Raylen is back at work, fully aware that his countless subordinates have mostly seen the pictures of him and Bethany that are circulating around like wildfire. The ten-storey office building must be alive with whispered speculations and guesses.
No one is stupid enough to gossip in front of him though.
Truth to be told, he does not really give a flying fuck. He can simply feign ignorance, and he does just that.
However, he knows there are people who care. And unfortunately for him, he does give a damn about some of these people.
As he mulls over his options, he begins folding a paper plane with a scrap piece of paper.
Henry is most likely fuming at home, on the verge of yet another heart attack and muttering angrily about reputation and honour and whatnot. Raylen is sorely tempted to go on an impromptu "business" trip—perhaps to Ashford with Cornelius to meet up with Livia and Cornelia—but he knows he has to face the old man's wrath sooner or later. If so, better sooner than later.
Livia is more difficult to read. He is not sure how she will react—excluding his attachment to Delaney, he was never unfaithful to her during their marriage. She should not be hurt given that she seems to have completely fallen out of love with him, but she may feel disrespected and humiliated by the public attention his one-night stand is receiving.
He will have to make this up to her somehow. Something bigger than the bracelet of rubies and diamonds originally meant for her. Something more… substantial to better reflect his sincerity. Perhaps a seaside property that she can pass to Cornelia. Or, against the old man's wishes, a stake in Vale Enterprises.
He will need to take her out for dinner too. To talk through this like mature adults.
She will be at Labar soon after her stay at Ashford. He will fly to her after dealing with his old man.
Before he can plan further, he hears a knock on his door.
"Come in."
Kai walks sheepishly in. "Yo."
Raylen tosses the paper plane in Kai's general direction. It ends up planting itself in the lawyer's messy black hair. "You promised that your guest lists were carefully vetted," he complains.
"They usually are, but the manager that day was new. Regardless, I've already fired him. Next time I'll hire an asexual who is unmoved by both the charms of men and women."
"Well, what's done is done."
Kai shakes his head in disagreement. "No, I don't think things are so simple."
"Oh?"
"You may not remember, but I distinctly recall seeing whatsherface before she showed up at Elysium."
"She is called Bethany," Raylen states under his breath.
"I don't care," replies Kai in the same low voice, "about the names of your liaisons. My memory space is too limited to keep vast amounts of useless information."
"Fine," Raylen says, "you have a point. Continue with what you were saying."
"Thank you. Like I said, I recall seeing her at the press conference. I only remember because she asked you an easy question. That's quite uncharacteristic of the media."
"You're suggesting that she was trying to get close to me? Well, she succeeded, but I have no intentions of extending this relationship."
Kai looks at him with mild exasperation. "How are you so smart yet so dense? Don't you find it strange that the day she managed to sneak into Elysium, a photographer did too?"
"Ah, I see what you mean."
"She is probably trying to pressure you into a relationship with the media on her side."
"It's not going to work," Raylen replies with a yawn, already losing interest. "I will not be rumoured into a romance."
"It's not like she knows that," Kai retorts. "Anyways, this is just to remind you to be mindful. The media can be sneaky, and she is a reporter too. But this is not the main reason why I'm here today."
"What's the real reason? And don't you have work to do?"
"Other people's work is always more interesting," answers Kai glibly.
"So you are just running away from your own work."
"I prefer to think of it as expanding my horizons. Anyways, I know you're the CEO, but there's a candidate for the new Department of Public Relations whom you may want to interview yourself."
Raylen snorts. "That is beneath me."
"Usually, I will agree, but not this time."
"And why is that?"
Kai turns the folder he is holding around to face Raylen. Inside the folder is a passport-sized photo, too small for Raylen to see the details, but big enough for him to see the fair hair and pale eyes.
"Because," Kai continues in a triumphant tone, "the candidate is none other than your beloved Janus Allister."
"Janus Allister," protests Raylen, "is not my beloved."
"Really? I suppose she is no Bethany. I guess there's no need to make an exception for her then. I'll let HR know." Kai turns to leave.
"Wait. Wait! I will interview her myself."
Kai smirks with satisfaction. "I knew you would not be able to resist."
Frankly speaking, Raylen does not know why he said that. He does not really know what he is getting himself into either. This is an uncharacteristic impulsiveness he hasn't experienced since he was a young adult.
"When is the interview?" he asks.
"Tomorrow noon sharp."
Raylen frowns. "That is not a great time for an interview. It is lunch hour."
Kai rolls his eyes. "Blame your Department of Human Resources then. Or your formidable father. This company's unspoken policy has always been to schedule interviews at odd times to see if candidates really want to join."
Raylen cannot help but cringe inwardly. This is something he ought to phase out soon. It is quite a backwards policy. Rather unreasonable and petty too. But that is pretty in line with his father's personality. "I guess it is too late to change the interview slot for Janus."
"Janus?" echoes Kai teasingly. "Janus? Are you on a first name basis with her now?"
"You seem very excited," says Raylen pointedly, "by what should be a standard interview for an entry-level job."
"Of course I am excited. I want to see her too."