Chapter 69 My clothes got dirty with Romanos’ blood last night

Chapter 69 My clothes got dirty with Romanos’ blood last night
Author’s POV,

“Come to the dining table. I’m waiting.”

The moment Eva read the message, her heart began to pound wildly in her chest. For a second she simply stared at the screen, hoping she had misunderstood the words.

But she hadn’t.

Rafael was downstairs.

A wave of panic rushed through her. Without wasting another moment, she slipped her phone back into her pocket and hurried out of her bedroom.

The mansion’s long corridor felt unusually silent as she walked quickly toward the dining hall. Every step echoed against the marble floor, making her even more nervous. If her father or brother saw her rushing like this, they would immediately start asking questions.

But it was already too late.

As soon as Eva stepped into the dining hall, she felt the tension hanging in the air.

Abram was sitting at the table, his jaw clenched tightly as he glared at Rafael. His eyes burned with barely controlled fury, as if he was forcing himself not to leap across the table and attack him.

Robert, on the other hand, appeared calm. Too calm.

His expression was unreadable as he watched the man sitting across from him.

In the middle of the room, Eva’s footsteps echoed softly.

“Rafael…” she murmured.

Her voice faded as she stopped in her tracks.

Rafael was sitting comfortably at the dining table as if he belonged there. The only thing covering his body was her bathrobe. His dark hair was still damp, droplets of water sliding slowly down his neck.

Eva’s eyes widened.

He didn’t even wear his clothes…?

Then she realized something else.

The bathrobe he was wearing… belonged to her.

Before she could say anything, Rafael spoke, his voice calm and steady.

“Actually, my clothes got dirty with Romanos’ blood last night,” he said casually, as if he was talking about spilled wine. “So I put them in the washing machine.”

Eva felt her throat go dry.

“What are you doing here?” she asked softly as she slowly walked toward him.

Rafael leaned back slightly in his chair, watching her approach with a faint, dangerous smile.

“You were taking too long,” he replied lazily. “So I thought I should come down myself and have breakfast.”

Abram’s glare sharpened as Eva stopped beside Rafael.

“And,” Rafael continued, shifting his gaze to Robert, “I also have something important to discuss with your father.”

Robert folded his hands calmly on the table.

“And from where exactly did you enter my house?” he asked.

Without the slightest hesitation, Rafael answered.

“Through Eva’s bedroom balcony.”

Eva gasped.

“Rafael… please…” she whispered urgently, trying to stop him from saying anything more.

But it was already too late.

Abram slammed his hand against the table.

“How dare you!” he growled, his voice filled with rage.

Rafael slowly turned his head toward him. His eyes were cold, almost amused.

“Well,” he said calmly, “a man can have a little courage when he wants to see his woman… and his child.”

The words made the room fall into an even heavier silence.

Then Rafael reached for Eva’s hand and gently pulled her toward the chair beside him.

“You should sit,” he said quietly.

Eva sat down stiffly, feeling Abram’s furious gaze burning into her.

“Now,” Rafael continued smoothly, “Eva, serve my breakfast.”

She nodded silently and began placing food onto his plate.

“Twenty-three people died in the massacre you and the Romanos and Bianchi families were involved in.”

Eva’s hand froze.

The spoon stopped mid-air.

“Eighty-nine million dollars worth of property was destroyed,” Rafael continued in the same calm tone. “All of it… because of you.”

Eva slowly looked up at him, her heart racing.

Then she glanced at Robert.

Rafael leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table.

“So,” he said quietly, “I want compensation.”

His voice was calm, but there was something terrifying beneath it.

“I know you can’t bring back the dead,” he continued. “But I also know that you can return my four hundred million dollars.”

He picked up his fork and slowly cut a piece of food, completely unbothered by the deadly silence in the room.

“I didn’t want to involve lawyers or courts,” he said as he placed the food in his mouth.

His dark eyes lifted to meet Robert’s.

“That’s why I came here personally.”

For a moment, the room was so quiet that even Eva’s breathing sounded loud.

Then Rafael’s lips curved into a faint, chilling smile.

“Because if you don’t return my money,” he said softly, “I have… other ways of collecting my debt.”

The calmness in his voice was far more frightening than any threat. And everyone in the room knew it.

“The marriage happened for this reason only~” Robert began.

But Rafael cut him off mid-sentence.

“No, no, no,” Rafael said slowly, shaking his head as if correcting a foolish misunderstanding. “Eva wasn’t the compensation for the four hundred million.”

His dark eyes lifted calmly to meet Robert’s.

“She is the compensation for the dead people.”

The words fell heavily into the room.

Eva’s breath caught in her throat. She turned to look at her father, disbelief and shock filling her eyes. For a moment she couldn’t even process what Rafael had just said.

Rafael, however, remained completely calm.

“Her existence,” he continued coldly, “doesn’t guarantee your life, Mr. Miller.”

He picked up another piece of meat from his plate and chewed slowly, as if they were discussing a casual business deal instead of lives and death.

After swallowing, he leaned back slightly.

“Hm,” he murmured. “Delicious.”

Robert watched him silently for a moment before speaking again.

“Alright,” he said in a measured tone. “We will look into this matter.”

“No, Dad. Don’t,” Abram interrupted sharply. “This is baseless.”

The moment Abram spoke, Rafael’s jaw tightened.

A dangerous silence followed.

Rafael slowly turned his head toward Abram, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“I don’t like it when he speaks while we are talking,” Rafael said calmly, pointing a finger toward Abram as if he were pointing out an irritating object.

Then he looked back at Robert.

“Please make him understand that when two people are talking, he should keep his mouth shut.”

Abram’s fists clenched on the table, his anger obvious.

“Rafael… leave it,” Eva said softly, sensing the tension rising dangerously.

Rafael turned his head toward her. The coldness in his eyes softened just a little.

Then he shrugged lightly.

“Fine,” he said.

He pushed his chair back and stood up.

“Then let’s go to the bedroom,” he said to Eva. “I’m getting late.”

Eva nodded silently and stood up beside him.

Before leaving, Rafael turned back toward the table one last time.

“Four hundred million,” he said in a calm but firm voice. “I want the exact amount.”

Robert watched him with silent anger as Rafael began walking away.

Eva followed him out of the dining hall.

Once they were far enough from the table, she turned to him, confusion written all over her face.

“You came here just to talk about your money?” she asked while walking beside him.

Rafael scoffed.

“Hell,” he said bluntly, “why else would I come here and look at their nasty faces?”