Rafael’s POVI stared at her face, feeling satisfied by the expression I saw.Shock was written all over her face when my guards forced her three men to their knees. I pulled the phone from my pocket and turned off the recording.She blinked several times as she glared at the three men before her, speechless and unable to do anything but blink at them as if she were seeing ghosts.“What’s going on here?” she shouted, staring at me as she tried to pull her hair from my grip.“Aren’t these your men? The ones who do the dirty work for you?” I said in a flat tone, tightening my grip on her hair. I wished she was a man so I could smash her fucking face.Her face turned as pale as a sheet, then reddened with anger as she growled, “I don't know any of them!”I laughed, a joyless sound. "Didn't you just recommend Jevani to me a moment ago?" I roared, then pushed her away. She stumbled but regained her balance by grabbing the arm of a chair."You!" she exclaimed, pointing her finger at me. "Di
Rafael’s POVI felt a wave of dizziness.Natalie was pregnant?As if Debbie was reading my mind, she smirked. "Yes, Rafael. She was, and it's obvious she didn't trust you enough to tell you!"I couldn't control myself; I had the urge to kill that snake standing before me. Without a second thought, I attacked her. I placed my hands on her neck, trying to strangle her. She had pushed me to the utmost degree, provoking the bitterness within me."Ek... Emm," she coughed and stammered, trying to breathe. Her eyes rolled back, and her face turned red.Jack, Mechenzi, and the officer were desperately trying to free her from my tightening grip."Don't, Mr. Merrin. Let the law handle this. Don't dirty your hands," the officer said."Rafael, please. Let the officer handle this!" Jack pleaded.I tightened my grip on her neck even more and roared, "How could you ask me this? She killed my child and harmed my wife! She manipulated us. How can you ask me to be calm?""Natalie needs you, Rafael. She
Natalie's POV Seven months later…“Hun, are you ready?” Lucas shouted from the living room.“Coming!” I shouted back.I stared at my reflection in the mirror with admiration. The haircut and the makeup were amazing; I could barely recognize myself.I turned to the hairdresser with a broad, happy smile. "Thank you! I love it.”"I'm happy you do," Isabella, the hairdresser, replied with a smile.Once I entered the living room, Lucas whistled admiringly and mumbled, “Wow, you look amazing!” "Thank you!" I smiled and walked past him to grab my purse, which was on the sofa."Ugh..." I moaned as I bent down. I felt a strong kick from inside. My stomach had been growing bigger these last few weeks, and my child's kicks were getting stronger.Lucas ran towards me, grabbed my waist, and exclaimed, “What’s wrong?”I gently pushed him away and teased him with a smile, "No need to panic over every 'ouch' I utter, Lucas! I'm a pregnant woman about to give birth, it's normal for me to feel some di
Rafael’s POVFinally, after months of searching, I found Natalie by accident. She was in France, just as I had suspected.Seven months ago, when I discovered her pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage, I tracked her mobile phone signal to some rocks under a cliff. Initially, I was devastated, fearing she might have committed suicide. I descended the cliff myself, searching for her body. It was an incredibly difficult time, and I felt like I was losing my mind.After five hours of searching with expert divers, I received a call from airport authorities informing me that Natalie had taken a private plane to France. I was shocked. I felt a mix of emotions: relief that she was alive and anger at why she would go to France with Daniel. But she was like a solved puzzle; no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find a trace of her.I even met with Daniel several times. He denied seeing her after they arrived in France, claiming he was just doing a favor for a friend. I didn't believe him. Determ
Daniel’s POV“No way in hell!” Lucas panicked.“It’s just for a couple of hours, Lucas. Just stand beside her and pretend to be her fiancé!” I tried to convince him.“You said the man is her husband. How on earth can I stand before him and claim her as my fiancée? I’m not going to do it, and let me out of here,” he argued. I understood his point, but I didn’t have another solution. I had to complete my plan.“Be a man, Lucas!” I shouted at him. “Listen, he can’t do anything to you. He’s just a normal guy. Maybe he has influence and power, but don’t forget who we are!” I stated calmly, trying to manipulate him, as I knew for sure that Rafael wouldn’t let the matter go easily.“No means no. I’m not going to do such a perverse thing! She’s my sister, for God’s sake!” he shouted.“She’s your cousin!” I corrected.“What’s the difference? She’s still my sister!” he exclaimed.“You know, in other cultures, a man can marry his cousin,” I said.He raised an eyebrow, crossed his arms, and scoff
Natalie's POVI felt uneasy while I was standing among the crowd watching with my very eyes the love of my life getting engaged to someone else!The loud applause of the crowd filled the massive yard of the Mirren House with glee. Amidst this ocean of people, I stood placidly, watching each of them shower praises to Rafael and Debbie__ the newly engaged couple.“A toast to the newlyweds” A male voice cheered, coupled with the sound of clinking glasses.The party was perfect. I made sure by myself to be everything perfect. Food, drinks, decorations, even the white flowers of the bride, were chosen by me!Everybody was happy and enjoyed this party, except me.I was in much pain, every cell in my body was trembling and hurting. I felt my heart burning and bumping crazy. Despite all of that, I stood still calmly! No one can guess the raging storm of emotions that was raging badly inside of me.I saw Rafael kissing his fiance Debbie and I couldn't help but feel my gut getting sick. To be h
Rafael's POVI rolled my eyes around the place looking for Natalie, but I couldn't find her! I wondered why I hadn't seen her since the party had been started. Although there was a caterer, she insisted on taking care of all the party details by herself. After my father's death, I moved into Mirren's mansion as the legal heir. Natalie became as a part of my daily life routine since we are now living under one roof. Even though our rooms were too close, I never stepped into her room, and neither did she. We kept our own space from each other, unlike in the old days when we were too close.In the past, when she was a little girl, whenever I came for a visit, she never got out of my side, until she fell asleep and I put her in her bed. But later on, things had been changed… For now, I married her in an incomplete marriage. That marriage was upon the will of my father, and neither of us wanted it. It’s all about how she could get her legacy as a legal member of the Marine family. After
Natalie’s POV I blinked and my feet became like jelly. He raised his eyebrow cynically and looked at me with his blue eyes as if I had done a crime.I heard the girls behind us laughing and gurgling, they think it's funny when someone hears you saying that you wanna have sex!!Although I felt I was a little drunk, promptly I felt his spiraling anger.I got close to him trying to reduce his anger by congratulating him on his engagement. I contemplated his facial features with my eyes, and murmured, "Warm congratulations from the bottom of my heart, Rafael!"He didn’t respond.His facial features looked very seductive to me, or maybe it was the influence of alcohol. I lifted my hand touching his beard. I felt it slowly with my fingertips. His growing beard had always been attractive to me."You are so handsome!" I whispered and kissed him on the cheek, exactly at the corner of his lips. His scent overwhelmed me and made me want more of him. His scent was a mixture of French perfume and