Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Rafael POV

The office was quiet, the only sound in the room was coming from the air conditioner. Lorenzo stood by the window, his hands clasped behind his back, silent as always, observing the gardens below.

Even in casual posture, he had a presence that commanded attention—he is always calm, measured and precise. It was what had earned him the firstborn position in the family. Sharp, clever, gentle when he chose to be, and merciless when the situation demanded.

I leaned against my desk, my phone in hand, pretending to scroll through messages I didn’t intend to read. The truth was messing with my mind more than any document or coded number.

“Rossi’s remaining guys are moving again,” Lorenzo said, his voice low and careful. “I intercepted chatter near the docks last night. They seem like a small group, but coordinated. They’re testing waters, waiting for a mistake.”

I clenched my jaw. “Shipment?” I asked casually, masking the edge of concern.

“Yes. Nothing over yet,” Lorenzo replied. “But the usual cover isn’t working. They know someone’s paying attention.”

I nodded slowly. “Keep me updated quietly. I don't want Raelyn to know yet.”

He glanced at me, eyebrow raised. “You already lied to her once today. Are you planning to keep the keep lying all the time?”

I met his eyes, and for a moment, I envied the ease with which he spoke. “I promised her truth,” I muttered, almost to myself. “And I’m already lying again.”

Lorenzo’s expression softened, though his words remained clipped. “You’re protecting her. That’s your choice. But hiding too much will catch up to you and you know she senses more than you give her credit for.”

I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated. Lorenzo was right. She did sense things. The subtle shift in the guards’ behavior, the conversations cut short when she entered a room, and the unspoken warnings. Raelyn had survived fear her entire life and I doubted she could ever be truly oblivious to danger.

But letting her see it, fully, would shatter the fragile trust we were building. She had endured enough. I swore I wouldn’t be the one to break her further.

“Where’s Dante?” I asked, trying to sound unconcerned.

Lorenzo stiffened. “He is gone. He hasn’t checked in since yesterday and from the tone of things… I suspect he’s hiding something.”

My jaw tightened. Dante and I were family, but his cunning behavior and ego often made him unpredictable. I didn’t like the idea of him anywhere near Raelyn, not if he was the one scheming behind closed doors.

“He’s protective of her in his own… twisted way,” Lorenzo added, almost quietly. “But you know how easily that turns. Especially when he doesn’t get what he wants.”

I exhaled, leaning forward on the edge of the desk. “I’ll handle it,” I said, though my mind raced. I didn’t like leaving him unchecked, not when Raelyn’s safety might depend on my ability to anticipate Dante’s moves.

Lorenzo studied me for a long moment, the quiet sharpness of his gaze cutting through my attempt to regain my composure. “You always handle things, Rafael. But even you need someone watching your back.”

I offered a brief, almost unnoticeable nod. Lorenzo always knew the right words, the ones that reminded me that I wasn’t invincible. That sometimes, even as the second-born, the fighter, the man who carried so much darkness, needed guidance.

“I’ll check the perimeter personally,” I muttered, more to myself than to him.

“Do it,” Lorenzo said softly. “And don’t underestimate the people who are still alive. Rossi’s network isn’t gone. They must be planning something big.”

I rubbed my face, thinking of Raelyn at home. She had no idea how close the shadows were creeping. She thought the villa, those walls, were enough to keep her safe. That she was just learning to trust a family she barely knew.

And I would let her believe it.

Even if it killed me to lie.

The day moved in slow but packed with meetings with suppliers, coded conversations with lieutenants, checking security feeds, all under the pretense that everything was normal.

But every glance at the door, every flicker on a monitor, reminded me that the world outside wasn’t calm.

I caught myself thinking about Raelyn more than once. Her fragile smile that morning. The way she sipped her coffee, oblivious to the storm I was already seeing. The way her hair fell over her shoulders, soft and warm in the sun. I could almost forget the danger.

Almost.

Most of the time I found myself in the hall outside her room, standing still long enough to hear her soft voice, humming a tune I didn’t recognize. My chest tightened. I wanted to go in, sit beside her, brush a strand of hair from her face, and tell her that she was safe.

But I didn’t.

Because in this world, safety was an illusion. And promises were easily broken.

Later, Lorenzo returned to my office with a folder I hadn’t asked for. He placed it on the desk quietly.

“Intel,” he said. “They did nothing actionable yet. But there are movements I want you to watch. Rossi’s men are keeping a low profile for now. Testing us because they think we don't know what they are up to.”

I picked up the folder, scanning the faces and the reports. My stomach tightened. Every single person here could be the one to ruin the fragile peace we had built.

“Dante’s name appears in the same circles,” Lorenzo added, leaning against the window frame. “I don't know what he wants, but im sure he’s involved and I don’t like it.”

“I’ll keep an eye,” I voiced. “Quietly. Raelyn can’t see this.”

He nodded, the weight of understanding passing between us. “I know. Just… don’t let the obsession blind you. You can protect her, but you can’t predict every move.”

I closed my eyes briefly, the weight of that truth was heavy on my chest. My obsession—My possessiveness. My need to shield her from every shadow that crossed her path. It was growing every single time and she had no idea.

When I returned at home in the evening, I went to the terrace, watching the villa glow under the moonlight. Raelyn was inside, laughing at something Sophia kept yapping about in her ear. The sound twisted something in my chest.

I reminded myself that this moment—the peace, the laughter, this fragile happiness—was borrowed and temporary. I would keep it for her as long as I could, even if it meant hiding the truth, even if it meant lying with every heartbeat.

Because she deserved to feel safe.

And I promised myself that I would do everything in my power to protect her. Even if it meant becoming the shadow she would never see.