Chapter 22
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The morning sun was out, glowingly proudly and giving life to everything beneath it. It seeped through the spaces uncovered by the thick black curtains and illuminated the massive bedroom.
With a yawn, Raina rolled over on the soft mattress, taking a deep whiff of the scent that lingered in the room. Roux Addington's natural scent. She loved it.
Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she let out a yawn which caused her eyes to water slightly. She rubbed on her eyes as she slowly sat up on the bed, recognizing the room as Rouxs' causing her cheeks to heat up as she recalled what happened last night.
Roux and her had slept on the same bed and he had muttered sweet words to her. No one had ever promised to protect her before.
Not until Roux.
Face palming as she remembered that people had seen her break down last night, she shook her head and her eyes immediately caught on to a note on the nightstand which she picked up.
‘ Good morning Raina, I hope you had a good sleep. By the time you see this, I have already left for work but I hope you feel alright, and if you don't, do not hesitate to call me.
~ R.A ’
A smile spread out on her face as she read the note once again and brushed her fingers against the cursive handwriting scribbled down on the paper.
‘ It was beautiful, just like he was ’ she thought before mentally reprimanding herself, forcing herself to get up.
After dressing the bed which was the only thing left untidy in Rouxs' room, she left to her own room to take a quick shower before slipping into some comfortable clothing.
As she walked down the stairs, she could not help but notice how quiet the mansion was, meaning the children had already left for school. Raina felt a pang in her heart as she she recalled how scared and frightened they had looked last night. Because of her.
She was so lost in her thoughts and jerked backwards in shock when she felt herself bump into someone. Theodore Stancliff. He stood stoicly before her, the look in his eyes causing her to squirm in discomfort even if they gave out no emotion.
Her cheeks heated up in embarrassment when she realised he also witnessed her breakdown last night and she looked away, " I am sorry, sir "
Theodore was taken aback by the term she used on him. He might have been older but she was also his boss, albeit she made it seem like he was, " For what reason? "
" What happened last night. I can assure you it would not repeat again " She pursed her lips even if she was not sure. For some reason, she felt safe in Rouxs' arms - like her nightmares could not get to her.
The man arched his brow at her words and he cleared his throat and looked away. His fingers worked swiftly, unbuttoning the cuffs of his left sleeve and he ignored her questioning gaze as he pulled the sleeve up, showing her the numerous scars and burns that littered his arm and wrist.
She gasped in shock but the man did not flinch as he took the sleeve back down and buttoned up his cuff, " You simply cannot control what you cannot control, Mrs. Addington "
Her gazed flickered from his stoic face to his covered arm in shock, " How...how did you know? "
" I know a person with a past when I see one " He replied before walking away, leaving her standing there in shock. He was also abused as a child and from the slits on his wrist, he had probably attempted to take his life once before.
Slowly, Raina forced herself to move and walked into the kitchen. As usual, Caldwell Loughty whistled a random tune as he stirred a boiling pot of his special soup.
" Good morning, Caldwell " Raina greeted with a smile as she walked to stand besides him.
The man gave her a side glance before covering up his pot and turning to face her, " Good morning, Raina. How are you doing today? "
Raina rubbed on her arm nervously at his question as she wondered if he had heard her screams last night. She knew she fell asleep before he closed for the night which was due to how tired she was. Nevertheless, she gave him an answer, " I am alright now, thank you. How are you, Caldwell? What are you making? "
" Forget about that, dear! " He brushed his hand away in dismissal. He did not want her with him in the kitchen. He wanted her with Roux Addington and the man had a perfect plan for that.
" I'll tell you what, Roux did not have any breakfast this morning " He winked at her before turning on his heels and walking away after turning off the cooker.
" Don't you dare break or hurt my babies or I will have your head on a golden platter " He stated over his shoulder causing Raina to gulp.
He wanted her to cook for Roux Addington, and take it to him.
•
Raina clutched the lunch bag in her hands as she stared up at the skyscraper made entirely of glass. This was where Roux worked.
Nervously, she stepped into the building and walked into the lobby before approaching the receptionist behind a glass wall. Her legs shook as she approached the properly dressed woman.
She had a pale skin and her hair was packed up into a tight bun, not a single hair out of place. The woman placed the telephone down once she spotted Raina and wet her thin lips before speaking, " Erin Hall. How may I help you? "
" Well I uh..I am here to see Roux " Raina requested nervously and the woman silently scoffed once she spotted the lunchbox in her hand.
Knowing Raina McCoy was Rouxs' wife, she decided not to make a call and handed her a key card before turning to face her monitor.
Clutching the card, Raina cluelessly walked up to a glass elevator and pressed on a button. The doors immediately slid open and she gawked at the speed before stepping into it. She pressed on the button to the top floor before trying her best not to look down as it took her up.
Once the doors slid open, Raina stepped into the quiet hallway, taking note that there was only one door with Rouxs' name on it. Her hands shook as she knocked twice on the door.
When she did not get a reply, she placed the card over the scanner, getting a beep before turning the knob open and walking into the office but her eyes immediately widened at the sight before her.
Roux Addington was shirtless as he stood before the glass wall, staring out at the city as he sipped on a glass of whiskey. Raina gaped as she stared at the man's large biceps. He was built.
Feeling it was disrespectful to gawk at a person's body like that, she stared at her toes and waited for him to notice her.
