Chapter 45: Chapter 45

A DIFFERENT INTAKE OF BREATHE

JANELLE

She walked slowly around the house, exploring the beauty and sheer masculinity of his gigantic mansion. It looked so quiet, not just looked, but it was quiet. She stopped by the transparent glass window, staring outside, enjoying the calm and cool serenity of the house.

The hairs at the back of her neck stood in alert, she felt someone's presence and prying eyes making holes at the back of her head. She swallowed.

"Had he come back to her?" she asked herself, referring to Rashid. She felt giddy in anticipation, wanting and waiting to hear his voice, her hands held tightly to the clutches in her both hands, that she felt if she kept on with how she held the clutches tightly, she would bleed.

She stood frozen at the spot, but then, the scent emanating from the person behind her, wasn't a male smell, it smelt of lilac and flowers.

She slapped herself mentally, hadn't she just told him never to come here without her permission?, And now she was wishing for him to be here?. She sighed softly.

"Miss Janelle." A tiny, soft voice like that of a Nightingale bird called her.

She wiped the tears off her eyes swiftly, not wanting whosoever was at her back to know she was on the verge of crying her lungs out. She turned whimpering slightly as she faced the lady... No, little girl. Judging from how wild her hair is, and her tiny little figure, Janelle could tell she was younger than the girl.

The little girl walked swiftly to Janelle's sides as she helped her to a couch and made her seat down, her eyes twinkling at the corners.

"Philippa" the little girl said shyly, holding onto the Hem of her long, flowing dress, as she ducked her head shyly a blush marring her chin.

Janelle looked at the young girl for long and the first thing that came to her mind was, "What she was doing here?, What relationship she has with Rashid?." But she didn't want the girl to look at her like an adversary.

"You, you live here?" Janelle asked.

Philippa nodded her head, her cheeks flushed.

"Ohhhh." Janelle said to herself.

"You've been here alone?" she asked.

"Sometimes, other times Rashid keeps me company." Philippa replied, smiling broadly.

"Rashid?" Janelle questioned herself internally. Just what do they share together, or have they done together that makes her call him by his name. No one ever did that, asides his family, his bestfriend and herself, so now, someone else had joined the SHIP-WITH-RASHID TEAM?.

"I see you're the new company. I heard you're beautiful, but I didn't know it was to such extent, never knew someone could be as beautiful as this and you look so innocent. Yes, I won't forget that, Rashid said..." she halted immediately, a look of terror on her face.

Janelle saw the expression on her face and she was bothered by it, "Philippa?" she called.

The girl didn't answer, she was fumbling with the buttons on her dress fastly, as she began looking around the sitting room.

"What did he say?" Janelle pressurized further, wanting to know how much, just how much of herself that Rashid had revealed to Philippa. She couldn't help but think otherwise, still in there, in her heart, it told her it was something different than she thought, buts he wanted to think otherwise, needed to, for the sake of her mental health.

"I'm sorry Miss, but I need to get back to my room, whatever you need, you could use the telephone. I would be here immediately." Philippa said as she ran to her room hastily.

Janelle sighed, her brows arched in wild consternation, a Lady walked inside, with her dressing, there was no doubt she was the nutritionist Rashid told her about earlier. The lady smiled at her, before urging her to the Dining room.

~~~~~~~~~

Tiffany, Rashids' secretary walked hastily into Rashids' office, she groaned and walked out immediately, after realizing she didn't knock before coming in.

"Oops," she drawled, taking joy in Rashids' discomfort.

"S-sir" she stuttered, a deep frown and harsh growl from Rashid made words to start flowing from her mouth.

"It's the media." she finally spoke up.

He turned to face her, his hands going wildly through his hair, as his tongue swiped through his lower lips in an unconscious gesture.

"What happened to the media?" he questioned.

"They er-erm, it said your wife, e-er-erm, she was e-er-er-eeerm, the video it's all over the internet." she stammered, uncertain about what he would do to her.

"What are you talking about?__" he growled harshly before grabbing the iPad from her hands and there was an X-Rated movie playing in the iPad.

Rashid frowned, he brought the iPad closer to his face to take a good look at it, now, what he saw wasn't his wife, but someone had leaked it and said it to be his eye, even after all this years?, His subconscious wheezed.

"Fûck!!" he cursed, as he threw the iPad on the tiled floor of his office and began stomping hard on it in an attempt to break it.

"How did you get it?, Who sent it to you?" he kept throwing multiple questions at her.

"It's on the internet, all over the social media." she replied shakily with a trembling voice.

"Should I contact the influencers to take it down or what?" she asked.

He thought of it, mid-thinking he shook his head negatively. Now this it it, he knew if he ordered for the video to be taken down, everyone would believe that it's his wife, Janelle, but if he acts nonchalantly about it, then everything would die down.

If she had really cheated on him, he would have taken it down, it would hurt his ego.

He hoped in his mind that Janelle doesn't see it. She would fûcking hate him more than she already has.

"No, you can leave" he ordered, wanting and needing to go back to his work, as that was his only solace.

She still stood, rooted to the spot, Rashid arched a brow at her, "What else do you want?" he asked.

"They're are in the lobby." she said, ducking her head to avoid his gaze.

"Who?" he knew the answer, but he needed to be sure.

"The Reporters," she replied briskly.

"Sir there's something else," she continued, "We got a mail from an unknown person. It's erm, it's about the money that was shifted from the NOVATO's MODELLING AGENCY." she said, taking turns resting her weight on her legs.

Rashids' brows creased in a frown, "Send in the mail, immediately!" he bawled, "And tell the security team I give them thirty seconds to send them out." he thundered, keeping his temper in check as she walked aimlessly around his office.

Few minutes later, Tiffany walked into the office after she had gotten a call from Rashid to come up to his office.

He had a Stern look on his face as he cross checked the email over and over again.

"So what are you trying to say?" he asked her.

"It's not me Sir, but linking the email, the account it was shifted to is a private account of The Sheikh. There could be a mole, someone very close..." she hesitated going further, seeing the scowl on Rashids' face.

"Get out!" he barked. Different thoughts rummaging through his head, for the past five years, his father hadn't asked him about NOVATO'S MODELLING AGENCY. He didn't want to think his father has been the one messing up with his head. No?. As Tiffany said, there is a mole, and he was going to fish out the person.