Rachel couldn't hear anything anymore.
Not Mia crying.
Not the alarms.
Not the rain outside.
Nothing.
Because one sentence kept echoing inside her head over and over again and again
"You think your father died accidentally?"
Her chest felt tight.
Painfully tight.
Raziel stepped toward her carefully.
"Rachel"
"Don't."
The word came out sharper than she intended.
But she couldn't stop shaking.
And for the first time since meeting him
Raziel actually stopped moving because of her tone.
The villain smiled slowly through the screen.
Watching.
Enjoying this.
Daniel looked between them in confusion.
"What the hell is going on?"
Still
Nobody answered immediatel
Rachel stared directly at Raziel now.
And suddenly every instinct inside her screamed one thing:
Tell me the truth
Her voice cracked softly.
"…did you know something about my father?"
Raziel's jaw tightened hard enough to hurt.
Wrong answer.
Wrong reaction
Rachel felt her stomach drop instantly.
"No…"
The whisper barely left her lips
Vivienne closed her eyes briefly like she already knew this was coming.
Cassian looked deeply uncomfortable.
Lucien physically turned away.
Which only made everything worse.
Because everybody knew.
Again.
Everybody except her.
Rachel laughed softly.
But it sounded broken.
"Oh my God."
The villain leaned back casually beside Mia.
Completely entertained now.
"See?"
"That look on his face."
"That's guilt."
Raziel's expression turned lethal instantly.
"I'll kill you."
The man shrugged carelessly.
"Maybe."
"But not before she learns the truth."
Rachel looked at Raziel again.
And this time
Her voice came quieter.
More dangerous.l
"…tell me."
Silence.
Daniel stepped forward immediately.
"Raziel."
Nothing.
Rachel's eyes started burning now.
Not from fear.
From betrayal.
---
"Tell me."
Raziel finally spoke.
Low.
Controlled.
Heavy.
---
"I wasn't the one who killed your father."
Rachel exhaled shakily.
Relief almost hit her
Until he continued.
---
"But I was there that night."
The room shattered.
---
Daniel cursed violently.
Vivienne looked away instantly.
Cassian whispered:
"Oh God."
---
Rachel physically stepped backward.
"No."
Raziel moved instinctively.
"Rachel."
"NO."
Her voice echoed through the penthouse this time.
Shaking.
Breaking.
---
The villain smiled wider through the screen.
Exactly what he wanted.
---
Rachel's chest hurt now.
Actually hurt.
Because suddenly
Every soft moment with Raziel felt different.
The touches.
The protection.
The obsession.
Everything.
---
"You lied to me."
Raziel's expression cracked slightly.
"I protected you."
"That's NOT the same thing!"
---
Another alarm exploded downstairs.
Nobody cared anymore.
Not compared to this.
---
Daniel looked furious beyond words now.
"You let her fall in love with you while hiding THIS?"
Raziel snapped instantly.
"I never wanted her involved."
The irony of that statement almost made Rachel laugh.
---
The villain interrupted smoothly.
"That's the funny part."
"He was supposed to stay away from you."
Rachel froze instantly.
Supposed to?
---
The man chuckled softly.
"Your father saved Raziel once."
"And Raziel repaid him by getting him killed."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
---
Rachel's heartbeat stopped.
"No…"
Raziel's voice came dangerously cold.
"That's not what happened."
But for the first time
He sounded emotional.
Not controlled.
Emotional.
---
The villain leaned closer toward the camera.
And quietly
Almost gently
He dropped the real bomb.
---
"Your father died because he refused to hand YOU over."
Rachel's knees nearly gave out instantly.
---
Raziel caught her automatically before she hit the floor.
Strong arms pulling her against him instinctively.
And Rachel hated herself for the fact that despite everything
His arms still felt safe.
Tears burned her eyes now.
"What is he talking about?"
Raziel's breathing had changed.
Rachel noticed immediately.
He looked angry.
Not at her.
At himself.
The villain smiled again.
"Your father found out powerful people wanted you."
"So he hid you."
"Changed records."
"Moved constantly."
"Protected you until the night they found him."
Rachel couldn't breathe.
Because suddenly
Her childhood made sense.
The moving.
The fear.
Her father always checking locks.
Always nervous.
Always watching outside windows
Oh my God.
"You're lying," Rachel whispered weakly.
The man tilted his head slightly.
"Ask Raziel who gave them your address."
Silence.
Rachel slowly looked up at Raziel.
And the second their eyes met
She knew.
Not intentional.
Not malicious.
But somehow
Somehow he was connected.
Raziel's voice came rough now.
"I didn't know they'd move that fast."
Rachel's entire world collapsed.
Daniel exploded instantly.
"YOU WHAT?!"
Rachel shoved against Raziel's chest emotionally.
And this time
He let her go.
The pain on his face was unbearable now.
Because suddenly the feared mafia billionaire no longer looked powerful.
He looked ruined.
Rachel backed away slowly.
Tears finally slipping down her face.
"You led them to my father."
"No"
"You led them to him!"
Her voice cracked violently.
The villain laughed softly through the speakers.
Pure satisfaction.
"And now she finally sees you clearly."
Raziel looked like he wanted to rip the world apart.
