A love like ours ✔️

♚16.The truth

Rafael

I sit down in one of the armchairs situated in front of my desk, while Ray rolls her eyes at me, crossing her smooth legs over one another and trying to compose herself. I can tell she's curious, even if she doesn't want to. She's probably cussing me in her head and plotting a way to get back at me right now.

This is it. This is the moment I tell her the truth.

"What is it that you've wanted us to talk about, Rafael?" She asks, "What made you act like damn gorilla and bring me here against my wishes?"

"Us".

"There is no us. There hasn't been an 'us ' for the past five years. If that's all, I'm going to take my leave, I've got places to be." she sits up, heading for the door, but I stop her by grabing ger hand.

"Just give me a moment, Ray. Always so impatient..." I run my thumb over the inside of her wrist. " Just listen to me this once and sit back down."

"Fine". She does so, removing her hand from my hold. "I guess now that we're going to work together, we need closure or whatever. Keep in mind that we're never going to bring up the subject after this."

"I didn't cheat on you with Lee". My words awake no reaction. "Say something."

"What do you want me to say?" she scoffs in disbelief. "Do you expect me to buy that? To be honest I doubted it at the time, but then you made damn sure that I'll be proved the oposite".

"I had my reasons then, but I was a damn fool for not telling you the truth right after. To this day it remains my biggest regret."

She raises a perfect eyebrow at me, obviously still doubting my words, urging me to continue.

"I was the one who killed Lee Chen." The Chen triad doesn't belive their heiress died in a tragic encounter with a stonefish while vacationing on her private island.

"Why?"

"5 years ago on my birthday, she showed up at my penthouse."

"How could I ever forget?" She rolls her eyes.

"Dante was out to buying some alcohol because we were out. He was excited to put the fake ID he'd made to the test." I continue. "The idiot dismissed his bodyguards, thinking that nothing could happen to him while on a trip to the neighbourhood store. He was wrong. "

"What happened?"

"Being jealous and egocentric, Lee couldn't stand the fact that you were better than her in every single way. Better grades, the media's sweetheart, better conections, the story of your achievements reaching far and wide in the criminal world. To top it off, you had what she'd always wanted. What she wrongfully thought it was hers..."

"You? I mean I've always known she had a major crush on you but how is any of this related to that night?"

"She showed up at my party, saying that Dante is in her hold. Then she presented me a video that backed up her words. She had him beatten up and she was going to have him killed."

"That mother fucking bitch! How dare she hurt him?", Ray errupts furiously. She and Dante used to be as close as a sister and a little brother. I know she still cares deeply about him, but she refused to make him pick sides after the fallout. "And what did she want?" she asks, but I can see that brilliant mind of hers already putting the pieces together.

"For me to make it seem like I've cheated on you with her. Though we never went further than kissing, and never would have, it had to seem real. After she left the room she was still recording our conversation and had her men watching us. I had to make you believe it was real, otherwise Dante would die."