Chapter 66. Jack

**66. Jack**

***Rafael's POV***

I was speaking with my clients, with whom I have an important meeting tomorrow, but I was seeing everything from the corners of my eyes when my little dove splashed liquid on her clothes.
While contemplating whether to check on her, my indecision was abruptly interrupted by the cracking sound of a paperweight spilling the fluid inside her clothes.
She hurriedly excused herself to go get cleaned, and I figured she'd need some time to get rid of the stain, so I contacted Tia and asked her to bring the file. Tia entered the room a minute or two later, holding the paperwork.
"All right, let me look. When is the miniature of this going to be delivered?" I asked, taking the file from her grasp and settling into the chair.
"It will be here by the evening, sir," Tia said as I double-checked everything. "Oh, sir, I just realized there was an error I made." She didn't wait for my response, unintentionally invading my personal space, and placed her hand on mine.
"Rafael, keep this bitch away from me. I don't like it when someone other than our mate touches us." Azael grumbled in my brain. I was still lost in my thoughts and was about to tell her to keep her distance when Astrid entered the room.
"Rafael," she called, but Tia wouldn't let go of my hand even after seeing Astrid.
I jerked her hand away from mine, and I could see tears welling up in Astrid's eyes.
"Leave!" I shouted at Tia, and she fluttered and bolted from the office.
She is simply a receptionist at my office, and since Bryan is on vacation and I don't have someone to replace him, I had to ask her to get a file that I requested, and here Astrid may be mistaken about me.
"Little Dove, please listen to me first, okay?" I swiftly approached Astrid, and she blinked her tears away.
"Don't worry, Rafael; I trust you, and I won't believe you cheated on me even if you say you did." She responded swiftly and exhaled a sigh of relief.
"So, little dove, why are you crying?" I asked.
"Rafael, I trust you, but I don't trust anyone around you. I was really taken aback by how many people wanted to take you away from me." She approached me and hugged me.
I, too, placed my arms around her. "Little dove, you have nothing to be worried about. I am and will always be yours." I responded.
"I'm sure you wouldn't have waited for me to have fun if you wanted to.  Even before we met, you were devoted to me. I shouldn't have expected you to focus your attention on someone else." She seemed to be speaking to herself rather than to me. I didn't press the issue, allowing Astrid the space she needed, but it warmed my heart that my mate had such faith in me. If she believes in me, and if she stands by my side, putting her confidence in me, I will not let her down.
With that in mind, I'll fire Tia later. Azael was making it much more difficult for his mate to feel uneasy over this random female, and he wouldn't let up until I fired her. The moment she laid her hand on me, Azael wanted to strangle her to death.
"All right, come on in, and I'll tell you about our first project." I took her hand in mine and began heading towards the chair.
I had her sit in the seat next to mine and sit in my chair, but the gap between us bothered me. I wanted to feel her near me, so I reached under her chair and pulled her towards me without warning. Her jaw sprang open in amazement.
"At the very least, you could have warned me." She sighed and rolled her eyes.
"I couldn't stand the space between us. It gives me the impression that you are upset with me."  I confessed it, and a nefarious thought occurred to me.
Without warning, I drew her into my lap again.
"Rafael, we are at work. Someone will come in." With her small fist, she softly smacked my chest.
"I don't care. This is my office, and you are my mate. I can do whatever I want and dare anyone to enter this floor, much less alone in this room, without my permission." I proudly smirked.
"You're so self-centered." She shook her head and laughed. "What are we going to do?" she asked.
"I'd say work, but my mind is suggesting something better." I gave her a wink.
"All we're doing is working." She lared at me.
"Okay, have a look at this file and let me know what you think." As I draped my arms over her belly, I handed Astrid the paperwork. The action brought an unexplained sense of elation, and I found myself resting my chin on her favorite spot—her shoulder blade.
Astrid began flicking through the pages, and I continued to glance at them as well, but my hands were occupied with toying with her hair.
She gasped when she reached the main page. "Do you remember?" Astrid asked, her hands freezing on the blueprint.
"Every little request from my little dove means everything to me," I chuckled.
"But I never expected, after a few years, for you to actually devise a plan for a treehouse," she said, shaking her head.
How could she think I'd forgotten about the promise I'd made to her on the island? She wanted to be alone and the place to be secluded from the rest of the places, so I picked a highland estate where I planned to build a massive tree house.
Well, it wouldn't be called a tree house, especially with the design I had in mind. It would be called a "tree villa," if such a thing exists. I began planning for it as soon as we returned, and yesterday was spent doing so. I wanted to remember Astrid's new project and make her feel special. Fortunately, I had an empty hill estate that had been sitting unoccupied for years when this idea struck me. She wanted a place where only we could go when we needed a break, and now she has it.
She turned around and wrapped her arms around me. "I love you so much, but you are spoiling me a lot. I'm worried I'll get used to it." She muttered, her voice becoming emotional, but Astrid tried to hide it.
"I love you, and I like spoiling you."  I don't think I'll be able to get enough of it. I kissed the top of her head. "Let's get started on your first project, Mrs. Astrid Rafael Delmar." I drew her in and touched her face.
"I like the way it sounds." She flushed and returned her gaze. "Now, what's my assignment?" she said, rubbing her hands together.
"You just need to begin reviewing this file and determining whether or not my customer would like it. If you think that anything is not meeting your expectations, you are free to make whatever modifications you wish," I emphasized.
She gladly carried out my request.
