Craved by the Wrong Volkov-Chapter 370: A rivals sacrifice
Lucien’s POV
I don’t know how I was able to drag my body back to my room, but one thing was certain in my mind, they were going to pay for this.
I pushed the door open to the sterile hospital room. A soft humming sound welcomed me. My eyes immediately fell on the figure sitting beside my bed, peeling tangerines. My eyes twitched, and I glanced at the clock hung in the hallway.
12:30 am. Normally, visitors are not allowed by now. I drew in a deep breath, then steadied myself. "It’s too late to visit someone. Who let you in?" I asked. The person by my bed didn’t even flinch. He continued peeling the tangerines and placed them on a plate by my bed.
"You should eat them. I peeled them personally. Only a few have that privilege," he said, wiping his fingers with a soft handkerchief that had a designer label on it.
I walked closer, then sat on the bed, completely exhausted. The man picked a slice of tangerine and popped it into his mouth before handing over the plate to me. I didn’t think and just grabbed one. The sweetness immediately filled my mouth, but it tasted bitter with the anger bubbling in me.
"It’s good, isn’t it?" He sighed. "A shame you missed New Year’s."
I glanced at the man. He had sharp emerald eyes, deeper than Braelyn’s, with a dangerous hint in them. He was blonde, with a face that could rival the gods. Maybe if the Greek god Apollo were to be described, it would be him. A blonde man with an angelic face and a body that seemed sculpted by the gods. That’s what happens when your father was the most seductive tyrant and your mother was literally a former Miss World pageant queen.
I grabbed another tangerine, chewing it, hoping it would clear my mind.
"How are you doing? I heard your rival was the one who personally got in experts to save your life." He chuckled. "Raphael is an interesting man. I can never imagine myself saving the man who got between my wife’s legs."
My jaw clenched. I glared at this tyrant business tycoon who was wife-obsessed. In the past, I never understood him. Why could a man be so devoted? But I guess it is the Orlov curse. Even my mother was a victim. Our biggest weakness was love. My mum died because of love. Even my uncle, his father, was completely obsessed with his wife to a dangerous point.
"Don’t talk about her like that. Wife-obsessed freak," I spat at him. He just chuckled and picked a grape from the platter, popping it into his mouth.
"I am not wife-obsessed. I love my wife just a bit more extremely, but I don’t imagine myself becoming a mistress like your mother, or the way my dad locked up my mum, paranoid about her beauty," he grinned. "It was funny when his looks were also lethal, but Raphael, that’s something else, and honestly, I kind of respect the man."
"He kept a mistress while trying to protect his wife from the Orlovs, despite thinking she cheated. If I were him, I would have confronted and killed her, but then again, that was his flaw. If he had confronted Braelyn, he would have figured out something was wrong, but then it wouldn’t change a thing, as he had to keep Amelia close to protect the truth..." My jaw clenched, listening to him.
"He is really pathetic... after losing his wife to his foolishness, he even went ahead to save the man who stole her..." he paused, a smirk on his lips as he watched me closely. "Did you know you almost flatlined twice during your surgery? Raphael called the best specialists to keep you hanging to a bit of life, but you were still in danger."
My eyes went wide. I thought Raphael only signed the consent forms. I didn’t know he did this. "He contacted the Voss family since they had the best medical specialists and equipment in the world. Of course, they didn’t pick because they hated their little princess’s husband... Do you know what he did next?"
"You tell me," I scoffed. He nodded.
"Raphael flew out under a dangerous blizzard to get to the Voss family. There, he begged personally and explained everything. They were shocked by everything. The miscarriage and your critical condition. Then he was asked a question, why did he risk his life to save you..." he paused for a moment, while my jaw had practically dropped.
"He said he hates your guts, but he is pathetic and can’t change the fact that the woman he loves now loves you. His reason was simple. Braelyn wouldn’t be able to handle losing both her unborn baby and you." My worldview shifted at that moment.
I never imagined Raphael would do that. "He saved me because of Lynn," I whispered in disbelief, staring at the man in front of me. Kirill Orlov, the 32-year-old head of the Orlov family. My older cousin and the one man who had no reason to say anything good about Raphael.
"Yeah. He could have just let you die, but he didn’t." The words hung between us.
"Then Elliot asked him a question. Is he really ready to save a rival for a man who doesn’t love him?" Kirill ’s voice turned heavy. My fingers dug into my palm.
"He laughed, saying he wanted to win fair and square. You always had the means to kill him, but you didn’t."
The silence was suffocating. "Why are you telling me this? Don’t tell me you have gone soft on the Volkovs?" I scoffed as the bitter taste rose in my mouth.
"I haven’t gone soft. I just wanted to let you know the truth." Kirill said, then stood up. "You should eat your fruit. It will help you recover."
Kirill was dressed in a tailored suit, with the lingering smell of alcohol on him. He probably left a business negotiation late and dropped by my room.
"So that’s all you have to tell me?" I asked. He shook his head, then sighed.
"The Orlovs always pay their debts, good or bad." He declared. "Raphael saved you, but it changed nothing."
"I am leaving the country this time, so I came to pass a message. You did great saving your company and pushing Volkov Apex to the edge. You did your best, but they came after your life. Even if Raphael is innocent, it doesn’t change that fact..."
"From tonight, the Volkovs are blacklisted from any company associated with us. Any partner that deals with them will also be blacklisted."
