Chapter 15

Scarlet's POV.

I never knew Raymond was this kid like when drunk. This side of his just made me adore him even more, but I don't know how to feel about this whole situation.

Mandy, who's his best friend, more like a family member who's been with him for years, was not being recognized by him when drunk. What kind of friendship is this, then?

“You don't know Mandy? I am talking about your best friend, the one who came to our house just a day ago. Don't you remember her?” My heart wants to know his answer.

“Yeah...yeah! I remember her. She's Mandy. She's been with me for decades, from high school.” He said while rubbing his head on my chest, nuzzling cutely.

“Hah!” I was disappointed.

Drunk Raymond is completely different from the usual Raymond. It's like there are two personalities and different people. I want to look him in the eyes and ask him how he feels about Mandy. I don't trust his confession. He didn't prove it. But I am afraid. What if I look at him, and he tells me he likes Mandy? I am scared.

I was rethinking when suddenly a wailing sound broke into my eardrums. The location of this voice was very close to me. It was Raymond, he hugged me like a child.

“It's my fault! It's all my fault. If only I trusted you enough, respected you, and loved you the way you loved me. If only I hadn't drowned in the sadness of not getting her, our lives would have been bliss. I am sorry.” Raymond's voice was full of pain. He stuttered multiple times and choked while crying.

His weird behavior only increased my curiosity and doubts about how true his confession was.

I cupped his face in my palms and pulled him to my height. Before I could say anything, he once again started crying, harder this time, and hugged me once again, almost choking me this time.

“You were punished only because of me, because I misunderstood you. But I promise, I won't make that mistake again. I will treat you well and care for you. I won't ever let anyone hurt you again. Will you give me a second chance? Please.”

“Raymond, look me in the eyes. I am not any of your ex-girlfriends.” I pushed him away with all my strength, sending him straight towards the closed door. Offended by what he just said.

His actions and words don't match at all. On one side, he tells me he likes and loves me, but on the other, he's missing someone to the point where he regrets his actions. What conclusion should I draw from his odd behavior?

He winced in pain, but slowly got up from the ground like a child and once again charged towards me.

“You are angry at me. You are clearly angry at me. It looks like you don't want me. Why would you even want me when your life was ruined because of me? It's all my fault.” He keeps mumbling something that's strange to me.

I have no idea who's the owner of this guilty feeling he's having right now. I know nothing. But the pain in his eyes, the tears, and that shaking voice are not fake. Whoever he wronged and loved is someone very special to him, someone he can't forget even after marrying another person.

“Raymond, you are drunk right now and need to take a deep rest. You can't tell people apart right now, I am not her. It's wrong. Come on, let me take you to bed.” I don't wish to become someone's replacement.

I grabbed him by the waist and somehow dragged him to the bed, and all the way, he kept mumbling things beyond my understanding. At one point, I even thought he was going through a mental crisis.

At the end, I was able to put him to sleep. My work was still incomplete, so I decided to look through the files again. But to my surprise, he wasn't sleeping. He just grabbed my hand from behind and pulled me into the bed with him.

“Where are you going? It's time to sleep.” He's still drunk.

“I have a lot of work pending right now. I can't sleep. Please let me go.” I pleaded gently.

“No! You can work tomorrow. Stay with me, or else I won't be able to sleep peacefully.” It looks like Raymond can't take her image from his mind and thinks I am her.

“Alright! Just today. Come on! Let's sleep.” Although I want to reject him, I can't. Given how drunk he is, it's better to be with him. After all, he won't remember a thing tomorrow morning.

Being unloved and betrayed all my life with only my mother, who showed me true love and care, I no longer believed in any kind of love apart from the mother's love. But when Raymond came into my life as a husband and started caring for me, I felt my mind shifting towards that affection.

When he confessed his feelings yesterday, I wavered. I needed time—a lot of time—to think about his confession, come up with a proper response, and tell him in actions that I want to love again.

But today, after listening to his drunk talk, I realized how wrong and delusional I was. Even after getting so much pain and getting betrayed, I still fell into that trap. I am an idiot.

With that in my mind and him in my arms, I fell asleep somehow. His warmth covered me completely, and when I come around, it's already morning.

The first thing I saw in the morning were a pair of beautiful long lashes. His eyes closed shut. His red, moist lips look divine, almost attracting me to touch them with mine. I have to say, I am attracted to this man.

But I immediately got up from the bed because it reminded me of the scene with my ex-boyfriend. When I was dating that trash, we would always spend time together. We would visit his rented place at every chance we could get. I would sleep there beside him and wake up like this. The difference was that he never really hugged me. I clung to him every time.

If only I knew how much he disliked me and liked my stepsister, I would have broken up with him. But I was too blinded by his love to notice a red flag in him. Or, to say, I ignored all these traits despite knowing something was wrong. Every time I felt he was wrong for me, I turned a blind eye. My heart and mind completely refused to stay away from him because he was the only one who showed me affection, even if it was fake.

When I looked back, Raymond somehow resembled him, my ex-boyfriend. The difference is that he was never into me and wanted my stepmother. But Raymond sees his lover in me, and somehow he wants me on that basis.

I left him sleeping on the bed, took my stuff, and came downstairs. Unlike yesterday, I had a full breakfast with my father-in-law today. We chatted while eating, and then I left after bidding him goodbye.

I only saw how a father treats his child in movies and in my own household while I got mistreated. I never experienced that love. But living in this house feels like bliss and heaven. This man, who's actually my father-in-law, treats me like a daughter rather than a daughter-in-law.

It's rather different in front of the Ray Entertainment company today. There's a bunch—no, too many people—in front of the company today. And they don't look like normal people, more like reporters and journalists.

But who are they waiting so eagerly for?

I took a step out of the car and was about to walk into the crowd when suddenly I got pulled back to the other side.

“Lyla, what are you doing? I would have hurt myself if you had pulled me a little harder.” I said this as I looked back.

Why did Lyla harass me just now? And she kept on peeking at the crowd, as if hiding from them.

“Lyla, did you perhaps commit something that's not appropriate?” I asked curiously.

And she shook her head like an innocent child.

“Miss Scarlet, are you really not aware of the current hot news?” She asked curiously, a little worried about that.

“Hot news? What is the hot news? And what does it have to do with these people hovering around our building? Don't tell me one of our idols is rumored to be in a relationship with any actor of another agency.” I shouldn't be, but I am curious.

And Lyla just slapped herself on the forehead after hearing me. She shook her head and then sighed, like a mother towards her daughter's naivety.

“It looks like you haven't seen the news yet. It's okay; I will show you.” Lyla took out her phone and opened the news website, and damn...

“What the...why am I trending on the news? And first search at that? Wait, the news of the new CEO of Ray Entertainment has leaked? How?” I am utterly shocked right now.

I know Ray Entertainment is a big name in the entertainment industry, but I had no idea people were so interested in knowing such a thing. Just how jobless can one be?

I am trending on the top search right now, and people are literally digging into my past.

“Hey look! The New CEO of Ray Entertainment.”

“The CEO of Ray Entertainment? Where? Where? Tell me now.”

“Look! Over there. Let's go...”

“Oh my gosh! That's really her. We need to hurry or else someone else will take the main heading.”

“Lyla, they are coming for us. Run...run girl.”