day with his family, take his children to school today on his own before leaving for work. Besides, he was not sick anymore and he had a certain dark skinned beauty to thank for that.
Roux parked the car before the fountain of the private school and he and Raina both got down before turning towards the backseat and opening up the door. After unstrapping the children, they both hoisted each of them and took hold of their book bag and lunch bag before approaching the school building.
" See you later, love " Roux placed a kiss on the crown of Emma Addington's head and did the same for Ethan before placing them down and slinging their bags on their shoulders.
Raina handed Emma her painting and she took it from her with a smile before scurrying off. The children were excited since today was their art exhibition. A lot of prominent figures would be visiting the school to attend their children's art auction and Emma Addington had made a painting for it already. She was a young Sebastian Addington in the making.
" Bye daddy! Bye mommy! "
Now Roux and Raina were headed for his company, Raina lowly singing along to the song playing on the radio. Roux cast her a side glance, his thumb rubbing infinite circles on the flesh of her palm as he nestled her smaller hand in his.
Once Roux reached the familiar entrance, he followed the route towards his underground parking lot and once they reached the steel made environment, he parked the car and got down, turning to help Raina McCoy get down also.
She stared at the place in awe, a few of Rouxs' backup vehicles parked around the area while Roux stared at her in amusement. She seemed to find beauty in even the unreasonable things which he would not even cast a second glance at. Raina still had no idea that he owned the place, to her Roux Addington was an employee and she was anxious in going into the building.
" Come on " Roux pulled Raina along with himself with an assuring look. A laugh threatened to break out of his throat at the look of fear and anxiety that crossed her face. She as scared he would get fired for being late and coming to work with a guest. If only she knew.
The duo headed out of the basement and walked up a flight of stairs, the security man respectfully nodding at Roux Addington as he passed by. Roux nodded his head at the man, his face stoic as he walked down the hallway. At home, he was the carefree Roux Addington but over here, he was the boss. The cold hearted and intimidating boss.
As soon as Roux stepped into the lobby, Summer Yates was immediately besides him with a scorching cup of his morning coffee. He did not want that, he wanted Raina's coffee.
" Good morning, Mister and Missus Addington " Summer greeted and Roux replied with a grunt before handing her his briefcase, adding to the extra load she held in her hands.
Roux withdrew his hand from Raina's as they approached his private elevator. His hands adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves as he pressed on a button before taking Raina's hand once again as the doors slid open, " Whatever meeting I have in the next two hours should be postponed and anyone which does not fit into my schedule should be delayed till tomorrow. However you may put it, it should not cross my working hours "
" Of course, Mister Addington "
Roux gave a curt nod and stepped into the elevator alongside Raina who stared at their exchange in shock. Whatever Roux Addington did in the company sure was ranked high for such respect.
" How many floors are there in the company? " Raina asked as she took a step backwards from the glass walls of the elevator causing Roux to snicker and hold her in place.
" Thirty five floors. The top consisting of my office and penthouse "
Raina's eyes widened at his words and as the elevator doors slid open to reveal the company phone room. Her feet were rooted to the ground and only after Roux Addington gave her an encouraging shove did she move them.
" This floor contains small rooms for m– the employees to take private calls. They are here prevent an employee from dropping in on a meeting room that might be reserved for use by the others " He explained as he walked further down the hallway.
Raina tilted her head as she spotted a few people through the soundproof glasses speaking into telephones. Some giving a nod to Roux while others stared at her in curiosity and surprise.
Not having much to see in the floor, Roux led Raina back into the elevator and they headed for the floor above that. Once the glass doors slid open, Roux grabbed onto Raina's hand as they walked into the massive kitchen.
" As you can see, this is the company's kitchen for use of all the employees so their brains could function well on a full stomach and energized body " He gestured at the refrigerators, coffee makers, microwaves and other small appliances.
The duo visited the various departments including the Finance, IT, Marketing, Value Creation and delivery and the sales department. Roux then gave her a tour of the other rooms in the company including the company wellness room, a webinar and recording room, an outdoor space which gave a view of the bike storage space as well as a part of London.
The couple visited the locker rooms which they did not spend much time in, a common area where his employees could socialize without distracting others, the massive conference room and videoconference room, small meeting rooms and then the isolated brainstorming rooms.
All in all, Roux Addington could not remember the last time he visited any other floor but his and even his employees were surprised by his arrival. He decided to stay silent due to Raina's presence but he knew he would phone Summer Yates to have a total of eighteen flippant employees fired later on during the day.
