Stolen By My Billionaire Brother-In-Law-Chapter 73: He Deserved It
[Back to Present] 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
"And then..."
Azrael pulled Rivana tightly into a hug as she struggled to continue. "Hush..." He caressed her back as she was breathing heavily, trying to calm her down. His touch was gentle and soothing, each stroke helping to steady her breath and slow her racing heart. She melted into his embrace, finding comfort in the warmth and strength he offered.
"You did the right thing," he assured her, controlling his anger as Rivana couldn’t help but break out in his arms. As she cried, he patted her back, whispering calming words. Luckily, that guy was dead. If he was alive, Azrael would have made sure to castrate him and hang him in front of his father’s office.
Slowly, Rivana began to calm down. Azrael cupped her cheek and wiped away her tears. Looking at her, he praised, "You were able to protect yourself, Rain. And I am so proud of you."
"But... but he died because of me," Rivana murmured, the guilt having completely eaten her all these years.
"He deserved it, sweetheart." Caressing her cheek, Azrael continued, "Though it was an easy death, he deserved to die."
Rivana lowered her eyes, trying to agree with him. But everyone had told her that night that she was wrong.
"He was only going to tease you!" Rafaelo growled as Rivana cried, kneeling in front of the family in the Faye mansion.
"Yes!" Rubina joined in. Crying out loud, she added, "You killed an innocent person. Now his father would ruin our entire family."
"Da... dad, I am not lying," the young Rivana moved over to her father and held his leg. "He was really going to..." The words stuck in her mouth as she sobbed and continued, "I only tried to save myself."
Emmerich kicked her away, his frustration at its peak. Rivana crawled on the ground, hugging her stomach tightly.
"So, you are now accusing Rafaelo? That he was staying silent even after knowing Xander’s true intentions." Glaring at her, he growled, "He might not like you, but he would have never watched silently while someone harmed you, Rivana."
Rivana cried in silence, realizing it was no use proving herself. They were all right; she should have found some other way than taking such extreme steps. It was all her fault.
"Luckily, somehow we covered it up as an accident," Emmerich said, looking at Rivana. "If that minister ends up finding the truth, I won’t be saving you. You will pay for your sins." With that, he walked toward his study.
Rafaelo smirked and walked upstairs, Gianna following him behind.
"I truly regret giving birth to someone like you, Rivana," Amerie spat in disappointment. "Seriously, you went too far this time. I am ashamed to call myself your mother."
With that, she walked toward the study to coax Emmerich. Rubina smiled, hearing Rivana’s sobs before a maid took her to her room. Rivana stayed there on the cold floor, crying alone with the butler watching her from afar.
"So, everyone decided to stay silent about it?" Azrael questioned, bringing Rivana out of her flashback thoughts.
Rivana sniffled and nodded. Hugging him tightly, she added, "Rafaelo silenced all his friends. And since they were also partly involved in the accident, all agreed to go with his plan."
"Luckily, Sebastian came over and helped me. He suggested a plan to put Xander in his car and create an accident scene." Sighing out loud, she added, "Rafaelo agreed and carried out the plan while Sebastian took me back to the mansion."
Azrael nodded in response. He caressed her hair and pondered deeply. Something felt off. Callum had also delivered exactly the same story, but a piece seemed to be missing from it.
"And Rafaelo started blackmailing me using that video. I don’t know how he retrieved it." When Azrael glanced down at her, Rivana added, "I am pretty sure I had permanently deleted it from all his devices."
"But what if someone else still had it and sent it to him?" Azrael thought, and it clicked right in. Rivana also thought about it. Many had recorded that day, and though they all were taken down right in front of Emmerich, someone must have kept it.
She sighed out loud, disturbed and worried. If this came to light, she would not just lose Faye Groups but also Shadow Inc. All her workers’ lives would be put at risk, too, and she couldn’t do that to them since they all were innocent and worked very hard for the success of the company.
"What should we do?" Rivana asked him.
Azrael looked at her. Instead of replying, he gently forced her to lie on the bed. "For now, we will sleep," he murmured, pulling the blanket over them.
Rivana blinked in confusion. "But—"
Azrael silenced her by placing a kiss on her lips. Taken aback, Rivana tried to speak again, but he kissed her again. She looked at him in surprise, with a sheepish smile.
"I will keep doing it until you stop talking," Azrael replied, making her blush.
"Then I won’t mind talking all night," Rivana replied with a cheeky smile. Azrael smiled and captured her lips again. Giving a small, tender kiss, he pulled her closer and murmured, "You are tired and need to rest. We can do that some other night."
Rivana hugged him tightly and snuggled closer. Being in his arms, feeling his warmth and the way he held her tightly, promising to protect her from all the storms, it was relaxing. The tiredness took over, and she slowly drifted off to sleep. Rivana slowly fell asleep in Azrael’s arms, her breathing becoming steady and rhythmic. She looked like a baby, forgetting all her worries, her face peaceful and serene.
Azrael stopped reading the book as he heard light snores. He carefully placed the book aside and tucked her properly in the bed. Slowly, he took out his hand that was under her head, adjusting a pillow beneath it. He kissed her forehead and slowly got off the bed.
He walked to the balcony and dialed Callum’s number. The wind was cold, and he stared into the night sky, his vision of a hawk as he was deep in thought. The stars above twinkled brightly, a stark contrast to the darkness that surrounded his thoughts.
Callum picked up after a few seconds. Azrael asked, "Did you dig into that friend of hers?"
"Sebastian. He has a name, dude," Callum murmured, shaking his head. Azrael had asked him to get information about Sebastian the night Rivana was on a date with him in that cafe. Callum nodded and said, "There’s nothing suspicious. He seems to be close friends with both Victor and Rivana."
"He left with Rivana’s nanny after he got a scholarship at Vernford University. They lived there all these years, and now he is back here."
Azrael hummed in response. Maybe it was his possessiveness that made him suspect Sebastian to have sent that video to Rafaelo. He seemed to be wrong about him. And since he didn’t look like much of a threat, they should focus on Rafaelo.
"Did you look into Rafaelo’s old friends?" Azrael ordered.
"Hmm, I got in touch with a few of those junkies."
"Good," Azrael replied, a smirk playing on his lips. "Move forward with the plan."
Callum excitedly replied, "Hurry!" He was finally getting a job to do, the kind of task he loved and was excellent at. He looked at his team and smiled, "Let’s go, boys. Rafaelo has been in his good guy role, let’s give him a taste of what he has been missing all these years."
Azrael ended the call, a smirk letting up his face. He had vowed to destroy everyone who had hurt his baby girl, and Rafaelo had himself come out to get beaten for it. And how could he let him go easily?
Azrael stood there for a while, looking at the sky, his hands inside his pockets, feeling the cool breeze against his face. His thoughts went back to Sebastian. Though he had a decent background, they couldn’t leave him. After Emmerich’s death, everyone was a threat to Rivana. And Sebastian returning after all these years, there must be a motto, or worse he was a bait set by someone.
Rivana’s peaceful expression flashed in his mind, and he looked inside the room, his eyes fixed on the bed. He slipped his hand into his pocket and took out the pocket watch, his ticking lifespan. There wasn’t much time left for him and he would protect her at all costs. Those who had wronged her in the past life would face the consequences.
