Chapter 35 HIS CHOICE
With my heart racing, I read the first line of the letter and instantly, I knew who the sender could be even without reading it through yet.
“Leah,” My subconscious mind made me say.
My mind was set at peace momentarily as I was aware I was still in safe hands as regarding the letter.
Its content, I read.
One more day, Lady Vanessa, spend just one more day with Master Rafael and I promise to walk you out of this nightmare, but you have to make this worthwhile.
The Devereaux family has reportedly lost a business deal for your sake and I am aware this will cause a setback for Rafael and the family, but he will never let this loss define him and let the other families hoping for his downfall take this as a moment of weakness for him.
Mr. Santiano needs you now more than ever and I hope you can be there for him to pacify him with your presence before you break loose from his world.
I have made arrangements for you to escape safely. We might not meet in person, not until after you've made the master feel whole again. I will see you in the third hour.
—Leah.
One more day, she had said, one more day and I'd be the once free woman I was. Tomorrow, I'd be a free woman once again, away from the world of the mafias, away from Italy and away from Santiano Rafael Devereaux.
—
I couldn't contain the joy that swept through me as I finished the letter. It felt surreal that I would be away from the Devereaux mansion tomorrow, that my liberation from Rafael was finally happening, but all that would only come to fulfilment if I was patient enough to stay with him for just one more day, make him feel whole and accepted.
I wasn't overly concerned about whatever business deal of his which had failed, but the mention of me being the cause for this tugged at me for a bit, making me worry about what it could have possibly been.
How had I been pulled into the mafias business without knowing or doing anything?
It wasn't even my plan to be here, so how has this happened without me being aware of it?
I quickly let the thought go as I needed to make it count. I walked away from the bed, the letter still clutched in my hand.
I knew I had to get rid of it somehow before someone else finds out about its existence because that would cause both Leah and I nothing but damnation.
I quickly got on the in-house telephone by the gramophone, and like one had been expecting me to use the telephone one day, the direct line to Rafael's studyroom was written on the card with the Devereaux family emblem stamped on the piece of card.
I dialed the number and placed the phone to my ear, hoping I would get a quick and swift response. On the second ring, the telephone on the other end was picked up and I heard his voice.
“Vanessa?”
As he called my name, it felt like he was very distant— like he was my distant lover who had been forcefully separated from me for a very long time.
His tone was a little low, a testament to the phase Leah had talked about and I wondered what he was feeling at that moment.
Was he sad? Upset? Furious?
This, I couldn't tell, but all that mattered was the wholesome feeling Leah wanted me to put back in him, so I said,
“I need you.”
Rafael had been in his study, reviewing some urgent paperwork as he had other business to deal with rather than let the failed deal with the Martini DeLuca family concerning the Devereaux Reserve weigh him down and ignore other business the Devereaux family owned.
He knew going forth, he had to tailor his plans carefully, find better investors which he had given as a task for Marco and his men to make lists of other Mafia families or prominent businesses that were qualified to partner with the Devereaux family.
Rafael had specially requested the list to be topped with Mafia families outside of Italy with broadened focus on Russian Mafias and prominent Japanese Yakuza families.
There was a lot of work to do, contacts to make, listing and delisting to close by. Marco and a few of his men were heavily tasked with this job while Rafael reviewed the final papers, passing instructions and making commands and ordering for the continuous production of the Devereaux whiskey.
“Boss, I'm afraid that may be a bad idea,” Marco said, seeing no reason to continue production of their whiskey with no family ready to invest in the production or make a big purchase of the available products the Martini DeLuca family had cancelled on.
“The family funds… we barely have enough to pay the workers from the allocation that goes to the whiskey production. The Reserve is our only business suffering a loss.” He continued.
Rafael looked up from the paperwork he had been reviewing, flipping the lighter he had been flicking shut to express his stance.
“The funds measured for the factory are almost out, you say?”
“Yes, boss.”
“Don't we have collections to make?” Rafael asked again, his cold eyes surveying his men like they weren't doing their job competently.
Luke spoke up as soon as he noticed the clear coast for a chance for him to speak clearly.
“The Pedro family business, boss, we can take over their casino tonight to make up for what they owe this family.”
Rafael raised a brow, enjoying this new talk which Luke took as a cue to continue.
“My intel over there said the boss has been collecting the bounty, we might as well make their plaza our bounty.” He finished with a grin to his lips.
Rafael scoffed, pleased at Luke's utterance.
“Those rats! it's either we take over the Pedro family casino or they buy our whiskey.” Rafael said to his men, lighting up sparks in their faces.
“Come on now, boys, there's going to be a party uptown tonight!” Marco called and the man cheered for a bit, getting out of their work table and they began handling their weapons, ready to leave.
They all stood their ground towards the door, awaiting Rafael to get out of his seat and take the lead.
Rafael flipped the papers, getting up from his chair, but before he could step away, the telephone rang, calling his attention.
He needed no one to tell him what to do as he picked up the call after its second ring. Placing the phone to his ear, he said softly into it,
“Vanessa?” and she said back to him,
“I need you.”
Rafael dropped the phone back to the receiver, his eyes laced at his men who were still waiting for him. He needed no time to make a choice as he knew where he wanted to be.
“Boss, we have to leave now.” Marco said, urging him to come along.
“She needs me.” Rafael simply said.