Chapter 12v Raelyn
Raelyn’s POV
After the mall incident, Rafael was unusually quiet, like the kind of quiet that made my stomach twist and made my hairs raise and my mind overthink every little thing.
For two whole days, I walked on eggshells around him, maybe because I was half-expecting an explosion of anger at any moment or maybe he'll drag me and decide to end my life.
Instead, on the third morning, he called Sofia and me into his study. He sat behind his desk, and his expression was unreadable, his fingers were tapping slowly against the polished mahogany table.
“I’ve decided you can go out,” Rafael said, his tone was clipped and sharp.
I blinked. “Really?”
“Yes,” he replied, though the glare in his eyes made me second guess my excitement , maybe it was too early to celebrate. “But only under certain conditions.”
I knew it!
Sofia leaned back in her chair casually, raising an eyebrow. “Conditions?”
“You will take Matteo with you,” Rafael continued, his voice firm as stone. “No tricks,no sneaking around. If anything happens, Matteo will inform me immediately.”
I nodded quickly. “Of course. Thank you, Rafael.”
Sofia smirked. “See? You’re not so bad after all.”
He gave her a look so cold it could’ve frozen the room. “Don’t push your luck, Sofia.”
After Rafael permission,we decided to go out and the city streets felt alive. The winter air abused my cheeks, but it was a good kind of cold , the kind of cold that made you feel awake. Sofia and I strolled arm in arm, while Matteo trailed behind like a lost puppy.
“This feels so much better,” Sofia sighed, breathing in the air dramatically. “Freedom, fresh air, and no Rafael watching us like we’re about to commit murder.”
I smiled faintly. “I’m just glad he trusted us enough to let us go.”
Sofia snorted. “He didn’t trust us,he trusted Matteo to babysit us.”
Behind us, Matteo cleared his throat. “I can hear you, Signorina Sofia.”
She shrugged. “Good,at least you know your job.”
We shopped for hours, tried on ridiculous hats, and stopped for a coffee at a coffee shop in the mall . For the first time in a while after being dragged across the continent, I felt like I could breathe.
Sofia kept telling me embarrassing childhood stories about Rafael and apparently, he once fell into a fountain trying to impress a girl and I couldn’t stop laughing.
We were browsing through a boutique when I noticed a man across the store. He was tall, with a smile that wasn’t friendly at all. It felt like he was unclothing me apart with his eyes. I turned away quickly, pretending not to notice.
When we stepped outside, I heard footsteps behind us.
“Hey, beautiful,” the man said, his voice was slick with something that made my skin crawl.
I gripped my shopping bag tighter. “Um… excuse me?”
“You shouldn’t be walking around alone,” he said, ignoring Matteo’s presence just a few feet behind us. “How about I keep you company?”
“Back off,” Matteo growled, stepping in between us.
The man smirked. “Relax, big guy. I’m just being friendly.”
Matteo’s hand shifted toward his waistband where I knew his gun was. “Leave. Now!.”
The man reached out, like he meant to grab me, and before I could react, Matteo’s fist connected with his jaw. The cracking sound was loud and I knew the man might have lost a couple of teeth. The man staggered back with blood dripping from his nose.
“Matteo, stop!” I gasped, frozen.
But Matteo didn’t stop instead he shoved the man against the wall and said in a sharp voice, “If you ever come near her again, I’ll make sure you regret it.”
“Alright, alright!” the man spluttered and raised his hands I'm surrender. “I’m leaving!”
Matteo released him, and he stumbled away with curses under his breath.
“Please don’t tell Rafael,” I said quickly, my voice shaking.
Matteo looked at me, frowning. “He needs to know. It’s my job to protect you.”
“It’s almost Christmas,” I begged. “I don’t want to ruin things.”
He hesitated, then sighed. “Fine. But if something like this happens again, I won’t keep it from him.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, my heart still thudding.
When we got back to the villa, I thought we’d gotten away with it , turned out I was absolutely wrong. Sofia and I were curled up in the living room with cocoa in our hands, still giggling about our day.
“I still can’t believe Matteo punched that guy so hard,” Sofia said between laughs.
I said trying to ask her not to mention it. “Sofia, don’t...” but I was too late
“Punched who?” Rafael’s voice boomed across the room.
We turned to see him in the doorway, his expression was murderous.
“It was nothing,” I blurted. “Just a misunderstanding.”
His eyes shifted to Matteo, who suddenly found the floor very interesting. “Explain,” Rafael demanded.
Matteo reluctantly told him about the incident with every detail and Rafael’s face darkened.
“You let someone get near her?” His roar shook the walls. “What the hell were you thinking? È così che stai facendo il tuo buco del lavoro?”
“It wasn’t Matteo’s fault!” I said quickly even though I didn't understand the last part. “He protected me! And nothing happened, I swear.”
“That’s not the point,” Rafael snapped. “You could have been hurt.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted, feeling my eyes burn. “Please don’t be mad.”
His jaw flexed and his gaze was locked on me. I could almost see the anger boiling inside him
He finally exhaled, rubbing his forehead. “Dio mio, Raelyn. You’re going to give me a heart attack.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmured.
He stepped closer, his hand brushing my cheek. “You don’t need to apologize. Just… be more careful, alright?”
I nodded, relief flooding me. At least he didn't react badly like I thought he would.
“Come here,” he said softly.
I stepped into his arms, the warmth of his embrace made me forget everything for a moment . His chin was on my head, and his voice was low against my hair.
“Don’t scare me like that again.Luce del sole” (Sunshine)
“I won’t,” I whispered.