Never Judge

"Miss Reyes, Miss Reyes, are you pushing through with the wedding? According to rumors you're getting married in a month? Is this true?" A reporter asked as he followed Ayanna out of the mall. He wasn't the only reporter chasing after her for a comment. There were several others with him holding up microphones and recording devices while others snapped photos of the Ayanna as she left the mall. They had initially thought that this entrance was clear of all reporters, she was initially supposed to leave through the basement but reporters had crowded that exit as well. 

"Miss Reyes, do you think this is appropriate? Don't you think this is insensitive?" Another reporter shouted above the other voices. 

"Miss Reyes, people are saying it would be unlucky for you to push through with the wedding. Are you willing to risk it?" A female reporter asked as she pushed her mic towards Ayanna. 

Luckily, Ayanna had several bodyguards escorting her so her path was cleared and the reporters couldn't get close. She was glad Cedric had insisted on increasing her security detail, in the past weeks there had been an increasing number of reporters that had stalked her as well, as more and more were calling her office for a comment. 

As she finally settled into the car she could still see the reporters trying to get a comment from her. She was glad that her car was heavily tinted making it almost impossible for the people outside to see her.

Ayanna leaned her head back and sighed. 

"Your brother wants to see us." Ray said as he pulled her closer to him. The car had first fetched Ray in his office then he came by to pick her up. He had been waiting for quite a while since they still needed to figure out how to get out of the mall without the paparazzi mobbing her. 

"I thought this issue would be solved in a month or two. It's been five months and the police still haven't found out who was behind all of his." Ayanna said with a sigh. "My brother still won't let you get involved?" Ayanna asked Ray.

"Yeah. He said the police are too close. If I do anything it might lead them back to me and I'd risk being arrested." Ray said with a sigh. He hated not being able to do anything to help his fiance and best friend. 

At Mor Co. Ray and Ayanna find Cedric staring out of his large glass window.

"Did Adrianna go back to work today?" Ayanna asked her brother. She knew that he was looking out to the building clearly in his line of sight, Island's Inc. 

"Yeah. I couldn't convince her to wait any longer. She threatened to run away if I made her stay home." Cedric said with a laugh.

"Why did you ask us to come over?" Ayanna asked. "You're usually chasing us away from your office." She teased.

"You need to postpone the wedding." Cedric said, his voice emotionless. He knew Ayanna would get mad, who wouldn't. Business should not matter with love, he should let them get married.

"I understand." Ayanna's reply shocked everyone. 

"Darling, you can be mad." Ray said as he lifted her face to look at him. "Cedric and I would understand if you were mad. This isn't fair and we both know it."

Ayanna smiled and shook her head. "You know, in both of your heads I'm still a teenage girl that goes off at the smallest things. Well I'm not, and neither are the other girls." Ayanna said crossing her arms as a laugh played on her lips. "If you think about it I'm running Elisia Malls with little supervision from Cedric or dad. Then we have Nicole, she acts like a kid but she isn't, she not only runs most of Saints Hospital's operations, but she is also Miguel's lead anesthesiologist. Either or would be enough to wow others, and don't get me started on Veronica, she's like the best of the best in her industry." 

Cedric laughed. "Ayanna, we never said that you guys were like children." Cedric turned to face his sister with a smile. "We are just surprised that you don't feel bad about it. You've never held back on your emotions around us." Cedric said with a shrug. 

"I'm sure the optics would be bad if we got married in the middle of a crisis." Ayanna said with a smile. "I feel bad about my wedding being postponed, but I wouldn't want to get married with such a dark cloud hovering over us."

"It's not just that Ayanna." Cedric began to explain as he sat behind his desk. "I'm worried that whoever plotted this would use your wedding as a chance to target us. We don't even know who was the real target of the attack or why they would choose to do so." 

"Brother -" Ayanna was about to speak when her phone began to ring. Cedric nodded and motioned for her to pick up the call.

"Veronica?" Ayanna asked over the phone.

"What? What? Slow down, what happened to Nicole?" Ayanna asked with worry painted all over her face. 

Cedric and Ray couldn't help but pay attention to Ayanna's call.

"Alright, I'll go there." Ayanna said nodding as if Veronica could see her. "I won't tell them! Yes I'm with them. Okay okay I'm going." Ayanna said as she dropped the call.

"Nicole has an, errrrr emergency." Ayanna said as she got her bag from Cedric's couch.

"Do you need me to come with you?" Ray asked as he followed Ayanna out the door. 

Ayanna turned and placed a hand on Ray's chest. "No. Don't. It's a girl thing." 

Ray nodded understanding that he shouldn't be pushy about it. "Alright, darling." Ray said as he wrapped an arm around Ayanna's waist and planted a tender kiss on her lips.

"Bye." Ayanna waved as she left.

"What do you think that was about?" Ray asked as he took out his phone and made himself comfortable on Cedric's couch.

"Ian." Cedric said simply with a shrug.

"How sure are you?" Ray asked.

"Ian is still at his desk. If it was anything unrelated to him he would be the first one next to Nicole." Cedric said with a shrug.

"You make a pretty good point." Ray said as he picked up his phone. "Send my things to Mor Co., I'll be working from here."

"What!?" Cedric said angrily as Ray dropped the call.

"Your sister was my ride." Ray said with a shrug.

"Then have a car pick you up." Cedric complained.

"And miss out on some much needed bonding time with my future brother-in-law. No way." Ray said with a laugh.

Cedric simply sighed and shook his head.

"You didn't ask me how I felt about our wedding getting postponed." Ray said with a pout.

"That is exactly why there are still gay rumors about you." Cedric said with a laugh as he focused his attention on the documents in hand.

"Well I feel bad." Ray said leaning back on the couch. "I wanted to live with your sister legally." 

"No one is stopping you Ray.�� Cedric said rolling his eyes as he read through the documents. 

"Can't you be a little more overprotective?" Ray teased.

"It's you and my sister, heck just get your marriage license and stop bothering me." Cedric said with a laugh. "That's what Adrianna and I did."

"Maybe I can surprise her at Nicole's." Ray said with a grin.