RACHEL: The Celebrity's Hidden Wife

RACHEL'S pov.

>>R&F coffee and ice cream parlor<<

It's 7:34pm, which was way past my closing time but I had to stay back and do some accounting, I haven't been making up to my targeted profit recently.

I was getting ready to close, when I heard the bells chiming and I lifted my head only to see a lady dressed in expensive clothes walk into my cafe. But I didn't bother to check her out in details, because I care less about her.

"Hello, welcome to R&F coffee and ice cream parlor, but we're closed for today, maybe you should come tomorrow" I told her politely with a small smile.

She ignored me as she looked around for a while, then turned back to me and looked me from my head to my toes -she sighed and shook her head.

Hello? What's that supposed to mean?! I screamed mentally.

"I just wanna have a word with you" she said, then showed herself to a table and sat down.

I gaped at her blatant behavior, like, who does she think she is? Miss world? Why is she behaving as if she owns my cafe?

I overlooked her rudeness, walked towards the table and sat down too, then I tilted my head and raised my eyebrows at her to state her business.

But she didn't say a word, she kept looking around with a disgusted expression and I felt like clawing her eyes out.

It's been close to twenty minutes, but she haven't said anything yet, she's just been glaring at me and accessing me from my head to my toes.

"Who are you?" she finally said something.

I frowned at her question.

"Who am I?" I asked her back.

"What's your relationship with my boyfriend? Why is your picture his phone's wallpaper? Why does he even have your pictures in his phone? And why won't he stop staring at them every fuçking time?" she questioned me, banging on the table with each question that proceeded from her off.

Oh, so, this is what brought her here? To ask me these silly questions?

"You have asked me so many questions, which one do you want me to answer first?" I asked her, with a nonchalant shrug.

Her brows furrowed immediately as she squinted her eyes, she gritted her teeth and leaned on the table.

"What's your relationship with my boyfriend?" she repeated one of the questions she's asked earlier.

"My relationship with your boyfriend..." I trailed off.

I leaned back on the chair, crossed my legs and began picking my fingernails as if I had dirt in them.

"... firstly, I don't know who the hell you are, talk more or less of who your boyfriend is"

I paused and glanced at her, only to realize she's glaring daggers at me which means I'm getting under her skin already -I smirked victoriously.

"Secondly, how can I know what my relationship with your boyfriend is, when I don't even know him?"

"You're..."

"Babygirl, didn't your mummy teach you it's very rude to approach people without self-introduction?"

My question rendered her speechless, she stared at my with her reddened face, which made her looked like a volcano preparing to erupt, but she took a few deep breaths to keep her cool.

"My name is Tasha Wood, the most popular and highly paid model in the world" she said smugly.

"Oh"

"Yes, my boyfriend is..." she narrowed her eyes. ".. Duncan Baldwin!" she whispered quietly as if she doesn't want others to hear her.

"Oh" I replied simply, putting my hand over my mouth and feigning being surprised.

"Oh?" she asked and I raised an eyebrow in return. "What's with the 'I don't care' expression?"

"Because I really don't care and this is the first time I'm hearing both your names" I lied partly, I've heard Duncan's name and I know very well who he is.

I rolled my eyeballs mentally. If only she knew her so-called boyfriend is my lawfully wedded husband.

Her eyes searched around my restaurant, until they landed on a big flat screen tv above my cashier's counter and she rolled her eyeballs. Lady, don't roll your eyes at me, or I'm gonna claw them out!

"Maybe you should use your tv, then you'd be hearing our names everyday"

I glanced at the tv.

"I don't know how to turn it on, maybe you should stay for some days and teach me" I pouted.

"You're... " she trailed off.

"I'm what?" I asked calmly.

She couldn't find any words to say, she could only gulp a few times and exhaled in frustration. She dipped her hand in her small, fancy purse and I know it's worth millions.

She pulled out a blank cheque, slammed it on the table and pushed it towards me.

"A blank cheque?" I asked.

"Yes" she answered. "Tell me, how much do you need to leave my boyfriend?"

