Behind The Mask

Chapter 24

Michael’s POV

I have never been so angry in ages! I read some of the dreadful magazines and MY OWN publicist confirmed that Lisa and I were dating again. No wonder Anouk didn’t believe me. No wonder she won’t answer the phone. When I am surrounded by incompetents, who start saying things about me, without consulting with me first, no wonder my life is fucked up!

I have managed to contain my anger all through the car ride to my offices. I take the stairs – I have no patience to wait for the elevator – and I make a dash straight to Raymone’s office.

“Who in the hell gave you the right to say I’m dating Lisa???? Have I given you the least impression that I’m interested in her again? Have I INSTRUCTED you to say so?”

“Good day to you, too, Michael.”

“The hell it’s a good day! Who…how and why did you start confirming to all the fucking tabloids that I’m seeing Lisa again?”

“Because these damned pictures showed up, and phones started ringing like crazy, and you were cooped up with your lawyers and I couldn’t get hold of you!”

I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.

“And what did you do next, Raymone?”

“The last thing I could resort to – I called Lisa’s publicist.”

“And she told you we were dating again…”

“Yes. That you’re thinking about giving it another try….”

“And you believed that!”

“I had no reason not to…”

“Yes, you had. The main reason being that Lisa has been acting spiteful against me ever since the divorce. If you stopped and thought about it…Never mind now. You ruined my life and my happiness, Raymone…Because of what you did, a good and decent woman thinks I’m a lying, cheating bastard, and wants nothing to do with me. Because of what you said, I may have lost my only chance to be with someone who really cared about me.”

“Michael, I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”

“Please…don’t say anything. Get your things and leave, you’re fired. I can’t trust you anymore, so I can’t work with you anymore.”

I don’t want to hear anything else from her. No pleas, no apologies, no nothing. I have to think and plan. I’m not letting things go down the drain for me and Nooki like this. No way. I have waited for a woman like her for too long, to let a stupid misunderstanding ruin us. I know that she loves me still – she hurts, she thinks I’m no good, but she still loves me. If I can clear my name in front of her, show her the tapestry of lies that turned a simple incident into something blown out of proportions by tabloids…then I have a chance to get back to us. I have a chance to have her love again.

I can’ lose time – time is my enemy right now. The more she thinks about the lies she saw in those magazines, the more stubborn she will get against me. So I arrange yet another trip to South Africa.

John is fuming, but I have no patience for him.

“I am the victim here – my name was dragged into this mess of a contract without my knowledge. Corner Joseph, make him fess up how he set that crooked deal, do whatever you want, but I REALLY must go back to South Africa.”

“What now? You found the girl with the golden pussy and you’re running amok after her?”

My breath gets hitched and I swear I’d hit John if he wasn’t on the other side of a phone line.