The CEO's Painted Skin

John watched the action in front of him with deep satisfaction curled up in his lips. She had never seen Catherine so angry until now, but she still looks beautiful as ever! He smiled at her, he was gleaming with pride for her at the fierceness he saw in her eyes.

"You will rot in jail, Jerome!" said Catherine with deep hatred flas.h.i.+ng in her eyes.

Jerome looked at Catherine with pleading eyes. "Cath, please have mercy on me! Please have pity on my family especially my siblings in the province they solely dependent on my financial a.s.sistance. If you will put me behind bars I will lose my job and my entire family will suffer. I know you hated me and I hated myself more than a thousand times, but just for the sake of my family please spare me, don"t put me in jail! I beg you, Cath! Please forgive me!" he kept begging for her mercy.

Catherine shuts her eyes. Trying to remember the early days she meets Jerome in the restaurant where she works first, he was being friendly and helpful to her. He was a gentleman back then, a very nice guy. Those were the happy days she spent with him. How on earth he suddenly turned into an obsessive lunatic guy?

He made the wrong turn!

Now they reached the crossroad...no turning back to the same person they were used to be but they have to continue crossing the line ahead without going back.

She was pondering on what to do with him? Her mind was muddled, she can"t even think straight right now. She needs a few minutes to think things over, it"s not only Jerome"s life but his family"s future as well that hangs heavy in the precipice and she was the one holding the rope that could save them or destroy their lives in a second.

Jerome was watching John"s smirking face. He would like very much to wipe that smirk on his face. Let see if he can still smirk after Catherine learned the truth...

"Catherine, you might as well slap your boyfriend for me, he certainly isn"t the only innocent guy around here, isn"t he?" he said throwing John a ferocious look.

Catherine stared at him, puzzlement in her eyes. "W-what do you mean?"

John"s eyes darken instantly. "Cath, don"t listen to him!"

She looked at John and saw something in his eyes...a black veil suddenly covering his eyes.

"You"d seen that black garment hanging in the wall to your left side...take it off, Catherine! and you will see what I mean!" Jerome was challenging her to go against her boyfriend.

John moved instantly trying to block her way, but her curiosity runs deeper now, she wants to know what is behind that black garment!

"You don"t need to see it, Cath. Trust me you don"t!" there is a stern warning in his voice. He tried to reach for her hand to bring her outside the room but she resisted his attempt.

"Don"t stop me, John! I need to see it with my own two eyes!" she glared at him. His refusal to let her see what"s behind the garment only fired up her curiosity.

John realized that it"s no use stopping her, he steps aside and let her have her way.

Jerome was watching them with a satisfied gleam in his eyes. He senses trouble in paradise at this very moment!

Catherine walked closer to the wall and with one swift tugging at the black garment, the two-way mirror appears in her eyes in instant like a work of magic, from where she stands she can see the adjacent room clearly where she and John have vigorously made intense s.e.xual intercourse earlier. It doesn"t take a whole day to understand everything, she understood now...it"s all a live show...everything so messed up and f.u.c.ked up...she and John made love while Jerome was watching them! What the h.e.l.l?! She suddenly feels like she wanted to throw up, a feeling of disgust grows in her stomach. She wanted to hit someone...her palm curved into an angry fist. Fresh tears emerged from her eyes. She felt a dull feeling in her belly. So many things happened tonight and her mind was no longer processing anything correctly, she"s gotten swarmed with negative emotion swirling in her heart!

"How could you do this to me, John?" she turns around and asked him in a cold voice. The pain and hurt in her eyes instantly killed John inside.

"By the way, you got nice t.i.ts and b.u.m, Cath! Just the way I envisioned them to be!" a dreamy smile appeared on Jerome"s lips.

f.u.c.k! Catherine"s face turns dark vehemently! She wanted to hit John as well...she went to him and delivered a stinging slap on his face.

Jerome laughed in glee thoroughly amused by what he had seen, they were turning against each other, a huge victory for him! But he was not able to rejoice much longer because this time Catherine walked towards him and delivered left and right slapping on his face, he finally stopped laughing feeling the severity of her blows. He then realized he only makes things worst with his action! d.a.m.n! he is doomed to die tonight!

John threw Jerome a murderous look.

John continues observing Catherine"s action, he was feeling remorseful now as he touches the area of his face where her palm landed. He saw her hand curve into a fist again, he was expecting her delivering another stinging slap at his face at any given moment....but the slap didn"t come. Instead, she walked slowly towards the door...

But before she finally disappeared from their sight...she gave John a sad detached look.

"Let him go, John. I"d given you a second chance before, he also deserves a second chance."

Then she looked at Jerome. "Remember your promised, Jerome! Hope you abide by it! I never wanted to see your face ever again! Or else I will kill you myself next time if I had the chance!"

The fierce look she gives Jerome showed him a sign that the bridge they walked together in the past was now totally severed. Only total separation from each other can bring back normalcy in their lives again.

John watched Catherine"s retreating back...

"You"re dead!" he hissed at Jerome. He turns on his heel and with long stride followed Catherine outside the door.

Jerome smirked feeling a bit happy with his little victory. He might walk away forever from her but he made sure their relations.h.i.+p also had a crack that is small enough to cause a dent on their relations.h.i.+p, who knows it can grow bigger into the future and tear John and Catherine apart from each other. Although he has no more ambition to pursue Catherine, someday it will make him feel good to know that the two lovers didn"t get their happy ending. Now he was waiting to get freed anytime so that he can continue living his life like it used to be. This time no more Catherine in his life. He will never fall in love again with any woman! Falling in love with the wrong person only bring him trouble!

...

John catches up with Catherine near the entrance of the warehouse. Her stiff posture tells him to leave her alone but he can"t...

"Cath, are you okay?" he asked her in a worried voice.

She stared at him in a daze. "What do you think I should feel right now, John?" she asked angrily at him.

"I"m so sorry about the mirror, Cath! I had to admit it"s a bit childish act on my part. Promised, I won"t do it again," there was a huge amount of pleading in his voice that reaches his eyes.

Catherine just looked at him painfully. "I wanna go home, now!" she said in a low voice.

"Okay, I will send you home now," he said.

When the door to the warehouse opened, the three bodyguards stand erect waiting for further instruction from their boss.

"Ramon, let"s go home now. Let"s drop Catherine in her house," he said.

Catherine walked towards the vehicle followed by Ramon.

Then John turns his attention towards George and Allan.

"Execute Plan B, guys!" he whispered.

The two men heard his order and looked at each other. They were a bit reluctant to carry out the Plan B. But they went inside the warehouse and obeyed their master order"s at once.