Chapter 14 (1/1)

It had been a long week for Charmaine.  She was tired and physically and emotionally drained from working for Raymond Lam.  He was a very demanding boss and it seems she was forever on call.  She didn't even have time to herself anymore.  When he was not filming, he wanted her to rehearse lines with him.  And even when that was done, he'll come up with at least a dozen tasks for her to do just to keep her busy.  Last night they had gotten a last minute notice that the filming for the remaining episodes of the series Raymond was in will be taking place in Shanghai.  So here she was, on the plane sitting next to Raymond as the plane prepared itself to land.Charmaine glanced out the window bleakly.  She didn't want to go to Shanghai.  She wanted to remain in Hong Kong where Kevin was.  Thinking back to her dinner date with Kevin last night brought a dreamy smile to her face.  After that first time she didn't think he would ask her out again.  But he did.  He called her back the next day and invited her out to dinner.  Charmaine had a wonderful time with him.  Being with Kevin was relaxing and fun.  He made her feel important and special, hanging onto her every word and catering to all her needs.  He was so different from Raymond, who only knew how to scowl and bark orders out at her.  If Charmaine were to compare the two, Kevin will definitely come out the winner.  Sure, Raymond was good looking and all but his hateful personality and arrogance was a big turn off.  Kevin, on the other hand, not only was he good looking, he was also warm and friendly.  He has this natural charisma that made him likeable, even to those who barely knew him.  In sum, Kevin was the kind of guy females wanted to have for a husband.  Dreaming about what life would be if indeed Kevin was her husband, Charmaine didn't realize that they have landed and that Raymond was looking down at her with impatience."Are you ready to get off the plane?" Raymond asked with the usual scowl on his face whenever he deemed to speak to her.Charmaine snapped out of her thoughts and swiftly stood up.  In her haste she bumped her head against the overhead.  Whimpering softly from the pain, she followed Raymond down the narrow aisle of the plane and to the exit.  The moment they emerged from the arrival gates, a mob of reporters descended on them.  Flocked on all sides with bodyguards, Raymond and Charmaine slowly made their way through the herds of reporters who now surrounded them in a tight circle."Raymond, can you tell us how long you'll be in Shanghai for?" one reporter asked as she stuck her microphone in front of Raymond's face."Where will you be staying?" another asked from his left."Will Myolie be coming to visit you?" another fired from his right."Is it true that you don't get along with your co-star Linda Chung?"  "What about your other co-star, Bosco Wong?"  "Are you and Bosco competing for screen time?"  "Rumor has it that you're courting Linda, is it true?"The reporters continued with their questions and Raymond continued to ignore them with a smile firmly fixed in place.  As they drew closer to the exit, the reporters seem to sense that they're losing time in getting a comment from him and hence became more aggressive as they inched even more closer to him."Raymond, you once said you don't have a girlfriend, is this still true?" a male reporter asked as he shoved his way to the front.  During the pushing and shoving he accidentally elbowed Charmaine in the ribs making her yelp out in pain.Raymond heard Charmaine's little cry and immediately wrapped his arms protectively around her.  Holding her securely in his arms, he pushed himself against the reporters to leave the airport.  "Are you alright?" he whispered into her ear.With the pain slowly ebbing away, Charmaine nodded her head but then another reporter in his haste to ask a question whacked his microphone against Charmaine's head.  The blow made her dizzy for a second and Raymond felt her stagger in his arms.  Glaring furiously at the reporter, he hissed icily, "Stay back or else I'm calling the cops."Seeing the thunderous look on Raymond's face, the reporter immediately took a step back as did the rest of them.  Finally reaching the waiting car, Raymond helped Charmaine into it and slammed the door quickly shut.  He saw her touching her forehead and reached his own hand out to probe the small bump that was now showing.  "Does it hurt a lot?" he asked softly.Astounded by his tenderness, Charmaine narrowed her eyes at him and snorted, "Yes it does.  Are you happy about it?""No, I'm not," Raymond responded defensively.  "Do you think I get my kicks out of seeing people pushed and shoved, or even hurt because of me?"Charmaine looked him in the eye and said, "Yes I do."Strangely saddened by her response, Raymond said quietly, "Then you really don't know me at all.""And I don't want to," Charmaine said just as quietly before turning away from him to look out the window.They sat in stony silence as the driver took them to their destination.  It must have been over an hour before the car finally pulled to a stop.  