Forbidden Deception (Deception)

30

“W hat are you looking at?”

I spring out of my chair, my heart sinking to the floor. Rafael snatches the letter out of my hand, and I scramble to take it back, but my strength is no match for his.

Rafael scans the paper, his face grows thunderous, then his eyes snap to me.

“Are you being warned by your friend? Because you killed your professor?”

“No, I thought I could handle it. It’s fine. She will stop—”

“She won’t and you know it. How long has she been sending you these letters?”

I look away from him. He doesn’t know how hard keeping everything in has been for me. Every day he looks at me like he doesn’t want to look away, like he doesn’t want me out of his sight, let alone out of his reach.

Rafael is proving to me that he is everything I want in a man.

I am slowly giving him pieces of my heart. Little by little, pieces of me falling at his feet, while I stand back, watching as my heart is slowly getting destroyed.

It’s been a beautiful couple of months by Rafael’s side, and the dinner at his father’s home is the perfect place for me to use the software Helia told me about. It’s the perfect opportunity we’ve been waiting for, but now that I have seen how Rafael is, who Rafael is, my heart doesn’t want to listen to my mind.

I am stuck between two sides that I cannot keep separated for much longer.

So much is at stake, and if I don’t use the software, Remo will question it, and if Rafael finds out, he will hate me.

That thought brings tears to my eyes.

Rafael mistakes them, thinking they are about the issues with Medora, but they are for him.

Foolish man.

“What’s his name?”

Oh, Rafael, what have I done?

“What’s your professor’s name?”

I’m falling, and in the end, I’ll shatter into pieces no one will bother to pick up. Watching him fuss over me when I am crumbling on the insides destroys me.

“Venezia.”

A tear escapes and falls down my cheek as I half-heartedly smile up at Rafael.

“Samuel Ricco.”

Rafael drops to his knees in front of me, his brows pulled down and worry clouding his face. The moment he is in front of me, the sharpness around him disappears, and he is nothing more than a man worrying for his girlfriend.

“Those two men my security sees almost every day outside our office… It’s because of him, right?”

My eyes widen, but I nod.

“I took care of them long ago, but I didn’t realise they were connected to you. Did they do anything to you?”

“I’m okay.” I quickly wipe away my tears, but Rafael shakes his head.

“This won’t do. Come to my office, Venezia.”

I get up and follow him, and he leads me inside. As soon as the door shuts, Rafael pulls me into a hug. His arms instantly tighten around me in an embrace.

“You said this will always help you calm down.”

My mouth drops open. I can’t believe he remembered when I randomly told him months ago that hugs or any kind of touch calms me down.

“You are far too romantic,” I mutter.

He chuckles, his chest vibrating with the sound. “I guess you are turning me into a madman. I told you I had never shared myself with anyone, and you have me wholly, completely. My everything is yours.”

Pulling away so his words don’t hurt as much, I grab my phone and turn it on, putting a song on.

“Dance with me?” I ask with a grin as the tunes start.

“Now you are taking advantage of the situation.” He crosses his arms, his warm, dark eyes on me.

“Are you saying no?” I place a hand on my hip.

We look at each other in silence for a beat.

Two beats.

Rafael sighs and grabs my hands, placing one on his shoulder while keeping hold of the other.

“Do you know how to dance?” My brows lift.

“I don’t,” he confesses, and I look up in surprise. His jaw tics when I move too fast, so I slow down.

“You didn’t dance with anyone at any events or something?”

He shakes his head.

“First dance with me? Wow, I am getting quite a lot of your firsts.” I look at our joined hands, feeling his gaze on my face.

“I’m only doing this because you are feeling sad over that letter. I will take care of it soon,” he promises.

The music changes to a slow, soft song, and Rafael takes the lead and spins me around. I gasp when he dips me, then we start to truly dance instead of fooling around.

“You said you don’t know how to dance!” I giggle when he pulls me out, then spins me back in.

“I don’t, but watching others seems to have come in handy,” he confesses, and when I look up at him, I find his lips quirked. He’s watching me with something akin to fascination.

And my heart weakens all over again.

“Rafael?”

“Hm?”

“Want to order food?” My stomach grumbles right on cue making him grin.

“Sure,” taking a step away from me, he goes to grab his phone when a knock sounds at the door.

Rafael turns around and eyes the door. “Come in,”

The handle turns and Danyi takes a tentative step inside. Her eyes watch me standing and raises both brows at me in recognition. ‘Hey’ she mouths making me smile.

“Mr Gustav,” she takes on a professional tone and stands straighter.

“If Venezia hasn’t got anything on schedule, I would like to borrow her for lunch,”

I look over at Rafael to see his eyes flit to me, any kind of softness now gone from his face.

I shrug. I would go with whoever he chooses.

He pauses for a moment, then he nods.

Danyi looks at me excitedly and walks over to grab my hand and pulls me to the door. “Thank you sir,” she grins over her shoulder at him.

On the way out, I look back at Rafael to find his arms crossed and him leaning against the same desk. He winks at me and I just smile, shaking my head.

I know he said yes because I voiced how alone I feel in the office.