Third person's POV
"What are you doing there?" Selena sneered at the intruder. Raymond didn't talk but his eyes held the same question that his woman had just asked the young lady at the entrance of his office.
The intruder flashed a weak, nervous smile at the duo. She hadn't expected that she would be caught, so she felt embarrassed.
"Don't tell you have been eavesdropping on our conversation. I did train you better than that, didn't I?" Selena slammed at the intruder, furiously.
The intruder was no other person than her daughter, Jade.
"No, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop." Jade denied.
So, what happened was; Jade, after finishing a phone call with her best friend, was heading to the kitchen to grab a snack, when she noticed her mother entering Raymond's office. The look her mother had on while entering the office made Jade's curiosity went out of control and she had approached the door, quietly.
Standing by the door, Jade had caught snippets of their conversation and her ears had perked up when she heard her mother showing serious interest in Raymond's business.
She felt a shiver run down her spine and her gut feeling insisted that something didn't feel right. Suddenly, she had lost her balance and her head hit the door, flinging it opened in the process.
"So, what were you doing? Or better still, what have you been trying to do?" Selena retorted.
Jade was flustered. She fidgeted with her fingers as she thought of what to say.
Raymond heaved a sigh as he took in the state of the girl and felt he should come to the rescue of the poor girl.
"Don't be too harsh on her, darling. I am sure she is already feeling terrible for her mistake." He said to Selena and touched her hand, placatingly.
"Of course, she should be!" Selena said, eying Jade scornfully.
"I am sorry. I am deeply sorry." Jade said to the duo, pleadingly and rushed to pull the door to close it.
"I don't know why she is being such an annoying, intrusive brat." Selena hissed angrily, still looking at the shut door as if Jade was still standing at the entrance of it.
"She is a teenager, remember? They don't know better. We just have to be forgiving towards them. They are bound to make mistakes every now and then." Raymond said to Selena, trying to pacify her.
Selena furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at Raymond.
"She is technically a new adult. She should know better by now." Selena maintained sternly and rolled her eyes.
"I am going to deal with her, later. For now, let us continue our conversation." She said to Raymond, producing the last part, gently.
Selena was actually eager to go back to the conversation.
She gave Raymond an assuring smile that seemed exaggerated and wrapped her arms around his neck, again, going back into the position they had been before Jade interrupted their moment.
"Oh, yeah, that!" Raymond stated.
"Yes. About what you said you would need me to do for you. Is it about your business? Do you perhaps has a new project at hand, that you would need me to be in charge of the execution?" Selena asked him, trying hard to not sound too eager.
"No, darling. It is not about business. For now, at least." He informed her.
The information dampened Selena's eager mood, immediately but she tried to cover it up with a chuckle.
"Okay! So, what is it about then?" She asked him, begrudgingly and removed her arms from his neck.
She rested her back on the table, facing him who was seated on the chair. Her legs touching his.
"Andrew would be turning 20 tomorrow. And I am thinking of throwing a surprise party for him. You know you are the mother figure here for him, so I would love for you to help me plan the party and be in charge of everything." Raymond informed her. He was smiling at her, sweetly.
Selena was disappointed at the announcement. That wasn't what she was expecting to hear at that moment. She couldn't hide the look of dissatisfaction on her face.
"If I have asked for too much from you, then I apologize for any inconvenience. I didn't think..." Raymond was saying, trying to be understanding of her. He thought the look on her was normal as he was just informing her of such an impromptu event. But Selena cut him short by butting in.
She had quickly masked the dissatisfaction on her face with a sweet smile.
"Your son is our son. Of course, you are not asking for too much. I was just a bit offended that you had to request politely that I be in charge of the event, when it is not as if I am a stranger. Even if it is today, I don't care. I would do anything to make it a memorable one for him and even us." She told him, overly sweetly.
A smile broke out on Raymond's face.
"Why are you such a darling? I thought you would be mad that I didn't inform you early. Thank you, darling. Come here." He said to her gratefully and pulled her to sit on his thighs, then he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"You are going to make me depend on you." He added.
"You can depend on me for anything, darling." She replied him, reassuringly.
"Thank you. I think I should let you get to work on that, already, right?" He inquired.
"Yes. I am going to come up with a list and get back to you." She told him. And he shook his head in disagreement to that, then he took hold of his wallet.
"No, you don't have to. I want you to make the decision and get everything. Here is a card that has no limits. Use it as you wish!" He said to her as he pulled out a card from his wallet and handed it to her.
Selena took the card, and gave him a soft, knowing smile.
"Won't it be better if you give me access to something else? Something important, actually, instead of this lousy, unimportant party!" She gritted to herself, inwardly, while she had the soft knowing smile plastered on her face.
"Okay, expect nothing but the best!" She said to him.
He nodded and smiled at her, appreciatively and afterwards she left his office.
~
Jade's POV
I didn't hear any knock on the door, I just heard the door open and I knew who was it.
She was the only one who could do that. My mother!
She breezed into the room and I could see the scowl on her face.
I was already waiting for her, so I didn't give a hoot about her frown. I had a few things to ask her. So, I stood up immediately from the reading table when I had been staring at my English textbook, mindlessly.
"Mom!" I wanted to begin talking but she didn't allow me to land before she sprung into action ...