Roux Addington threw the last ouce of alcohol down his throat and turned to face her with a small smile, " I was expecting you "
Raina McCoy rolled her lower lip into her mouth and bit on it nervously before willing herself to look up at him, " H-how so? "
He shrugged and placed the small glass on his desk before slowly approaching her. Raina nervously held in her breath and looked at anywhere but him, suddenly hating the attention. Roux stopped before her and brushed back her curls before gripping her chin and turning her head to face him.
" How are you feeling now, Raina? "
" I am alright now, you do not need to worry about me " She answered in a rushed manner as she stared into his eyes.
" Too bad, I worry about you Raina " He smiled at her. She had shared a deep secret with him last night and she did not regret it but then, it made her feel like she had disrespected Thea Addington.
Clearing her throat, she looked away and lifted the lunch bag, diverting the attention, " Lunch? "
" Of course " Roux smiled at her before taking the bag. He did not want to order even if he was starving. He declined breakfast because he wanted to eat Raina's meal only and he could not just wake her from her sleep so he waited, and here she was.
The patient dog always eats the fattest bone, after all.
Roux tried to hide his excitement as he walked towards his table to have whatever she made. About his shirtless state, it partially had nothing to do with Raina's expected arrival. Roux always took off his dress shirts, preferring to stay shirtless especially when he had no meetings for the next hours and today was not an exception.
" Care to join me? " Roux Addington offered as he settled down and Raina shook her head and slowly walked around the large office.
" No thank you, I am not hungry " She stated honestly as she approached the shelves, ignoring the burning gaze she felt lingering on her.
" What did you have for breakfast then? "
She turned to face him for a moment and as expected, he was staring at her, " A fruit salad. I am fine, trust me " she stated as her eyes roamed around, accessing the book titles.
They varied from business and educational books to mystery, fantasy novels, historical fiction, science fiction, paranormal and many more, including romance which he had installed for her. Raina's eyes widened and her cheeks heated up once she spotted the familiar book stocked into the shelf.
Bared To You by Sylvia Day.
She remembered herself reading the same book the first day she had an encounter with Roux Addington and she almost died of embarrassment. Rouxs' eyes shone in amusement as he spotted the book she had been staring at for more than a minute.
Every inch of her body was screaming at her to slide the book out and continue from where she had stopped. She wanted to know the ending. She wanted to know if there was a happy ending for Eva or not but she did not want Roux to think of her differently.
" You can read it you know, It does not bite. Trust me, I have seen more erotic works " Roux intervened before taking another forkful of the meal he was enjoying. Her cheeks heated up and she turned to stare at him.
She was at loss for words but chosing to tune down the embarrassment she felt, she silently slipped the book out and flipped open to the page she had stopped at. Unconsciously, she bent to her knees and laid on the hardwood covered by a rug and Rouxs' eyes widened in surprise.
There were chairs she could sit on to read her book. Why did she chose to lay on the rug on her belly? Raina McCoy surprised him almost every single day.
The first time they had met, he also found her laying on the ground and reading her book. He thought she was cute, " You enjoy laying on the ground to read? "
Without staring at him, Raina nodded her head and placed her book on the ground. She propped her elbows on the rug and rested her chin on her linked fingers before delving into fictionland.
This was how she had enjoyed reading since she was a child.
•
Raina McCoy had read for what felt like hours until she had ended up falling asleep, halfway towards the ending of the story. Roux discovered she had turned oddly quiet and the sound of pages flipping occasionally had seized.
" Yes, of course. I will call you back later on... " Roux ended the call and rubbed his eyes, tiredly. It had been hours of non-stop typing and by now, some of his employees had already left.
His eyes sparkled in amusement as he spotted Raina fast asleep, her cheek was pressed against the page as a bit of drool escaped her parted lips. Shaking his head, he slid on his dress shirt and buttoned it up before grabbing his suit and propping it over his arm.
Walking towards her, his eyes softened and he brushed away some curls sticking to her face. Who would hurt such an innocent soul?
After contacting his private investigator, he found out about Raina's father, also about the news that he had been sentenced to prison for seven years.
After searching for Raina and to no avail, the police department finally gave up but he was sure the news of her being his wife had reached them and they knew the girl never really died as they thought. She was with him, and safe with him.
The entire world knew she belonged to him now.
" Oh, Raina. What are you doing to me? " Roux mumbled with a sigh before carefully scooping up her smaller body and picking up her book also, which had a patch of drool on the page.
She immediately snuggled into him as little snores escaped her lips as he stepped out of the office and walked down the hallway before pressing on the button to his private elevator which she had used earlier.
Stepping into the elevator, the does slid shut and he pressed on the last button before taking a step backwards to stare at the girl in his arms.
He was afraid. He was afraid of himself. He did not trust himself not to fall for her anymore. Now he regretted the way he had treated her all those months before. She gave up her life to help him and his children and he had treated her like trash.
The rules he had set were not strong enough to hold him back and now he had fallen for her. Thea Addington could not pick a better woman than the one in his arms.
He did not care about her past. Everyone had a past and it differed from the present and also the future. But Roux Addington knew that he stood a chance to have a future with her.
Bending to place a kiss on her forehead, he straightened his posture and looked away from her, " I think I have fallen for you, Raina McCoy "
They were nine words and he meant every single one he had uttered. With a heaved breath, he stepped out of the elevator as the doors slid open.
Well, there was a saying that the universe does not give you what you ask for with your thoughts, it gives you what you demand with your actions.
And now, he had to act.