"Ooh, I love blank cheques" I said.

I reached for the cheque, I stared at it with a smile and kissed it, making sure my red lipstick is vividly printed on it. Then I slammed it on the table and it pushed it back to her.

"Look around, this is my own cafe, which simply means I'm doing fine and I don't need your blank cheque"

"But..."

"Give it to your boyfriend, tell him that's my lipstick on it and please warn him to stop staring at my pictures without my permission and he should delete them from his phone" I sighed. "That is if he'd listen to your whining" I added just to infuriate her.

She frowned.

"How dare you?!"

"Sorry, honey, but you've overstated your welcome" I gestured towards the door.

"What?"

"Yes, walk yourself out or I'll leave you behind here and report you to the cops on you and charge for for break-in" I told her warningly. "And... " I nodded at her cheque. "... don't leave your cheque behind" I said, keeping a very calm and confident demeanour.

She glared at me a few seconds, before springing off her chair, snatched her cheque and stormed towards the exit door.

"What a waste of my twenty minutes" I scoffed.

Just when I turned around and was about heading back to the counter to continue doing my account, I heard the bells chiming again, I turned around and saw a man dressed in black suit approaching me.

He's so tall, muscular and had a small, black bluetooth plugged in his ear.

"Not again" I grumbled under my breath.

He stopped in front of me.

"Good evening, Mrs Baldwin" he greeted me.

"Hm" I could only hum and nod.

"Mr Baldwin's concert is tomorrow night, he specially asked me to pass these tickets to you and beg you not to tear them this time" he said as he stretched out two tickets to me.

RACHEL'S pov.

He always send tickets to me everytime he's going on tours in different countries, but I don't attend any of them, at least not anymore because I used to attend four years ago.

"He said I should remind you that he's holding his concert in LA this year, and you should please attend" he said.

I tilted my head and glanced at the bluetooth that's flashing blue light, which means it's turned on and he (my husband) can hear me.

"Tell him to come home and if he really want me to come to his concert, he'd personally give these tickets to me" I said.

"But, Mrs Baldwin, Mr Baldwin is a very busy man and... "

"Good" I cut in. "Tell him I'm a very busy woman too, I don't have time for his cat and mouse games"

He wanted to say something else, but I raised my hand and stopped him. I let my eyes roam outside as if I'm searching for something or someone.

"It's best you leave now, you don't want people to start suspecting I have a relationship with the big celebrity" I told him. "Oh, and tell him one of his girlfriends dropped by earlier"

"But the tickets"

At once the tickets were snatched from him, we both turned towards who had snatched them and I groaned frustratingly.

"Fatima, give it back" I grumbled.

"Nope" she replied and kissed the tickets. "I love concerts!" she jumped happily.

He smiled, then turned and literally ran out, before I would think of snatching the tickets from Fatima and shove them back in his hands.

"You shouldn't have collected those tickets" I queried her while glaring at the tickets.

♣♣♣♣♣

THIRD PERSON'S pov.

A car with tainted glasses was parked at about fifteen feet away from R&F coffee and ice cream parlor, a man who was wearing a black mask sat in the back seat and stared at the cafe through the tainted window.

"Mr Baldwin" he heard one of his bodyguards called and he turned his gaze towards him.

"Get in" he said.

"Mr Baldwin, she said..."

He raised his hand and cut off whatever his bodyguard wanted to say, he looked towards R&F coffee and ice cream parlor once more, then smirked.

"I heard everything she said, she's gonna come" he said confidently.

"But, Mr Baldwin... "

"Get in the car, Lucas, let's go" he cut his bodyguard off again.

Lucas sighed, he quickly got in the car and drove off in great speed.

♣♣♣♣♣

RACHEL'S pov.

"... he's still your husband no matter what" Fatima argued with me.

Fatima's my best friend and she knows about my marriage with Duncan, and she tries everything within her power to remind me of my love for him.

"He's only my husband in name, the public doesn't know us as husband and I don't think they'll ever know" I replied her.

