Chapter 61: Partnership

Braelyn’s POV

I didn’t want to part with my bed. After a long inner struggle, I eventually got out of bed and got ready for the day.

I didn’t know how long Raphael was willing to wait, not that I cared. I took my time soaking in the tub before dressing.

Over an hour had already passed, there was still some time before the meeting, and Raphael was a workaholic who was never late.

My heels clicked softly against the floor as I made my way to the driveway. “Shit,” I cursed out after checking the time on my wrist watch. I got carried away delaying petty things and ended up running late.

The bath was so soothing I didn’t want to step out. The morning breeze was soft against my skin. Hunger was already kicking in, the grumbling in my stomach was annoying.

Unfortunately, I had to delay breakfast until after the meeting. “Good morning Ma’am,” Viktor greeted once he spotted me..I nodded softly..

“Morning, please can you get the car ready for me. I am already running late.” I instructed. He bowed slightly.

“I will get on it immediately,” Viktor replied, about to leave, when an annoying voice slithered across my skin.

“So you know you are late.” Raphael sneered, drawing our attention. He was leaning against the car with his hands crossed and a grim expression on his face.

“Raphael,” I muttered, holding back the bitter taste at the tip of my tongue, urging me to give a salvage reply. Instead, she smiled sweetly.

“I thought you already left.” I chimed. Raphael scoffed then pulled the backseat door open.

“We are already running late. There is no need for another car.” The door to the backseat was pulled open. He went in without a word waiting for me.

“You should have gone ahead,” I mentioned while getting into the back seat with him.

“Good morning, Mrs Volkov,” Raphael’s driver, Joseph, greeted me after I stepped in. Joseph was in his mid-thirties and always had a permanent frown on his face.

“Good morning Joseph. It’s a lovely morning isn’t it? ” I chimed with a soft smile. My smile was so contagious that his lips lifted slightly before it was replaced once more by a frown.

“We are already running late.” Raphael hissed. His voice was laced with irritation.

The car engine started, and Joseph drove out of the driveway. “Sorry for the delay.” He apologised. Raphael didn’t reply; his attention was drawn back to his phone, doing what only God knows.

I glanced at his side profile, my eyes traced the elegant edges of his face. It was surprising how eerily similar his face was to Lucien’s. It was possible to mistake them for each other if you didn’t know them well enough.

Raphael sensed my gaze and glanced at me with a confused expression. I averted my eyes grumbling under my breath. “No one told you to wait either way.” He heard me but decided to ignore my remark.

Ever since that night I found out about my condition. This was the first time we were riding in the same car again. The air felt stale with an awkward silence; neither party was ready to speak.

I wanted to bring up our last night’s conversation but with Joseph here, Raphael wasn’t willing to willingly talk about that topic.

My eyes strayed to the window watching the street blur. A knot formed between my brows, and a slow realisation hit my mind. “Where are we heading?” I asked Raphael. This wasn’t the way to the office.

“We are taking a short detour.” He replied. The frown etched between my brows deepened.

“I thought we were already running late.” It was out of character for Raphael to take a detour. He was very time-conscious.

“You ask a lot of questions.” He brushed me off. The car shortly arrived at a bakery, which was one of my favourites. This made me more uneasy about why he was ready to detour here.

Raphael could read my obvious confusion. He only sighed helplessly and then stepped out of the car. I watched him disappear behind the door.

A text notification buzzed from my phone, distracting me for a moment. After rummaging through my things to find my phone.

It was a text from Lucien.

Lucien: I thought about what you said. I think I will take my life a bit more seriously now.

His text puzzled me. What did he mean by that? I was dazed trying to figure out what Lucien meant until I heard Raphael speak from the side.

“Who is that?” My head snapped in his direction to see Raphael carrying some cups of coffee and a box of doughnuts. Why was he getting doughnuts?

I instinctively knew it wasn’t for me, another thought popped into my head. It was for Amelia. I placed my phone away ignoring his seething gaze ..

“Lucien,” I said, hiding nothing. His jaw clenched for a moment, and the words forced their way out.

“Why are you texting him this early?” It was a dumb question that left me amused.

“Why shouldn’t I? He is my boyfriend or lover, whichever you prefer?” I shrugged. He snorted, then placed the coffee in the cup holders.

“You should say that in the presence of the driver.”

“Why shouldn’t I? Everyone at home already knows of Amelia. What difference does this make?” From the look in his eyes. He had nothing more to say.

“This is for you.” He tried to change the topic. Raphael gave me one cup of coffee, leaving one and the box of doughnuts. My eyes fell on the doughnuts.

He followed my gaze, realising I was staring at the doughnuts. “It’s for the meeting.” He answered. When did he start handing out doughnuts during meetings?

I saw through his flimsy lie but was too lazy to expose him.

The coffee slurped up the straw. It tasted weird. A bit too sweet. This coffee wasn’t meant for me. I smiled holding back the complaints. He also forgot my preferences.

“Concerning the project…” His voice trailed telling me everything I needed to get a general idea of the project. Due to the nature of it, my department was primarily in charge of it making me a key participant. It wasn’t a very large deal, but it was still important because of its foreign importance.

The car arrived at the underground car park. Raphael was switched into professional mode, prim and proper as always ..

“I will appreciate it if you pay more attention to this project.” He mentioned, walking ahead of me to the elevator.

“But Raphael, why did you make it a joint project when the company is capable of handling everything ourselves?” I asked him, and he gave me a glance before we stepped into the elevator

“Shared liability,” he simply said but I had a feeling there was more to it. Shortly we arrived at our intended floor. Raphael’s assistant, Mr Allen Rivers was already waiting for him..

“Good morning Mr and Mrs Volkov.” He greeted, then took the coffee and box of doughnuts from Raphael’s hand. Austin gave me a subtle look of recognition.

“Have the investors arrived?” Raphael enquired while I continued to trail behind him.

“I just got news that they have just entered the building, but our joint partners are already waiting.”

“Send it to my office,” Raphael instructed before walking into the conference room. I diligently followed, curious about our partners.

Immediately, I stepped inside, and I understood everything.

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