A love like ours ✔️

♚8.Penthouses and exotic pets

Rafael

The elevator we take from the private garage gets us to the 46th level of the apartment building across the MCs' HQs, and the doors open. During the years, I've seen all of her NYC properties. This one is new, she must have aquired it when she moved the main center of the company here.

We enter a short hallway that opens into the living room. Such a creature of luxury, my Ray. Three glass walls offer a tantalising view of the glittering city lights and the Upper NY Bay. One of them opens to reveal a great balcony with a soft glowing pool. The interior is dominated by soft greys, gold and black.

A big grey cloud couch is facing a TV set above a big electric firelplace. And in the far corner, there is a black piano. Her mother loved to play. This is her way of keeping her close. I'm intrerupted from my thoughts by a threatening growl. I'm more than sure that it doesn't come from a dog. Before I can discover the source, Ray interferes:

"Down Nyx!" I look where she does and I see a black panther. A fucking panther! Luckily, the feline obeys the command. "Good girl, love." she continues in a baby voice.

"Soraya, tell me that's not what I think it is."

"It's not."

I give her a harsh glare.

"What?" she shrugs. "You've asked for it. This is Nyx, and no, I didn't go crazy buying an eccentric high mentenance pet. She's a rescue. It's a long story really. She's here because I need to spend some time in Manhattan, and she doesn't like me missing to much from the mansion. Nyx, this dickhead is Rafael." She tells the big cat that takes me in with her green gaze. "Extend your hand."

I do so, and Nyx comes closer to sniff it, then she nudges it with her big head. I take it as a sign that she wants me to pet her, so I run my fingers trough her soft fur.

"She's trained, I gather?"

"Yes, it was hard to do but here we are. She won't bite or attack unless you want to harm her or me." She stops for a second. "Or unless I tell her to. When you add up the bulletproof windows, security system and Enzo who has an apartment downstairs, ready at any given time to jump in if I need him, this place is pretty safe." Ray muses. "Come along now, we've got to clean that wound so you won't lose your arm or your life."

She takes her shoes off and places them in a concealed closet. I do too. She's always been against wearing them inside.

"You'll stay in my guest bedroom. I'm planning to anesthetize your arm and give you some pain killers that will most likely put you to sleep. While we're at it, on this level of the house are my personal gym, the kitchen, the living room and the dining room. On the second floor there is the guest bedroom, my private office area and the library. As for the last, that's where my bedroom is."

We head for the staircase and as we ascend it, I notice a gallery wall. There are pictures of her, while travelling. Her with her father. Portrets of him and her mother. Family pictures in which she was younger, her mother still alive. Pictures of her and a blonde, blue eyed girl. Then of the blonde in a wedding dress, a cute little girl in her arms, and another woman with a curvy body and ebony skin wearing the same attire. There's even one of her and Dante when they were little, but none with me.

What's making me furious though, are the pictures of her and Apolo Rokoti that show how comfortable and familiar they are with each other. Smiling on a yacht. Posing under the Christmas tree, wearing matching sweaters, mugs of hot chocolate in their hands. There's a candid in which she laughs wildly at something he said. The rummors might be true. She might want to choose him as her husband.