Chapter 153

Chapter 153
The door to Rafael's office burst open with such force that it rattled the walls. Alexander burst in, his eyes afire with rage where there was always an iceberg of calm; a storm seemed to build from the horizon and promise to unleash its furore at any moment as Rafael felt the shifting of air.

Rafael barely looked up from the report on his desk; he had expected this confrontation, just not quite this soon. He set the papers down deliberately, leaning back in his chair with an air of detachment.

"You always had a flair for dramatic entrances, Alexander," Rafael said with a calm voice, but subtle irritation. “You should try knocking, it's good etiquette.”

"I am not here to play games," Alexander snapped, advancing on the desk. "You know exactly why I'm here."

Rafael raised one eyebrow, playing dumb. "Do I? Enlighten me."

"Bernice," Alexander spat, all accusations. "You've manipulated her into staying here, using the children as leverage. You think I don't see what you're doing?"

Rafael's eyes had narrowed though his features had remained impassive. "You crossed an entire city to accuse me of manipulation?”

Alexander leaned over the desk, his fists firmly planted onto the polished wood. "Do not play the fool for I know that you understand well enough. You are playing upon her vulnerabilities. You couldn't get her back any other way; now you are using Mia's condition and Luca's disappearance to hide behind.”

Rafael stood, deliberately slowly, rounding the desk as undemonstrative and calm, yet commanding, his gaze nailed Alexander, intense without once wavering. "I'm protecting my family. Something you wouldn't understand."

"Your family?" Alexander spat out bitterly. "You lost that right when Bernice left you. You've been out of their lives for years. I stepped in where you failed."

Rafael worked his jaw, like he hated the fact that Alexander spoke about Bernice being saved from him. "You're not part of this family, Alexander. You never were, and you never will be."

"I'm more family to Bernice now than you'll ever be again," Alexander growled, growing louder. "I have been through everything with her. She trusts me.”

“Trust?" Rafael's lips arced in a taunting curve. "Is that what you call it? Because, where I am standing, she's here. With me under my care. Not with you in Florence."

Alexander's face hardened. "She's here for Mia. You are fooling yourself, if you think it's about you, either. And when Mia gets better, I take Bernice and the kids to Florence, well and truly out of the range of your manipulative behavior.”

"You're not taking anyone," Rafael said, his voice glacial and final.

"And who's going to stop me?" Alexander challenged, his face inches closer. "You? You have no right to interfere."

Rafael's eyes sliced, his calm breaking just enough to show the steel beneath. "I have every right."

"Not after the divorce," Alexander threw back at him. "You signed those papers. You both did. It's over, Rafael."

Rafael's face didn't change, but something in his eyes came into sharper focus. "You think some papers get signed and that's the end of a marriage?"

Alexander's frown deepened, his features flashing with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Rafael took another step closer, his voice even and measured. "Yes, we signed the papers. But I never filed them. The divorce was never finalized.

The silence between them was palpable. Alexander stared into Rafael as the weight of his words began to sink in. "You're lying."

Rafael didn't bat an eyelid. "Check the court records if you don't believe me. Bernice and I are still married. Legally."

Alexander stepped backward, his mind racing. "Why would you keep that from her?”

"It wasn't about keeping it from her," Rafael said, his voice even, firm. "It was giving space, letting her be free. The facts have changed, and now the kids are in danger. Bernice has to be kept safe, and I will do it."

Alexander shook his head, and his expression spoke volumes. "You really think this changes anything? You really think that she's going to forgive you? Accept you back in her life just because of some technicality?"

"I am not asking for her forgiveness or acceptance," Rafael said matter-of-factly. "I ask that my family be safe. I will do whatever it takes to make sure that it is.”

“You're delusional," Alexander spat. “ You kicked Bernice out. She moved on. You can't rewrite the past."

"I'm not trying to rewrite the past," Rafael said. "I'm fighting for the future. Our future. Bernice's, Mia's, Luca's—mine."

Alexander's fists clenched. "You won't win. She doesn't love you anymore."

Rafael's face darkened. "Is that what she told you? Or is that what you've convinced yourself?”

Alexander glared at him. “I’ll take her back to Florence. I’ll give her the life she deserves, away from your control.”

Rafael’s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “Try, and you’ll fail.”

The tension in the room was suffocating. Both men stood their ground, neither willing to back down.

Alexander’s breath was ragged with frustration. “This isn’t over.”

“No,” Rafael agreed. “It’s just beginning.”

Alexander turned sharply, storming toward the door. But before leaving, he glanced over his shoulder, his voice low but filled with venom. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get Bernice and the children out of here. You’ve underestimated me, Rafael.”

Rafael met his gaze head-on. “And you’ve underestimated my resolve. I’ll protect my family, no matter the cost.”

Alexander said nothing. He wrenched the door open and was out, feet pounding down the hall.

In that moment, Rafael moved not a single hair of his head. His mind wrestled. The gauntlet that Alexander had thrown was accepted. So was his conclusion.

It wasn't about him and Alexander fighting over Bernice's heart; this was about the fight against their future. And this time, he was definitely not going to lose.