Chapter Two

It had already been five months since that night that Raphaela had spent with Sebastian and she had tried so much to forget the whole incident but Sebastian just kept on popping up in her head and she despised him so much for taking up so much space in her mind.

She had cried a lot at first and Betty was there to comfort her but soon she remained numb to the ordeal and channeled her sadness to anger and despised Sebastian with every atom of her being.

It got easier doing that as time went on.

Raphaella shook her head. “Don’t think about that bastard, Raphaella.”

She glanced up and her reflection stared back at her in the bathroom mirror. Big eye bags underneath her eyes, dry lips, and pale skin. She huffed.

Raphaella was having a bad case of fever this particular morning, and she also felt tired and drained. She had made an appointment with her doctor who she was going to see this morning.

She left the bathroom and headed to the closet, too tired to start searching her wardrobe for clothes to wear, Raphaella put on gray colored sweatpants and a shirt… She wore flip-flops and wore sunglasses to protect her eyes from the sun… the weather was no joke these days.

Raphaella stepped out of her bedroom, dragging her legs along the hallway… she greeted the bodyguards that were stationed in the hallways, she walked down the stairs, and joined her family in the dining room. Raphaella walked up to her father and kissed his cheek.

“Good morning, papa.” Raphaella greeted, trying to sound sharp.

“Morning, my sunshine. Sit and join us for breakfast.” Mr. Mendel said, going to pull out a seat for his daughter, but Raphaella shook her head.

“No papa, I've got an early morning appointment with the doctor,” Raphaella explained.

“Are you sick or something, Raphaella?” Diana asked, worried. Diana was eight years old and a little smart cookie.

Raphaella smiled at her younger sister and shook her head, she didn't want to worry her.

“Not really, just a monthly check-up with the doctor… I'm perfectly okay.”

“Are you sure?” Ariana, her other sister who is seventeen years old, asked.

Raphaella nodded in confirmation, ever since their mom died of cancer, Ariana and Diana had been wary of any visit to the clinic.

“You should stay at home, while I call the doctor.” Her father suggested, Raphaella shook her head in disagreement.

“No papa, I also need fresh air. This house is suffocating sometimes.” Raphaella pointed out with a groan.

“Are you going to run away this time also?” Juliana asked, faking innocence.

Raphaella sneered at her, she was waiting patiently when the rat would speak up. That was Juliana, the twenty-one-year-old daughter of her stepmother and she was a cunning girl who loved acting innocent, but instead, she was a demoness from the depths of hell.

“Don't talk to your older sister like that, Juliana.” Mr. Mendel scolded, and Juliana scoffed.

“Sister, my foot,” Juliana muttered, she had never thought of her stepfather's children as her sisters.

“For your info, Princess Juliana…” Raphaella sneered.

“If it wasn't for your mother using bodyguards to watch over every one of my moves, I wouldn't have felt the need to escape out of this goddamn prison.” Raphael's accused, furiously.

“Raphaella, please don't get mad at your stepmother, she's just doing this for your good,” Mendel explained, Raphaella scoffed.

“I don't believe that one bit, she just wants to have a leash over me.”

“Then, believe what you want, Raphaella.” Isabella spoke up for the first time, she had just been watching their exchange, but she was fed up with Raphaella.” talking rudely to her. Raphaella looked at her with disgust and hatred.

“Who the hell do you think you are to force bodyguards on us, then?” Raphaella asked, angrily.

Isabella sent her an innocent smile. “I'm your mom, Raphaella.

“Don't you ever dare say that again, you can never replace the role of my mother,” Raphaella said to her furiously. Isabella glared at her, she was going to shut the mouth of that child permanently one of these days.

“Raphaella darling…” Mendel called out soothingly to his daughter, Raphaella turned sharply to look at her father.

“She's got you brainwashed, dad.” Raphaella accused.

“Don't you talk to my mom like that Raphaella r I swear I'll…”

“Silence Juliana” Isabella ordered, Juliana bit her lips furiously and held her tongue. Isabella stood up from her seat calmly and smiled up at Raphaella.

Raphaella hated the guts of this woman so much, and her crazy Barbie wannabe daughter… They were both gold diggers, and they came to reap what they did not sow.

“Your new bodyguard will soon be here,” Isabella informed Raphaella, gasping. How dare she?..

“Oh! And the man is also stone-cold and then,” Isabella smirked. “Cruel, I guess. You don't want to act childish in front of him, do you?” Isabella asked, smiling at Raphaella.

That stupid child was just like her mother and both of them got on her bad side, all of Karen's kids got on her bad side, but she'd control them as long as she lived in this house, she definitely would.

“You're despicable, Isabella.” Raphaella insulted.

Juliana glared at her. “You like to talk a lot, don't you, Raphaella?”

Before Raphaella could come up with a befitting retort to Julianna, one of the bodyguards walked into the dining room.

“Yes?” Mendel said, relief flooding him that the man came at that moment.

“Mr. Damon is here, shall I send him in?” the bodyguard asked Isabella, smiled, and sat down as if she had not been in a heated argument earlier.

“Of course, send him in.” She ordered, the bodyguard bowed and then turned around and left the dining room.

“I don't have time for this now, so I'm leaving for my appointment, papa.”

Raphaella turned to leave the dining room and was shocked to see Sebastian. She couldn't believe her eyes, he gave her a brief glance before walking past her.

Raphaella felt her heart beating out of her chest. What was Sebastian doing here in her home? She thought she would never see him again after he had left her back at the hotel room, she despised him so much for what he did but now seeing him got her heart thrilled and made her so happy.

He looked so handsome and well cut in his black tailored Armani suit which fitted his body perfectly and at the same time he looked cold.

“You are here King,” Isabella said, eyes lighting up, and she put on her usual fake smile.

“Let me introduce you to everyone, '' Isabella offered. She introduced Sebastian to everyone in the family and lastly to Raphaella.

“Raphaella, meet your new bodyguard… go on, say hi…” Isabella urged, smirking. Raphaella looked away, painfully.

“You shouldn't get offended by her, she's just being a little brat,” Isabella said to Sebastian, he nodded.

“I can see that.” He replied, curtly.

Raphaella's head whipped in his direction, furiously. What the heck was wrong with this man?…because if he was looking for trouble, she would gladly make his life a living hell.

“Raphaella, your doctor's appointment.” Ariana reminded her older sister.

“You have to go now,” Mendel urged, hoping to avoid the ladies getting into more scuffle.

“So, does that mean I'm starting now?” Sebastian asked his boss.

“Of course, and we can discuss more on the rules when you get back from the hospital,” Isabella replied.

Raphaella didn't wait for Sebastian and stomped out of the room. A smirk that no one managed to see stayed on Sebastian's face, and he walked after his new miss.

********

Sebastian stole glances of Raphaella throughout the whole ride to the hospital. She looked pale, and it was obvious she was sick, and also super angry… he could count the number of things that had her in that mood.

He left her in the hotel room as if she was a prostitute that he had paid for, and he had intentionally snubbed her in front of Isabella, So Mendel wouldn't have any idea that he knew his daughter, and it also pained him to leave her alone at the hotel.

Sebastian was being chased by drug traffickers, and he didn't want to jeopardize Isabella's safety, so he distracted the traffickers away from the hotel and took care of them.

“Are you okay?” Sebastian asked, Raphaella refused to answer him, and admittedly, he was irritated by that since he was the sort of person that was respected by everyone and when he asked a question, he got an immediate reply.

“Raphaella…”

“Don't you dare Raphaella me, you jerk!” She warned, furiously. “You're only my bodyguard, and you are here to do your job, nothing else.”