Raymond was seething with jealousy! How dare that deceitful woman flirt with Louis after marrying him?
No wonder she'd had no qualms about setting five million dollars ablaze; with Louis’ support, that sort of money was indeed trivial.
Suddenly finding a bottle of water within reach, Raymond snatched it up, rolled down the car window, and hurled it straight at the treacherous woman’s head.
Just as the traffic light turned green, the driver floored the accelerator, and they sped away.
Paige felt the impact on her forehead and instinctively shoved Louis away fiercely.
Louis, realizing Paige had been hit, immediately asked with concern, “Are you alright? Do we need to go to the hospital?”
But Paige evaded Louis, bewildered by his sudden embrace, “Touch me again and see what happens! Louis, you were the one who cast me into hell five years ago. The incidents from back then, I’m not going to let them slide. Before I was incarcerated, the charges against me were false. Now that I'm out, I might make them real! You’d better not provoke me!”
Paige was at the end of her patience.
She was busy, extremely busy!
Not only was she bent on vengeance, but there were also hopes of several mentors resting on her. Her plate was already full, and now she found herself dragging an innocent man into her so-called marriage.
She owed it to him to take responsibility.
The knowledge of someone waiting for her at home, considering Raymond's exceedingly handsome yet earnest face, left Paige with no desire to waste another moment with Louis.
Louis had hoped that his forceful embrace would at least soften Paige's stance.
But in the end, all he received was Paige's gaze filled with loathing, a gaze that pierced his heart like a thorn.
Left with no choice, he surrendered the address and watched as Paige hailed a cab and disappeared into the distance.
---
Raymond didn't come home that night!
By the time Paige got home, it was the wee hours of the morning, after an unsuccessful attempt to visit the care facility. The security guard at the gate informed her that visiting days for family were Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Which meant she couldn’t see her mother until the day after tomorrow at the earliest.
When she returned, Paige noticed the untouched takeout lying in the trash bin.
The master bedroom's door was ajar, but Raymond was nowhere in sight.
She tried calling him only to be met with his switched-off phone.
Unanswered rings resounded when she dialed Charles’ as well.
Paige considered calling Raymond's father but, given the late hour and Bradley's frail health, she decided to postpone the call to the morning.
However, the next morning brought a terse text from Raymond: "Gone on business for three days." Brief as it was, the message allowed Paige to exhale a slight sigh of relief.
After tidying up, Paige caught a ride to work at the Mid-hill Villa. Sean greeted her with his usual warmth, and after changing into her work attire, she joined the gardener to tend to the blooming garden.
It was the high season for roses, and the day’s harvest was nothing less than a spectacle of the finest flush. Having cleaned the stems and leaves, Paige carried a selection into the villa to adorn various areas with fresh blooms, as was customary, every room was included.
Reaching the room at the end of the third-floor hallway, she turned the knob only to find the door wouldn't budge. Just then, Sean appeared.
He addressed her with his characteristic humble politeness, “Ms. Sackler, I forgot to mention, we don’t need fresh flowers in that room.”
“Oh, that’s fine, Sean. But, please, you don't have to call me Ms. Sackler. Just Paige will do,” she replied with a hint of informality.
Sean caught his breath, an intake filled with disbelief at her request. Calling the lady of the house by her first name? That’s so inappropriate.
"Of course, Ms. Sackler," he managed respectfully, maintaining decorum.
Paige lingered awkwardly at the door for a moment before moving on, while behind the closed door, a face remained as stoic as an iceberg.
Charles, standing silently behind Raymond, dared not breathe too loudly for fear of drawing attention.
As Paige's footsteps receded, Raymond's gaze slightly narrowed. His mind was busy scheming about how to expose her secret dealings with Louis in front of the old man.
Usually, Paige could wrap up her duties at Mid-hill Villa in about four hours. She was efficient and meticulous. Not just placing floral arrangements in each room, she also reserved some time to discreetly search the house room by room.
Discovering the secret room within this old villa wasn't an easy task. The house, with its century-spanning history, had undergone major renovations every decade or so.
Because of these alterations, the blueprints Paige had were practically useless.
Her only choice was to check each room in person, marking and drawing out updated plans as she went.
At noon, as per the routine, Paige was supposed to have her meal with the staff at the villa. Sean had already instructed the kitchen to prepare a special meal just for Paige.
However, Raymond had preempted this by having Paige's meal delivered to his room.
By the time Sean found out about this, lunch was already being served. It wasn't that they couldn't whip up another special plate for Paige, but doing so would blatantly set her apart from the other staff.
Reluctantly, Sean had Paige eat her first meal at Mid-hill Villa with the rest of the maids.
Meanwhile, in the main dining hall, upon hearing about the incident, Bradley barely took a few bites before storming into Raymond's room.
He found Raymond nonchalantly dining on the meal intended for Paige. Bradley shook his head, letting out a sigh.
"That meal was meant to nourish your wife, how can you eat it?"
Raymond glanced at Bradley and retorted, "If you want her to work here, don't make exceptions."
Bradley could only imagine how Raymond must treat Paige behind closed doors if he was bold enough to do this under his very nose. It had been tough enough convincing Paige to marry Raymond; if he drove her away with his behavior, he might end up alone for good.
Frowning, Bradley blurted out, “Listen, Raymond, from now on until your wife is pregnant, you're confined to your little honeymoon apartment, understand? No more late-night antics like last night; that’s absolutely not happening again!”
Raymond, who was about to take another bite, suddenly lost his appetite.
He put down his fork and looked at Bradley, "What if she's a con artist? How can you stand by and watch me fall into danger?"
Bradley, still fuming, couldn't help but laugh at that remark.
"You? Into danger? I'd be grateful if you don't give Paige a hard time. After work hours, you head straight home and treat her right, that's all."
Raymond revealed, "I told her this morning I'm going away on a business trip for three days."
Bradley's eyebrows knit together in a furrow of annoyance, "I've already told you, no messing with Paige."
Raymond raised up his hands, "I'm just reinitiating an old project, not targeting her."
Hearing this, Bradley grudgingly let it slide.
But not without leaving a stern warning, "Listen, Paige is a good girl. She's not one of those high society types you find at the galas. Treat her right. Otherwise, should I meet my maker, I might just leave this estate to her in my will. Then let's see where your dignity would be!"
Raymond felt helpless; he just couldn't fathom how Bradley, a man with a keen eye for character, could misjudge someone so badly as he did Paige; or had she really bewitched him in some way?