Raina was a bit breathless by the time the glass doors slid open to reveal Roux Addington's private floor. The duo stepped out of the elevator and into the lengthy lobby-like area as Raina stared at the space in shock. The area was decorated with pastel colours, having a trail of the portraits of the former owners of the company hung accordingly on the white walls.
She immediately recognized the men as her eyes trailed through the words beneath each of the framed portraits. Lastly her eyes stopped on the last one, the current owner of the company, Roux Addington. With a frown she turned to face him, " How come your grandfather and father's pictures are both here alongside yours? "
She had totally forgotten that the Addingtons owned the establishment, all words spoken by George Addington during her first visit discarded at the back of her mind.
Roux Addington stared at his picture for a moment, gray eyes reflecting back to gray eyes before he turned back to stare at Raina as she craned her neck to stare up at him, her eyes sparkling with a mixture of confusion and curiosity, " Well we all are important figures in the company. We all added to it's growth "
Those were all he said as he smiled down at her and stared before him, his eyes stopping at the metal door at the end of the hallway with a key card scanner at the side, " That over there is the door leading to my penthouse. The key card differs from the one leading to this floor. Only my family has access to the penthouse "
Raina hummed in reply before following after him as he led her into his office and shut the door behind her. Her eyes immediately sparkled at the view of the massive and poshly decorated office. The considerable space was easily tailored to its occupants.
The office had a clean and unique appeal. White marbles and glass, black paint, and even black metal combining perfectly to give the office it's elegancy. Behind the head chair was a wall made of glass, giving off the beautiful view of the streets of London.
Raina did a slow three-sixty as she studied the environment while Roux watched her in amusement, moving towards his side bar for a drink he most likely would need. Raina took note of the perfect control of the artificial lightning which did not over shadow that of the natural light seeping into the office through the opened blinds.
Choosing to mess with her a bit, Roux pressed on a button causing the wall glass to instantly tint and Raina let out a gasp and rushed towards him. Her finger continued to push on the button, loving how the natural light was blocked and then released and then her eyes caught on the a massive shelf placed at the corner containing a massive number of books.
Business related books.
Roux sipped on his glass of whiskey as he watched her feet take her towards his office shelf. Her fingers brushed down the spines of each book she could reach as her eyes accessed the titles. They were books relating to business management and administration.
With a huff, Raina turned to face Roux and he gestured for her to keep going. Obediently, she did and gradually, she came across more books that were not relating to business. Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal and what not. They were not supposed to be there but he recently had them bought and stocked up for her, of course, away from his business related books.
A grin spread out on her face as she slipped out a book and Rouxs' brows shot up in surprise. He was shocked how a person could love reading that much. That was a process that gave Thea Addington a bore and she would rather spend time drinking from an expensive bottle in his office bar than surrounded with books filled with millions of words, " Care for a drink? "
Raina looked up at Roux and shook her head at his offer before slipping the book back into the space, brushing the non-existent specks of dust from her sundress, " No thank you, I don't drink. Do you think your boss will be alright with me being here during your work hours? "
Roux smirked a bit and pushed himself off the edge of the desk before approaching her slowly. She seemed to have missed all the initials around the office that showed the name of the company, too engrossed in the beauty and neatness of each floor. Plus they had followed an underground route, depriving her of the chance to see the large name of the company in the front of the building.
" Trust me Raina, the boss would not have a problem with you being here "
Once again, Raina's eyes skimmed through the surrounding and she noticed she had forgotten to press the button once again to let the light come in through the wall. Nevertheless, the place was breathtaking, " Wow, this place was decorated far too expensive for an employee. Your boss sure is considerate "
Roux Addington tilted his head to the side, a smile stretching out on his face as he twirled the brown liquid settled in his glass. Slowly, he approached her and her eyes widened at his actions. Had she said something she was not supposed to?
At each step he took, she took one back and the action continued till her back was pressed against the cold wall causing her to flinch a bit, " D-did I say something wrong? If so I apologize "
" No you did not, Raina. And thank you, I appreciate your compliment. I usually get the word handsome and cold, but considerate will do "
Slowly, his words sank into her head and her eyes widened at the realization. The greetings, the respect, the formalities, the pictures, his and George's words and then the office. Roux Addington was the boss. Raina's cheeks heated up in embarrassment, she felt like a fool.
The clues were just before her but she was oblivious to them all.
" You are the boss, aren't you? "
" I am, Raina " Roux Addington replied huskily before giving in to the temptation (and the words which chanted in his head repeatedly) as his eyes repeatedly darted down to her lips. Finally giving in to the temptation, he leaned down and claimed her lips with his.
