Chapter 65. Office

**65. Office.**
***Astrid's POV:***
"What did you see?" I asked, studying Cindy's furrowed brow, anxiety etched across her face.I only wish his death had nothing to do with me.
Cindy exhaled a sigh. "Rafael, Y-your father is a fucked up man, and excuse my language."
I saw her throat was dry, so I gave her a glass of water, which she accepted and swallowed down.
Rafael sneered, "Tell me something I don't know."
"Tell me, Cindy, why did Elliot kill her? What did you find?" I asked, anxious for an answer.
"Your mate, Astrid, was nothing more than a human, and before you ask, bear in mind that both of your prior mates, Edward and Jack (the name of your second mate), were merely acting as impediments to you both mating, so it doesn't matter what their identities were. Returning to Jack, he was a human police officer who had come to investigate the castle. Jack came to the castle searching for clues, suspecting that human trafficking was taking place since a large number of people had gone missing. We wouldn't be astonished if Elliot killed a large number of humans after taking their blood." Cindy exhaled a sigh.
"Yes, but I believed we had a sufficient amount of their blood all this time. We would lie to humans and tell them we were going to utilize their blood in blood banks, and we used to pay them generously for that. So I see no use in killing someone innocent for blood when we clearly face no shortage at all," Rafael rubbed his temples.
"No, that was not the case. A few of them admitted that your father used to kill their families, and those were the ones Jack came looking for. I'm not sure what Jack did, but the part where he got some proof with traces of human blood in the dungeons gave me a clear vision. Your father could easily have forced him to leave and forget everything, but instead, he killed Jack without his fault. He was unaware of the existence of supernatural species. He was an innocent police officer doing his duty, but your brain-dead father took joy in torturing him to death," Cindy said.
I might be selfish and argue that whatever happened was for our own good and that if Jack hadn't died, I would not have met Rafael. I think fate has its way, and we would have met anyhow, but why should an innocent person die for something over which he has no control?
"Astrid, are you all right?" Rafael tapped my shoulder. I guess I zoned out once more, but I can't help myself.
"I don't know Rafael; I don't know what to say or how to react," I acknowledged. "Everything in my head is difficult to grasp."
Rafael drew me to him, his hands tight around my shoulders. It helped me relax a little.
"Don't worry too much about it, little dove. We have nothing to do with it. If anybody is to blame here, it's Elliot, and I promise I'm not going to let this go so easily. I will find him wherever he is hiding and punish him for all the pain he has caused us," he promised, kissing my forehead.
"Yes, Rafael, we must not forget this. We don't know how many innocent lives Elliot has taken for no apparent cause."
It's difficult to believe that a person's life has no worth in the eyes of others. I and Rafael are the only truly immortal creatures. Yes, Lycans are also immortals, and the only thing that could kill me was the weapon Elliot squandered on Rafael. Since nobody has a weapon, there is no way I or Rafael are getting killed. So Elliot is not necessarily immoral. We can still use Rafael's mom's blood to kill him, so how can he not give it a thought? For God's sake, he's taking someone's life. It's not a joke.
Something suddenly a thought sprang into my mind. "What if Elliot killed Mom because he didn't want to be weak? I mean, given how thirsty he is for power, he wouldn't want anything left that may endanger his life, right?" I mentioned
They both turned their heads at me and kept staring at me Rafael gave me a sidelong glance. "What?" I offered an uneasy grin
"You know you're a genius." Rafael kissed the apples of my cheeks. "How come I didn't think of it?"
"I'm still here, guys." Cindy coughed, drawing our attention to herself. "And before you kick me out, I'd like to say one last thing." Cindy exhaled a sigh. We focused our attention back on her.
"As a human being, Jack is married and has a child. Perhaps you should go and check if they require anything. If something goes wrong, maybe Rafael may give his wife a job at your firm," Cindy said, and I agreed.
"All right, we'll go see them tomorrow after work," Rafael said, and I agreed.
"OK, folks, it was a hard day. You need to relax now." Cindy nodded, rose up, and walked out of the room.
"So, what do you say we do now?" Rafael gave me a cheeky smile before shutting the door from the inside.
"How about what we've been doing the entire time we've been on the island?" I licked my lips sensuously.
"I think I should punish you for always turning me on." As he approached me, his eyes were filled with unbridled passion.
"Who said you couldn't?" I'm having a great time with it and have no plans to stop anytime soon.
Rafael rushed on me and threw me into the bed.
I was so excited for the first day in the office.
Before Rafael could wake up, I put on my robe and entered the bathroom, putting on the steam. I don't want to be late for my first day at work.
I immediately showered and dressed in decent yet exquisite clothing that would not reveal my skin for everyone to ogle at. I was curling my hair in front of the dresser inside the walk-in closet.
