Chapter 20
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Raina McCoy was lost in her thoughts as she absent-mindedly walked into the living room. She had just returned from dropping the children off at school but that was not what bothered her. Roux Addington's words from last night still rang in her head like an annoying piece of music.
“I broke my promise to you and fell for her...”
'Fell for who?' Raina thought to herself, the exact same words she had asked him before he passed out. She did not just want to jump into conclusions about Roux seeing someone else so she just had to swallow down the piece of information – which was hard.
Roux Addington had gotten up and left very early that morning, before the sun was even out so she did not get a chance to meet with him. Last night, he looked like a broken child, devastated from their wrong actions and that was a sight she never wanted to see again. His tears affected her.
She just hoped he had forgiven her and let the events of that night slide away.
With a sigh, Raina shook her head and walked into the kitchen, expecting to be met with the sight of Caldwell Loughty cooking some meal. The sight before her had her eyes widening in surprise. Sebastian Addington was stood before the kitchen island, stuffing his mouth with snacks and the place was a mess.
The refrigerator was left open and the arrangements Caldwell Loughty had made had been disarranged. Some of the groceries that had been discarded on the floor.
After the bad appearance of Caldwell Loughty's kitchen had sunk in, Raina shot a hard glare at Sebastian Addington and he grinned sheepishly at her, " Hello, sister "
" Don't you dare ‘hello’ me, Sebastian. Why did you mess up Caldwell's kitchen? Do you know what he would do to you if he sees this?! " She snapped at him, immediately bending to pick up all the groceries and stocking them back into the refrigerator.
" Is it your time of the month, sister? " Sebastian joked and Raina looked sullen for a moment before shooting him another glare and slamming the refrigerator shut.
She folded her arms and stared at him with narrowed eyes and Sebastian gulped audibly and lifted his arms, " Fine, I apologize for messing up Caldwell's kitchen. I was just so hungry " He pouted like a toddler and Raina rolled her eyes and detached a banana from its bunch, peeling the fruit.
Taking a bite of the fruit, Raina let out a frustrated groan and slammed her head against the countertop, wincing at the pain that shot up through her skull. Roux Addington had been in her mind ever since and it annoyed her to the core.
His words from last night only fueled the need for her to think about him the more. Sebastian stared at her in confusion and slowly took the half eaten fruit from her hand, knowing she was in no mood to finish it up. He knew something was bothering her, he just did not know what it was.
" Are you alright, sis– "
" Of course not, I am not alright. Your brother is so annoying and confusing and he is making me furious. One moment, he wants this and the other moment, he wants that. One moment, he does this and the other, he does that. Can you imagine that? He invited me to tag along with him for some stupid dinner with his ',old friend’; Charlie Knight, and the annoying man kept flirting with me all along, I thought he was just being friendly and then he spilled my wine over my dress and offered to direct me to the bathroom "
" When I came out, he was there waiting for me and he wrapped his arms around me when I stumbled into him. I kept telling him to let me go and he wouldn't listen, and then Roux Addington shows up and gets mad. Can you believe he left without me and I had to return to the mansion with a cab? ", She whipped her head towards him as she paced around the kitchen.
" And then last night, he got drunk and Wilbert dropped him off. I helped him up to his bedroom and he started crying, calling me Thea. ‘Oh, Thea I did something bad’ " She mimicked the absent man before huffing.
" And I asked him what he did and his only words were that he fell for her " She stopped before him and Sebastian gulped in fear.
" Fell for who? "
" How would I know that? " She threw her hands up and he flinched. Throughout her rant, he could feel the heat emanating from her body. It did not help that there were knifes placed on the countertop that she could have used on him in-between her rants.
" Annoying man " She grumbled to herself angrily, unconsciously shoving a piece of grape into her mouth and chewing hard on the edible fruit.
Collecting himself, Sebastian Addington cleared his throat and forced the rational part of his brain to work, wanting to give Raina some sort of advice, " I think what you are experiencing is a form of romantic frustration. It seems you have started falling for Roux and you are mad at him for ignoring you, trust me, I get it "
" Secondly, do not ever, and I mean ever take my food again. I hate sharing " He shot her a glare and she huffed and looked away, folding her arms.
" I do not like Roux Addington in that way. I just– I just– "
Sebastian leaned back and gave her a look that caused her to snap her mouth shut and let out a groan, " Alright fine! I am in love with Roux stupid Addington. Satisfied? "
" Very. Why don't you go see him? "
" I can't do that. He will probably send his annoying receptionist to call security to escort me out once again " She shook her head and begun pacing once again. Sebastian was the first person she had ever admitted her feelings to, even before her own self. Raina McCoy was stubborn, a perfect match for Roux.
" Can't never could, Raina. Now go see your man and smack some sense back into him "
" And how am I supposed to do that? " Raina McCoy turned to face him with a glare and her eyes widened once she saw him waving a stolen key card at her with a childish grin.
" Did you steal that? "
" Joyfully "
•
Raina walked into the lobby of the Addington Enterprise, this time around confidently. Whether Roux Addington or his receptionist liked it or not, she was going to see him. She came prepared to today, she was fed up.
As soon as she stopped before the receptionist section, her eyes immediately met the receptionist's tired ones. A sheen of sweat was formed on the woman's forehead and she was a second away from collapsing. Roux Addington was worse today, " Don't even ask. You are free to go up there for all I care "
Raina smirked at the woman and walked away, towards Rouxs' private elevator. Three minutes later, she was stood before the familiar oakwood door with a straight face. Her knuckles rapped against the wood, welcomed by silence.
