The Duke's Surreptitious Ways (Rafael Benedict Valiente)

Chapter 29: Comfrontation and the Sly Duke

Raffy's POV

"Your Grace," Osvaldo stepped forward "His Grace is summoning your presence in the family room. The Petropoulis family just arrived, and so were your parents," he reported. I nodded, stepping away from the window. I pulled my hands out of my pockets, then grabbed the coat hanging on the backrest of my chair.

I shrugged it on, then strode towards the door. Osvaldo followed me.

The press conference starts in two hours, and I'm freaking the hell out. But it's now or never. If after this that Natalia still felt dubious about my intention, I had to let her go.

My chest tightened. It feels like a vice grip my throat and squeezes it, refusing to let the air in. I loosened my pinstripe blue tie and undid the top button since it felt like it is strangling me.

"How's the ball preparation going?" I asked, just trying to drift my mind away from the upcoming conference, and from the possibility of losing Natalia, forever.

"The Officiates had finalized everything, Your Grace," came his stiffed reply.

I strode along the wide hallway, my leather sole leaving a clacking sound each step against the European classical style polished marble floor, filling the quiet hallway. A few maids made a brief stop to give a clumsy curtsy, then off to their job.

Osvaldo beat me to the door as soon as we got closer to the living room where I can hear faint voices. He knocked once, then opened it slowly.

"Osvaldo—" I tried to stop him, but he's already on it, announcing my presence.

Great!

"His Grace, the Duke of Pushkin," he announced before widening the door, standing stiffly to the side.

I gave him a dark scowl, and he swallowed hard. He gave a brief bow before scurrying to close the door behind him.

"Don't give the poor man a heart attack, Raffy!" Mom said as she pulled herself up from the sofa, next to my father, then met me halfway. I met Natalia's eyes, she was standing next to her scowling father, Nicolas Petropoulis.

I swallowed thickly as I returned mom's hug. "What have you done?" Mom whispered.

"I'm sorry, mom. I'm trying to fix it," I whispered back as I pulled away, and she nodded. I saw the look of sympathy in her eyes.

Dad stood next to mom and pulled me for a brief hug. "You're very slow, son," he whispered, and I frowned at him, pulling away from him.

Dad can be weird at times.

He just tilted his head slightly, his brow cocked up. Then the mischievous glint in his piercing eyes gave me an idea what is he talking about.

I'm not gonna impregnate her, so she'll be forced to marry me!

"I'm not like you, dad." I gave him a murderous look.

Mom swatted his shoulder. "Stop it, Rafael!" Mom threw him a warning glare.

"I'm just testing him," dad reasoned out quickly, and mom just raised a brow at him.

Just as mom and dad stepped aside, uncle Nicolas was about to approach me with a murderous look when his wife beat him to me. "Raffy, figlio!" Son. She exclaimed a little too dramatically and pulled me in for a hug. I returned it, drifting my gaze at Natalia who was holding her dad's forearm, and by the looks of it, she was trying to stop him from charging at me with his fists.

His posture was rigid, facial muscles are strained, his green eyes piercing me like a sharp emerald stone, slicing me in pieces.

The tension in the room thickens. It was evident that Uncle Nick was holding his anger, but if he's given a chance, he'll not gonna think twice to beat me judging how he stared at me with contempt.