She's My Sleeping Pill

Elena was also left with more work. It was the very first time that she genuinely wished for Tristan to be around. With him, she’ll have fewer work. With him, she’d have someone to talk to even if they mainly exchange stupid banters. With him, she’d have a cup of coffee from a special someone.

“I want him back.” She murmured to herself while typing on her computer. She had no idea that her voice was directly transmitted to Tristan’s earphone from the voice recorder which was taped under her desk.

“Who is she talking about?” Tristan asked himself because she didn’t mention any name. When she messaged him, it was all work-related text. She never said she missed him or even asked how he was doing. Tristan was deeply bothered by it. ‘Did she still think that I like my ex? I already explained it to her before I left. Am I really not worthy of her trust?’

Elena had no idea that there was a recorder under her desk. Even so, she didn’t dare mention Tristan’s name. She’s afraid that someone will hear her and tell Tristan about it, specially that his number was known to almost everyone in the company. She never thought that Tristan has a different number only meant for the people special to him like family and close friends.

Cayenne rarely got time for herself and for her family so, she decided to stop streaming online and just check her phone for any important messages. Therefore, she missed Luiz’s post and the hot comment below it. To make even with her, Jillyanna didn’t inform her about the gift that Stefan gave to them. So, even after three days have passed, Cayenne had no idea about the matching underwear. She felt she knew what her husband bought so, she didn’t check any of them.

“Why do I feel that some of your employees were looking weirdly at me?” Cayenne questioned in whisper when they went out of the company for lunch. They invited Elena to dine with them but she politely refused them, not wanting to be fed with so much public display of attention. She’d only pity her single life.

.....

In the end, she ate with the other employees at the company cafeteria.

“Sigh, the boss is married now. Sir Chris left and I heard he also have a girlfriend. Sir Tristan...uhm...do you think he’s taken?” one of the employees asked Elena when they sat with her around the table. “Where is he by the way? I haven’t seen him these past few days.”

“Sir Stefan sent him overseas for some personal matters.” Elena answered, skipping the first question about Tristan having a girlfriend or not.

“So, do you know if he has a girlfriend?” her colleague asked again without really noticing the change of expression on Elena’s face.

“I’m not sure. I heard that he had a girlfriend.”

“Had? So, they broke up already. Oh! We have a chance! What about you Elena? Are you still into sir Chris?”

“The man is already taken. I’m not a home wrecker.” Elena answered, clarifying to them what she felt for Chris. It was known to some of her friends that she liked Chris back then. Of course, other colleagues knew about it, too. And even when Chris knew about it, he pretended that he did not and was treating her like a younger sister. Thinking about it, Elena couldn’t help but smile faintly at the memories. “I am only wishing all the best for Chris and his girlfriend. Actually, she’s his fi·an·cé. They’re planning to get married once he returns back from work.”

“Wow! That’s fast. It feels like yesterday when he was still single and now, he’s getting married.”

“Love can’t be measured with time. Sir Stefan and Miss Yen just met not long ago. Look at them now. They’re happy and so in love with each other.”

“I agree with you. In fact, I know someone who also married someone even though they just met over a month ago.”

“Right! Time shouldn’t be used to measure love.”

They continued to talk and Elena just listened to them. She didn’t know that other women were also eyeing Tristan. She could already imagine their judgmental gaze if they knew that Tristan was pursuing her. ‘Should other people’s opinion really matter?’ She asked herself while taking a sip of her drink.

Meanwhile, Cayenne couldn’t stop feeling restless from the gaze that people threw at her. It wasn’t a look of disgust or distaste but she felt something wrong with it. She felt so exposed to them without knowing anything.

“Stop feeling bothered by it. They’re just probably looking weirdly at you because I was shopping too much last time.” Stefan commented while pulling a chair for her to sit. “I didn’t know that people would make a big deal out of it.”

“Were you just really shopping? You didn’t do anything else?”

“No, I did not.”

Cayenne let go of this matter and they started to order their food for lunch. However, she made a mental note to check her social media account once she’s home. She felt that the netizens have found something that she didn’t. And since they were looking at her, for sure, it has something to do with her.

“I’ll go back home this afternoon. I don’t like the way the people look at me.” Cayenne mumbled while covering half of her face with the menu.

“Let’s drop by the company to get some things. I’ll work at home.”

“Okay.”

In the afternoon, as soon as they came home, Cayenne opened her phone and logged in to her social media account. Luiz tagged her and Stefan on a post so, she checked it first since she has not seen it yet. She was still smiling when reading the caption and watching the video and the picture but when she started to read the comments, she felt the rush heat on her neck and face.

She stood up from the couch and went upstairs to look for the newly-shopped items that Stefan bought few days ago. She rummaged through them and found that nothing was wrong with them. She checked them again and again until she saw the small box of underwear.

With her breath caught in her throat, she opened the box and pulled the two items out. She was so embarrassed she wanted to hide. CAUTION: Choking Hazard- this was written on the front side of the men’s underwear. CAUTION: Slippery when WET – this was on the front side of the women’s underwear. The text was so vulgar that she felt so mortified just reading it. Thankfully, she was in their bedroom and she was also alone since Stefan stayed in the living room to work.

However, Cayenne didn’t say a word. She didn’t scream or yell like Jillyanna did. She only took a piece of bond paper, a marker and a masking tape before making a note and plastered it on the door outside her room. ‘Hubby, you are not allowed to sleep with me until weekend.’

Stefan had no idea that he was kicked out of the room, not until later that afternoon when Luiz came back from work and saw the post outside his sister’s room.

“Big bro, when did sister find out?” Luiz asked Stefan from the second floor.

“Find out what?”

“Ah? Eh...Ermm...You didn’t know about this?” Luiz pointed his finger to the note on the door but the font on the note was too thin for him to read. “Wait a sec.” Luiz took the plastered paper and brought it to Stefan. As soon as Stefan saw it, his eyes went wide and he was running upstairs. ‘We already warned him before.’ Luiz thought to himself and chuckled.

He took a picture of the note that his sister made and posted it on his account. “My brother-in-law got punished.” The people didn’t really know what Stefan bought but knowing he was punished for it; it must be something naughty.