But not because of the villain.
Because Rachel was crying
Then suddenly
Mia screamed again downstairs.
Everybody snapped back instantly.
Because for one horrifying second
They forgot she was still there
The villain sighed dramatically.
"Aww."
"Family trauma distracted everyone."
Then slowly
He lifted a gun toward Mia's head.
Rachel's blood turned cold instantly.
"STOP!"
The man smiled directly into the camera.
"Come downstairs alone."
"Or she dies while your boyfriend watches."
Rachel moved immediately.
And this time
Raziel didn't grab her.
Because he realized something terrifying.
For the first time since meeting him
Rachel looked afraid of him too.
Rachel moved instantly.
Pure instinct.
Pure panic.
But before she could reach the hallway
Raziel grabbed her wrist again.
This time not forcefully.
Desperately.
"Don't go."
The words came rough.
Almost broken.
Rachel looked back at him.
And God
She hated that he still looked at her like that.
Like losing her would destroy him completely.
"You lied to me."
Raziel's grip tightened slightly.
"I tried to protect you."
Rachel laughed shakily through tears.
"You protected me by hiding the fact you helped get my father killed?!"
The pain that crossed his face was immediate.
Real.
"I didn't know they would kill him."
Silence.
Rachel physically froze.
Because somehow
That sounded worse.
Daniel stepped between them instantly.
"You need to stay away from her right now."
Raziel's eyes never left Rachel.
Not even for a second.
The villain's voice interrupted again through the speakers.
Amused.
Patient
"Aww."
"This is getting emotional."
Rachel snapped toward the screen instantly.
"Mia has nothing to do with this!"
The man smiled calmly.
"Neither did your father."
Silence crashed through the penthouse again.
Rachel's chest tightened so painfully she thought she might collapse.
Because now
Everything hurt.
Her father.
Raziel.
The lies.
The betrayal.
All of it.
Then suddenly
The villain's expression changed.
Slightly.
Like he noticed something interesting off camera.
"…well now."
"Looks like we're running out of time."
Raziel's entire demeanor sharpened instantly.
Dangerous again.
Lucien moved toward another security feed quickly.
Then his face paled.
"Boss…"
Raziel looked over sharply.
"What?"
Lucien swallowed once
"They breached the lower security gate."
Everybody moved instantly.
Weapons loaded.
Protective positions.
Chaos again.
Rachel stood frozen in the middle of it all.
Emotionally drowning.
And somehow
Raziel still found her first.
Always her.
He moved toward her quickly.
Hands framing her face gently despite the madness exploding around them.
"Listen to me carefully."
Rachel's breathing shook.
"I hate you right now."
The words visibly hit him.
Hard.
But he still nodded once.
Like he accepted it.
Like he deserved it.
Then quietly
Almost painfully
He whispered:
"I know."
God.
That hurt worse somehow.
Another explosion echoed downstairs.
Closer this time.
The penthouse lights flickered violently.
Cassian looked over the balcony level.
"They're inside."
Daniel cursed immediately.
Vivienne grabbed a weapon from the table.
Even Selene reappeared from the hallway looking deadly calm.
Everybody preparing for war.
Rachel suddenly realized something terrifying.
These people weren't trying to negotiate anymore.
They came here expecting blood.
The villain smiled through the screen one last time.
"Final chance, Rachel."
Then he pressed the gun harder against Mia's head.
Rachel broke instantly.
"I'm going."
Raziel's voice came lethal.
"No."
Rachel turned toward him emotionally.
"She'll die!"
"And if you leave, THEY'LL TAKE YOU."
"At least somebody survives!"
Wrong thing to say.
Very wrong thing.
Because suddenly
Raziel snapped completely.
He pulled her against him so fast Rachel barely processed it.
One arm wrapped tightly around her waist while the other held the back of her neck firmly.
Protective.
Possessive.
Terrified.
"You dying is NOT an option for me."
The raw emotion in his voice stunned the entire room silent.
Rachel stared up at him.
And for the first time since learning the truth
She saw it clearly.
Not obsession.
Not control.
Love.
Ruining him in real time.
Then suddenly
Gunfire exploded directly outside the penthouse doors.
Everybody moved instantly.
Daniel shoved Rachel backward behind the couch.
Raziel drew his weapon immediately.
The elegant billionaire atmosphere shattered completely into violence.
More shots.
More screaming downstairs.
The penthouse doors burst open violently.
Armed men flooded inside.
Masked.
Fast.
Deadly.
Chaos erupted instantly.
Cassian fired first.
Lucien tackled one attacker into the wall.
Selene dropped another with terrifying accuracy.
Glass shattered everywhere.
Rachel ducked instinctively as bullets ripped through the penthouse.
And through all the chaos
Raziel stayed directly in front of her.
Shielding her with his body.
Actually shielding her.
Then Rachel saw it.
One attacker raising his weapon straight toward Raziel's back.
"RAZIEL!"
Everything happened too fast after that.
Rachel moved instinctively.
The gunshot exploded.
And suddenly
Pain tore through her side violently.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Rachel looked down slowly.
Blood.
Her blood.
Raziel turned instantly.
And the second he saw the blood spreading across her clothes
Something inside him completely broke.