CHAPTER 72: PRESERVING THE ILLUSION

It was true that I didn’t hate the work, and I actually liked it more than I imagined that I would. Sure enough, some of the tasks were very manual and administrative, but there were also a lot of learning opportunities, and the exposure that Raphael promised was definitely there. I got to understand more about the business and also got to interact and take part in many management meetings that were very eye-opening. That was the main part of why I found it very hard to believe that Rosabella’s words were true, but the illogical part of my mind combined with my fears tempted me to believe in her words.

"If you like it, you should just say so. This position is open especially for you, so all you have to do is tell me that you’ve decided to officially take this job," Raphael said as he took a step towards me.

He stood right in front of me before his hands reached out to capture my chin. Slowly, he tilted my face upwards so that I was forced to meet his gaze. As always, I felt immediately sucked into the captivating beauty of his eyes, but before I allowed myself to lose myself in those seductive depths, I quickly turned my face away.

"I think we should head back home now," I said before quickly making my way towards the door. I could feel Raphael staring at my back, and I was thankful that he did not make a move to stop me from making my escape. It felt like I could no longer face him anymore at that moment without taking time to clear my own head first.

**The night before the engagement event**

"I can’t believe that you’re getting engaged tomorrow! Congratulations!" my mother said before letting out a joyful laugh as she congratulated Raphael on his upcoming engagement.

"I also can’t believe it’s tomorrow already. The week really went by very quickly, but I guess it’s better to have this engagement sooner rather than later," Bennett said to Raphael before turning to smile at my mother.

My eyes were trained on my mother’s face as she smiled back at her lover. Having dinner together the evening before Raphael’s engagement to Rosabella was supposed to be a pre-celebration to one of the key events in Raphael’s life. Tomorrow we would head to Rosabella’s mansion, where a private engagement ceremony would be held to celebrate the official engagement between the heir of the two families. It was really supposed to be a joyous occasion, a meaningful event for our family ever since our parents’ wedding, but I could not find it in me to enjoy any pre-celebrations. All I could think about as I continued staring at my mother’s carefree face as she smiled was how I was supposed to bring up the possibility that she might have just married both of us into a mafia family.

It didn’t escape my imagination that my mother could end up fainting or having a fit of panic. Other than that, she might simply accused me of being crazy for believing in a baseless rumor. However, after hearing from Rosabella, I wasn’t sure if I could consider her words to just baseless rumor. After all, she was about to marry Raphael and become Bennett’s daughter-in-law. She would soon become a part of this family, and considering her close relationship with her father, I wouldn’t put it beyond her to know about the true relationship between the two families.

"Are you excited?" my mother asked Raphael before letting out a teasing smile.

"I don’t think there’s anything to be excited about," Raphael replied before returning her smile. My mother looked slightly taken aback by his unexpected response, but she did manage to maintain her composure.

"I’m sure that Rosabella has everything well-organized; that’s probably why Raphael isn’t excited," Bennett quickly stepped in to save the day.

"Everything should be fine. I heard that Abby has been in contact with Rosabella and has helped her out as well," my mother said before smiling at me to show her appreciation.

"Rosabella has everything well-organized and ready for tomorrow. I’m sure that it will be a very cozy yet impressive engagement at the very same time," I replied while trying to sound as natural as possible. I couldn’t bring myself to tell anyone that all Rosabella had been talking to me about and asking me about was Raphael.

I also had no idea what she had in mind when she asked me to help her get together with Raphael. With everything that was going on, I felt so drained of energy, and I did not look forward to attending Raphael’s engagement tomorrow at all.

"Is it getting a little late, and we have such an important engagement to attend tomorrow. Why don’t we call it a night?" Bennett suggested after a while of casual chatting.

"I agree. We should be fully recharged and energized for tomorrow," my mother replied gleefully.

With that, dinner came to an end, and everybody got up from their seats at the dining table. I quickly approached my mother before looping my arms around one of hers. My mother turned and smiled at me as we made our way out of the dining room.

I wanted some alone time with my mother because I wanted to tell her about what I heard from Rosabella.

"Is there something wrong? You look a little out of it," my mother asked with a slightly worried expression on her face. I felt a pain in my heart when I thought that what I was about to say would worry her even further.

"I’m fine," I replied but could not bring myself to say anything else.

"Are things too tough at work? Is Raphael working you too hard?" my mother asked before letting out a teasing laugh. She only appeared to be taking it lightly for only a short moment before the look of concern returned to her face. If only Raphael and the work that he had given me was the real concern on my mind, things might be a lot simpler.

–To be continued...