Chapter 25

Zoey hadn't before experienced such anticipation. What began as a one-time surprise had now manifested into a routine. She found herself counting down the minutes until her lunch break, at half twelve there was a knock at her door.

"Come in." She responded, her level of expectation overflowing. She wasn't disappointed. Felix peaked in.

"Still busy?" he questioned. Zoey shook her head, pulling her laptop down as he fully entered her office. She had gotten attached to the idea of seeing him and relying on him.

"I brought lunch." he raised his arms, allowing her the view of his engaged hands.
***

"Can you tell Felix I need him to send out some emails for me?" Raiden directed at Ivory, his mind incapable of comprehending anything other than what he was working on. "He's not answering his phone."
Ivory surveyed Raiden's conduct. Fingers fast-paced across the keyboard, eyes focused. "It's half 12. I am sure Felix has taken his lunch break," she responded. "How about I send them for you?" she offered.
Raiden paused, twisted his arm slightly so that he could make out the time displayed on his wristwatch. Where had the time gone?
He pressed a hand to his face and drew breath. "Forget it. You can take your lunch hour as well." he approved. The night before, while enjoyable, hadn't been restful for either of them, and while he was used to long days and longer nights he wasn't sure she would be able to function without some rest.

"What about you?" she requested impulsively. She knew he was going to push himself and she wanted to share his burdens, for as long as she was able to.

"I'll keep working. These briefs need to be sent out before the end of the business day." he was fast at work again.

"Then email me the information for the emails, I'll draft them." she restored her attention to work.

"Ivory." his voice insistent.

"You're wasting time trying to convince me otherwise," she responded and he submitted.
Later, after she drafted the emails Raiden approved them and she sent them out. Ivory did a mini stretch, her back reserving tension. Raiden eased off his chair and with four long strides, he was by her desk, his arms reaching over and resting on her shoulders.

"Thank you," he said, as he applied pressure to her shoulders with his arms. "How about I take you to a late lunch?" he questioned.

"That's not necessary. There is still a lot to do." she had turned her attention back to her computer. Raiden pulled her arms away from the keyboard and held them in his hands.

"The rest can wait. I'm starving and could use the company." he urged her, for a split second she was lost. His touch and proximity rendered her brain's ability to think or process what he was saying to be impaired.

"Well?" he prompted, eagerly awaiting her response.
Ivory smiled, nodding in acceptance. Raiden pushed the air he had unwittingly been reserving out of his lungs. He freed her hands and made his way to his desk to pack up.

***
Raiden's mother could take no more. She had inadvertently witnessed what any rational person would consider a tender moment between her son and that girl. She stormed into the office space, the persistent clanking of her heels altering them to her presence.

"Is this why you banned me from coming to your company?" she interrogated, her voice echoing throughout the room. "So that you can waste your time with this ....parasite?" she turned her attention to Ivory now.

"Is it that the amount I offered wasn't enough? Name your price!" Ivory was beyond stunned, her body instantly going into fight or flight mode. This was exactly the calamity she wanted to avoid.

"Mother." Raiden drew her attention to him. " Watch what you say," he spoke through clenched teeth. His eyes turning red, his arms clenching at his sides.

"Can you not see? This girl is nothing but a temptress!" she all but screamed. "Is your relationship with your family worth risking for some nobody?" she challenged, her eyes fixated viciously on Raiden.

"I think you have misunderstood, Mrs. De Ville." Ivory attempted to defuse the situation, Raiden's expression scaring her.
They all heard the clapping sound of skin against skin before they realized his mother's intention. Her hand had collided menacingly against Ivory's cheek, her neck rotating slightly from the impact. Ivory's hand came up instinctively to rest against the affected the area, her eyes wide with shock.
His mother pointing a finger in her face. "Do not address me, you haven't the right."
Raiden was next to her instantly, pushing past his mother. His hand pulling Ivory's hand away to view the afflicted area, his anger skyrocketing as her skin changed shades.
He pulled out his phone and made a quick call. "In my office, now."

