Chapter 20. Old Friends

**20. Old Friends?**

**Third Person's POV:**

Rafael tightened his fist in a tight grasp, irritation coursing through him at the sight of Vincent.t. It had been centuries since they last met, and Rafael harboured suspicions about Vincent's involvement in his mother's death. Despite being the most powerful warlock known, Vincent's attempts to harm Rafael in the past hadn't been very effective.

There was an odd chance that he was the one responsible for everything because there was a time when he tried to harm Rafael with his magic but it didn't have much of an effect on him.

Rafael remained silent mainly because he lacked proof that he was the sole perpetrator of everything. All of the information he uncovered led him to the conclusion that someone from within was to blame.

There was a period when everyone lived in harmony, and Rafael and Vincent had known each other since they were children. They weren't best friends of a kind; they merely saw each other and played there. Even though Vincent wanted to be friends with Rafael he always ignored him and anyone at that part. He was always a child who would close his walls and only let certain individuals into his circle, and it was only at that moment that Bryan made his way into his life and has remained ever since.

But soon after, the invisible wall was built, and they all went their own ways; now, seeing Vincent standing in front of him angered Rafael to no end. He was wondering why he was here, so he didn't answer his query and began walking away.

"Rafael, wait," Vincent called after him

Ignoring Vincent, Rafael proceeded inside where they were directed to their tables. Before reaching his seat someone asked for Rafael's attention, which he was about to dismiss as someone attempting to entice him, as every other girl does, an elderly woman sought his attention, He didn't want to, but she appeared to be frantic to speak with him.

"Yes, Miss?" Rafael asked.

"I am Astrid's mother, and I heard you were interested in purchasing her?" she said of Rafael.

Rafael was taken aback, appalled at the notion of a mother willing to sell her own daughter. Tentatively, he acknowledged his interest.

"Yes, I am; do you have any objections? I can absolutely stop..." he was interrupted by Astrid's mother.

"No, you don't have to stop doing anything, but I heard you're willing to pay a price?" she inquired once again.

Rafael was becoming irritated, wondering how she could be so happy with everything. "Huh?" he asked, frowning.

"But I have to warn you because I don't want your money to go to waste. I think you should take someone else since my daughter is unfit for anything," she stated as if it were nothing.

Rafael wished he could strangle her with his bare hands. He was clamping his lips together, not wanting to voice a swear.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Yes, even though I am her mother, I am warning you ahead of time that she is unfit for anything and that wherever she goes, she simply brings bad luck with her, as she did for us."

Rafael was a pragmatic individual who didn't believe everything everyone said. Regardless of how much he rejected it this time, her mother's words pained him. He was now questioning his own decision, wondering if it was true and if he was in the wrong, although he hadn't even seen her yet.

Bryan's remarks from the day before, which he had forgotten for the time being, came flooding back to him.

He concentrated on her mind, attempting to read her thoughts, but nothing was evident, which concerned Rafael because this had never happened to him. Her thoughts were blank he couldn't see anything and even from the past he couldn't figure out what she had done. She seemed to be consciously preventing her thoughts from escaping. Only one thought kept racing through her mind: she despises Astrid and should not leave her in good hands.

.Rafael understood her motive: she despised her own daughter. Determined to teach her a lesson, an announcement came that Astrid had arrived. Ignoring her mother, Rafael continued on his way, her mother's warnings echoing in the background.

"Take my advice, Your Highness," her mother shouted as he walked away. Despite the attention focused on Rafael, including the servants who were captivated by his good looks, he remained focused on finding his mate.

This time, he was immediately aware of her presence, as opposed to the previous occasion, when he was preoccupied with ranting at Bryan and failed to notice her. He felt tempted to glance at her, but he resisted.

He was angry, and for the first time in his life, he didn't want it to go away because he wanted to use it for something good, and he knew that if he looked at her, his entire wrath would melt away, which he didn't want right now. Another desire was to relish every moment of seeing his mate for the first time, in different situations and with a bit more calm. As the auction began, he kept his head down, reminding Bryan to follow all instructions.

He was becoming restless, and everything inside him begged him to glance at his mate, but he had to stop himself, telling himself that this was not the time and that he needed to save his rage for later.

To distract his attention, he looked about, and his rage grew tenfold as he spotted everyone looking lustfully at his mate, and their thoughts were clearly visible. Some morons wanted her for a night and subsequently chose to share her.

This was exactly what he wanted to avoid, yet he was late with his time. He couldn't stop these creatures from yearning after what had always been his. He took note of everyone's thoughts as well as their expressions and made a mental note to torture them later.

The auction began, and everyone began bidding on Astrid while Rafael patiently waited to make his point that he was holding Bryan back from making a move. He wanted to tell everyone that Astrid was his mate and remove her away from everyone's gaze, but he was already enjoying what he had started. He had one goal in mind: he had to win Astrid and show everyone what he was capable of.

Soon, he and Vincent were the only ones left; the others having all given up on the bidding.

He was enraged even more when Vincent refused to give up.

Rafael knew the ins and outs of Vincent's business, and he knew he had money, but even if he risked everything, Vincent couldn't compete with the price Rafael was going to reveal.

Rafael smirked as he stared at Vincent. He scribbled some numbers on paper and handed them to Bryan. Bryan was taken aback when he saw the number. Even though Bryan knew it wouldn't make a difference in Rafael's fortune, he couldn't stop himself from giving so much. Then he reminded himself that they were talking about his queen.

"Do It" Rafael said through the mind like.

Bryan raised his hand and announced that they were ready to give one billion. Everyone surrounding them, including Vincent, gasped. Vincent clenched his hand and stared at Rafael, but he gave him a bored expression.

Vincent desired Astrid at any cost, even offering a large payment to Astrid's mother to demonstrate his interest in purchasing her, and her mother, being the greedy witch that she is, accepted everything. Vincent stood up and went to Astrid's mother to get his money back and persuade her one more time not to hand Astrid to Rafael.

Rafael then proceeded to the podium. He hadn't planned for it, but it was all the time he had. While he could see Astrid standing on stage with her eyes blindfolded from his peripheral view, Rafael was keeping an eye on everything.

After Astrid confirmed Rafael as her third chance mate, she prayed he wouldn't be as bad as everyone projected. Rafael immediately regretted his harsh words, but the damage was done.

Rafael immediately regretted warning her. Whatever he told, something wicked inside him was compelling him to do so because he couldn't get over the fact that she had run away from him. But only if he could retract his statements.

He ordered Bryan to unfold her blind once he left from there.

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**Sorry for the late-ish update my loves. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

**Wow, we didn't know Astrid's mother spoke to Rafael right?**

**What do you think is going to happen next? Share your thoughts with me in the comments.**

**I have posted a reel of whom I have imagined Rafael to be... You can check that out on my FB group "Saphoenix Angels"**

**The next update coming up in a few hours.**

**Stay tuned I love you all <3**

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