The call

Chapter 7

Lorraine

"Who's she to you?" I asked as a pang of jealousy rose up my chest.

I shouldn't have felt that way, but right now I couldn't ignore the scathing urge to push the woman far away from Dexter because they clearly had a history.

He stared at me briefly with his unreadable brown eyes boring into mine. "Why do you sound jealous? Should you be jealous considering the fact that you don't want anyone to know that we are married?"

He used one of my wishes against me and I couldn't deny that it hurt a bit.

"I just want to know what I'll be up against," I replied with a lackadaisical tone. "She seems like a lot of trouble and she's obviously into you."

He was quiet for a while, like he was deciding if it would be appropriate to part with the information. But then, it was my right to know the people he was involved with since I was his wife. "She's my ex." He finally responded.

My eyes widened in surprise then I lowered her lashes, apparently processing the information. "And why is your ex still in close contact with you?" I couldn't help but sound angry even when I didn't want to feel that way.

"She's good business and that's what I'm all about, making money without any strings attached. If she thinks that we can still get back together because I hired her services then she has to be in her highest state of delusion." He explained with a bored tone.

Seeing that the conversation was coming to an end I decided to meet up with Stefan. He looked approachable even though his fashion sense looked really weird.

As I approached him, I felt a buzz in the pocket of my jeans. I brought out my phone and glanced at the unknown number on my screen with extreme curiosity. I didn't have many friends and after the betrayal I'd experienced a week ago, I wasn't sure I could entertain any form of friendship.

I picked the call anyway, but no matter how much I convinced myself that it could be just any caller, my chest still thumped faster than usual.

"Hello, it's Lorraine Hills on the line. Who am I speaking with?" I asked politely.

A deep chuckle which I'd recognise anywhere responded reverberated in my phone, then the signature laughter. My body froze that moment as I realised that one of the people I've been hiding from still had access to me.

With my voice shaky and my body trembling terribly, I summoned courage to reply to him. "Why are you calling me? Haven't I asked you never to call me again?"

"Oh, common Lorraine. I've missed you so much and I think you are doing the same too. How could you have forgotten all about your stepfather so easily?" He cackled, his voice unnerving and deeply annoying.

I couldn't bear it anymore as the memories of how he assaulted me physically and almost sexually flooded my mind. "Get off my phone, Leonardo." I screamed, forgetting that we were in an office and not the comfort of my home.

Dexter quickly snatched the phone from me as I sank onto the floor, sobbing profusely. He surprised me by scooting beside me and caressing my shoulder.

Inasmuch as I didn't want him around me, my body still betrayed me by relaxing at his touch. "I hate that man so much." I whispered amidst my tears.

He helped me up and wrapped his arm around my neck, his stance protective and soothing. "We'll continue with the introduction tomorrow, let's get you out of here." He offered, his tone laced with concern and warmth.

I halted on my steps and sniffed. I couldn't leave or my potential colleagues would see me as weak. Besides, going away with Dexter will warrant me answering every question he had to ask.

Though he had made me marry him, I couldn't trust him at all. Apart from my stepfather, he had scarred me deeply and I doubted that our marriage would make me forget everything he had done.

"There's no need for that. I'm fine,"

"Who on earth made you feel that way?"

The intensity and ferocity behind his tone caused me to take a step back. His eyes were blazing with anger and fiery protectiveness that caused a spark within me. Even if everything I knew about him were lies, the overwhelming emotions I saw him exhibit right now weren't.

Getting a hold of my emotional state, I flagged on a bright smile. "It's nothing serious, Dexter. Just continue with your work, I'll be fine on my own."

He folded his arms and immediately I knew that he wasn't going to back down until he got answers. "I'm the boss here and I decide if I'll leave or not so can you tell me who the person was because I'll find out myself." He threatened and I immediately regretted picking the call.

The sad memories I had with my stepfather was the last thing I wanted to relive. Why couldn't he understand that?

He'd barely opened his mouth to ask again when his phone rang. Seeing the grim expression on his face, I knew that the call was important and annoying.

He flashed me an I'll-be-back expression and walked away, leaving me with Stefan who waited patiently for me to walk over to him.

"I'm so sorry for making you wait." I apologised.

"It's fine, Lorraine. Mr Dexter can be overbearing sometimes but it comes from a place of deep care and affection for everyone that works with him." Stefan expressed with admiration radiating in his face which had no beards at all.

I nearly scoffed at his description, because if they knew that their kind boss had forced a woman to sign a marriage contract in less than twenty-four hours of kidnapping her, I'm sure that their perception would be different.

Not wanting to dwell on any topic related to him, I quickly changed the subject. "What's the drill?"

"First of all, you'll have to get acquainted with other models. Since you'll be majoring in runway modeling, your size is almost perfect. You will be taught on how to walk on the runway and the mannerisms that follow suit and I expect you to be here on time tomorrow morning." He stated strictly.

I nodded slowly. "I'll surely do that."

He came closer to me, his eyes solely trained on me and his expression filled with seriousness. "Don't fail Mr Hemmingway, he has never brought new models by himself which explains Emilia's surprise, so I'll advise you not to fail him."

My heart felt like it had stopped beating as he said those words to me.

Suddenly, I began to wonder why Dexter was this sweet to me when we ended on a bad note. Something was off about him and sadly, I couldn't detect where the problem came from.