CHAPTER FIVE Ophelia.
938 Words
Rafael kissed me.
My fingers run over my lips as I stare at my blank screen. Ms. Bianca had asked me to come up with a list of companies who had accepted our request to partner up. Rafael still hadn’t given an answer regarding the proposal. But then, I’d pushed him back after that kiss and gotten into the cab without looking his way at all. He probably thinks that I hate him.
Groaning, I face palm myself as I think up ways to strike up a conversation with Rafael. Last night was the best I’ve had in weeks and it was a shame that I ruined it by mistakenly kissing him first. Granted, Rafael had rectified the ‘mistake' and made it real, but he was drunk and probably didn’t even remember it.
“Oh my God, he probably doesn’t remember it.” My head whips up at the thought and I squeal, earning me a few looks from the assistants who now watch me from my glassed-off office beside them.
My phone lights up with a text and I swipe it off my desk and into my palm hurriedly. I’m frowning hard when I see that it’s yet another message from James. He’s been leaving me a lot of messages and I’ve not bothered reading any. I click into his message thread now, for whatever reason. And immediately regret doing so.
‘You bruised Zoe. I had to hold her off from getting a warrant against you.’
‘We need to talk about our apartment, seeing that I also put down a lease on it.’
‘Zoe said she ran into Rafael at a coffee shop and she could feel him judging her. Quit telling him shit.’
‘Put a leash on your rabid dog. If I ever see Rafael, I’ll kill him.’
‘Funny He’s fighting your imaginary battles for you, after you’d vehemently tried to reassure me that there’s nothing happening between the two of you. I know something happened a year ago in Vegas.’
That one has me scoffing loud as my eyes roll back into their socket. The nerve of James. I’d gone on a much needed vacation with Rafael and another childhood friend to Vegas. James had hated the fact that our third friend had to bail early and I was left with Rafael, and no matter the amount of reassurances I spewed that nothing happened or could ever happen between us, he wasn’t having. It probably didn’t help that much of my memory from that weekend was now blacked out.
The other thing that has confusion lining my brows is his anger at Rafael approaching him. Approaching him about what? I hadn’t even told Rafael about it. I silently play our last interaction in my mind and when I’m done, I’m convinced that he knows. He’d somehow figured it without me saying a thing and approached Rafael to fight my battles.
Furious, I fire a couple of text to Rafael and almost immediately, he’s replying to me.
‘I swear, it was a coincidence that I was in his building. I saw him with his colleague, the ugly one, and I put two and two together. Just so you know, I can always tell when you’re miserable, because the stench!’
I laugh at that and put my phone down when Ms. Bianca struts into my office – without knocking.
“Briefing in five minutes, Ms. Langley.” And she’s out.
I sigh and rub my temples, contemplating asking Rafael about the proposal. If I could, I would wipe the entire night off our minds, but that’ll mean stepping back from the proposal that I’ve already pleaded with him to get on board with.
‘Briefing in a minute. What do you think about the proposal I told you about. I need an answer like yesterday.’
His reply is swift, ‘I can never say no to you, Fee. My board agrees.’
I can barely keep myself from shouting in delight. With the clock ticking against me, I hurry across the office to the boardroom, smiling broadly at Ms. Bianca and the team she'd put together early this morning.
“Seems like there's good news, Ms. Langley. I’d love for you to get us in on the joy.” Mr. Lowell says, stepping into the office and dropping a folder beside Ms. Bianca. He gives me a smile as he hurries out again and I watch for a few minutes as Ms. Bianca thumbs through the folder with a little frown on her lips.
“You can begin, Langley.”
I nod and I’m about to pull up a slide from my email when a notification pops up. I look up and seeing that everyone is still trying to put themselves in order, I click into the new mail. It’s from the IRS and I frown as I read through the entire body of the tax letter.
What?
“You can begin, Ms. Langley.”
I can barely hear her as I reread the text, sure that there has to be an explanation to why the Internal Revenue Service would send a mail that claims:
Our records indicate that you and Rafael Moreau were issued a marriage license on the fourth of April, 2023 in Clark County, Nevada. However, we noticed that your marital status may not match your recent tax filing.
To avoid any legal discrepancies, please verify your marriage details and complete the required update at any of our offices.
If you believe this notice was sent in error, please contact our office immediately.
What in the - ?
- Writer