He turned his attention to his mother. "You have undoubtedly crossed the line." His voice was more terrifying than thunder. Ivory grasped his arm, signalling him to calm down.
The room was filled with two of his security guards. "Please escort my mother out, and see to it that her visitations are confirmed by me before she is let into the building." they accepted their command, signalling his mother to leave.

"You really are your father's son." his mother took one final and lasting jab at him before she walked out.
Ivory closed her eyes in frustration, both hands applying pressure to her throbbing head. Raiden turned his attention towards her, pulling her to face him.

"Let me see." he attempted to gaze at her face. Ivory tugged away, he noted her resistance and allowed her to fully escape his grasp. This wasn't the ideal situation she had in mind when she decided to sever ties with him but she needed to grasp the opportunity, she couldn't allow his relationship with his family to take any more blows as a result of her.

"This needs to stop," she said, avoiding her gaze.

"I promise you won't have to see her or deal with her again," he assured, eyeing her wandering gaze.

"That's not what I mean." she attempted to clarify, her chest constricting painfully, she fought to keep the tears in check. Raiden gazed at her blankly.

"This no longer makes any sense." her eyes met his, her vision becoming blurred.

"You think it's time to call it quits?" he needed clarification. Ivory nodded. "Why?" his voice almost pleading.

"What started off as a carefree association has been tainted by anxiety and distress. We have been experiencing relationship level trials, which as we can both agree, is not what we intended. This association has infected our lives and has essentially run its course." Ivory barely understood or heard any of the words she voiced. It was as if someone was speaking through her.

"What we have isn't worth the trouble?" he condensed the essence of what she was saying.

"What is it that we have?" her voice had lowered, her nerve failing her, every waking inch of her desperate to know his thoughts. She had lost to him but if he had even felt a sliver of what she felt she didn't know if she would still be intent on severing her ties with him.
The question had taken him off-guard and for the first time in his life, he wasn't sure how to respond, mainly because he hadn't given any thought to it. He knew he wanted her, but he wasn't sure that he wanted something lasting.
Ivory smiled past her blurry vision. "We have a no-strings-attached agreement. We came into this knowing it was going to end before it could really start. I think that time is now before things get more complicated."

"We'll just do as you say," Raiden responded coldly, walking past her and out of the office. Ivory sank into her chair, the tears no longer able to be contained, they fell freely down her cheeks.

***
Her feet moved with greater precision than her mind. Ivory placed an unsteady hand on her chest, mentally willing her erratic heart to stabilize. The elevator doors screeched open onto the one floor of the building that she dreaded. Her subconscious was yet to decide whether to move forward, whereas her legs boldly strolled forward. She barely registered Felix's existence as she pushed the door to the office open. The only sound flowing into her inner ear was that of her own heart dancing abnormally as her eyes furtively surveyed the room.

*Vacant*.

Her heart reluctantly relaxed, leaving her feeling exhausted. Raiden was nowhere in sight. Ivory wasn’t sure if she should be relieved or disappointed, and it seemed she was capable of experiencing both in equal regard. Without the opportunity to rest her bags down, Felix entered.

"Guess what?" he was beaming.

"Date night with Zoey?" she guessed, what else could possibly make him this excited?

"Yes," he confirmed. "But that's not the secret." he clarified, waiting for her to make another guess. Ivory shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, her mind blank.

"You are officially no longer an assistant." he all but exclaimed. "Your new office is ready. Your new position awaits." he gestured her to follow him out into the corridor.

"I thought it wasn't going to be ready until next week." her grip tightening on her handbag.

"Mr. De Ville has asked for the works to be moved up," Felix responded, unaware that those instructions were just Raiden's means of removing her from his sight. Ivory felt her heart constrict.

Was she really never going to see him again?

She took one last lingering gaze around the office space. She'd learned and experienced much in this room and she wasn't sure if she wanted to part with it.

"Shall we?" Felix requested. Ivory smiled and allowed him to lead her into her new office.

