Chapter 7: Rafael
Rafael pov
I prided myself on being unshakable,a man of control, power, and dominance and nothing could shake me.
Until now.
I stood in the doorway of the kitchen, staring at the sight before me. Raelyn, my frustratingly naive and beautiful soft spoken wife was elbow deep in soaped water, scrubbing the dishes with the same intensity that one might think she is defusing a bomb.
“What the hell are you doing?” I demanded, my voice cutting through the quietness of the kitchen like a knife. I didn't bring her here to be a fucking maid! She was my wife for goodness sake!
Raelyn jumped and the soapy plate slipped from her fingers and clattered back into the sink. She turned around to face me with, her wide eyes, her cheeks flushed from interruption. “ Um...washing the dishes?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to summon patience I didn’t possess. “Why? We have staff for that.”
She blinked. “I-I thought I’d help out. It’s what I always do back home.”
“This isn’t back home,” I snapped, stepping into the kitchen. “You’re not some maid, Raelyn. You’re....” I stopped myself before finishing the sentence. My wife. The word still felt foreign on my tongue, but damn! It felt so good to call her my wife, but I couldn't do that, she might see me as a weak person and I couldn't risk that.
Her lips quivered, and I groaned inwardly. I could already see where this was headed. She was going to cry! Fuck!
“I just thought...” she began, her voice trembling.
“You thought wrong,” I interrupted, grabbing a towel and thrusting it toward her. “Stop this nonsense and do something worth for once Per l'amor del cazzo ” (for fuck sake)
That was all it took.
Tears instantly spilled down her cheeks, and she let out a small, hiccuping sob. “You don’t have to yell at me! This is all your fault!”
My body froze, the towel hanging limply in my hand. “Tesoro....”
“No! You’re always scolding me! I’m just trying to help, and you’re... you’re so mean!” Her voice cracked on the last word, and before I could respond, she bolted out from the kitchen.
“Dio mio,” I muttered under my breath, running a hand through my hair.
I decided to followed her to our shared bedroom because I didn't want her to sleep away from me at all, my footsteps were heavy against the polished marble floor. By the time I reached the door, it was already locked. She fucking Locked herself inside.
“Raelyn,” I called, tapping my knuckles against the wood.
“Go away!”
I clenched my jaw, my temper coming to the surface, I wasn’t used to being shut out whether literally or figuratively.
But the sound of her muffled sobs on the other side of the door made something in my chest twist uncomfortably.
I exhaled sharply, deciding I wouldn’t ever give in to her childish behavior. “Fine,” I said, my tone coming out clipped. “Stay in there if you want, I have work to do. I don't have fucking time to babysit you Cagna. Do whatever you want!” (Bitch)
I looked at the door for a moment and sighed softly. With that, I turned and left.
The rest of the day passed in with me being in annoying meetings, phone calls, and mafia negotiations. Some people were messing with my shipments. We had lost a lot of arms and I can't get a hold of the one who actually had the audacity to steal my shits!
I buried myself in work, trying to push the image of Raelyn tear streaked face out of my mind. But I couldn't do it. Everytime I zoned out,all I ever saw was her sad face.
"Fottuto inferno!" (Fucking hell!)
By the time I returned home, it was nearly midnight. The villa was quiet, except for the faint hum of soft music playing in my guards quarters. I loosened my tie as I walked into the dining room, expecting to find the Nonna's usual spread of late night leftovers waiting for me.
But Instead, I found Maria, the head maid, clearing away untouched dishes. Did nobody ate tonight?! Why are there untouched food?
“What’s this?” I asked, my voice turning sharp as I could feel myself getting agitated.
Maria looked up, startled. “Signore De Ross! I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Where’s Raelyn?”
Maria hesitated, fiddling with her hands. “She... she refused to eat, sir.”
My brow furrowed. “Refused? Cazzo hai appena detto? Rifiutato?” ( The fuck did you just say? Refused?)
“Yes Sir, She locked herself away after you left and hasn’t come out since. We’ve been... concerned and we tried to persuade her but she insisted she’s fine.”
My chest tightened with a mix of guilt and frustration. “Where is she now?”
Maria shrugged helplessly. “I’m not sure, signore. She could be anywhere in the house.”
I didn’t wait to hear more,I just turned on my heel, my footsteps echoing loudly through the villa as I began my search.
I checked our shared bedroom first, knocking sharply before pushing the door open, It was empty.
I checked the sitting room, still there was no sign of her. I checked the library too thinking maybe she might be cooped up in there reading but all I found was books.
My frustration grew with each passing minute. How could one small, naive woman disappear in a house filled with staff and security? Did she ran away? She wouldn't get pass the gate though! This villa had almost 400 guards and if she tried to escape, Matteo would have called me.
I was about to give up when I heard a faint sniffle coming from the store room. I immediately followed the sound, my heart thudding against my ribs.
When I entered,I found her, she was curled up in the corner of the room, wrapped in a blanket with her knees drawn to her chest. Her eyes were red and puffy, her face blotchy from crying.
“Gattino,” I said, my voice coming out softer than I intended.
She looked up at me, her expression was surprise “What do you want?”
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself as my usual composure seemed to be faltering. “Why didn’t you eat?”
“I wasn’t hungry,” she muttered, looking away.
I sighed loudly and placed my finger on her chin raising her head to meet my eyes “You didn’t have to starve yourself to prove a point.”
“It wasn’t a point,” she snapped, her voice rising slightly. “I just... didn’t feel like eating, okay?”
I sighed, running a hand through my hair inwardly repeating to myself 'don't get mad, don't get mad!' I wasn't used to people talking to me like that.
“Gattino, you can’t keep doing this.”
“Doing what?” she shot back. “Existing? Sorry for being such a burden.”
I closed my eyes, counting to ten in my head trying to keep my calm. This woman was going to be the death of me.
“Get up,” I said finally, my tone leaving no room for argument.
“What?”
“I said, get up.”
When she didn’t move, I strode forward and scooped her into my arms.
“Rafael!” she yelped, clutching my shoulders.
“You’re going to eat something,” I said firmly, carrying her back toward the dining room. “And then you’re going to bed,no arguments!.”
For once, Raelyn didn’t argue.
I bet she was hungry too but her ego kept her copped in the store room.
"Cattivo!"