“How did you learn of this daughter?” Racheal asked in a small voice.She pressed the call button for her maids to come clear the table.“From one of the cops who was present when Delbert interviewed Ben.” Steffan replied, rubbing his head in exhaustion.“So you found out Delbert was not fabricating lies.” She teased.Steffan looked at her, and said nothing.“What are you not telling me? Why are you so irritated?” She asked. She missed the playful Steffan who could take a joke. He seemed to have disappeared since they returned to Yin, just like she had suspected he would.“It has nothing to do with you.” He said, standing up and walking around the table.He helped her up, and planted a kiss on her forehead. “Thank you for dinner.” “I did not make it.” She giggled.“It does not matter.” He said. “Come.” He took her hand, just as her maids walked in. They bowed to the couple as they walked past them, headed towards their bedroom.“Let’s soak together again.” He said, as he helped her
“I had no idea you would be able to go to work today.” Steffan said.He was watching Racheal get dressed alongside him for work.“Third time's the charm. That was the magic that revived me.” She declared loudly, raising her hand like she was giving a recital at a play.Steffan clapped at the performance, and they both laughed.“Where did you learn that?” Steffan asked, coming up to stand behind her as she looked in the mirror, combing her hair.He took the brush from her, and started to gently brush her hair back.She smiled. “The play thing?”He shook his head, and stared at her through the mirror.She looked blankly in his blue eyes for a few seconds, then she remembered his eyes widening in the bathtub last night.“Oh.”‘Did you and your ex used to..” He did not finish his sentence.She would have been offended, but he did not look angry, he was almost shy.Her eyes widened, he had never struck her as a man to get shy. His cuteness made her smile.“No.” She said, shaking her head.
Isaac appeared with a tray, not long after Racheal took her seat behind her desk.“Ma’am. He said.She nodded toward the sitting area, and he went in with the tray and dropped it on the table.She turned back to the desktop, and finished looking at the sheets from yesterday.She was happy to mark the project as complete. She did not want to have to look at anything that reminded her of that camp.It was too painful.She hoped Spencer Sherrod would reap the fruits of his wickedness.First the journalist, now a whole camp that housed thousands of people. He had killed even his own citizens.If the news ever got out he would be cooked.Maybe she would do that, when she and Steffan were safely out of Yin, she would turn the information of what Spencer did to her father.If anyone would be able to make the man pay, it was her father.She stood up, and went to the sitting area.She took the napkin covering the tray off, and saw the usual breakfast. Toast, eggs, bacon, coffee, fruit juice, b
“The odds that I find you on seat, Pretty Lady.” Racheal said, as the store manager ushered her into Jade’s office.Jade’s eyes lit up when she saw her. She stood up, and hurried around the table to pull Racheal into a hug. “You look good.” Jade said, moving back to look at her outfit.“I would ask you to influence my fashion items, but the whole presidency would come for my head.” she continued, leading her to the sitting area in her office.“I am no fashion icon.” Racheal laughed.“Says someone who has a whole page created for her outfits.”Racheal laughed again, and took a seat on the couch. She placed the Burr-basket she got Jade on the table. “That cannot be true.” Jade gave her a look of mock hurt, and went to her desk to pick up her phone. She was frantically scrolling through it as she walked back to the couch.“Here.” She said, placing the phone in Racheal's hand. Racheal scrolled through the page and saw pictures of her in different outfits. The last post was a pictur
Racheal’s phone vibrated, as she walked out of the office behind Jade.“That is not mine.” Jade stopped, staring at the phone in her hand.“It’s mine.” Racheal said, pulling her phone out from her purse. She checked to see it was a random notification about a trending news. She looked back up to see Jade staring at her.“You have a phone?”“Yes. Steffan.” She said as a quick way of explanation. Jade was looking at her with a completely shocked expression. “I meant to get your contact information before I left.” Racheal added.Jade threw her hands around her friend and hugged her. “This is so good.” She said.Racheal nodded. She thought it was too. She was hopeful for the first time since she arrived in Yin. If she could clear this Asad Achille assignment out of the way, then there was a possibility of her and Steffan having a bright future, and peace too.She gently pulled away from the embrace, and Jade shook her head, smiling at her.”With a husband like this, you are winning
“Chloe likes you.” Jade said, as she walked with Racheal to a private changing room.“I think I like her too.” Racheal replied, putting her purse on the floor.“What?”“I know you don’t like mistresses, I don’t think I do either, but Chloe looks like a decent person.”“Oh Racheal.” Jade said in a sad voice. She turned to her. “What?”“She LIKES you.”“Oh.” Racheal stopped, shocked. “How do you know?”“It’s so obvious, she was looking at you with stars in her eyes, the way my brother, Steffan, and even that hot Dalloz heir looks at you.”“That’s sad. It is wasted on me.” Racheal said, turning away quietly, “I have never even been curious about women.” She thought of Skylar in the moment, would the women have liked each other, maybe Chloe would have been a better partner for Skylar than that miserable Hamza.Her eyes widened suddenly, was that why Chloe accepted her ridiculous excuse to visit? Had she gotten the wrong idea?“She is coming to look at my books.” Jade mimicked Chloe, pu
“Are you sure about this?” Jade asked.“Yes,” Racheal replied.“But how do you plan to get it? The man is heavily guarded at all times.”“I know. My solution is in his schedule. Asad Achillie is a meticulous man. He follows a strict schedule, like some robot. But recently, one hour on his schedule every Thursday has gone blank."“He is not at work, with his family, or on any official assignment. My father did not give me any more information about this. But I thought for a man so disciplined and strict, whatever Asad Achillie was doing in that hour had to be a vice of some kind.”Jade was nodding. “You mentioned his relationship with Chloe, and she just told me she would be busy on Thursday morning.” Racheal continued. Her phone vibrated, she ignored it. It was probably Steffan texting her. It could wait.“I may be on to something, or not. But it is worth giving it a shot. This is the only shot I have.” She said to Jade.“How will you get the permit from him this way?”“Thursday ev
“Steffan.” Racheal said, in partial alarm, as she felt his strong arms pulling her close.He paused, and frowned.“You think I will hurt you?”“No.” She lied.“Racheal.” He whispered, pulling her more gently this time. He knew she was lying.“You are the annoying one,” He said as he deeply inhaled the scent on her neck. “You know how to make my blood steam. In many ways.”He quickly released her again.“I will call Skylar now. Promise to not get worried anymore.” He said.She nodded.If she heard Skylar’s voice again, she would know for sure if there was truly cause for alarm, or if she was worrying over nothing.Steffan pulled out his phone and started scrolling.“Skylar, you are sending my wife into a panic,” He said.Racheal hurriedly went to his side and stared into the phone. Skylar was sitting beside an indoor pool.“Skylar. I got your message, are you OK? You can tell me the truth.”“I’m sorry. I wanted to send that text to Hamza, it was an order at a bar.” Skylar said, smiling