CHAPTER 3: A Hidden Encounter

Raymond Wright sat behind his desk, his attention fixed on the file in front of him. At twenty-eight, he had already built Hathut Corporation into one of the city's most successful companies yet his face remained a mystery to the public.

Unlike other CEOs who chased magazine covers and interviews, Raymond avoided cameras completely. Even most of his employees had never met him. He would reach his office through his private stairs and elevators on the few days that he visited the office since he never had to think about the wellbeing of the business as his closest friend, Maurice, took care of everything for him.

So while Raymond was the mind behind the empire, Maurice was the face the world knew.

The door opened and Ray raised his head as Maurice, his right-hand man walked in, "I was just informed you canceled the meeting that was meant to hold this morning with the directors? " He asked as he walked in and took the seat opposite Ray.

“Yeah, I did”.

“Why? You're not the kind of person who will cancel plans so abruptly. Do you feel ill?

“No, I'm not. I'm going to be needing a break for some time, so I will need you to step in and take care of things here at the office. Especially in meetings with the directors. " Ray said, making Maurice raise a brow. 

“Step in?” Maurice repeated, giving him a look. “Haven’t I been doing that all this while? Sometimes I wonder why you're ridiculously rich, yet you hide from everyone.Why did you bother making money if you're determined to live like a ghost”.Maurice said, making Ray chuckle. 

“The new director who was supposed to resume today at the fashion unit, has she arrived at her office yet? " Tom asked Maurice, giving him a questioning look. 

“Why are you so interested in her?“You woke me up last night just to confirm her name. Now you're asking about her first thing this morning. What's going on?. Did something happen? Or perhaps you know her from somewhere? " Maurice asked 

curiously. 

Ray was silent for a moment, tapping his fingers against the desk. Maurice was the only person he trusted with the truth.

“Yeah. I met her at the club last night,” he said casually.

Maurice’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“The club?” he repeated.

“Miss Victoria Conrad?” Maurice stared at him as if he had just announced he had met a unicorn. “I don’t think so. Are you sure you saw the right person?”

“According to everything I have heard about her, she is a workaholic with zero social life. The woman practically lives in her office. I heard she stays long after everyone else has gone home, so the idea of her sitting in a nightclub sounds impossible.” Maurice said, making Ray smile.

“I don’t doubt that,” Ray said with an amused smile. “She only moved in yesterday, so I guess she wanted to celebrate her promotion yesterday.She definitely looked like a fish out of water, though.”

“You didn’t happen to talk to Miss Conrad, did you?” Maurice asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

The question made Ray grin as memories of the previous night came rushing back.

He had not wanted to take advantage of her while she was drunk, so he had stepped outside and taken a long walk to clear his head. By the time he returned, she had already fallen asleep, just as he expected.He had carefully removed her contact lenses, before getting her to cooperate with him, and then he had dressed her up. 

“I even drank with her,” Ray admitted, leaving out the details he knew would only embarrass Vicky.

“You drank with her?” Maurice repeated, clearly surprised.

“Yeah. But she has no idea who I am, and I intend to keep it that way. So I need you to help me keep an eye on her.”

Maurice stared at him for a moment before narrowing his eyes.

“Wait… does this have anything to do with why you canceled the meeting? Did you know she was going to be late?” His expression changed suddenly. “Don’t tell me you spent the night with her.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Ray said with a small laugh. “She drank a lot last night, and considering it was probably her first time letting loose like that, I figured waking up wouldn’t be easy for her.”

He looked at Maurice seriously.

“So when she shows up late, don’t give her a hard time. You can scold her for being late, but don’t be too harsh.”Maurice leaned back in his chair, studying Ray’s face. The explanation sounded rehearsed, and he knew his friend too well to believe it.

He eventually nodded, but the look in his eyes made it obvious he didn’t believe a word Ray had just said to him.

Victoria knew she wasn't just late. She was catastrophically late. She was resuming at the office by past 12PM, for a meeting she was scheduled to have by 8:30AM. She could only pray that a miracle would happen and save her from this embarrassment. No one at her former office would believe it if they heard she was resuming work four hours late. She always prided herself at being at least thirty minutes early to every meeting. 

“Good morning, how may I help you? " One of the female receptionists at the front desk of the building asked, with a polite smile. 

“Hi! I'm Victoria Conrad. I'm supposed to be resuming at the fashion unit today. I need directions. " She replied as she showed them her identity card. 

“Oh! You're welcome, Miss Conrad. Please take the elevator to the third floor and turn left. That's where the fashion unit is located.”

“Thank you.”Victoria smiled gratefully before walking away.

The moment she was out of earshot, the receptionist picked up the phone and dialed a number.

“Hello, sir. The lady you told me about just arrived.”

“Thanks”.Maurice said as he hung up. 

It was time to see this lady that had left quite an impression on his friend.

Maurice walked out of his office and headed toward the third floor.