Chapter 2
1129 Words
Rafael’s smirk deepened slightly beneath his mask.
“Well,” he said smoothly, “that depends.”
“On what?”
“Whether or not you’re worth introducing myself to.”
Salish almost laughed.
Almost.
Instead, she folded her arms lightly.
“And here I was thinking rich people were supposed to have manners.”
That earned a real reaction.
A low chuckle escaped him, quiet but genuine.
Interesting.
Most people around Rafael tried too hard to impress him.
This girl?
She looked like she’d rather argue with him.
And for some reason, he liked that.
“Aren’t you a little bold for someone hiding behind a mask?” he asked.
Salish tilted her head.
“Aren’t you?”
Touché.
Rafael stared at her for a second longer than necessary.
There was something strange about her.
Not just beautiful.
Not just confident.
Different.
Like she didn’t fully belong here.
Yet somehow she carried herself better than everyone else in the room.
“Careful,” Rafael murmured, stepping slightly closer again. “You might start to interest me.”
Salish’s pulse betrayed her again.
Annoying.
She forced herself to stay calm.
“And what if I don’t want your attention?”
Rafael’s eyes darkened faintly.
“Then you shouldn’t look at me like that.”
The air between them suddenly felt heavier.
Dangerous.
Salish opened her mouth to reply—
“Salish!”
Her mother’s voice shattered the moment instantly.
Salish stepped back quickly, turning toward Louisa.
Rafael noticed the change immediately.
The guarded expression.
The slight tension in her shoulders.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Louisa approached with Richard beside her, both smiling completely unaware of the storm they had interrupted.
“There you are!” Louisa exclaimed. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
Salish forced a smile.
“Hi, mom.”
Then Richard’s eyes landed on Rafael.
And suddenly everything clicked into place.
“Well,” Richard said with amusement, “looks like you two found each other already.”
Silence.
A terrible…
Terrible silence.
Salish blinked.
Slowly.
Then looked at Rafael.
Rafael looked back at her with the exact same realization settling into his expression.
No.
Absolutely not.
Louisa smiled happily, completely missing the tension.
“Salish, darling, this is Rafael.”
Richard grinned proudly.
“My son.”
Oh.
Oh this was bad.
Very bad.
Salish felt her soul leave her body.
Meanwhile Rafael simply stared at her.
The mysterious girl.
The girl who fascinated him within seconds.
The girl he couldn’t stop looking at.
His new stepsister.
Of course.
Of course life would do this to him.
For the first time all evening, Rafael looked genuinely caught off guard.
Dante, who had just walked over with a drink in his hand, nearly choked when he noticed the expressions on both their faces.
“Oh this looks messy already,” he muttered.
“Rafael,” Louisa continued warmly, “why don’t you keep Salish company tonight? She doesn’t know many people here yet.”
Rafael’s jaw tightened slightly.
Salish nearly said absolutely not out loud.
But before either of them could respond, Richard was already pulling Louisa away toward another group of guests.
“We’ll see you two later,” he called casually.
And just like that…
They were alone again.
Well.
Not alone-alone.
The ballroom was packed.
But somehow it still felt like they were standing in their own private disaster.
Dante looked between them carefully.
Then a slow grin spread across his face.
“No way.”
Rafael shot him a look sharp enough to kill.
Dante immediately raised his hands.
“I’m leaving. I enjoy being alive.”
Smart choice.
The second Dante disappeared into the crowd, silence returned.
Salish rubbed her forehead slowly.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
Rafael exhaled sharply through his nose, still staring at her.
“You’re Salish.”
“And you’re Rafael.”
Another pause.
Then simultaneously—
“This is weird.”
They both stopped.
Salish blinked.
Rafael stared at her.
Then unexpectedly…
He laughed.
Not a fake polite laugh.
A real one.
Short.
Low.
Dangerously attractive.
And honestly?
That annoyed Salish even more.
“You think this is funny?” she asked.
“A little.”
“Well I don’t.”
Rafael studied her quietly.
“You looked less nervous before you knew who I was.”
“That’s because before I knew who you were, I thought flirting with you was harmless.”
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Oh God.
Why did she say that?
Rafael’s brows lifted slightly with amusement.
“So you were flirting with me.”
“No.”
“You literally just admitted it.”
“I take it back.”
“Too late.”
Salish groaned internally.
Why was this man so irritating already?
Rafael leaned casually against the nearby wall, his eyes never leaving her.
“You know,” he said softly, “most people become more careful around me after learning my name.”
“Good for them.”
“You’re not intimidated?”
Salish looked him up and down slowly.
The black suit.
The sharp jawline.
The unreadable eyes behind the mask.
The dangerous energy surrounding him.
Intimidated?
Maybe a little.
But she would rather die than admit it.
“You’re just a guy in an overpriced suit, Rafael.”
That smile appeared again.
That same dangerous smile.
“You really don’t belong in this world, do you?”
The question hit deeper than he realized.
Salish’s expression flickered for half a second.
And Rafael noticed.
Of course he noticed.
He seemed like the kind of person who noticed everything.
“I belong wherever I decide to belong,” she replied quietly.
Rafael’s gaze sharpened slightly.
There it was again.
That hidden sadness beneath her confidence.
Like she was carrying something heavy behind those beautiful eyes.
Before he could say anything else, soft music suddenly filled the ballroom.
A slower song this time.
Couples immediately began moving toward the dance floor.
Salish glanced toward it briefly before looking away again.
“I should probably go find my mom.”
But Rafael spoke before she could leave.
“Dance with me.”
Salish froze.
“What?”
“It’s one dance,” he said calmly.
“And if I say no?”
Rafael stepped closer.
Close enough for her perfume to distract him slightly.
Close enough for her heart to start acting stupid again.
“Then I’ll still keep thinking about you,” he murmured.
“And that sounds inconvenient for both of us.”
God.
Why did everything he said sound illegal?
Salish swallowed slowly.
This was dangerous territory.
Very dangerous territory.
And that was because a part of her wanted to say yes immediately exactly the problem.
- Writer
