Page 42 of Rafa's Convenient Wife

“She won’t get away with it,” Dina promised. “There are other ways to make her life miserable.”

Rafael saw the conspiratorial smile his sisters shared and decided the less he knew about that the better. “So, we’re agreed on the payoff?”

“Only if she gives up the custody lawsuit,” Beto clarified.

“And issues a public apology to Sky,” Lola insisted.

Dina agreed. “It’s the least she can do.”

Rafael nodded. “The very least.”

"It won’t be sincere,” Beto said. “Sky may not even want it.”

“She can make that decision for herself.”

“How is she?” Dina asked carefully. “I wanted to see her, but Mama said she’s hiding.”

“She’s not hiding,” Lola interjected with an eye roll. “She’s sequestered.”

“Sequestered?” Beto echoed with some amusement. “Like a jury?”

“She’s resting,” Rafael said a bit too forcefully. “She’s enjoying some peace and quiet and privacy.”

“All right,” Dina replied with a frown. “I wasn’t trying to be critical of her. I would run away and never show my face again if someone shared a video of me doingthat.”

“She can’t do that,” Lola insisted. “Rafael, you two staying cooped up here is not a great idea. People will mistake that for an admission of guilt. You should be seen outside the compound.”

He winced at the idea of dragging Sky out into public. “I don’t think she’s ready.”

“We’ll go with you,” Beto offered. “You, Sky, me, Lola. We’ll have dinner at Vaquero or Licha’s.”

Rafael considered the suggestion. Both restaurants were small, intimate places known for serving VIP clientele. If they made a family appearance at one of the establishments, it would demonstrate the family had nothing to hide and were standing strong together.

“We’ll all go,” Dina decided. “We’ll bring Mama and Camila and Jasper and even Jovita.”

“I’ll get with our PR and have them arrange some light press. Candid photos that we allegedly didn’t even know were happening.”

“I’ll handle Sky’s outfit,” Dina said. “I’ll make sure she looks incredible. Modest but alluring. Confident. Poised.”

“I’ll have my friends with large followings share and repost and make sure to have them talk about privacy and consent and agency. Like Maria Elena and the PR team talked about in regard to reframing the online discussion to make Beverly look like the villain she is,” Lola continued.

At that moment, Rafael appreciated the love and support of his family. He was so incredibly lucky to have siblings who would drop everything and rush to his wife’s aide.

“We love her, Rafael,” Dina said, drawing him back into the conversation. “Sky has been part of our family for years, and now she’syourfamily. We will do whatever it takes to protect her.”

“Thank you,” he said roughly. His throat ached as a deluge of emotions washed over him. “It means so much to me to know that I can always count on my brothers and sisters.”

Brothers. None of them flinched at the mistake. Jaime was gone, but he was still part of their family.

“Why don’t you go spend time with Sky and Jasper?” Beto suggested. “We’ll handle everything.”

He started to insist he could handle this situation and his wife and nephew, but he realized that he didn’thaveto juggle his responsibilities. He didn’t have to exhaust himself doing everything for everyone. He could delegate and trust his siblings to manage all the details.

“Thank you. I’ll be in my wing if you need me.”

Our wing, he silently corrected as he made his way across the house.We’ll need to make some changes to our space. A proper nursery for Jasper. A quiet office for Sky to write in.

Once he had reached adulthood, his mother encouraged him to pick a section of the house to make his own. The sprawling estate had plenty of space for each sibling to have their own wing if they wanted it.

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