The CEO's Painted Skin 144 Overture

Catherine woke up to a sunny morning. The rain has been pouring all evening last night but today the weather is good.

They went home at around 1:00 AM last night.

Her phone rings even before her alarm set off. A smile curled up in her lips when she knows who the caller is...

"Good morning...John!"

Her voice was soft and sweet in John's ear. "How's your sleep my love?" he asked softly.

"It was a deep sleep, peaceful and I was dreaming of you! Of us!" she said giggling.

"Really? What kind of a dream? What are we doing in your dream?" he asked curiously.

Catherine smiled sweetly while holding her phone to her ear.

"The dream was very nice. We finally got married in the church! Then I got pregnant with our first child, it was a baby girl that looks like me!"

John chuckled feeling a bit happy with her dream. "That dream of yours would turn into reality soon my love. But before that, don't forget we had a date in the warehouse after your duty. Remember our rendezvous in the hammock, you would like a repeat tonight, right?" he reminded her, his hormones were already conjuring erotic images in his mind.

"Yes, of course! I won't forget it!" she purred biting her lower lip in anticipation.

John smiled at the way her voice sounded, seductive and oozing with sex! He was turned on right away, he groaned.

He pushed Jerome at the back of his mind.

"I'm looking forward tonight my love," he whispers into the phone.

"Okay. See you later, John! I love you!"

"I love you too, Cath!"

"Bye John...I have to get up now to get ready for work. Kisss youuu...mwuaahhh!"

She ended the call at her end.

...

John was staring at his phone for the longest time.

He swipes again and calls Allan.

"Hello...Allan. What is the update with Jerome? Did you start interrogating him?"

"Yes, Sir. But no matter how hard we tried he won't utter a single word. We can't torture him either...he just keeps to himself. He did eat the foods we give him and drink water. We tied him to the post inside the office. After he was done eating breakfast today, we covered his mouth with duct tape again so that can't shout aloud and ask for help."

"Looks like he won't be revealing his evil intention. Let's wait what is his reaction after he sees Catherine. Let me talk with George, I have something for him to do," he said.

Allan gave George the phone.

"George..."

"Yes, Boss!"

"George, I want you to install the hammock again in the same place as before. Then light some candles around the area. Put some blinking lights around the trees and make it glitter during the night. Make it as romantic as possible. I want it to be a special night for Catherine because she was about to meet her friend Jerome and learned of the sad truth about the guy she trusted so much like a friend. It's gonna be a hard blow on her mental and emotional consciousness. I want to cushion her for that incoming traumatic experience..."

"Copy Boss, leave everything to me. I'm good with romantic set up since I am a romantic guy myself," he laughs.

"Okay, good! That's all for now...I will call you guys later if I had further instruction to be carried out," said John.

He sighed when he ended the call and he gets himself ready for his office works. He wants to be ready before 5:00 PM comes.

Tonight will be an intense night for sure. It won't be an ordinary night...

All of a sudden...why he had a peculiar feeling that tonight can lead to something?...something that he can't fathom yet.

A feeling of discomfort sets in his belly. This discomfort has been there in his guts since last night. As much as possible he wants to finish this Jerome episode so that he can now look forward to the wedding. But before he will let go of Jerome, he wants revenge first! He wants to mess up Jerome's mind for good so that he won't bother Catherine anymore.

As he stared at the glass of wine he was holding in his right hand he remembers that tonight should be the night they will celebrate because Thelma, Catherine's mother had finally agreed to the wedding and it's a milestone already considering that her mother's hatred of him was creating much strain on their relationship. Now that everything is behind them, the rest should be smooth sailing from now on.

Just that this Jerome incident pop out of nowhere...although he was anticipating it at the back of his mind he was hoping it won't actually going to happen but it did, now all that is left to do is act upon the outcome and let the circumstances decide...

Tonight, Jerome's interruption in their lives must come to end. He will wait for Catherine's decisions before he will decide on his own for the safety of his soon to be wife.

As he took another gulp of the wine another thought comes in his mind. He will put an end to Jerome's obsession to Catherine tonight, how about Mike?

Well, as long the wedding finally takes place Mike won't be so stupid to pursue his wife anymore. Then all his problems regarding Catherine's admirers would be eliminated once and for all. His minds wander back to Jerome, how Catherine will decide Jerome's fate?

The difference between him and Jerome is that he was able to make Catherine fall in love with him in spite of their not so pleasant start, well he does offer to go to jail to make amends but Catherine doesn't want him to go to jail and that really makes him love her even more. He once cursed destiny why their first encounter was horrendous? It could have been a nice setting like in a different place, they could have first met in the streets, in the market, any store or any place just not in his ancestral room and sometimes he blamed his hyperactive libido for exploiting her the first time he met her.

All in all, meeting her is the best thing that happens to his life. He welcomes the chase, he became alive again because loving her is not simply a walk in the park...they have endured lots of challenges in their relationship already.

Now that everything is finally coming to end...

He is now looking forward to spending the rest of his life with her.

Chapter end