Chapter 18 Cracking Walls
Raphael's POV
I really wanted to get closer to her but the name I have carved for myself wouldn't allow me to do the things that she would like but starting to smile with her is a good start. My reputation in this city was built on being cold, calculated, and distant. People feared me, respected me from afar, but no one really got close to me.
That was how I had designed my life to be. That was the armor I wore every single day.
But with her, things felt different. She made me want to shed that armor, even if just for a few moments. She made me want to be warm, to be approachable, to be the kind of man who could make her laugh without thinking twice about how it might look to others. Still, I knew I had to be careful. I couldn't just flip a switch and become someone else overnight.
The world I lived in didn't allow for that kind of sudden change. So I told myself that small steps were okay. A smile here, a kind word there. That was progress.
"How was it?" I asked when the driver dropped her off in the compound with shopping bags on both hands.
I had been standing on the front steps when the car pulled up, pretending I just happened to be there, though truthfully I had been watching for her return for the past twenty minutes. I tried to appear casual, hands in my pockets, leaning against one of the stone pillars that framed the entrance to the house.
She stepped out of the car looking radiant, practically glowing with happiness. Her arms were loaded with shopping bags from expensive boutiques, the kind of stores that required appointments and had security guards at the door. The colorful bags swung from her hands as she made her way toward me, and I could see the sheer joy written all over her face.
She smiled. Her smile was so wide like a kid that was handed his favourite chocolate.
That smile did something to me. It hit me right in the chest, making my heart beat a little faster. I wasn't used to this feeling, this warmth that spread through me just from seeing someone else happy. It was foreign, almost uncomfortable, but in the best possible way.
"It went well, all thanks to the most respected man in the city," she said, her voice filled with genuine gratitude and maybe just a hint of teasing.
That made me smile. A real smile, not the polite, professional one I usually gave people. This one reached my eyes and made the corners of my mouth turn up naturally. I couldn't help it. Her happiness was contagious.
"You sure know how to use words to your advantage," I said, noticing how happy she is.
"And who is this man that's showering you with gifts?" I asked, playing along with her playful tone.
I already knew the answer, of course. I was the one who had arranged for her to have unlimited access to my accounts for the day. I was the one who had instructed the driver to take her anywhere she wanted to go. I was the one who had called ahead to several stores to make sure she received VIP treatment. But hearing her say it, hearing the appreciation in her voice, that was what I really wanted.
She walked into the patio, and dropped the bags on the floor, panting while I signalled one of the housekeepers to take the bags inside to her room.
I could see she was tired from all that shopping, but it was a good kind of tired. The kind that comes from having a wonderful day doing something you love. Her cheeks were flushed, and a few strands of hair had come loose from the neat style she had left with this morning. She looked beautiful, relaxed, and more comfortable here than I had seen her before.
"Please be careful with those bags," she called, staring at the dismissing figure of the housekeeper.
The older woman nodded respectfully and gathered the bags with practiced care, making sure not to crumple any of the expensive packaging. I made a mental note to give that particular housekeeper a bonus. She had been with me for years and always knew how to handle delicate situations and expensive items.
She walked closer to me, but this time with the precision of a woman who wants to make a man feel seen.
I noticed the change in her approach immediately. Before, she had been casual, friendly, keeping a polite distance. But now, as she moved toward me, there was intention in her steps. Her eyes were locked on mine, and there was something in her gaze that made my breath catch slightly.
She wasn't just walking toward me. She was walking to me, for me.
My pulse quickened, and I found myself standing up straighter, suddenly very aware of every detail about her. The way her dress moved as she walked. The scent of her perfume that grew stronger as she got closer. The way the afternoon sun caught the highlights in her hair.
"So," she said softly when she was standing right in front of me, so close I could see the flecks of gold in her eyes, "are you going to tell me why you're being so generous? Or are you going to keep pretending you just happened to be standing here when I arrived?"
I felt a smile tug at my lips again. She was perceptive. Smart. I liked that about her.
"Maybe I just wanted to make sure you had a good day," I said, my voice coming out lower than I intended.
"Mission accomplished," she replied, her smile softening into something more intimate, more personal. "I can't remember the last time someone did something this thoughtful for me."
Those words hit me harder than I expected. The idea that she hadn't been treated well, that she hadn't experienced this kind of care and attention regularly, bothered me more than it should. I wanted to change that. I wanted to be the person who made sure she knew what it felt like to be valued, appreciated, treasured.
"Then I'll have to make sure days like this become more common," I said before I could stop myself.
Her eyes widened slightly, surprise and pleasure mixing in her expression. "Is that a promise?"
"From the most respected man in the city?" I asked, echoing her earlier words with a slight grin. "Absolutely."
She laughed then, a genuine, joyful sound that seemed to fill the entire patio. I realized in that moment that I would do just about anything to hear that laugh again.
The sun was beginning to set behind us, casting long shadows across the compound. The housekeepers had finished taking in all her bags, and we were left alone in the fading golden light. She was still standing close to me, close enough that I could reach out and touch her if I wanted to.
And God, did I want to.
But I held back. Not yet. I needed to be patient, to let this develop naturally. I had spent years building walls around myself, and they wouldn't come down in a single day. But standing there with her, feeling lighter and happier than I had in months, I knew those walls were starting to crack.
And surprisingly, I wasn't afraid of that at all.