•
The auctioneer chanted with speed as he stared at the crowd of parents seated in the school threatre. His speed gave the crowd some sort of urgency. It was a bid now or lose out and the parents were there to support their children no matter how much glitter they had used on their artwork or how much mixtures of overused paint had been used on their canvases.
" Five hundred pounds. Going once... going twice... sold! " The auctioneer closed the bidding with a gavel and Raina smiled as the parents of the child whose artwork was sold cheered loudly at their achievement.
" Next up, a painting by Emma Addington going for a thousand pounds " The auctioneer glanced at Roux and Raina and Roux tilted his chin higher in pride. His daughter made the painting.
Whispers sounded throughout the theatre. People were amazed at the painting of a beach side underneath the sunset. It was not a perfect painting but coming from a five year old, the guests were astounded.
" Two thousand! " A man yelled, his son seating besides him who had a huge crush on Roux Addington's daughter. Roux turned to get a glimpse of the man who wanted to buy his daughter's painting.
Raina cast him a worried glance. She wanted them to buy Emma Addington's painting, support their daughter's hard work and not some stranger.
" Two thousand, going once... going– "
" Four thousand! "
" Four tho– "
" Five thousand pounds! " A man yelled from the back and his wife smirked at the guests. Felix Enfield, he was a new business man whose aim was to soar higher than Roux Addington had. Roux had no idea who the man was but the man knew exactly who he was. He wanted to be like him, even better.
" Five thousand, going on-! "
" Six– "
" Eight Thousand! " Felix Enfield yelled out again, waving his cheque book in the air as he turned to glare at the other bidder who snapped his mouth shut. Felix's gaze shifted to Roux Addington who stared at the painting with a calm look, he looked far too calm. The man on the other hand knew it would be an insult that would rank him higher if he could bid higher for the painting of The Roux Addington's own daughter.
" Eight Thousand, Going once...Going twice..sol– "
" TEN MILLION! " Roux Addington finally voiced and the theatre suddenly went silent. The auctioneer's hand dropped as he stared between the painting and Roux Addington who scribbled down on the fresh page of a cheque book.
Felix Enfield's face turned beet red in embarrassment as he ripped his cheque in half and looked away, wanting to be anywhere but his son's school theatre at the moment.
" Ten million going once, going twice and SOLD! " He ended the bidding with the gavel again and the crowd broke into cheers as the children stepped up from behind the curtains.
Emma Addington could barely contain her excitement as she stared at her father and gave him a salute which he wasted no time in returning. He won her painting for her. All the money earned going to be used for charity.
Now, Roux Addington stood in an icecream parlor with a huff as Raina ordered different icecream flavours for the quartet. He had been blackmailed and forced into coming there and he had no choice but to do so. They were celebrating Emma Addington's success in the same parlor Raina had taken her to some months ago.
Rouxs' eyes drifted to Raina as she took the tray filled with icecream from the salesgirl behind the counter. A small smile spread on his face as he watched as the twins tugged on her sundress impatiently.
The twins were never that carefree when Thea Addington was around. They were always forced to act older than their actual ages, locking their needs and wants in cages to fit her demand. Just like he did. He had always thought she was building great adults in her way of bringing them up but in the process, she was breaking innocent children.
Raina had brought those children back out, letting them be who they were. Children. They were free, they were happy and if they were happy then he was also. Roux thought back to the kiss he shared with Raina McCoy. She never pulled away.
He had no idea why he kissed her but everything in him was screaming at him to do so and he gave in. Weirdly, he did not regret it a single bit. Once they pulled away, he took note of how hard Raina blushed before she silently walked back towards his bookshelf shyly after stuttering out an apology.
He had no idea why she had apologized to him but he never questioned it.
The rest hours after that were spent with her reading a fantasy novel and him doing his work, once in a while stealing glances at her. At a point, he had left for a meeting and returned to find her fast asleep on the rug where she laid to read. He had carried her over and tucked her into his bed in his penthouse and he spent the rest of the afternoon working from his laptop until he had to wake her up to pick up the twins.
Roux was snapped out of his thoughts as Raina placed a cup of dark chocolate icecream before him. Both their favourite. He stared around to see the twins had already dug into their frozen goodness, a moustache forming on both their faces as they ate.
" I don't want them having too much, Raina. They could get sick "
" Let them enjoy themselves, Roux. Besides, a handsome young man just bought Emma's painting for a large sum of money " She winked at him before slipping into the booth to sit besides him.
With a defeated sigh, Roux picked up the plastic spoon and scooped up some of the icecream in his cup. It had been so long since he had one and one cup wouldn't hurt.
" Whatever you say, Missus Addington "