***
Raiden sat in his car and waited. He saw Ivory arrive, his entire body alerted. He exhaled and eased deeper into his seat. It had taken every ounce of his willpower to not appear in front of her, last night, and now. It was for the best. He had instructed Felix to notify him after Ivory had settled into her new office and when the text came, Raiden finally eased out of his car and made his way to his office. He felt it was better if he didn't appear in front of her anymore, she made it clear yesterday that he had brought too many complications into her life, and he couldn't blame her. His mind still revolving around the question she asked him.
What is that we have? He had felt as if her tone had invited him to change her mind, but he couldn't be sure. He wondered if the outcome would have been any different if he had answered her, if he could have found the words. Yet, he still hadn't known the words to say. He pondered over this question until he reached his floor.

Felix had been waiting impatiently for Raiden to appear. He immediately bombarded him. "Aren't you going to surprise Ivory?" Felix questioned quizzically as Raiden immediately and without any hesitation moved towards his office.

"Why would I do that?" Raiden questioned unemotionally, refusing to make eye contact with Felix. Felix was left speechless. He had assumed that Raiden's sneakiness was in anticipation of some surprise for Ivory, but his communications with Raiden did seem off.
Raiden had once again avoided temptation. Once Felix had mentioned seeing Ivory, he had almost thrown caution to the wind. He called Felix in.

"Distribute the invites and tickets to the company's business function to the employees today." he reminded Felix, who nodded but said nothing further. Raiden blew out air, he had almost thought he would receive an earful from Felix, but thankfully he didn't. His mind returning to the subject of Ivory. There was one last thing he had promised her that he needed to fulfil. He opened his briefcase and pulled out the manuscript that she kept on her nightstand. He'd promised to give his honest opinion so as to aid her in honing her craft.

***
"Is something going on with Ivory and Raiden?" Felix questioned once a moment of silence had passed between him and Zoey.

"What do you mean?" Zoey was instantly interested.

"I could be running on mere assumptions, but I don't think they're speaking." Felix related. "It's been a week now since she has moved into her own office and I have never seen them in the same room together much less talk to each other."

Zoey's eyes widened. Ivory hadn't said a word to her. "I can't believe she did it," Zoey muttered, then with more force. "I can't believe he let her!" Her attention had turned to Felix now. "Didn't you assure me that Raiden cared for her!"

"Wait!" Felix exclaimed, taking a quick second to internalize what she was saying. "What did she do?"

"Why are so slow?" Zoey rolled her eyes and Felix shrugged light-heartedly. "She ended their..." Zoey wasn't sure what to call it. "thing." she settled.

"What?" Felix questioned but everything during the past week began to make sense. Raiden had become an overbearing boss, demanding, and unfeeling. Most employees were steering clear of him, hell, even Felix attempted to avoid him.

"I am revealing this to you in strictest confidence." Zoey gave him her sternest look. Felix nodded, resisting the urge to press his lips against hers. He knew it wasn't the right time.

"Ivory has fallen for the devil."

"Then why end it?" Felix demanded, he himself wondering why Raiden had let her go that easily.

"Because she doesn't think he cares for her in the way she cares for him and because she didn't want to damage the relationship he has with his family. She doesn't want him to be burdened by her."

"Silly girl!" Felix lamented. "Raiden does care for her. You should see the way he is behaving this past week, besides that, he had been moving around his schedule, clocking in late hours, just to read and analyse her manuscript."

"Ivory's manuscript?" Zoey questioned. "What does he think of it?" She felt nervous as if it were her own work being reviewed.

"From what I can tell, he's genuinely impressed. He did have some constructive criticisms guaranteed to raise the quality of her work," he responded. He knew this in detail, especially since he was tasked to send out the email to Ivory. Raiden didn't want to contact her directly.

"Really?" Zoey was more enthused than he had ever seen her.

"Yes! He thinks that it's worth being published and wants to allow her to pick any of the senior editors to work with her and oversee the entire publication process. I haven't relayed this to her yet." Felix said.

"What are you waiting for?" Zoey questioned, impatient for her friend's dream to take flight.

"I was hoping he would have changed his mind and let her know himself," Felix revealed, but after learning of their separation he felt as if it were a fool's expectation.