|Raven’s POV|
Whoever invented the idea of that spotlight thingy should be jailed.
My eyes widened, and my jaw dropped. What sort of ridiculous request did he make? Did he realize that it might cause me a few bruises? And how the hell did he even know my name because I could have sworn that we had never met before?
“Excuse me?” Raphael chuckled, hoping he didn't hear that well.
“I am sure you saw the huge ring on her finger, so please clarify your request,” Raphael growled.
“Yes, I would love to go on a date with her. I'm intrigued.” He shrugged,
I looked at him with a bewildered expression. Does he go out with all the ladies because he is intrigued? He couldn't even come up with a better excuse.
The crowd erupted into mild whispers and murmurings:
‘Why was he fussing over her and why would the Greek god be interested in a skank like her?’
I guess drama goes everywhere I go.
Raphael scanned the crowd, seeing that they were interested in whether he would keep his words or not. “Fine. I can't exactly go back on my words,”
“Good. I will pick her up tomorrow evening.” He gave a curt nod. His gaze met mine and his lips tugged into a promising smirk that made the hairs on my body stand at their end.
“Let's enjoy the rest of the evening.” The host informed, and the guests resumed their business. My eyes met Raphael and my legs almost gave up at how angry he looked. He snatched me by the wrist and dragged me to the exit.
I guess the party is over for us.
He pushed me into the car and joined me. Immediately, the driver rolled up the window. I felt a force hit my face. My head smacked the window and my cheek stung badly. A whimper escaped my lips and I scooted away from him. He yanked my hair so tight that my eyes watered and he gritted out. “Who the f**k is that person to you? And why do you always attract problems?”
“I-I don’t know him. I have never seen him in my life.” I stuttered.
He shoved his face at mine, hoping he would detect if I was telling lies or not, but when he found nothing, he released my hair and went back to his phone like he didn't just hurt me.
“I don’t have any other choice than to let you go on the date. But if I find out that you are behind this stunt, you’ll regret knowing me.” He promised.
As if I don’t regret that already.
The ride passed in a blur and before long, we were driving into the hideous mansion that was slowly becoming my reality. I swiped my eyes with my thumb as reality slapped me in the face, the possibility that I might end up dying in this marriage and no one would care about what happened.
Raphael stormed into the mansion, and I trailed behind, careful not to upset him or be in his rage path. He stopped mid-track and I froze.
“Go to your room. I don’t want to see your face.” He huffed out. A puff of breath left my lips and my racing heart came to a halt, as I was already calculating how many bruises I would have, especially after the stunt was pulled.
We entered the mansion and I skipped to my room, but a booming voice stopped me in my tracks. “Raphael, what bullshit am I hearing about you getting married?” She yelled.
“So you don’t have mistresses anymore, but you want to get married to another person after putting a ring on my finger?”
My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach and my legs almost gave out. So he had a wife? My uncle knew he was married and still gave me away to him.
Tears streamed down my face and my heart clenched painfully as I lay on the bed and curled up like a fetus. The last thing on my mind, as I slipped into darkness, was when this would be all over. And if this was a nightmare, then I hope by the time I wake up again, I will be in the hands of my papa.
~~~
It was finally the most anticipated day for me! My date with Mr powerful aura.
My heart wouldn’t stop going crazy in my chest, the subtle smiles and grins I gave the house workers would have been tagged suspicious if Raphael was around. But luckily, after his episode with 'Mrs Lau', he'd made himself scarce and had been sending his staff if he wanted to deliver a message.
Or maybe he was controlling himself so he wouldn’t give me bruises. Whatever his reasons were, it worked for me.
I knew I shouldn’t be this happy because, at the end of the week, which was in two days, I would still be getting married to Raphael, but the excitement of having a taste of another predator who was interested in me excited me a lot more than I would love to admit.
“Signora, we are done!” The team lead chirped.
“It’s Signorina. Not Signora Lau yet,” I snapped, my mood souring immediately.
