Perfect disguise by Elizabeth A (speld decodable readers .txt) 📗

Dominic's POV.

There were many eyes on me. I didn't need to look around to be aware of that. Their stares penetrated through my skin, making me more curious about my movement and presence. I adjusted my tie and held my head high as I walked through the corridor of Stevesoft. I didn't know the reasons why they were staring, but I would earn more stares if I misstepped. 

I walked past two ladies who were talking loudly to each other. The redhead glanced at her phone and covered her mouth. Then she stared at me.

I tightened my hands on my briefcase and smiled at her trying to act oblivious to her stare. I'm certain that people were spreading rumors about me. I needed to talk to Kenneth. He would know about those rumors.

"I think he is the one!" The redhead exclaimed. 

"Yes, he looks like him." The lady beside her with strawberry hair nodded in agreement.  Her hair was too bright, it reminded me of an ice cream cone with strawberry topping.

I chuckled as the image of a strawberry ice creamed reflected in my mind. I cleared my throat and tried to focus on eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Gosh, he is so lucky!"

"And handsome." The redhead looked dazed.

"That's too bad, most of the handsome men are always taken." The strawberry girl pouted and they entered their office.

I arched my brow. Why are they talking about my look?

The stares of my teammates were more intense than others. They looked at me like I was one hell of a celebrity when I entered the office. Well, a few gaped at me like I was a mysterious alien. I looked around. Kenneth wasn't in the office. So I approached Adeline.

She smiled and covered the screen of her phone. Well, at least she tried to cover it. "Good morning, Mr Otieno."

I greeted her back and peeked at her screen. What was she hiding?

Then I saw an image of myself wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. The background looked very similar to the amusement park I went to with Zoe.

"That's a picture of me," I declared.

She quickly pocketed her phone and shook her head. "No, it is not." 

I pointed at her pocket and pursed my lips. "I recognize that person. It's me." I deadpanned. 

She smiled awkwardly. "No, I don't think so."

"Okay, but that's me." I insisted and walked towards my personal office. 

Then, somebody patted my back and I saw Kenneth smiling at me. "You are one lucky man!" He exclaimed and rested a hand around my shoulder.

I leaned closer to Kenneth. "What's going on?"

"Huh? You haven't read the news?"

I frowned. "What news?"

He gasped. "Woah, Diana has really  changed you. She is even able to prevent you from reading newspapers."

"Diana? How do you know about her?"

"You will know the answers when you check out the latest news."

After checking out the news, I slumped on my chair. Kenneth sat on my desk. 

"How could you be dating someone as famous as Diana Lawson without letting me know? I thought we were closer than that." He pouted and crossed his arms.

I rubbed my forehead and waved my hand, dismissing his thought. "Ken, it is not what you think. I'm not dating Diana," I admitted.

My door opened and Chloe walked inside. "So I was right. You aren't truly dating Diana."

I knew Chloe won't do anything tricky or seductive as long as Ken was with me. So I would ensure Ken remained in my office.

I cleared my throat and held her eyes. "I am. As you can see, it is trending on the internet."

She turned to Kenneth and signaled to the door. Kenneth stood up, preparing to leave.

 I gripped his hands and forced a smile at Chloe. "If you don't mind Mrs Rodriguez, we are discussing a very important project. So I would be glad if you leave."

She looked at Kenneth who was resting his hands on my desk. "Are you really discussing a project?"

Kenneth arched a brow, confused. Then he quickly nodded his head. "Yeah! We are discussing… um… We are discussing…"

"We are talking about the telecom project. It is a new project, so you might not be aware of it," I quickly lied.

She narrowed her brows, studying me. Then she nodded and left. 

I sighed and leaned on my chair.

Kenneth pursed his lips. "What's that about?"