Chapter 97: The petty mistress

Braelyn’s POV

The swap was fast. One moment, I was dancing with Lucien, and the next, my body was slammed against Raphael’s chest. His familiar hold circled around my waist.

He held me so tight that if I didn’t know better, I would have thought he was jealous and brimming with possessiveness. I hissed at him, my gaze snapped at him unable to hide the glare in my eyes.

“Why are you scared to look up?” He asked, I gulped, and his hand brushed against my spine; the jolt of sparks forced me to look up. “It’s the last dance and I asked you to keep it for me….you owe your husband that little.”

His gaze was sharp and dark. I clutched his shirt tighter, unable to control how my heart was pounding. I remembered when he had mentioned it casually but I didn’t expect he would literally steal me from my dance partner.

“That was uncalled for.” I hissed at him, slowly reaching out for his shoulders, trying not to shudder from fear of the sharp gaze on my back. I didn’t need to glance over to know he was staring at me.

“Was it?” He arched one of his elegant brows. His figure towered over me, which made me feel small, like shrinking away. I gulped averting my eyes. We turned and my gaze met Lucien. He was dancing with someone but his gaze was intensely on me

I couldn’t breathe until Raphael spun me around, making sure to block him from my view. “Since you forgot about the last dance I had to take action.” He casually said. His hair which was slicked all back earlier had some stray strands over his face which only made him look more devious

I had never wished more than now for this man to be uglier or bear less resemblance to his uncle who was glaring at me. “Hypocrite..” I muttered under my breath

He snorted. “Your lover should find more interesting things to do than to stare…” He muttered. I snickered at him. His hypocrisy was beyond me.

“You should talk more kindly about your dear uncle.” I could not help but sneer. “The Volkov truly doesn’t treat their elders well.”

Although Raphael and Lucien were born in the same year, Lucien was a few months older than Raphael. So he was still Raphael’s elder. “You really have a soft spot for him.” He taunted leading the dance.

Raphael’s grip didn’t soften as the music carried us. His hand remained firm on my waist, guiding me through each step with that cold precision he’d perfected over the years.

Yet his jaw twitched, betraying what he didn’t want me to see. I didn’t need a mirror to know why..

I caught another glimpse of Lucien again. His dance partner was over the moon, smiling and trying to strike up conversations with him, when he was completely uninterested. Our gaze met for a short moment before the dance led me away more like Raphael led me away.

I sighed, disheartened, trying to ignore Lucien’s heated gaze.

He was dancing at the other end of the floor, but got bored halfway, abandoning his partner, who wasn’t happy about it in the slightest bit. She was probably happy dancing with such a hot guy..

Lucien had abandoned whatever unfortunate woman he’d been partnered with and now stood at the edge of the dance floor, gaze locked on me with a possessiveness so sharp it sliced straight through the hall.

He didn’t blink. He didn’t move. He simply watched. Raphael noticed. His jaw clenched, the muscle ticking in irritation. His fingers tightened on my back as if silently reminding me who I belonged to.

A bitter sneer tugged at his lips. “The devil was once an angel. Don’t get fooled by looks,” he muttered, just loud enough for me to hear.

I let out a soft humourless laugh. “Don’t tell me, Mr Volkov, you are uncomfortable with our current arrangement, probably jealousy,” I murmured, leaning closer to him, our lips almost brushed in a teasing moment, and my dear husband’s calm facade dropped for a moment. He was flustered but it disappeared in the blink of an eye like it was never there

Raphael snorted, ignoring my comment, and continued to dance. We were in the middle of the floor where everyone would notice us.

The music continued to play, and my body moved according to the rhythm, although my thoughts drifted back to the conversation he’d had with Ronan. I glanced back at him. He wasn’t looking at me, his gaze drifted around the room, but lingered with Lucien several times.

He looked less tense than earlier when he led me back to the hall. I could not help but wonder which competitor was strong enough to leave a business genius like him wary.

Something big was happening within the company, big enough to rattle Raphael. The idea gnawed at me even as I kept my steps graceful. I needed to know who.

And through it all, Lucien’s gaze burned holes into my spine. That man had the patience of a predator stalking its prey.

Well, Lucien wasn’t the only one who was staring daggers at us. At a corner of the room, Amelia was surrounded by her minions. A bunch of bitchs who were ready to lick the boots of whoever had control to help secure connections.

She was looking at Raphael and me. We both noticed, but it was like she was just another item in the room. She was trying to smile and network, but her movements were stiff.

A gentleman approached her, and not too surprisingly, she accepted his dance. Raphael didn’t even react to that. I wondered if he didn’t hold his mistress in high regard.

The song shifted and Amelia glided onto the floor with another partner on her arm. Her eyes flicked towards us repeatedly, each look was a poorly disguised attempt to insert herself between Raphael and me.

Twice she tried to angle close enough to cut in; twice Raphael turned me away with a smooth, uninterested pivot as if she were a decorative plant obstructing his path.

She attempted to step on my foot, but Raphael lifted me off before she could. He gave her a casual look and she could only say. “Sorry, I am a bit clumsy.” It was a freaking excuse.

That wasn’t all. She missed a step and almost bumped into me. Raphael glided away, making her almost fall on the floor if her partner didn’t catch her in time. My eyes twitched at how she was making a fool of herself.

She didn’t give up, her eyes burned with determination, and she gracefully waltzed towards me. The crazy fact was how subtle her actions were, it looked like she was a clumsy dancer, but I knew better.

Amelia tried to trip me by stepping on my dress. Raphael was a horrible husband but at least he was a reliable dance partner. “Watch your step. I know you aren’t that clumsy.” He casually said reading into her intentions when she got close enough. She froze then smiled politely.

“I am just a bit clumsy today.”

My head bobbed at him stunned that he could see into her antics. Although Raphael stopped her, I wasn’t going to let her off that easily. I deliberately stepped on Raphael’s foot hard enough to disorient him.

He lost his bearing for a short moment and I used the opportunity to step on Amelia’s dress.

The ends tore immediately. Amelia froze in place and gasps followed.

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