She tipped her head in apology and twirled the strands of her hair around her finger. My heart pounded in my chest as I realized that my slip-up could cause me bruises, especially since I was going on a date with a mysterious stranger. However, I had a feeling that he was keeping his hands off me because my wedding was in two days,
It’s hard to believe that I would be marrying that monster, but I knew there was no way I could get out of it. The universe was not that kind to me.
Before long, I was done dressing and ready to go on a date with a man I didn't even know. Although, I wasn’t scared that I would be kidnapped because my dearest husband had made sure that I would be going with his scariest guards.
My jaw dropped when I saw the ride waiting for me. It was a freaking limousine. How rich could this person be?
“Miss Raven, please have your seat so we can go. The boss doesn't tolerate tardiness.” The driver’s gravelly voice snapped me out of my head.
I walked graciously to the car, and the driver closed the door after me, then rushed to his side and turned on the ignition. So many things filtered into my head as the scenery passed in a blur..
‘What does he want from me?’
‘Is he doing this to spite Raphael or does he like me?’
After a while, the car stopped, and I was standing in front of an Italian restaurant. I rubbed my hands on my thigh repeatedly before taking seductive strides inside. I was ushered to the private booth and my heart stopped for three f*****g seconds when I saw him.
A sharp jawline that can cut through glass, curly short black hair, gray piercing eyes, thin kissable lips and bushy brows with a clean shave. His face was otherworldly. That was the only description I had for him. His lips tugged into a smile as I ogled at him unashamedly.
‘Life would have been so good if I had been getting married to him instead of Raphael.’
A deep, rich chuckle filled the room and butterflies appeared in my stomach. But they all disappeared when I realized he laughed because I said that out loud.
‘Can this ground just open up and swallow me?’
My face grew hot and I quickly averted my gaze. He towered over me and his rich cologne filtered into my nose as he pulled out the seat for me.
‘Is it too late to elope with this man? He's literally the reality of my dream man.’
The meals were piled on the table, but my appetite wasn't on the food. It was the man sitting across from me who had barely said a word.
However, whenever his clinical gaze accessed me, I felt uneasy and nervous because I was being accessed like a lab project, but I could see the attraction swimming in his eyes for me.
“What is your name?” I questioned.
He dropped his silverware and wiped his mouth with a napkin while staring at me.
‘How could such an innocent act be so hot and dirty in my mind?’
“Alessio Ferrari,” He answered.
“Hmm, I've never heard of that name before.”
“I would've introduced myself, but I know you know I am. However, I would love to cut straight to the point. What do you want from me? Do you realize that your actions this night could make my life miserable, especially if his guards report back to Raphael?”
“Do you want them killed? All you need to do is say the word.”
“Are you freaking insane… oh my gosh, are you a psychopath?” I asked genuinely because he looked like he would do it.
"No, but I am willing to do anything that would make you comfortable," He replied.
My face felt like it was on fire and a red tinge coated my cheeks. "You haven't answered my question though."
His lips tugged into a cruel smirk, and he shrugged, “Like I said, I was just intrigued.”
All of a sudden, my appetite disappeared into thin air.
‘Who does this man think he is? Did he think he could just trigger my emotions because he was intrigued?’
The chairs squeaked lightly as I stood up abruptly. “Well, I hope you’ve gotten what you wanted. Bye, I hope I never see you again.”
“Still as feisty as ever.” He grinned.
“What?” I paused, “Nevermind… I don’t know you, Mr. Ferrari and my wedding is coming up soon, so this can't happen again.”
“When is the wedding?” he asked, and I was quite confused.
“Do you want to get married to him? Or do you want out of the wedding?” he asked and the dangerous glint in his eyes made me fidget as I stood in the middle of the restaurant. What does he mean? He sounded like he was about to murder someone if I picked the latter of the questions he asked and by the dangerous smirk dancing on his lips, I knew he would do it in a heartbeat and that scared the daylights out of me.
What should I tell him?