She gaped at me, but I ignored her and stormed towards the counter to roundup my account.

"What do you mean? Why did you say they'll never know?" she asked.

"I'm working on our divorce... "

"What?!!" she shouted, her scream almost blew off the roof of my cafe.

Right at that moment, a honk sounded from outside, we both turned our heads towards the direction and saw it's my friend and neighbor, Mike -we live in the same neighborhood.

Fatima frowned, but I smiled in appreciation, thank goodness he's here to rescue me from Fatima.

"My ride's here" I said.

"Will he just stop picking up another man's wife?!" she growled lowly.

"Another man's wife? Who's that?"

She rolled her eyes at me.

"You know who I'm talking about" she said.

"No, I don't" I replied.

I snatched my bag from the counter and flung it on my shoulder, then patted Fatima's head.

"I've got to go, help me lock up" I told her and dashed out without waiting for her reply.

Mike already had the passenger door open before I reached his car, so, I quickly slide in and shut the door.

"You close later than before, today" he said.

"Yeah, I was balancing my account" I replied.

He nodded, he gestured at my seatbelt and I quickly fastened it, then he drove off.

"Right, your divorce papers are ready" he said as he shifted his gaze from the road, but for a split second.

"Do you have them here?"

"Nope" he popped the P. "I left them back at the office, you can come by my office tomorrow and get them"

"Hm" I hummed.

Mike's my lawyer and he's the one helping me with the divorce papers, apart from Fatima, he's the only person who knows about my marriage and he's being doing a good job keeping it a secret.

Though, Mike knew by accident, he overheard Fatima and I talking about it one day.

"I guess you're tired, get some rest" he said.

"Hm" I hummed again.

I leaned back on the seat and closed my eyes, though, I know I'm not gonna fall asleep.

♣♣♣♣♣

After a fifteen minutes drive, Mike stopped his car outside our (I and Duncan's) mansion.

"We're here" he said.

"Yeah, thank you" I replied.

I opened the door and alighted his car, then waved at him.

"Good night, Mike"

"Yep, good night and don't forget to call by my office tomorrow for those papers" he reminded me.

"Ok"

I continued waving him as he drove off and until he's drove into his own compound. His mansion's just two poles away from ours.

"Welcome, Mrs Baldwin" our security man greeted me, which made me flinch back slightly.

"Jeb, stop sneaking up on me" I scolded him.

"Yes, ma'am"

I turned and headed in. Jeb followed behind me until I entered the mansion, then he wished me good night and went back to his post.

I frowned when I stepped into the living room and realized the lights were turned off; where's Mrs Jackson? Has she gone back home already?

Right, Mrs Jackson is our housekeeper, she's an advance woman and she treat me like her own child -maybe because she doesn't have a child of her own.

My hand searched for the lights switch, until I found it and flicked the lights on.

"Mrs Jackson?" I called as I tiredly dragged my feet towards a sofa.

"Oh, Rachel, you're back" she answered as she rushed out of the kitchen.

"Water, please" I said.

She stopped by the fridge and quickly poured some water in a glass, then handed it to me. I took a few gulps and put down the glass.

"Why did you turn off the lights?" I asked.

"It kept blinking that I had to call the management, and I was told to turned all the lights off that they'd fix it" she paused and stared at the lights. "I guess they've fixed it"

A tired yawn left my mouth, I picked my bag and headed towards the stairs.

"Dinner is ready, freshen up and come down for dinner" she said.

"Ok" I simply replied.

My phone beeped when I was only a few steps away from our room (the master's bedroom), I reached for it and saw a message, but I didn't check the sender before opening it.

I narrowed my eyes as I realized it's a message from my first bank, they just alerted me that Duncan Baldwin transferred $1,000,000 into my account and my account balance is $12,500,600,709.

"Ughhh!" I groaned and pulled my hair. "when is he fuçking gonna realize his shîtty money isn't what I need?" I growled quietly and shoved the phone back in my bag.

He does this everyday, sending me a million dollars everyday but I don't use it.

