Trapped by her sense of duty to her parents, Serena Diego, only daughter of Mr Diego (millionaire)and heir to Diego Chips, gets married to the first son of their rival family and a man she's never even met to save her father's company.
Raphael DeVa...
Just the briefest brush of his lips against mine, and it feels like my entire system has gone into overdrive, and I'm left wanting for more. I'm aching to feel his lips pressed fully against mine. Though I've had boyfriends but this is the first time I'm left feeling this way. 'Oh Raphael, what have you done to me?' I ask myself, wallowing as my thoughts go haywire.
Why do I feel so empty? I feel as though something was ripped from me. One question; Am I so despicable in Raphael's eyes? What makes me so unworthy to him?" I question myself and ponder continuously, turning these questions over and over, in my head. I keep staring at him perplexed as everyone walks forward to congratulate us, a half smile fixed on my face.
The guests begin coming up to the platform to congratulate us on our successful wedding, though the majority of them wanted it to fall through. With this wedding, our two families have mass power and immense riches, and though the other families would benefit from it, everyone wants to be the leading family, so they pray for our doom.
"Seri, you finally tied the knot, and with a hot, rich, and overly sexy catch. You won the lottery,and we won the bet, so you owe us $500,000 each," Ara says, her voice rising with each word, so by the time she's done the whole hall is staring at us, eyes wide.
"Ara! Seriously?" I burst out, stomping my feet.
"Oops, sorry, I really didn't mean to. I was just overexcited," Ara says, her hands twisting nervously as she looks sheepishly at me.
"What are you all looking at? You've never heard ladies betting on men. Come on, hustle along, the reception starts in 20 mins," Veronica announces, clapping her hands in annoyance, as she takes charge yet again.
I love my best friends equally, but they can't be more different. Ara Daniels is an African who came here to take over her family business. She's innovative, competent, and very friendly. She has OCD, which makes her a neat freak. She is overly obsessive about having control over everything, and to top it all, she's a business guru. She can hack into any computer and is a worldwide known business advisor. She has taken over Wall Street with her wonderful business acumen. Veronica Rodriguez is the queen of the fashion world. She has created many popular and sophisticated fashion brands. She is a model and a fashion designer. Anything that has to do with the fashion world, she has a hand in it. She loves to take charge and can be overly domineering at times, but at heart is just a big softie. She runs a shelter for both homeless kids and stray animals. In conclusion, they are both amazing people.
"So you made a bet on me. May I ask, about what, wife?" Raphael asks, whispering in my ear, his tone dangerous, as he trails his knuckles down my cheek.
"No, I didn't!" I reply, turning away from him, as my cheek starts burning in embarrassment.
"Oh, piccola tigre, piccola tigre (little tiger, little tiger), you know what I hate the most, I hate lies. You are going to regret that," Raphael says, his grip around my waist becoming tight enough to bruise.
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you," I reply, raising my eyes to meet his stormy grey green eyes. "Ara made us bet on who would marry quite the catch first,"
"So, I'm considered quite the catch, Reina," Raphael says, looking overly smug as I process what he called me.
"What did you just call me, Raphael?"
He looks at me, cocking an eyebrow in question.
"You just called me, Reina. Why did you fucking call me that name?, No one is allowed to call me that, no one!!!". I'm freaking out as I slip into that black place, the one with my darkness. As I feel the cold pressing in and I see the black crawling in, I try to reach for the light creeping in through the end of the tunnel, but my body feels like lead. I whisper softly, "Raphael, I'm sorry," before losing consciousness.
****************
I blink groggily, my head feeling like a ton of bricks was dropped on it. I squint, blocking the intruding sunshine.
"Oh, Seri, you're finally awake. How do you feel? You need to sit up and drink this," Ara says, helping me to sit up before handing me a cup of whatever stuff it is.
I take a sip carefully, "Urghh, what the hell is this disgusting concoction?" I gag, trying to dispel the disgusting liquid from my tongue.
"You have to drink it. It helps to release pent-up tension. If you don't drink it, Raphael will definitely murder us,"
"What happened, guys? Gosh, I feel terrible," I look up into their faces. "Guys, why do you look so serious? What's wrong?"
"Seri, you blacked out again,I think it's back," Ronnie replies, concern etched on her face as she wrangles with her hands nervously.
"That's not possible, I thought it had gone away. No, this is impossible," I hold the sides of my head, shaking uncontrollably.
"Seri, calm down, you'll hurt yourself." Ara says, roughly dragging my hands away from my head before sitting beside me.
"But, I don't understand. It's meant to be gone. How could it be back? No no no no no no no, it can't be back. You guys have to do something. Help me," I start thrashing on the bed, spiralling out of control, as Ronnie and Ara hold me down.
"Don't worry, Seri. We'll find a way to see the doctor for your appointment. Everything is going to be fine,"
Raphael walks in, holding his jacket in one hand and a tiger lily in the other. "Hey, tigre (tiger), this is for you." He hands me the flower as Ronnie and Ara quietly slip out the door.
I sniff the flower and slowly sit up before asking, "Raphael, what happened to the wedding?"
"Nothing. The guests went home early, and the reception has been postponed till tomorrow. Don't worry, I had Thor delete all the videos from the guests' phones, and in case someone managed to get it out, Thor will manage the press." He sits on the couch on the side of the bed and drags his tie off, loosening the first three buttons on his shirt. The shirt opens a v shape view of his, 'oh so' gorgeous and perfect abs.
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"What are you doing, Raphael?" I ask as he starts unbuckling his belt. I swallow deeply, not taking my eyes from his body. My eyes slowly trace every line and curve until I can remember everything perfectly.
"I am getting comfortable. What would you have me do? I'm staying here overnight to watch you, and you don't expect me to stay in my clothes all night, do you?"
"No, of course not, but why are you staying here? I thought you hated me,"
"Oh, I still hate you, piccola tigre (little tiger), but I happen to hate things happening to my property that I don't understand, even more." He folds his arms, looking at me intently.
My mood sours instantly as I remember the reason for my blackout. "What do you mean, Raphael?"
"I'm sure you know what I mean, and I will find out, but not today,"
I release the breath I didn't even realise I was holding. "I really don't know what you mean,". 'If it's the last thing I do, I'm taking my secret to the grave,' I think as I lie back down, lost in my thoughts.
I'm so sorry, readers, for the delay. I had some functional issues, but I hope we can continue this journey together. Don't forget to vote and comment, guys. It means a lot. I am also happy to announce that our book has reached the 638th ranking in arranged marriages out of 20.8k books. Woohooo, I couldn't have done it without your help, readers. Thank you.
