Natalie's POV I wasn't ready. Suddenly, I felt I didn't want to do this. I couldn't.I stared at him wide-eyed as he waited for me to move or act. The atmosphere in the room was heavy and full of desperation."Raf!" This was the tenth time I called him, but he didn't respond, as if he were in another world, unable to hear me.“Raf! Stand up, please!” All he replied was, “I’m ready for my punishment, ma'am.”"What punishment, for God's sake?!"The silence continued, lifting the tension even higher.I gulped, feeling very hesitant. Why did I even ask him to do this? Yes, I wanted to control our relationship, but not in this way!But what if I made him understand my feelings during our intimate time in the way he treated me, just this once?This wicked thought shined in my eyes.However, as much as I called him, he didn't move. He stayed in the same position.My eyes fell on the whip. I lifted it with trembling hands, staring at it for a little while, unable to summon the courage to do
Rafael’s POV“Raf! Can I ask you a question?” Natalie said, her voice stammering a little.I patted her head and smiled. "Sure!"She stared at my face, hesitant about whether to ask or not. So, I encouraged her, "You can ask me whatever you want."However, I thought she might ask me about the drug deal. Her previous reaction when I mentioned it suggested she knew about the issue and was somehow involved. But she shocked me by asking a completely different question than what I had in mind.She asked with a faint smile, "Why did you choose to be sadistic? Is there any chance you could be normal... I mean, do things in a normal way without all this punishment stuff?" Her voice was tinged with curiosity and anxiety.I let out a deep sigh. Even though I didn't like talking about this and disliked anyone interfering in my ways, she, as a partner, had the right to know.“If I tell you the truth, won't your view of me change? Wouldn't you hate me?” I asked, staring into her eyes while a surge
Natalie's POV My heart was racing uncontrollably inside my chest, almost bursting out of my ribs.All his words and actions showed me he loved me, but I needed to hear it from his lips.I needed to hear it to believe it. I didn't want to live in a delusion.However, it seemed too surreal to be true. All my dreams shattered before my eyes when he said in a sharp tone, “I told you from the beginning, Nat, I don’t believe in something called love.”Against my will, my eyes welled with hot tears. I lowered my head to avoid letting him see my misery. He gently lifted my chin and mumbled with a softer tone and a faint smile, "Natalie, I’m an inpatient man. Don’t be fooled by my outwardly shiny appearance; inside, I’m a distorted person. If a mother doesn’t love her own son and considers him an obstacle to her success, how could that child grow up to give love?”"But I loved you and still love you," I said desperately, tears streaming down my face.I never expected to confess my feelings to
"What are you doing here?" Rafael growled."Hey, son. Is that how you welcome your mother after so long?" Nicol retorted with a smile and a hint of pain in her expression.Rafael gently guided me to a chair beside him after I froze upon seeing his mother. After sitting down, he said, "It's not like you were trying to reach out all these months, Mom."Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but she smiled confidently. "Oh, Raf, you know how busy I am," she said, lifting a strand of her stunning hair with her carefully polished hand."Yes, I know," he replied simply, sipping his coffee nonchalantly.Silence filled the room. Even Grandma and Tobi were quiet.I felt sorry for her; after all, she was a guest here. Even though I knew she didn’t like me or my mother in the past, I still smiled at her and said, "It's nice to see you here, Nicol."She hadn't been here since Dad Matt's funeral.She glanced at me, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Oh, sorry, I didn’t notice you before, dear. Are you
Once I got back to the office, Rosalinda ran up to me, exclaiming, “Miss Natalie, the CEO almost demolished the company over our heads.” Her voice was shaking.“Why? What happened?” I asked, confused.“He was looking for you. He tried to call you, but your phone was off. He called the office phone almost every three minutes,” she said, and then the office phone rang.In horror, she picked up the handset and, with a shaky voice, answered, “Hello, this is The Rela...”A growl I could hear cut her off. She looked at me and said, “Yes, sir. She’s here.” Then she handed me the phone handset as if it were a piece of hell."Where the fuck have you been, and why was your damn phone off?" he roared through the phone, forcing me to move it away from my ear a little.Without waiting for my reply, he ordered, “Come to my office, NOW!” and hung up.I blinked, staring at the phone handset in my hand. “What’s wrong with him?” I thought.With a faint smile, Rosalinda took the handset from me and, mot
My friends stared at my face in anticipation, eagerly waiting for my reply.I nodded.Rebecca’s eyes widened, and she exclaimed, “I knew it!”“But dear, he has a fiancée. I hope he wouldn’t hurt you,” Fello countered, her expression a little worried.How could I tell them that we are married and that I already have his babies in my womb?Fello lifted her phone again, handed it to me, and said, “Look, here’s an announcement of their marriage on the official website of Merrin Group. They are getting married in ten days, Natalie.”My heart sank as I searched for the date of the post on the webpage. The news was posted yesterday! How could that be possible? I felt the place spinning around, and nausea rose to my throat.I grabbed the glass of water in front of me and gulped it down in one go.Rebecca held my arm. “Hun, what’s wrong? You’re so pale.”“I’m okay, I’m going home,” I murmured, my voice barely audible.Once I stood, I felt a little dizzy. Fello held me and said, “Are you okay,
Rafael’s POV Two days had passed since the last time I saw Natalie. I hadn't gone back home even once. I had to find the schemers who were trying to set her up.My men and I spent day and night searching for any evidence. I didn’t have much time left. The shipment would be soon in the port, and the investigation would be official then.All fingers pointed to her, and I started to believe them. Even her signature was on one of the invoices. My father had given her many powers within the company that I had not taken away from her.But why would she do such a thing?I remembered her asking for the 5 million. The number was huge, but at that moment I didn't care, thinking she just wanted to secure herself.Suddenly, a thought jumped into my head. I grabbed my phone from the table and called the bank.“This is Rafael Merrin. I transferred an amount of money to an account under the name of Natalie Steel. Could you check if the amount is still in the account?” I said.“Hold on for one minut
Rafael's POVI pushed her into the car and slammed the door. I was on the verge of exploding from rage.Without uttering a word, I started the engine and sped away. I was driving over the speed limit. She whispered in a low voice, “Raf, please. Slow down!”I slammed the steering wheel with my fists and roared, “What the hell were you thinking, Natalie, huh?”She touched my arm and whispered, “Raf, please. Believe me, it wasn’t me, it’s Debbie's….”I pushed her hand away furiously and shouted, “No! It was you!”It was she who made me almost lose my mind. It was she who made me feel betrayed. I don’t give a shit about Debbie. She was the one I cared for, the one I waited for to be honest with me.She didn’t argue after that. When I glanced at her, her face was very pale, with one hand on her stomach and the other on her mouth. Realizing she was about to vomit, I reduced my speed, and we didn’t speak again until I parked in front of the villa. The high-pitched squeal of the brakes made