I know many are wondering why I'm living in his home since I don't need or depend on his money, well, I'm living here because he built this mansion with his very first salary and that was when he was still acknowledging me as his wife, he doesn't neglect me then.

He's built other bigger and more beautiful mansions and has begged me severally to move to one of them, but I refused.

This mansion is already too big and too lonely for me, I think it's enough... besides, it holds so many of our memories and mean a lot to me.

I guess there's no way we can go back to the past and be the happiest couple we were, it seems divorce is really the only option now.

RACHEL'S pov.

"Arghhhh" I groaned sleepily as the doorbell wouldn't stop ringing.

Who in their right senses, would leave their home at this early hour just to wake other people up from sleep? Where is Mrs Jackson? Why isn't she answering the door?

I released a relief sigh and smiled sleepily in great joy when the bell finally stop ringing, then pulled my duvet over my head and completely covered myself up.

But my joy was short-lived as my duvet was suddenly ripped off me, exposing my skin to the coldness of the room and I angrily sprang up -I normally sleep with only my bra and panty on.

I glared at her with a displeased expression.

"Fatima, what are you doing here so early in the morning?" I grumbled sleepily.

"Well, good morning to you too, darling" she started folding my duvet even though it's giving her a hard time. "... besides, it's already 7:30am, it's no longer considered early in the morning" she said.

7:30am already? I guess I went to bed very late last night, and it's all because of that b@stard husband of mine. I pouted my lips.

"Why didn't you go straight to the cafe since it's no longer early in the morning?" I asked her, but she ignored me and continued struggling with my duvet.

I leaned back against the headboard, reached for my favorite stuffed animal, a jaguar and hugged it to my chest.

"Go to the cafe and let me sleep for twenty-five minutes" I kissed my jaguar and rested my head on its.

"Sleep?" she scoffed. "In your dreams!"

Fatima frustratingly threw the duvet on the floor, stomped on it and she put her hands on her waist, then narrowed her eyes fiercely at me.

"We both have an unfinished discussion last night, let's continue from where we stopped" she said.

My mind quickly replayed last night's event, then I recalled telling her about my plan on divorcing Duncan and I mentally facepalm myself -my blabbermouth!

I could have proceeded with the divorce before telling her, because she's gonna try talking me out of it, like how she's been talking me out of it for four years now and I don't know if I'm strong willed enough to disagree with her this time.

Wait, could it be Duncan's successfully paid her to keep me hooked to him?

"We don't have any unfinished discussion, go away and let me sleep" I told her.

"Don't fuçk with me, Mrs Baldwin, start talking!" she growled.

"Don't call me that, I won't be Mrs Baldwin after today"

She stared at me for a moment, then sighed and her fierce expression was replaced with a sympathetic look, she took a few steps towards me and sat at the edge of my bed.

"Baby, take a deep breath and you need to calm down, you're only taking a hasty decision right now and it's not the best way to handle this" she said calmly.

Alright, I know exactly where her car is headed.

"What's the best way then, because I really don't know anymore"

"I understand you perfectly fine, but have you sat down and have a heart to heart conversation with your husband? Do you know the reasons he's been hiding his marital status?"

Of course, I know the reason. They don't want his female fans to lose interest in him, because the more they crush on him and go crazy over him, the more money he'd make.

"Maybe he's doing all this to protect you"

"Protect me? From what?" I asked.

"A lot of things" I rolled my eyes. "I can feel that he's still in love with you and he wouldn't agree to the divorce"

"In love with me you say? Who stays away from someone they love for six good years without even visiting one day and say hello to them?"

"Rachel... "

"Fatima, my mind is already made up and there's nothing you can say at the moment that would make me change my mind"

I put my jaguar aside and slide off the bed, walked towards the closet, I opened it and Duncan's clothes are the first things that caught my eyes. I sighed.

"Look, his clothes have been hanging here like this for years and you think I'll be happy seeing them?"

