Page 69 of Forbidden Deception

“I don’t think you should have done that, Rafael. People are quite ruthless,” I whisper in the quietness of the car.

“Venezia, no one will say a word to you. I have warned them about ever uttering anything offensive to you. I wanted you all to myself to torture, but I couldn’t keep doing that, clearly.” He lifts our joined hands, giving me a quick glance, then goes back to driving.

What did he just say?

“Torture?” I whisper, turning to look at him.

He needs to explain before something inside me shrivels.

“You were far too confident, and I had never had a personal assistant who didn’t stutter in front of me. Many did try to stick up for themselves, but gave in later, then I fired them. If they couldn’t handle me, how would they handle my business partners? People in meetings? The pressure and the mental energy needed to truly stand beside me?

“It’s why I made you do those extra courses, why I pushed you to be almost perfect in everything. I didn’t want anyone to doubt you or question you and your position. It’s happened with me, and I don’t want the same for you or for anyone in your position.”

“But torture? What does that even mean?” I push, letting go of his hand. Right now, despite his words making sense, it doesn’t exactly sit right with me.

“It means you got on my nerves without trying. You bounced around me like a bunny, and it irritated me, so I was a little harsher on you than I originally wanted to be,” he admits.

“Oh, so you wanted to get me to run away from you?” I lean over the middle console, staring him down with my heart shrinking inside me. “You are a ruthless boss. I hope you know that.”

Rafael chuckles, shaking his head like something is funny when it really isn’t. I can’t believe he was so harsh on me and made me work so late that sometimes I was too tired to even change my clothes at home. Most times I even crashed at the apartment because the long drive back to my actual house didn’t even feel worth it.

I get so drowned in my own head that Rafael starts to glance at me every so often, a small pinch between his brows. After a few minutes, he reaches for my hand.

“Can we go to my apartment?” I interrupt the silence.

The rain starts again, and the wipers start to flick, back and forth, back and forth.

I’m a little bitter that he acknowledged he was extra rude to me. I mean, I still did what I wanted, and I still went about my day, but it burns something inside me. All that this time, he intended to indirectly hurt me.

I guess I shouldn’t feel that way. Rafael, as Remo warned, is quite ruthless, and I shouldn’t forget that.

“Come on. We have arrived.”

Without waiting for Rafael, I get out and walk towards the building in the rain.

Rafael quickly catches up to me and dusts the rain off his jacket.

I have no right to get mad at him when he is exactly how everyone portrayed him. I shouldn’t pull away when I have seen so much improvement in him, especially in terms of trust, and I can’t let all this work go down the drain.

This is turning into something more than work. In fact, it switched into a non-professional relationship the minute Rafael kissed me in Greece.

“I want to curl up on my couch, watch a movie, order pizza, and put on face masks.” Grabbing his wrist once the elevator doors open on my apartment floor, I pull him in behind me.

I keep walking until we get to my bedroom, then I drop my bag on the floor and find a tank top, shorts, and comfy socks.

“I don’t have a change of clothes for you, so you can order pizza while I change.” I turn around to find Rafael’s suit jacket off, revealing his muscles beneath the white dress shirt. His sleeves rolled up, revealing corded arms, and the first few buttons of his shirt are already open.

My jaw drops.

He catches me looking and smirks, taking slow, predatory steps towards me.

I quickly look away, my cheeks and ears burning.

Nice, Venezia, you did agreatjob at pretending you aren’t affected.

“Feeling shy, Venezia?” He turns my face towards him, darkness wrapping around him in crowding clouds.

Strands of brown and grey hair fall into his eyes, enhancing the depths of his irises. He takes calculated steps forward. A faint tremor wrecks through my body, but I stay rooted in my place.

---