Raymond got out of the car and scanned the area.  All he saw was a handful of two story units scattered around the courtyard they were in.  He looked further beyond the buildings but didn't see any hotels within distance.  Perplexed he asked the driver, "Where's the hotel?"The driver shrugged as he went to the back of the car and began unloading their luggage.Charmaine had gotten out of the car and was now looking around with apprehension.  This area looked too rural to have an upscale hotel.  In fact, upon closer observation, she noted this was what one would call living in the countryside.  Confused by why they were driven here instead of a hotel, she walked over to the driver and said, "There must be some mistake.  Can you check the address again?"The driver shook his head, "Sorry Miss but there's no mistake.  This is the address I was given.""But, it can't be.  This is definitely a big mistake…," Raymond injected and his words trailed off when he spotted the Director, Joe Ma, coming out from one of the two story buildings.  "Joe, what's going on?"Joe held his hand out for Raymond to relax and went over to pay the driver.  "Thanks."  The driver smiled at the large bill and quickly pocketed it.  With a thanks of his own, he jumped back into the car and took off."What's going on?" Raymond asked as soon as the sound of the car drifted away."This is where we're staying," Joe said matter of factly and bent to retrieve Raymond's luggage from the ground.  Hoisting it over a shoulder he gave them an apologetic smile and said, "I'll show you your quarters.  Follow me."Charmaine followed behind Raymond as they were led by Joe up a small hill to another handful of two story buildings.  Only these looked more modern than the ones below.  Entering the old building there was a door on the left and a concrete staircase on the right.  Joe went up the stairs and stopped in front of a lone door on the landing.  He swung the door open and stepped in.  "You guys will be staying here."Raymond walked into the flat and was surprised that it looked better inside than it did out.  In fact, the furnishing and décor can compete with a five star hotel.  He noted that there was a fully equipped kitchen with high end appliances, a dining area with a marble table, and a spacious living room with a 60 inch flat screen TV.  Next to the wall where the TV hung was a patio door leading to a balcony that overlooked the mountains below.  The view was absolutely beautiful and Raymond found himself admiring the scene with a peaceful smile.  "How about bedrooms?"Joe waved his hand for them to follow and led them down a short hall where two doors faced each other.  "There are two bedrooms here and each of them has its own bathroom inside."Raymond opened one of the bedroom doors and the room was just as lavished as the space outside.  He walked in and checked out the adjacent bathroom.  Like the rest of the place, the bathroom was elegantly furnished with expensive décor and hardware.  Running a finger along the shiny marble counters, Raymond made a high pitched whistle, "Nice!"Joe smiled with relief.  He had been afraid that Raymond wouldn't like it and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.  All the hotels in the area were completely booked and this was the only place he could find for rent on such short notice.  Luckily, the realtor who found him these flats weren't boasting when he said the flats were comparable to those of a penthouse in a five star hotel.  "I'm glad you approve."Charmaine waited in the hallway until Joe turned his attention on her.  When he did, she asked, "Is my flat the one downstairs?"Puzzled by her question, Joe said, "Huh?  You're staying here with Raymond.""What?" Charmaine gasped in shock.  She glanced over at Raymond who had on a lazy grin, seemingly enjoying her discomfort.  "Shouldn't I be sharing with a female?  It's not appropriate for us to stay here together."Joe smiled kindly at her and said placately, "Charmaine, you're his assistant.  It makes perfect sense for the two of you to share this flat.  Besides, what's the big deal?  You'll have your own rooms and bathrooms so there's more than enough privacy for the both of you.""I prefer not to," Charmaine said sulkily.Joe shrugged his shoulders helplessly and said, "I'm sorry but all the other females have already finalized their living arrangements.  Linda has her own flat but she will not share it with anyone, not even her own assistant.  So that's out of the question."Raymond stepped forward to stand in front of her.  Looking down at her with a smug smile, he asked softly, "Just what are you afraid of?""Afraid?" Charmaine repeated sarcastically.  "I'm not afraid of anything!"Smiling devishly at her, Raymond said, "Since you're not afraid of anything then I don't see any problems with us sharing this flat."  He abruptly turned back to Joe and said, "Thanks for finding this great place for us.  I'm sure we'll make ourselves right at home before you know it."  He then turned back to Charmaine and asked playfully, "Won't we?" and took pleasure in seeing her face flare up in anger.