Raina knocked on the door once again and the response remained the same. Granting herself the permission, she twisted the knob open and walked into the massive office. She was immediately blessed with the sight of Roux Addington barking into his sleek cellphone, feeling pity for whoever was on the other line.
His gaze snapped towards the door and his dark eyes followed her and she folded her arms and tapped her foot against the expensive tiles, patiently waiting for him to end the call, " I will talk to you later and you better have it ready by then "
Roux ended the call and tossed the cellphone on the office couch, his fingers immediately working to free the buttons on the cuffs of his sleeves before rolling them up to his elbows. The first three buttons of his dress shirt had already been unbuttoned, giving Raina a view of the broad, tanned chest. Her jaw clenched in jealousy as she approached him. She did not want others staring at him an she shocked herself at the new found possessiveness she felt for Roux Addington.
His eyes were trained on her predatorily as she buttoned two of his buttons before walking over to the couch to take a sit. Rouxs' jaw was clenched as he approached his desk, perching himself on the edge as he stared at her while pouring himself yet another glass of whiskey.
Her eyes were trained on him as he slowly sipped on the alcohol. His bun was messy and looked like a fog of curly clouds on his head. His dress shirt hid the smooth skin but not the bulge of his hard muscles and abs. The studs on his ears glistening as they were suddenly powered by the sunlight seeping through the screens of his floor to ceiling wall, giving his the view London had to offer.
The sunlight resting on him made him look like a god, like it was created to worship him and him alone. It brought out the glow in his gray eyes, a dark ring around the orb, highlighting it. Long story short, Roux Addington looked beautiful, like he always was and had been.
" Good to know you love spending time at work " Raina commented sarcastically as she got up from the couch, walking towards the large shelves in his office to distract herself from his beauty.
The sound of Roux Addington slamming his glass down caught her attention as he stormed towards her, like a predator ready to attack it's prey. When animals are born, they already know what they are. They already know if the were to be the hunter and the hunted. And Roux Addington was born a predator, dominant in all forms.
Raina backed into the shelf and once he lifted his hand before her, she flinched and blocked an expected hit with her eyes squeezed shut. Her heart pounded dangerously, like it wanted to jump out of her and run away, leaving her to face him alone. Had she offended him by her statement?
Roux Addington stood still in his spot with a small frown. She flinched. She flinched like he attempted to hit her. When her eyes slowly opened, her cheeks heated up and she stared at his chest. She was embarrassed by her unneeded defense. His hand slowly reached out to slip a book out of the shelf and he held it towards her.
Her fingers curled around the spine of the book and she tugged at it but he would not let go, " Why did you think I was going to hit you, Raina? "
" Let go of the book, Roux " She said, matching his attitude as they stood before each other. She was not going to answer his question if he would not speak to her.
" How did you get in? " He asked, ignoring her request and she lifted the key card. He clenched his jaw and attempted to walk away but she gripped his arm, the book falling from his hand and landing beneath them. The only thing keeping their feet from touching.
" Why have you been ignoring me, Roux? " Raina asked in determination. She knew the answer to her question but she needed him to say it. He was jealous.
" It is none of your business, Raina " He said and attempted to leave again but she gripped onto him with her other arm, holding him tightly.
" It is "
" You are not my wife " He seethed as his fists clenched on their own. He did not want to speak to her, nor answer any of her questions. He wanted to be alone with his raging thoughts and mixed emotions.
" The contract says otherwise "
A growl left Roux Addington's chest as he twisted his arms so he was gripping her wrists before tugging her body forward, pulling her flush against himself. Raina stood on the fallen book so she could gain some height. She could see the storm in his eyes. He was fighting a battle he would not end up winning.
" Why are you so frustrating, Raina? Why can't you just listen? Why did you come here? " He seethed as his hands shook, his grip on her wrists getting tighter.
" Because you have been ignoring me for a totally absurd reason. Why don't you ask yourself that? ", She snatched one of her hands out of his grip and poked at his chest, " All I have ever been to you is nice but you keep pushing me away. Every single time you always find a way to make me mad and get me all riled up. You are so annoying, Roux Addington. You need to get yourself together and quit acting like such a– "
His lips immediately connected fiercely with hers, shutting her up and ending her rant as their lips moved against each other's, pouring out their anger and frustration into the kiss.
Raina let out a gasp for breath immediately Roux Addington pulled away. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were wide as saucers as she stared up at him in shock. Her lips tingled from the way he had nibbled on it and her finger reached out to press against the plump flesh.
Before she could collect herself, his lips found the sweet spot on her neck, teeth scrapping against the tender skin causing a moan to unconsciously escape her throat as he nibbled on the flesh.
" You are all that has been in my head every single day. Your name ringing in my ears, torturing me. Raina, Raina, Raina, why do you do this to me? Heck! I can't think straight anymore with you around " He ran his hand through his curls, the band snapping due to the force.
" Do you want me to leave then? " She asked softly, stepping down from the book and he immediately snapped his head towards her and tugged her towards him.
" Never. From the moment you signed that contract, you became mine, Raina McCoy, and curse me if I let you go anywhere "
And his lips claimed hers once again.