"So what do you want to talk about??" Nicole folded her arms around her chest as she stared at Raymond.
Raymond cleared his throat as he rubbed his palm on his Jean trousers, looking like a nervous wreck. "Umm—firstly, we ca here not because we wanted to stalk you and your best friend—" he scratched the back of his neck. "We just found so suspicious n lurking around."
Hearing that so people were probably looking and stalking her and Jasmine, Nicole paled instantly. "Oh. God. Hailey.." She quickly tried to dash off but Raymond stopped her.
"Hold on. I don’t an they are here now—" Raymond cleared his throat. "Hailey is safe."
"What are you even talking about??"
"Kingsley and I saw so n trailing behind you ladies so we decided to co be with you both so they don’t try anything funny. Especially if Kingsley is there. But it turns out, the n are just street-level thugs. No biggie."
Nicole rolled her eyes. "Thugs are big deals too."
"No. In comparison to the n who had tried to eliminate Miss Jasmine a few weeks ago?? No."
Nicole sighed as she looked around. She spotted Jasmine rolling her eyes nonstop while Kingsley was trying to talk to her. "Talking about people who tried to harm Jasmine. Are they really after her or just sothing else??"
Raymond shrugged. "I think they have their reasons and whatever it may be—Kingsley won’t allow anything to happen to Jasmine. He loves her." Raymond looked towards Kingsley and Jasmine’s direction and he smiled softly. "He’s been a total shit since she left."
Nicole scoffed loudly. "But he divorced her. Nonsense."
"You can’t really bla him. I think he’s trying to fix his mistakes now. He’s human after all and has emotions too..." Raymond sighed. "And people do make mistakes. How they choose to rectify them matters."
"Not all mistakes can be rectified," Nicole grumbled.
"Tell why you think so," Raymond whispered, his eyes peering deeply at her as their conversation took a different deeper level.
Nicole stared into space as she recounted. "So people make mistakes and their actions cut others really hard. Of course they are imperfect but what about the person that was at the receiving end of their mistakes??" She smiled sadly. "It sotis leaves a stigma and the damages can’t be fixed especially when it involves lives."
"That’s plausible but in the end, I think it still depends on the level of love you have for the person...."
Nicole shook her head. "No. You can love soone and still be away from them...sotis, because you are too hurt and afraid to face them. You don’t hate them, you are just scared and too bruised."
Raymond remained silent. The silence stretched between them as they locked gazes. Emotions brewed. Unspoken words hung above them as they just stared at themselves until Raymond whispered.
"And what if they try to reach out to correct that mistake??" He didn’t blink. His voice was barely above a whisper.
Nicole swallowed hard, and a sudden pressure ford behind her eyes as they burned hot. "Sotis, love isn’t just enough."
"Then, what is..??"
Nicole bit her lower lip before blinking. A sudden heat crawled up her back. "I don’t know. Doesn’t change the fact that so things can’t change."
"They can. If we want to, that’s it."
"How??"
Raymond leaned forward. "That’s where your love cos in. If you love them, you’d want to fight every odd to be with them."
Nicole remained silent as his words settled in the depths of her heart. ’Fight every odd.’ They replayed in her head.
Raymond reached out and placed his hot palm on hers, he didn’t remove his gaze from her as he told her. "I’m reaching out, Nicole, and I’m not going to give up—push away and say all manner of ill stuff. I might take a step back for a little while before I co back running to you."
Nicole raised her eyes to et his, her throat constricted. Yet again—he was still proving that he was the man she fell in love with.
"I’m not going anywhere." He promised. "When you are ready to tell my flaws, I’ll be right here waiting to listen."
"You—-" Nicole trailed off. "You don’t have to waste your life waiting upon a single mother like . You are rich. Handso and quite untouchable. anwhile—I’m...." She shrugged. "Just an ordinary woman."
"Nine years ago, I felt sothing deep for you and I chased you. I dated you because I loved you..." Raymond sighed. "And I think I still love you, Nicole. You just keep pushing away when I still don’t know what I did."
"It’s been seven years, Raymond. You can’t—"
"I can and I will, Nicole. Don’t try to make think or feel otherwise."
Nicole shut her mouth after that, just staring at Raymond. After a brief mont of silence, she relented. "Fine."
—
—
anwhile....
Jasmine snarled. "You can’t keep ."
"That’s the only part you picked out of my statent??" Kingsley frowned.
"Yes. Because it caught my interest more." Jasmine argued back. "I don’t want anything to do with you."
"I am not forcing you into anything with . Firstly, it’s dangerous out there and with these people after you—I’m not comfortable with you staying with Nicole even though so guards are placed around to protect you. You are not safe there. Just co ho with while Raymond will make sure to keep Nicole and Hailey safe too."
"No. It’s not about you. If you are not comfortable with where I live, that’s on you. I won’t leave Nicole’s apartnt to co stay in the mansion that used to be my ho—once upon a ti." Jasmine could feel her anger rising underneath her skin just by thinking about the divorce they had had. It made her hormones jump.
"It’s still ho."
"No. It’s not. We’re divorced, Kingsley. I’ll be changing the na on my certificate soon and have your last na off."
"You are being difficult, Jasmine."
"And you’re being greedy." Jasmine snapped. Thankfully, there was no one near except the bartenders. "You divorced like I had no thoughts and feelings and now, you show up and want under your roof again. Simply because of what?? You are uncomfortable with where I live."
Kingsley massaged his forehead. "It’s not about that and you know it. These n are after you and it’s safer at my place. Don’t you get it??"
"I can get my dad to send people to protect or worse still, I can move over to my parents’ house."
Kingsley scoffed loudly. At the ntion of Moore Trevor, he mocked her. "Oh. Right. Daddy’s baby...for your information, your father is working with these n who are after your head!"
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