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Chapter 102

Author: Destiny Williams
last update Last Updated: 2024-11-17 06:50:51

"Tell me, Bernice," Rafael's tone was indolent, but his eyes flashed with something darker as he leaned back in his chair, never once looking away from her. "Are you really ready to work with me?"

Bernice met his gaze, her eyes unflinching. "That depends. Are you?"

A smirk played on his lips, his eyes masking their true expression. "You were always… amusing. I've missed that about you."

She cocked her head to one side, undisturbed by his words. "I don't miss anything about you, Rafael."

He chuckled low in his throat. "We'll see about that."

Alexander stood across the room, his jaw clenched, while this all transpired. Every time Rafael so much as looked in Bernice's direction, his entire being bristled. He hadn't wanted her to agree to this, and every second she spent in Rafael's presence felt to him a willful and calculated attack on his own resolve.

Bernice sailed through the conference in detached grace, her voice flat and professional, her face a mask of resolve. When Rafael ventur
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  • His uncle's sweetheart    Chapter 103

    "Business, Rafael," Bernice's voice cut, keen as a knife, as she looked up from the table, her eyes like steel. "That's what we are here to discuss-the partnership. Nothing else."Rafael leaned back in his chair, one corner of his mouth tugging upwards in a smirk as his eyes lingered on her. "Oh, but Bernice," he said innocently, "you make it sound so. impersonal. We have history. Surely that entitles us to a bit of friendly conversation?"She didn't bat an eyelid. "This is a business meeting, not a reunion.”Rafael's head leaned in, but that smirk never faltered. "You always did know how to cut straight to the point." A soft clearing of a chuckle emitted from him at the rhythmic tap of his fingers against the table. "Can't deny that's something I missed about you."She bit back, choking down her urge to roll her eyes as her gaze fell onto the stack of documents in front of her. She was ready for this, knew all of Rafael's games. It didn't make a difference to being incensed over it.

  • His uncle's sweetheart    Chapter 104

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    Bernice grasped the wheel as if to hold it for dear life, the minute she pulled into Rafael's office parking lot. Today was supposed to be routine-quick, business-focused, in and out. Yet, for some reason, that old tension that always hung in the air where Rafael was concerned seemed to ratchet a notch higher today. She steeled herself and exhaled in an attempt to keep her cool through whatever new turn this meeting might take.She entered the office, heel to toe, clicking softly on shining marble floors, and prepared herself by silent rehearsals for yet another strained-for-civility professional encounter. But as she went into Rafael's office, what greeted her was not the now-familiar figure behind the large desk but the large, empty room: the leather chairs there, the mahogany desk stood as it ought. But without Rafael's presence, the room sounded silently unread, unfinished.Frowning around. Where was he? So engrossed in steeled words and curbed emotions, she was quite caught of

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  • His uncle's sweetheart    Chapter 108

    Bernice grasped the wheel as if to hold it for dear life, the minute she pulled into Rafael's office parking lot. Today was supposed to be routine-quick, business-focused, in and out. Yet, for some reason, that old tension that always hung in the air where Rafael was concerned seemed to ratchet a notch higher today. She steeled herself and exhaled in an attempt to keep her cool through whatever new turn this meeting might take.She entered the office, heel to toe, clicking softly on shining marble floors, and prepared herself by silent rehearsals for yet another strained-for-civility professional encounter. But as she went into Rafael's office, what greeted her was not the now-familiar figure behind the large desk but the large, empty room: the leather chairs there, the mahogany desk stood as it ought. But without Rafael's presence, the room sounded silently unread, unfinished.Frowning around. Where was he? So engrossed in steeled words and curbed emotions, she was quite caught of

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  • His uncle's sweetheart    Chapter 104

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  • His uncle's sweetheart    Chapter 103

    "Business, Rafael," Bernice's voice cut, keen as a knife, as she looked up from the table, her eyes like steel. "That's what we are here to discuss-the partnership. Nothing else."Rafael leaned back in his chair, one corner of his mouth tugging upwards in a smirk as his eyes lingered on her. "Oh, but Bernice," he said innocently, "you make it sound so. impersonal. We have history. Surely that entitles us to a bit of friendly conversation?"She didn't bat an eyelid. "This is a business meeting, not a reunion.”Rafael's head leaned in, but that smirk never faltered. "You always did know how to cut straight to the point." A soft clearing of a chuckle emitted from him at the rhythmic tap of his fingers against the table. "Can't deny that's something I missed about you."She bit back, choking down her urge to roll her eyes as her gaze fell onto the stack of documents in front of her. She was ready for this, knew all of Rafael's games. It didn't make a difference to being incensed over it.

  • His uncle's sweetheart    Chapter 102

    "Tell me, Bernice," Rafael's tone was indolent, but his eyes flashed with something darker as he leaned back in his chair, never once looking away from her. "Are you really ready to work with me?"Bernice met his gaze, her eyes unflinching. "That depends. Are you?"A smirk played on his lips, his eyes masking their true expression. "You were always… amusing. I've missed that about you."She cocked her head to one side, undisturbed by his words. "I don't miss anything about you, Rafael."He chuckled low in his throat. "We'll see about that."Alexander stood across the room, his jaw clenched, while this all transpired. Every time Rafael so much as looked in Bernice's direction, his entire being bristled. He hadn't wanted her to agree to this, and every second she spent in Rafael's presence felt to him a willful and calculated attack on his own resolve.Bernice sailed through the conference in detached grace, her voice flat and professional, her face a mask of resolve. When Rafael ventur

  • His uncle's sweetheart    Chapter 101

    "Rafael has agreed to the deal," Gabriel began, his voice cool, even, as he spoke to Alexander and then Bernice in the silence of the posh restaurant's private room. The next words to leave his lips, though, were laced with the weight of a complication neither could easily disregard. "On one condition—he wants to work directly with you, Bernice."Alexander's eyes narrowed and his hand tightened around the edge of the table. "Of course he does," he muttered, speaking low enough that his frustration did not escape.She sat silent, composed, her face unreadable. She had expected this move from Rafael; it was just the kind of strategic play she had anticipated. Rafael didn't want a simple business arrangement; he wanted an opportunity to draw her back into his orbit, to see if he could unsettle her."Is that all right with you, Ms. Bernice?" Gabriel asked as if he hadn't seen the clenching of Alexander's jaw or the way Bernice's fingers rested tautly upon her thighs.Alexander turned a s

  • His uncle's sweetheart    Chapter 100

    Bernice shut the door of her hotel room, feeling this weird mix of triumph and something unsettling, like a ghost she thought she'd long since buried was whispering just behind her. She took a deep breath, leaning her head back against the door, replaying the events of the day in her mind-the meeting, Rafael's silent, searching gaze, and the way she had remained poised and unwavering. She'd hardly let herself look at him, hardly allow him to register as more than another face across the table.But of course, it wasn't that simple.She muttered to herself, as though the silence could be broken by firm resolve. "It doesn't matter anymore. None of it matters."But she knew it wasn't quite true. She could still remember the incredulous look that had crossed his face that night, the fire of his anger blazing in his eyes. And how he had cut her out of his life without a single question, without letting her explain what had happened. She didn't know today how that stranger had been in her

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