Chapter ninety
Rafaello’s POV
“You have to call this off, this instant,” I thundered, voice cutting through the music, though the low bass masked it enough to avoid immediate attention.
My grandfather raised a hand, directing Santiago forward with a single, deliberate gesture, then led us through the crowd to his office. “Wait here. I need to speak to my grandson.”
The door clicked shut behind us, and as the muffled noise of the hall receded, the office became its own world, tense and suffocating. My hands trembled as a surge of anger overtook me. I paced back and forth, the floor creaking under my agitation.
“How dare you?” I growled, barely restraining the volume. “That woman is my ex!”
He leaned against the desk, arms crossed, face curved into a sarcastic smirk that made my blood boil. “She is the key to my final plan,” he said, casual and cold, like this was a chessboard and we were mere pawns.
“What plan are you talking about, goddammit?”
He stayed silent, eyes unblinking, studying me. I hadn’t expected him to choose Victoria. Not once.
“Her father,” he finally said, voice smooth and measured, “is the major general of the East. We wage war, and he plans a coup. The king is gone.”
“All this… just so you could rule East? Why did I even take over South in the first place?”
“This is an empire,” he said flatly. “You would not dare question my plans.”
I ran my hands through my hair, realizing the futility of reasoning. This wasn’t about logic it was about power, domination, legacy. For a heartbeat, I pictured Alora alone, caught in the crossfire, and my chest tightened.
“Now, you’ll go out there and iron out whatever issue you have with her. Otherwise…” He extended a finger directly at me. “We will have a problem, boy.”
We returned to the hall, and Victoria was still standing in the same spot, her gaze glued to her phone, lips curved in a sly, infuriating smile.
“My dear, I hope we didn’t keep you long,” my grandfather said, polite yet calculating. I rolled my eyes and shoved my hands into my pockets.
“Not at all, Grandpa,” she purred, the syllables sharp, predatory. She tilted her head slightly, studying me like a cat sizing up prey.
Her calm display made my stomach turn.
“He’ll show you to his room so the two of you can talk properly,” my grandfather added, stepping back. “Good. I’ll send someone for refreshments.” And then he was gone, leaving us alone.
The second his back turned, I lunged, grabbing her hand and dragging her with me up the stairs.
“Rafe, slow down! I’m in heels, for heaven’s sake,” she protested, voice a blend of mock frustration and amusement.
I ignored her, only stopping at my door. I pushed it open and slammed it behind us.
“Did you know about this?” I demanded, voice tight with barely contained fury.
“Rafe…” she began, but her confidence faltered just enough to make my blood boil.
I swallowed hard, a sudden chill creeping through me as I realized how deeply my grandfather had ensnared us all.
I kicked the nearest chair across the room. It shattered into pieces, sending splinters across the floor. Her eyes widened, pale as a ghost.
“I didn’t know!” she blurted, voice trembling. “My father was the one in touch with your grandfather!”
“Why didn’t you stop it?” I barked, pacing closer.
She lifted her chin, trying to regain control, her green eyes flicking to mine like a predator calculating the strike. Her fingers tapped lightly against the door frame, a rhythm that felt more like a plan than passion. “I didn’t have a choice… but I still love you, Rafe.”
I flinched, stepping back. The name sounded like a blade. I lit a cigarette at the slightly open window, inhaling the acrid smoke as the bitterness filled my mouth. I thought of Alora, her laugh cutting through the tension like sunlight through smoke. Whatever happened tonight, she couldn’t be hurt. The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating.
“How much do you want to be gone from my life, completely erased?” I asked finally, exhaling slowly.
Her lips curved, a flicker of her usual calculating expression returning. “Amor, it’s not about the money. I know you hate me, but please… have some respect for my dignity.”
I laughed softly, incredulous. “Dignity? That word should never come from your mouth,” I shot back, stalking toward her slowly, the anger coiling tighter in my chest.
“Rafe, I’m sorry. Truly sorry. I regret what I did,” she said, voice cracking slightly, the façade beginning to crumble—but not completely.
“Sorry? You’re stupid if you think that word erases what you did,” I snapped, gripping her arms as the words left me in a growl.
“I know,” she whispered, almost too soft to hear. “That’s why I want to be your wife. To pay off my debt to you. Not just for love, but to make this right. To survive. To be where I need to be.”
I froze, the audacity hitting me like a punch. My grip tightened. “Alora is my wife,” I spat, venom thick in my words, “and you’ll never take her place. No matter what.”
“But you two are divorced…” Her voice was honey-coated, every syllable a temptation, a test.
“You’re just a pawn in the game, Victoria,” I said coldly, releasing her arms. “And when I’m done, you’ll wish you’d never crawled out of whatever hole you came from.”
Her breathing was uneven, but her eyes still gleamed with something dangerous, manipulative. She straightened herself, brushing off the invisible dust of humiliation, stepping closer with that sly, unyielding smile.
“I know… deep down… you still love me,” she whispered, venom laced in sweetness. “I’ll do everything to win you over.” Her mind calculated every step, every word, every angle.
“Out,” I growled.
She staggered back but didn’t retreat immediately, testing, pushing, hoping to find a crack in my armor. Then, with a deliberate movement, she stormed for the door, slamming it behind her.
I ran a hand through my hair, muttering curses under my breath, the heat of my anger still simmering. I grabbed my phone. Notifications flooded the screen—texts, calls, voicemails. My eyes locked on one. Alora.
I snatched up the keys from the table. Seeing her safe was not a whim. It was strategy, my next move in a game I was already loosing.
Everything had finally surfaced: the plan, the manipulations, the betrayals. Now, the only thing I didn’t know was how Alora would respond and that uncertainty coiled in my chest, sharp and relentless.