"You're being influenced by someone to file for divorce, that Mike is surely the instigator and I will make sure I scratch his face next time I see him!" Fatima growled as she punched her left palm with her right fist, as if to illustrate how serious she is.

After searching through my clothes for a few seconds, I snatched a light pink bathrobe and wore it.

"Don't involve Mike in this, I and Duncan's issues have nothing to do with him" I said walking out of the closet.

"Of course, it has a lot of things to do with him"

I walked towards the bathroom to do my morning routine; brush my teeth, wash my face and maybe release some waste products.

Fatima followed me and stood outside the door, while I started brushing.

"You don't strongly wish to divorce Duncan before Mike came into your life..." she paused. ".. hold on, are you two dating or something?" she asked.

"I wish we are..." I trailed off as I got water in my mouth and rinsed every inch of my mouth.

"What? You wish to date that.. that.. that..." she couldn't even find the right words to say.

"Relax, it's not possible between us because he's engaged and his wedding is next month" i told her.

"Really? He's engaged?"

I nodded with a smile.

"He's just my lawyer and there's strictly only business relationship between us" I assured her.

She cleared her throat and tucked some hair behind her ear.

"It's better that way" she huffed out.

"Let's go downstairs for breakfast, Mrs Jackson promised to cook my favorite" I said as I walked out of the bathroom and headed towards the door, Fatima quickly rushed after me.

♣♣♣♣♣

I saw Mrs Jackson standing by the door, when we arrived at the living room, she seemed to be talking to someone outside and I tilted my head slightly to get a glimpse of whoever she's talking to, but couldn't.

"Mrs Jackson, who's at the door?" I asked.

"It's barrister Mike"

"Let him in" I said and walked towards a sofa.

Fatima glared maliciously at the door, before storming towards another sofa and sat down. Like seriously, I don't know why she hold so much grudge against Mike.

Mrs Jackson gave way for Mike to come in and he smiled appreciatively at her, then walked towards me.

My eyes settled on a blue file in his hand.

"Good morning, sexy" he greeted me as he leaned towards me and gave me a brief side hug.

Fatima scoffed and coughed as if she's reminding me of her presence.

"Good morning" I replied Mike's greeting and pulled away from the hug. "Aren't you supposed to be at your office at this time?" I asked and glanced at the wall clock.

"Yeah, about that, my fiancee and I are doing our pre-wedding photoshoot today.."

"Awwwwn, that's so sweet" I gushed with an envious smile.

I never get to wear a real wedding dress, and Duncan and I didn't even bothered about pre-wedding photoshoot because there was no money for it then.

".. yeah, hence I decided to deliver your documents before leaving" he said stretching the blue file towards me.

"Well, this is very thoughtful of you, thanks" I thanked him after collecting the file.

"You're welcome, but I gotta run now" he said as he rushed towards the door. "See you later" he added and dashed out.

I stared at the file with mixed feelings; I'm happy the divorce papers are here and I'll soon get my freedom, but partly sad because it means the end of Duncan and I.

"Someone just called you sexy and you're saying he has no interest in you?" Fatima pipped in.

"You heard him just now, he's doing his pre-wedding photoshoot today" I reminded her of Mike's words.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed unbelievably.

"Anything can happen, who knows if he'd call off the wedding and break things off with his fiancee because of you"

I giggled hysterically for a very brief moment, then shook my head and dumped the file on the table.

"Don't think so highly of me, baby" I told her.

Her eyes landed on the file.

"Are you really gonna divorce him?" she asked, referring to Duncan.

"Yes and don't ask me about it again" she pouted her lips and blinked innocently at me. "You'll head to the cafe after breakfast and I'll head over to Duncan's company"

"You think he'd agree to sign this?"

"Of course, he has no choice"

"Uh, Rachel, I suggest you sit down and... "

"Mrs Jackson, is breakfast ready yet!" I interrupted Fatima by screaming over words.

"You devil" she reached for a cushion and threw it at me, but I stuck out my tongue at her.

She grabbed another cushion and threw it at me, but I dodged it and soon we're having a pillow fight.