He looked into her eyes and found nothing but profound love and an endless abyss of trust. He closed his eyes for a moment and then said after taking a deep breath,

"I am telling you seriously Akira !!!"

"A time may come that you might lose all your hopes that you have pinned on me. A time may come when you might not be even able to hold your head high and tell people that I am the one for you".

"What will you do then? I do not want to give you any false hopes or expectations about the future, for I myself don't know what life has in store for me Akira. I am like a nomad. One day in the riches and the next day in the rags", he said and gently caressed her cheeks.

"Would you still like to stay with me? Won't you regret?"

She moved forward and touched the space between his brows and said,

"I don't like the worry lines on your face. I want you to stay handsome till you get old ok. So do not fret or frown. Remember that". Then she touched his forehead with her own and then moved a bit ahead to touch his nose and said,

"Don't overthink. Future is just overrated".

"Just take me home".

Then she looked up at him and smiled and that one smile of hers was enough to reduce all the weight of the negative thinking that was swarming inside his heart. He held her slender waist again in his hands and lifted her from the car bonnet.

"Let's go home", he said and walked ahead.

---

Meanwhile in Jeju Island [South Korea]

.

A guy came rushing towards the private swimming pool area in WESTIN Grand Luxury Hotel and went near the sun-shade where Mr. Walker was lazing along with a bunch of pretty girls who were just throwing themselves on him.

"Sir !!! we got reports from New York. Our plan to dismantle Delphie isn't going to work. Mr. Raymond figured it out somehow and he transferred 51% percent of his shares to his girlfriend."

"I see".

"I just got the intel from Mr. Shah. As Mr. Raymond is no-more the company head, Mr. Shah cannot help on this any further and he has requested to not be dragged any further into it. Albeit I am not sure how Mr. Raymond figured it all out and went a step ahead of us".

"He has to, after all, he is my son. I would have been disappointed if he didn't".

Mr. Walker said and chuckled and busied himself with the booze and girls around him.

---

Akira dozed off in the car as it was a 30-40 minutes drive to home. They had crossed Staten island and had entered Brooklyn when she got up and looked outside the window. She turned towards Raymond all astonished and asked,

"Why are we going towards your house?"

"Because I can't let you stay alone at your place when your condition is like this !!!"

Raymond said, without even looking at her.

"I see", she quipped but the thought of staying at his place with him was tantalizing for her and unknowingly she started touching her lips like she always did.

He saw her doing that from the corners of his eyes.

"Don't get any wrong thoughts in your head. You are just going to sleep and that's it", Raymond said and chuckled.

"I wasn't getting any wrong thoughts in my head for your kind information".

"Oh really? Then why were you touching your lips?"

"Umm.... because... because they are chapped", she said and started looking outside again.

"You need some help in keeping them moist?", Raymond asked with a smirk on his face.

"Thanks for the considerate offer. But I think I will pass", Akira said and pouted for she never liked being teased this way.

Raymond switched on to some heavy metal song to distract his own head and then slightly opened the window shields. A cool breeze rushed inside the car and started playing with her hair.

He looked at her intently. She was dressed in a basic gym t-shirt, but still, she looked ethereal to him. Maybe that's what the power of love was. Capable of making everything look all rosy and pretty. It was really hard for him to drive and concentrate on the road for she looked nothing less than a princess who was inviting him with her charming eyes, gentle smile and her loopy locks.

The moment they reached his place he gasped for air for the amount of self-restraint that he had to conjure up till now, was way too much to be even evaluated.

She walked in tugging the hem of her t-shirt as they entered Raymond's room.

There was a weird silence in between them and they both didn't know how to breach it and she suddenly blurted out.

"This t-shirt was gifted to Vikram by his dad".

"Mmm....".

His heart burned but he said nothing and tried to get his thoughts sorted.

"You sleep here. I will be here on the couch", he said and walked towards the couch taking deep breaths and trying to calm his tone which had turned all harsh.

"What is wrong Raymond?"

"Nothing !!!", he said and kept walking towards the couch.

"Raymond stop. Talk to me. You told me that if there is anything in your heart, just talk. Then why are you not following that? Why can't you tell me what's bothering you?"

"It's nothing Akira, just go to sleep. We will talk tomorrow".

"What if I don't wake up tomorrow? I don't want to leave without knowing what's in your heart?"

He stopped and paced back to her.

There was clear anger in his eyes. He held her shoulders and said out loud,

"This is the last time ever that you will speak about such things in front of me. do you understand that?".

His voice had anger, his eyes looked all bloodshot but somehow his scoldings sounded like a declaration of love to her. Instead of frowning she smiled and said,

"Then why don't you tell me what's bothering you?"

He took a deep breath and then released her shoulder and took a step back.

He stood there in silence for a while and said,

"That T-shirt bothers me".

He said and looked down for he was expecting her to judge him for being so imperious and over-possessive, but she took a step towards him instead and inching the gap in between she asked,

"Why? Why does it bother you?"

"It makes me feel like he is indirectly touching you. I know it's insane and crazy but that's how..."

"Then take it out !!!".

"What?", he said and looked at her in surprise.

She then slowly raised both her hands up in the air and said,

"If it bothers you so much then just take it out".