"What? Wait? Am I seeing clearly at all? I hope my eyes are the ones deceiving me because this can't be true." She said to herself when she discovered that the jewellery box was not where she saw it yesterday.
Maya carefully searched all the places he could possibly put it but saw nothing.
"Well," she shrugged.
"Maybe he's planning a surprise for me. I know your plans, Damon. You're going to plan everything and gather your staff before you'll call me to come see you at work, right? I think it would be super fantastic if I should pay him a surprise visit at the office." She said to herself and wasted no time to get herself washed in the bathroom so that she could head to the office.
After taking her bath, Maya ensured that she took enough time—more than an hour—to find the best befitting outfit for the visit.
She didn't stop at that; she had to stop at the makeup artist studio to have a light makeup on her face before she could proceed.
"Wow! So beautiful." A client at the studio beamed as she stared at the finished work on Maya.
"Yes, you're beautiful, Maya. With this, Damon will certainly remember that you are still that beautiful lady he married years ago. In fact, your beauty is appreciating, unlike most women, whose beauty depreciates after marriage." She said to herself and blushed as she stared at her radiating face and shining skin in the mirror in the artist studio before she left.
On getting to the company, she could sense some of the junior staff chatting and muttering. And also, she could hear her name being mentioned as they saw her approaching.
When they realized that she was coming closer to them, they instantly ceased and switched the topic of their conversation.
But Maya, blessed with ears so sharp, was able to hear a few of their gossips before they suddenly went mute.
"Aww, see how beautiful Mrs. Richard looks. If I have this kind of beauty, I'll make sure I marry the most handsome and richest man on earth."One of the girls commented.
"Yeah, she's naturally blessed with beauty and an attractive shape."
"But I feel pity for her, though. Despite the beauty and the the build she has, boss Damon is still not satisfied and would follow those that are not even up to half of his wife's beauty."
"That's true. My own is, I just pray that one day she doesn't visit unexpectedly and catch him in the act with his mistress."
"Good morning ma'am," they all greeted with smiling faces as Maya approached them.
Her mind was beginning to conceive different thoughts as she walked and pondered those words.
"Don't mind them, Maya. That's how junior staff are in every company; especially when they have made advances at their boss but he has turned them down." A cool romantic voice whispered to her, inwardly.
She heeded the voice and gently walked to her husband's office, squaring her shoulders with confidence.
She knew that Damon could never cheat on her. She can bet her life on that.
Damon had proven his fidelity to her since during their dating period.
In the list of the men she ever had a relationship with, Damon was the only boyfriend that proved himself worthy of her trust and love.
He had never cheated on her nor given her a reason to doubt his faithfulness.
"Maya!"
Damon uttered in surprise when he saw her enter.
When he heard a knock on his door, he was actually the one who told the person knocking to come in.
Unbeknownst to him, it was his wife. The last person he'll ever suspect would be knocking at his office door.
His eyes widened, and his brows were knitted at the sight of his wife.
That's why he always hates surprises.
He never ceases to tell any woman he got entangled with about how much he dislikes surprises.
A single surprise can cause an end to his relationship. That's how much he hates it!
He tried to open his mouth and utter another statement, but his lips couldn't move to say a word.
This was not his plan for today!
Maya noticed the confusion on his face but still decided to remain silent and waited for him to say something before she acting.
Damon thought maybe she had heard of his infidelity; that's why she decided to come to his office, unannounced.
"Y–you never told me you were coming!" Finally, he stammered with a surge of confusion and fear of the unknown in his voice.
"Is it bad for a wife to decide on paying her husband a surprise visit at the office?" She asked calmly and politely.
"N-no, not at all. Just that you know already how much I dislike surprises since when we started dating."
"I know, but we're married now, right?
Remember when the pastor told us on the altar that the two shall become one and live in unity till death do them part, right?"
"But I…"
"No, but, baby," she interrupted before he could finish talking.
Gazing at him intently, Maya could tell that everything was not okay.
She dropped her handbag and moved closer to him. Sitting on the table and facing him directly, she gradually placed her hands on his shoulders and said, "Babe, why are you sweating even when the air conditioner is working properly? You should have just taken off your jacket since you feel too hot."
She suggested politely and helped him take the coat off gradually by herself.
"Babe," she said calmly.
"You didn't care to wish me a happy birthday before you left!" she added with an extremely romantic voice.
"Oh my goodness!" He screamed, almost flopping down on her with relief.
"I'm sorry, honey. I actually had the plan of wishing you a happy birthday before I left, but the ceaseless calls I was getting from the client made me forget as I just had to rush out to work."
"So, is that why you are here?" He demanded calmly.
"Of course, yes, baby. What do you expect when I don't get a happy birthday from my world-best husband?"
Evan's racing heartbeat began to slow down as he got to know her reason for the surprise visit. He took a deep breath and heaved a sigh of relief.
"I actually have something for you," he said, making Maya blush as she waited patiently for the gift.
Left to her, it was no longer a surprise as she already knew what the gift was, but notwithstanding, the nature in which he'll present it to her and the words that would accompany the gift is what really matters.
"Close your eyes," he instructed her, and Maya did that without any delay.
Opening his drawer, Damon took out a birthday card and handed it over to her casually.
"You can now open your eyes," he said.
Maya looked around to see if anything had changed on the table but was surprised to see that the only thing that remained was the card she was holding.
Hiding her pains, she put on a faint smile and started reading the love note.
While Evans stared at her, monitoring her countenance as she read, the door was flung open without a knock.
Before he could open his lips and let out a word to ask who it was, a thin feminine voice echoed as a lady walked in.
"Sweetheart, I just made some tea for—"
The lady paused immediately as she saw Maya Woods.