"Good morning," Rafael said as he walked in wearing only his pants.
 I stopped curling my hair and stared at his hot figure in the mirror. My hands appeared to have a mind of their own. He came up behind me and hugged me from the back.
"Rafael, hurry up and get ready. We don't want to be late for the first day of work." I made an excuse, knowing Rafael wouldn't mind missing out on the day, but I didn't want to.
"I am the boss. I'm free to go anytime I choose. I'm free to take a day off anytime I choose." He drew my hair to my side and began kissing my neck.
"Rafael!" I moaned.
With all my power, I shoved him out of the room and into the bathroom.
"We'll continue this when we return," Rafael grumbled, walking to the bathroom and turning on the shower.
I hurriedly did my thing, put on some lipstick to seem nice, and fled the room before Rafael returned to sit at the dinner table.
Rafael soon joined me, and we ate our breakfast before hurrying to our car. Rafael, as usual, opened the door for me, and as I was seated, he moved to the other side of the room on his own and clutched the gazing wheel.
"Nervous?" Rafael inquired, revving the engine.
"More like ecstatic." I took a deep breath and turned to face the road.
"Then let's go," he said as he drove away.
This would also be my first time seeing his workplace. We soon arrived in front of a gorgeous building situated on a wide property in a quiet neighborhood. Anyone's attention would be drawn to its exterior.
"This is lovely," I murmured, admiring the beauty in front of me.
"Wait till you see it from within. I'm happy you liked it because the outside is what our customers will see first." Rafael remarked, "The structure should speak for itself; its appearance should show that it is an architectural firm."
"Hmm," I said, nodding.
Rafael walked around the back and opened the door for me.
He stepped over and took my hand in his, intertwining my fingers in his.
"Hello, Tia, Did you get the additional table in my cabin that I requested?" Rafael asked as soon as we got close to the reception area.
A lovely lady gazed through the glasses. Her eyes widened as she saw me with Rafael, especially so close.
"Ahm...Yes, sir, everything is set up as you requested." She nodded and smiled at Rafael.
She pretended I wasn't even in the same room as them.
"Bring the file I mentioned yesterday, but not now. I'll call back later." Rafael explained something to me that I didn't comprehend. I'm guessing he was discussing some vital files he required. He led us to a private elevator, which led to his office on the top level.
"Who's going to work on this floor?" As the elevator chimed and the doors opened, I inquired.
"Earlier, there were just the two of us here; Bryan's office was in that corner," he said, pointing to the end of the corridor. "But I have now relocated him to another level, so it will be just the two of us," he grinned.
In amazement, my eyes widened. For God's sake, this place is too vast to describe.
"Rafael, you can't be serious about this floor. Based on my observations, it can easily handle hundreds of people." I mentioned, "Anyway, what is present on this floor?" As we began walking, I asked.
"The first room is a game room, which occupies one-fourth of this floor and has a lot of electronic as well as some physical games," he said, pointing to the first room on the right.
"The one at the end is my office, which is quite large. You'll see an awning and a door in the center." He pointed out the middle, which separated the floor into two sections, and the door that Rafael was referring to. "That's a small conference room that I only use for small meetings or private meetings."
"Oooh..." I nodded, paying attention to every detail he spoke.
He finished his explanation, "And the one on the right end is my room, which is quite spacious, and the one in front was Bryan's office space, which I have now converted into a storage space," he concluded.
"Why on earth would you need a bedroom in your office?" I gave him a silly look.
"Little Dove, I told you before you came into my life that I didn't have anything to come home to, so I would bury myself in work, and even when I wanted to relax, I would always use this room." He elaborated. "All right, enough with your inquiry. Let's go inside."
The inside was just as beautiful as the outside. My table was directly next to his, and the glass behind his desk had a beautiful effect of city lights behind it.
As Rafael closed the door, I hurriedly proceeded to place my bag on the chair.
I sat in the chair, relishing the sensation. My throat suddenly felt dry, so I reached for the glass of water on the desk, but I accidentally spilled it on my outfit. To make matters worse, there was a paperweight with some fluid inside. When I felt the chill of the water contact my skin, I stood up instinctively and clumsily dropped the weight on the ground. The inside liquid splattered over my clothes.
Rafael was on the phone, but he was paying attention to every mess I was making. He could have done anything to get me out of my clumsiness, but everything happened so fast that he couldn't.
"Are you okay, Little Dove?" Rafael asked.
"Yes, I only have to clean this," I said.
I excused myself and went into the restroom to wipe the stain. God, I messed up on my first day in the office. After about fifteen minutes, I went outside to find the receptionist leaning beside Rafael, her hand resting on Rafael's, and he wasn't even pushing her away.
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