"Okay What's going on?" Raymond questioned Ricky as soon as he had shut the door behind him.
"What do you mean?"
"Lilian, what is she doing here?" He clarified.
"I don't know, in fact I don't even know why any of these people are here" Ricky strikes back in defense.
"dude.."
"Why do you sound so upset about it anyways? weren't you the one who pushed for her to come here with me so I could introduce her to grandma"
"that was before you told me you two broke up." Raymond sighed deeply, his hands were now resting on his hips. "Idk what to tell you man. I brought you here so you could take time off work, hang out with old friends, go hiking or some other shit. Not to play bachelor--"
"--whoah what the hell is that suppose to mean?" Ricky glared at his brother.
Being that Ricky was still in his twenties, many people have questioned his capability of running a multi-million company. With Raymond's guidance, Ricky was able to build and prove himself as a well-focused and thriving entrepreneur. Bust aside from business, Ricky's success and youthfulness also had many people curious about his romantic life. Evidently, dating around was inevitable. With a few minor rumors here and there, Ricky had done well to avoid any huge scandals that would lead to a negative perception on him. And Raymond wanted to keep it that way.
"I won't stop you from dating who you want to date. But you can't be going around with different women. Whether they're a friend or not, that's one of the last things people will assume. "
"Wha— Who?? Lilian and Paisely?? Everyone knows that Paize is one of my best friends—"
"—I was talking about Nini."
Ricky stared wide eyed at Raymond as he swallowed the dry lump that had formed in his throat.
"You can deny there's nothing going on. But after the recent rumor about you two, people are questioning what her relationship is with you. And once they see you with Lilian, what do you think they'll be saying about you next?"
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"Nothing, Because I won't be seen out with her—"
"And how are you gonna do that? Keep her here until she leaves?"
"She's not staying here. I'll get her a hotel"
"That's not the point Ricky,"
"Then what is it?"
"All I'm saying is that you need to be clear about where you stand with these two women. Know your boundaries, and make sure they know theirs. And please, try to do it without pissing any of them off." Raymond advised.
"This is ridiculous" Ricky spat.
"Why is that? I get that Lilian might be a bit hard to talk to, but Nini ? She should be understanding about it. I mean, it was rumors to begin with right? None of them are true so there shouldn't be any hard feelings." Raymond studied Ricky's every movement and the way he stood quiet as his body tensed up.
