Chapter Seventy; Peace and Danger

Maybe Rebecca had somehow lost it. Maybe this was just a plot to get closer to him or even to Amanda.

If she was obsessed with him, then her closeness with him and Amanda wasn't safe. 

Obsession does crazy things to people and drives them to also do crazy things which most of them can be dangerous.

Was Rebecca a dangerous psychopath?

Rebecca had dropped the coffee on his desk but was standing there still wearing an odd smile.

"I think I am no longer needed for now," Amanda said before standing to her feet and heading to the exit.

Ray tossed the thought of Rebecca being a psychopath aside as he remembered how very oriented she was. She could be a perfectionist to a fault but she wasn't a psychopath.

"Thank you,"  he said moving his attention away from her.

"Mmm feels good to be back here," she said looking around the office.

"Is it?" Ray asked, slightly looking up at her and then back to what he was doing. 

"Yes, reminds me of the good old days," she said with a smile, moving closer to the shelf just adjacent to Ray's desk. She reached the shelve, running her hands through its content and reaching for a book. 

"Mm, you kept this?" She asked looking down at a book titled "Ophelia," yes it was the popular tale of Ophelia.

"I remember gifting you this," she said as she flipped to the title page where it had Raymond's name written with a heart drawn just beside it. She traced her fingers through it with a smile. She stood like that for a split second, running her hands over the handwritten name before her smile faded in a blink of an eye. She closed the book, immediately placing it where she got it from and leaving it there.

"Nothing much changed here," she said moving closer to Ray's side. She got to him, resting on the table by the space just beside him. Raymond looked up at her, his displeasure with her closeness a little obvious but he figured he had to get used to it. Rebecca would not be easily disposed and he knew that. 

"Mmm..." Ray let out before he took his attention back to his desk. He knew it was a little true because the only thing that changed was some of the furniture, but most still maintained the same position and even the same color.

"I remember all the memories we made here, the beautiful memories that had forever become a part of me," Rebecca spoke while her gaze dropped to her hands which were fumbling with each other.

Raymond felt the energy in the room change, he knew where that topic of conversation could easily head to and he wanted nothing to do with his past activities in this office, especially if it involved Rebecca.

"I need to focus on what I have got going on here, maybe we can have his conversation when I am less occupied." He spoke, moving his back to rest on the chair as he noticed the look of disappointment on her face.

"She stood from the desk, reaching and tapping his shoulders.

"Sorry, I will let you work," her cheek embraced a faint smile but her displeasure with his dismissal still showed.

"I will appreciate that," he responded.

Amanda saw Rebecca leaving Ray's office minutes later, she tried to think nothing of it, whatever their relationship is was none of her business, so whatever they did together would not concern her. 

She and Lang later went for a lunch break where they met Ray's proposed replacement,  Mark. Who surprisingly was at their spot having lunch too. 'what a coincidence right?' a coincident that might be man made, specifically made by the one and only Lang.

"Hey ladies," Mark greeted. Amanda let out a weird questionable smile acknowledging his greeting before moving over to sit at another side.

"Hey, you..." Lang responded.

"I didn't know this floor had a different cafeteria, thanks for bringing me to the light. Mark said with an uncertain smile as he must have meant the last line as a joke. Lang let out a fake laugh before saying " you are welcome."

Amanda looked at the two people who both suddenly seemed weird. She took another glance at them before silently proceeding to dig into her lunch.

"Well, here is Amanda, Lang introduced her, though she didn't think they needed an introduction. They knew each other and had said hello a few times, so, if they were meant to be friends, they would have by now. 

"Hey, I am Mark, I am the new head of the engineering sector, though recently promoted."

Amanda was struggling to swallow the mouth full of pasta she had in her mouth before she responded.

Well, thanks to Lang, she had recently found out that his name was Mark, and is now being informed of his position which she didn't know before now.

"Oh, impressive," Amanda let out.

He reached out his hands and they had a handshake.

Mark was a man who could be in his early thirties. He wasn't too tall as he was about 5'7 to 5'9, she wasn't too sure. He was a white man, not slender, not broad. His body structure was average and so was his face too, even though she had to agree that he looked good in a way. He wore low cut hair with his hair was slightly grown, but not bushy.

"I think you are beautiful," he said as she almost choked on her food.

Okay, hold on...

Mark was openly flirting with her? 

Did he know about her and Raymond, his boss?

Or was Mark new to socializing that he had never heard of her and Ray?

Speaking of Ray! She remembered telling him of her new non existing boyfriend.  She wondered if perhaps her friendship with Mark could fill that puzzle in for her.

She quickly let that idea go due to the fact that they were in the same work environment and Ray was their boss.

They were done with lunch and she was back at her desk. Just one hour later, Ray left the office informing her he needed a particular document sorted out. She was grateful they were able to talk over their new relationship, or she would have to be in a toxic work environment, one that might involve a negative energy toward her boss or even from him.

She was finally very single, however not too single because she had told a lie to be able to be free. She wondered what would happen next, would Ray get a new girlfriend? Her heart hurt at the thought of that. She hated how she couldn't go five minutes without thinking of him or what he would do next. Without thinking of if his old flame with Rebecca was still there.

He once told her they were no more, but somehow, she felt that if it was real love, then it could still be there somehow. And if it comes alive again? What if his old flame becomes reignited? would he move on with Rebecca like they had nothing? Like there was nothing between them? 

she remembered Ray's word when he claimed he was happy for her, that was a lie right? he didn't move on that fast? she wasn't that easy to let go of?

She could say she knew Ray to an extent, but this morning, his talk with her sounded genuine, like it was from the heart, his only concern was that she maintained a cordial relationship with him as her boss. 

She was the one who broke up, but she felt like it was the other way round, and seeing his response only made it worse.

'but what was he supposed to do?' she asked herself.

'you claimed to now have a boyfriend, he had to let you go, she filled the blanks herself.

She sighed, 'it was for the best' she assured herself. 'with time this hurt will go away, maybe giving someone a chance would make it faster' she concluded.

She sighed realizing how far gone she was into her out-of-place thought. 

She put her head down on her desk before muttering some words.

"What is your business with what happens after?!, Why do you still care? Why was it hard to move on? 

She let out a little cry before raising her head off the desk and reminding her self that she and Ray were done, she has a new boyfriend now and maybe she should focus on making that lie realistic.

Boom!

She heard as she jumped on her feet with her hair flying all over her face. 

Someone had walked in on her, maybe someone dangerous, maybe someone with bad intent.

Her heart jumped, and her blood pumped faster, she was enveloped in fear.

Someone save her...

Thank you guys for reading my book, I also appreciate all your reviews.

And please be patient with the story as more unfolds.

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