'You have ... 7 messages ...

To hear your messages, press 1.

When you have finished, you may hung up ...'

The female voice record notification ended with a dial tone.

Laurice furrowed her brows hearing the number of missed calls she had just received through her activated voicemail. She left her phone on while charging in the penthouse when they went outside.

Was it Catherine? Was her bestfriend that awfully worried that she went missing from the bar last night without her knowledge so she ended up calling her multiple times today just to check upon her? Not possible. If it was her, Laurice doubted if the woman would send her that many voice records. If she was dead worried, she would have probably contacted the local authorities instead.

Laurice halted in her thoughts. Something wasn't right here and she could not be mistaken. Besides, her intuition is always on point.

'Who could it be, then?' Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

...

Laurice had finally recovered her senses and the heat of pa.s.sion she was feeling from moments ago have been replaced by something imminent. Like something is about to happen.

She mechanically got up from kneeling beneath the man's feet and crawled her way on top of him unconsciously brus.h.i.+ng her naked body against his.

The man underneath her fidgeted in both thrill and worry. Thrill from the contact when the woman's body touched him and worry with how fast her mood changes. Watching her sultry gaze turned indifferent in a matter of seconds was making him feel rather uneasy. He need not guess anymore. Those missed calls must have been important to her and based on Laurice's expression, they might not probably be any good news at all.

Laurice kissed the man's cheeks in consolation and said while wearing a deadpan face, "I need to answer those calls."

"Hmm." Sid mumbled but did not let her go just yet. He held her firmly by the waist and forced her to look at him.

Laurice turned to him questiongly and asked in a huff, "What now?" Her frustration slowly building up, unable to control her expressions she harrumphed.

Sid felt her indignation and his gaze gradually softened towards her. Laurice had always been transparent from the beginning. He could tell if she was in a sour mood or otherwise. The only thing that's bothering him somehow was he still had no idea what was going on her mind every single time. She was still a complete mystery to him.

He lightly pinched the woman's cheeks as he held her gaze warmly.

"Calm down. I'm here." Sid uttered. He sounded a bit more gentler than usual.

Laurice stared back at him and saw something pleasant in his eyes which was much to her surprise, calming her nerves little by little.

"Hmm." She mumbled in reply as she slowly descended in bed to pick up the coverup dress that was somehow tossed at her feet across the floor and wore it over her shoulders like a robe. Her movements were light almost uncaring about her own bareness. The black crocheting of the dress suits her extremely well but was unable to conceal her nude body, exposing in an erotic way her curves and private parts. Sid was drooling over this scene before him.

Laurice looked rather sensual and enticing wearing absolutely nothing underneath but she could not be bothered by it. There are far more important things to settle with first. She would deal with the man later.

Without glancing back at the man whose gaze was hovering over her fair and gorgeous naked flesh from behind, Laurice walked outside of the bedroom barefooted in gentle, elegant strides. Sid caught his breath with how graceful and n.o.ble Laurice's presence was at that moment. He was stunned as if he had seen another side of her that is completely the opposite of the image he held for her.

Still half-naked, Sid eagerly got up in bed to follow her and from across the penthouse, he saw Laurice standing in statesque with her long jetblack hair cascading like a curtain over her shoulders. He was wondering why the woman was getting even more beautiful every time he laid his eyes upon her.

He found Laurice at one corner with her ears leaning against her handphone at that moment. She seemed to be listening over her voice mails contemplating rather anxiously while her expression turned even sour at each and every message. The air around Laurice was stiff and stuffy. Sid knitted his brows in worry but waited patiently for her to finish as she make a few calls herself.

...

Laurice was nettled by her own circ.u.mtances.

Catherine did called for her alright. There was two messages coming from her specifically asking where she had gone and strayed and if she was safe. She told her that she almost flipped the bar last night in search for her but did not find any clues at all. The woman was too d.a.m.n worried but guilty at the same time. She was apologizing for the rootbeer she had for her to drink at the restaurant last night which Catherine admitted she had spiked with a particular liqour. This scheming was so like her bestfriend. Laurice was not even familiar with the name of that liquor and her alcohol tolerance is extremely low, which Catherine knew for a fact but still prank her. It seemed she wanted Laurice drunk last night.

Laurice smirked inwardly. She would definitely retaliate for that practical joke that was pulled against her.

'Just you wait, Cathy!'

She threatened internally and heaved a sigh afterwards. She sent back a word to Catherine telling her she was alright leaving out the fact the she spent the night with a certain hunk.

Another call came from her friend, Dylan who had already sent for the people whom she had requested from him. He had a.s.signed for her a widowed caretaker, a chauffeur and two security personnel to safeguard her house. Those people seemed to be currently settled around her residence already awaiting her arrival. Dylan was not able to accompany them himself as he had his own matters to deal with at his office. That was a relief then, Laurice concluded.

Laurice sent a message to Dylan in grat.i.tude.

Her words include: 'Brother Dylan, i don't remember asking you for a driver.'

She went on scrolling for the next message and ignored it completely. It was an overseas call. Laurice had no intention dealing with that person at all so she deleted the message right away.

The few other calls surprised her the most. The numbers were awfully familiar to Laurice. All three of them came from her own ... mother, if she was not mistaken.

Tapping her nervous fingers on the phone, she listened to the messages one by one. Her expression paled in an instant.