Chapter 22
1241 Words
Geraldine’s Point of View
I quickly pulled my hands away from Rafayel’s warm grip and gave him a polite smile. If I didn’t do it, Mike would probably devour me alive with that glare of his. And if that happened, how could I ever finish my mission?
“Uhmm… Please, enjoy your meal. I’ll head back to the kitchen,” I said softly.
I had already taken a step away when Mike’s voice cut through the air, sharp and commanding.
“Where do you think you’re going? Hmm? You’re the chef tonight, so stay here.”
My jaw nearly dropped. Since when was that a rule? I didn’t know being a cook meant I had to stay glued to the table.
I glanced helplessly at Manang, who stood near the doorway. But she only bowed and slipped out with the rest of the maids, leaving me trapped between the two men.
I pouted slightly and returned to stand by the side, trying to be as invisible as possible.
“Sit down.”
The sudden order made me freeze. My head snapped toward Mike, but he wasn’t even looking at me. His eyes stayed on his plate as he cut through his food with practiced precision.
“What?” I whispered in disbelief.
“I said sit down.”
I looked down at the floor. Well… it was clean. Without another thought, I plopped down and sat cross-legged like a kid at story time.
Both men immediately stiffened. Rafayel shot up from his chair, rushing to help me.
“No, no, not there. The floor is cold,” he said, reaching out to lift me back to my feet.
I blinked at him, flustered, then glanced at Mike. He looked at me with the same death glare as before, only sharper now. Damn it. Where exactly was I supposed to sit?
“Rafayel, she can handle herself,” Mike said flatly, his voice like ice.
“You should’ve told her where you wanted her to sit,” Rafayel shot back without hesitation.
My eyes widened. Woah. I hadn’t expected Rafayel to snap at him like that. They were close friends, but this? This was another level.
A mischievous smile crept on my lips. Were they… more than close? The thought made me giddy, though I quickly buried it.
“Ahem, you look like a worm,” Mike muttered suddenly, stabbing at his food.
I nearly fell over. “You!”
My patience was wearing thinner and thinner with this man.
“Sit down here, Girlie,” Rafayel said kindly, patting the chair beside him.
I froze. Did he just call me by my alias? He already knew my fake name? Somehow, that small gesture touched me.
“O-Okay. You too, please sit,” I stammered.
He gave me a gentle smile and nodded.
“Tsk.”
I turned and caught Mike scowling at me. I scowled right back, narrowing my eyes as he furrowed his brows even deeper.
---
Later that evening
We were in the garden. I carried the trays of snacks I had prepared for them, while Rafayel took the heavy bucket of beer. And what about Mike? Of course, he was just carrying his phone. Typical. If only my leg wasn’t aching again, I would have complained out loud. The medicine I’d taken earlier was wearing off.
Rafayel walked beside me like a true gentleman, while Mike… well, he was Mike.
We reached the poolside, and I carefully set the food on the table. Just as I turned to leave, Mike’s hand closed around my wrist, halting me.
“Where do you think you’re going again?” His voice was low, serious.
“I-I was just—”
“Stay here.”
I stared at him. What the hell? Did he think I was his shadow?
“Let her rest,” Rafayel intervened, his voice calm but firm. “You know what happened to her earlier, don’t you, bro?”
Mike’s jaw tightened. “She’s the reason I was food poisoned, isn’t she?”
I stiffened. That wasn’t true! It was that other maid’s fault.
“No, wait, that’s not—”
“Maybe not directly. But if you hadn’t left the food unattended, it wouldn’t have happened,” he snapped.
“You told me to clean the dirty kitchen, remember?”
For the first time, Rafayel looked taken aback. Even he hadn’t expected that. Mike, however, remained unreadable, as if emotions were beneath him.
“And so what? Isn’t that what maids are supposed to do? Isn’t that what you wanted—to be one?”
His words cut deeper than I expected. I bit the inside of my cheek, struggling to keep calm when all I wanted was to grab him by the collar and shake him.
“Yes, you’re right. It was my fault. I’ll take responsibility for what happened earlier. And since you ordered me to stay by your side, I’ll follow your command.”
I lowered my head. This was the choice I had made. He had given me the option earlier—wife or maid—and I had chosen maid. Now I had to live with it.
When I looked up, I saw Rafayel watching me with genuine concern. But before I could say anything, a chill ran down my spine.
Something was off.
The air shifted, heavy and sharp. I could sense them—six figures, hiding in the shadows of the garden, waiting for the right moment to strike.
I acted as though nothing was wrong, staying still, standing quietly at the edge while the two men continued their conversation. But my instincts were screaming. These weren’t ordinary men. Assassins, perhaps. And they were waiting for the signal.
Meanwhile, Mike and Rafayel spoke in low tones, their words slipping into Italian. I understood bits and pieces—I had studied the language too—but the deeper, coded phrases were beyond me. They were being careful, as though they didn’t want me to understand.
Minutes ticked by, the tension growing thicker. My eyelids grew heavy, and against all odds, exhaustion tugged at me.
---
Third Person’s Point of View
Mike and Rafayel’s conversation grew more serious, their voices dropping into deep Italian. They debated quietly about who these enemies belonged to.
“They weren’t here earlier when you arrived,” Mike murmured.
“You take care of Miss Gerry. I’ll handle those intruders. We don’t want her to panic,” Rafayel replied.
Mike gave a single curt nod. Rafayel rose smoothly from his chair.
“Excuse me, I need the restroom,” he said casually in English, excusing himself from the table.
Mike stayed behind. When he turned back, he found Gerry asleep beside him, her head tilted slightly, mouth slightly open in exhaustion. Despite the danger surrounding them, she had fallen into a deep slumber.
A quiet laugh slipped past his lips, though he quickly suppressed it. He turned back to Rafayel, his expression hard once more.
“Make it silent,” he instructed.
“Fine,” Rafayel replied before vanishing into the darkness.
Mike’s gaze lingered on Gerry’s sleeping form.
“You managed to fall asleep even surrounded by danger,” he whispered under his breath. “Looks like I’ll have to watch you more closely. No matter how chaotic things become, you still find peace. You’re unlike any woman I’ve ever met… my wife.”
*****
LMCD22
- Writer
