Chapter 6 AN ABRUPT NEWS

I could feel myself tremble slightly under his touch and my lips betrayed me in his face, gently quivering as tears formed within my eyes.

I could feel the waves of emotion clashing within me. This man was insanely intimidating with just the look in his eyes and his careful touches over me, but one thing began to stir clear to me despite all my paradoxical emotions towards him and I knew it to be true.

Santiano Rafael Devereaux, this man before me, this same man who makes me feel a thousand and one emotions will never hurt me and maybe that could be my trump card.

A card I should always keep in check to use against him until things stayed clear. That was all I needed to play his game against him and I have to readily dance to his tune in order to defeat him.

—

It was with no doubt this man Rafael had a few wrong things going on in his head, but what more was I expecting from a man whose whole life seems to have been etched in the Mafia world?

Announcing the beginning of my involvement with him by destroying my marriage? It wasn't just me he was planning to ruin, but he has taken the life of other people with his orders.

Dylan, the poor priest, the guards and a few other dignitaries who had graced my wedding which never got sealed with our holy vows.

Rafael has not just sinned against me, but the temple and the Lord of the temple— God himself.

He had taken the life of men at will just to have me for himself and a man who sheds the blood of another man has no cause left but to be killed— death to his name and this in non-negotiable as his final judgement.

—

The bells of his confession continued to ring a constant reminder within me and I couldn't quite wrap my head about it in an instant.

Why would he think I would accept his proposal after what he had done to me? He hadn't even mentioned the reason why he had solely decided to plunge me into darkness, stealing the very source of my happiness without remorse.

It was evident there was more to making this into history than taking a bride away from her groom just so he could have her for himself.

It would be delusional to assume it was love, an obsession of a masochist, one might say, but I was drawn to add the nature of my inheritance to one of the variant possibilities.

My heart tightened within my chest as I watched his subtle gaze upon me. I had no more desire in this world than to see him dead.

Yes, I wish him death! A gruesome death, slow and haunting that will make his last days a curse on him.

I could have sworn, I could have cursed him loud enough in that moment, but my voice betrayed me yet again and I found myself sinking endlessly more into an ocean of hatred for him.

Never have I been extremely restless in front of a man and my body began to betray me as well— churning and trembling slightly as he refused to revert his face upon my soul, but I did, blinking away my phony tears before he could see them crawl down my cheeks.

“You promised to tell me about Dylan if I dined with you.” I started, taking a hold of my fork which glimmered faintly under the light as I turned it in a little play.

I could feel his smile the moment I mentioned that to him and I had barely caught this reaction of his through the corner of my eyes.

He sat back firmly into his seat, grabbing his cutleries and began slicing into his steak, not looking up at me for a single moment.

“You really want to know about that man, eh?”

“I deserve to know the very least about why you had him killed.” I replied, holding the knife tightly in case I needed to get defensive or perhaps be on the offensive side.

Rafael took no consideration to my response. Instead, he picked up his wine glass, gave the content a little toss before chugging all of the wine within it down his throat.

And then, he never spoke to me again as he gracefully enjoyed his dinner, giving a refined poise of reactions to the perfection to which the steak was tendered to.

At intervals, he let out graceful hums, applauding the professionality of his chefs at such blissful dinner he had been served. All this got me nothing but brewed the irritation within me.

Was he ever going to tell me anything about Dylan?

What kind of game was he playing?

What exactly was he planning to do?

Get me frustrated that I have no other choice but to succumb to his demand?

I decided to give it a last shot. Say another word to him and if he doesn't make any attempts at telling me what I needed to hear, maybe the knife will indeed come in handy.

Not to be used against the steak on my plate, but to bury a toast within his throat.

“If you were in my shoes, you would be in a frenzy about him by now.”

Two things I was preparing myself for; to suppress my irritation at his choice of words or put my steak knife into a swing at his throat as I could already imagine the stain of his own blood swelling on his pristine white shirt.

Rafael never said a word back to me, but instead, a glorious smile filled up his face and I lost it at that moment.

With my hand moving instinctively to deliver a blow at him with the knife in my hand, the door leading to the dining room suddenly barged open, rifting up a surprise attack within me as I immediately dropped my hand.

Three of his men flooded the room in an instant and the one I had handpicked as his right hand man approached Rafael immediately.

He was breathing heavily, like he had just been let out of a gruesome combat. He lent towards Rafael and whispered some words into his ear that I could barely grasp no matter how hard I had tried.

But I noticed it, his countenance falling. The news the man has delivered totally wiped the smile off Rafael's face, and a grim look settled around him.

He got up from his seat and he was handed a gun immediately. I was taken aback, not sure what was happening but before he left, he said to me-

“I'm sorry, Nessa, I won't be graced to tuck you into bed tonight. I will see you tomorrow if I do not die tonight. Sleep well and pray for my safe return.”