Never Judge

"It's been a month, why haven't they tripped up yet?" Ayanna asked in a frustrated tone as she sat on her brother's couch.

"You seem to be more invested in this than me." Cedric said with a laugh. 

"I'm just thinking of Katerina." Ayanna said with a smile.

"Sure Ayanna, use Katerina as an excuse." Cedric said with a laugh.

"You know what." Ayanna said as she stood up and fixed herself. "Just call me if there are any developments today. I'm dragging the girls out for coffee or something." Ayanna said as she walked out of Cedric's office and into her own.

She quickly sent a message to all of the sisters and called her assistant in.

"I'm going out. If there is anything urgent send it to my brother, he can deal with it, if it isn't urgent tell them I'll be back tomorrow to deal with it." Ayanna instructed.

"Yes Miss Ayanna." Her assistant said as she opened the door for Ayanna who walked out of the office.

"Woah, woah, woah, where are you going darling?" Ray, who for some reason was in R Tower asked as he spotted his wife heading towards the elevator.

"I should ask you the same thing, why are you here?" Ayanna asked.

"Your brother called us over." Ray said with a shrug. "I was going to ask you to dinner, but it seems like you have other plans." Ray said with a raised eyebrow. 

Ray and Ayanna were never really the jealous types, they trusted each other. They understood that they both had businesses to run so it was normal for them to be separated even for long periods of time. It wasn't that they didn't miss each other, they just had an understanding that some things just had to be that way.

"I'm just having coffee with the girls Ray." Ayanna said as she walked over, wrapped her arms around Ray's neck and planted a kiss on his lips. She missed the days when they both didn't have to think about work and they could just laze around in each other's arms, but they had responsibilities that impacted more than just their families. Their companies fed a lot of people and it was their responsibility to do the best for their employees, who day in and day out worked hard for them. 

"Alright. Give me a call, I'll come and pick you up after." Ray said as he placed an arm around her waist and kissed her again. 

"Seriously, get a room." A voice groaned behind them. It was Alexi, he had just arrived with Ram and spotted the couple being all sweet in the middle of the hallway.

"You're just jealous because you can't do this to Jen." Ayanna said, sticking her tongue out. 

"Grow up Ayanna." Alexi said, rolling his eyes. "If the employees saw you acting this way they would lose all respect for you." 

"Nah. They all love me." Ayanna said with a grin. "Bye Ray, I'll see you tonight." Ayanna told her husband as he loosened his hold on her waist.

"Where are you headed? Don't you have work?" Ram asked Ayanna.

"Coffee with the sisters." Ayanna told Ram. 

"Oh, I think Katerina is bringing Francesca. They've been trying to repair their friendship and I think it's going really well." Ram told Ayanna proudly. 

"Great! The more the merrier." Ayanna said with a wink. "So who's the other chick?" Ayanna asked Ram in a serious tone.

"What? Ayanna, don't make up rumors." Ram told her.

"I saw you with someone, then that someone ran off in tears." Ayanna said with a grin.

"Someone I thought I loved." Ram said with a sigh. "Don't tell Francesca you saw me with someone. It's still a touchy topic between us." 

"I won't, I just wanted to know. Anyway, I'm off. I'll see you guys around." Ayanna said as she finally managed to escape their conversation. 

By the time Ayanna arrived at the parking lot her driver had already brought the car over, if she hadn't been so recognizable Ayanna would have preferred to take a cab. She knew that the moment her car arrived at the mall, the manager would come up and try to discuss some business plan or proposal with her. She really just wanted to grab a cup of coffee with her friends, chat a bit and relax.

When she got in the car her phone began to ring, it was Katerina.

"Hey Katerina, what's up?" Ayanna asked.

"The rooftop lounge at Maharlika is free. Well not free free but someone cancelled at the last minute and they called to ask me if I needed it." Katerina excitedly told her. "Do you mind if we move our little gathering there? Katerina asked.

"Of course not. I was actually dreading going to the mall, but I'm tired of hanging out at home or at Nationalia, I just wanted a new place." Ayanna explained over the phone.

"Then perfect, the rooftop lounge is the perfect spot." Katerina told her happily. "We rarely get to stay there, so you aren't tired of it, and it's got such a gorgeous view of the Capital."

"You don't need to sell it on me. Go call the other girls, they might already be on the way." Ayanna said with a laugh.

"Oh, yeah, bye bye." Katerina said as she dropped the call. 

"Take me to Maharlika." Ayanna told her driver.

When her car pulled up to the driveway of Maharlika Hotel, Ayanna felt a lot more relaxed. Maharlika was owned by an international company and it was in no way connected to the Reyes Group or any of her friends and their families. It was just a place that they all liked to go to, the fact that they had no stake in it whatsoever was what calmed her, she didn't need to observe every tiny detail, she didn't need to make sure everything was perfect. She was just a guest enjoying the atmosphere and the food.