"Are you done?" Astrid asked when I was tweaking the final design for today. We decided to wrap up early because we still have to go visit Jack's family.
I got up and closed the file. "All right, let's go." I took her hand in mine and began walking away.
We passed Tia again on our walk, and this time, I chose to read her mind. She was thinking about why she didn't succeed in separating me and Astrid, and as she left my room, she felt she had accomplished her goal.
"Tia, one more thing. You don't need to report to work tomorrow," I grinned.
Her face lost its color. "But why, sir?" She asked.
"Because you are fired." Her eyes widened in shock.
I didn't care what she did; she should never have considered medling between me and Astrid.
We arrived at the address that my informant had given me after he did much research.
"Do you want me to ring the bell?" Astrid asked, and I signalled for her to continue.
They were in a modest house, and I'm not sure what we're going to talk about.
Soon, a 12-year-old kid answered the door and glared at us. "Yes!" He asked politely.
"Hello, is your mother at home?" Astrid asked. on cue A woman in her late thirties walked in.
"Yes, how may I assist you?" She cocked her brow.
"We are here to talk about Jack; we are his friends," I responded. We had arranged the talk ahead of time.
Her face sank, but she still allowed us inside. "My name is Imara, and I am Jack's wife." She became emotional.
"We heard about Jack and are deeply saddened by your loss." We offered our sympathy.
"Thomas, darling, go outside and play for a little while," Imara instructed her son, who did so reluctantly.
"I don't recall Jack ever mentioning you, but thank you for paying us a visit," Imara said.
"Oh yeah, we only became friends with him recently when he assisted us during a robbery at our home, and after that, we were fairly close friends, but what happened to him?" I did my best to seem convincing, and happily, Imara seemed to believe us.
She sniffed, and I understood how difficult it must have been for her to accept the death of her husband. Astrid approached her and grabbed her hands in hers. "Don't worry, we're here to help." Astrid gave a kind grin.
"One day Jack went away, claiming to have a case to investigate in the forest, but he never returned. I kept reaching for his phone, but he didn't answer. I looked everywhere for him, but to no effect. I enlisted the assistance of the police department and proceeded to look for him in the jungle, where we found him torn by some animal and his blood drained. His corpse had also begun to decompose." She sobbed. I felt sorry for her and much more guilty since the animal she was referring to was none other than my own father.
Astrid held her and comforted her.
"He was just an honest police officer. He never wished bad for anyone, so why did everything go wrong for him? He left me here, leaving just our kid and his mother to look after. I even failed in that my mother-in-law died, unable to cope with the loss of her only son, and it's been just the two of us ever since then. It's difficult for me. I really miss him. He treated me like a queen, and now that he's gone, I have no one to turn to. I should take care of myself and our child, which makes me hate my existence." She conveyed her entire sadness.
Maybe she realized she could trust us and became overwhelmed, and I can't tell you how long she carried everything on her own without informing anyone. I couldn't help but feel sad for her; I can only imagine how much Jack used to love her for her to be that emotional, and she had to give up her happiness because of a man who happened to be my father. Now it's my life goal to find and punish my father, but not for me, but for Imara, who had to lose the guy she loved.
"So, what do you do for a living now?" I asked, and I'm sure she was embarrassed, but I couldn't help myself. The shame I was feeling within wouldn't go away.
"I have to provide my kid with the life I and Jack envisioned for him, so I'm working two jobs as a waitress at two restaurants," she confessed, embarrassed.
"Actually, Jack was a very close friend of mine. He assisted me in a variety of ways. If possible, I'd want to provide some assistance to his family. Please come to my office and work. I have an architectural firm where I am short of a receptionist. The work requires less time and pays more. You are welcome to come work for us if you feel so inclined." I offered, carefully picking my words. I did not want to damage her self-esteem.
"Please think about it. We will ensure your son's future is safe, and don't worry; unlike other employment, you will just be paid for your time," Astrid remarked, gently smiling at us.
"We came here only after learning about Jack, and we believe he would be upset if his wife overburdens herself and fails to give their son the attention he needs. It's alright if you don't want to work as a receptionist. There are several open opportunities to choose from. You are free to make your own decision." I elaborated. "Jack is a friend who has been really helpful to us. This is only a tiny gesture on our part."
She thought for a while. "Let me think, Mr...." she paused, and I remembered we hadn't introduced ourselves.
"It's Rafael Delmar, and this is my wife, Astrid Delmar," I introduced, and her eyes widened.
"Are you Rafael Delmar, the well-known architect?" She asked, and for the first time, I felt proud of the name I had created in the human world. I agreed by nodding.
"This is my business card. Consider that and call me." I presented her with the card.
"Mr. and Mrs. Delmar, thank you very much. I feel as though a weight has been lifted off my chest. Regarding this offer, I'll think about it and get back to you," she responded.
We took our leave and sat in the car. We were driving in silence in the car. I was ready to ask Astrid a question when I saw her trembling.
"Astrid, are you alright?" I asked.
"Rafael, stop the car," she asked, jerking her head.
I got worried and instantly halted.
"What happened to you, little Dove?" I asked, but she swiftly opened the door and exited.
I ran to her, only to see her puking in the corner. I went to her side and pulled her open hair away from her face and held it at the back, rubbing her back.
She took her time and emptied everything she had for lunch. When she was finished, I retrieved a water bottle from the trunk and offered it to her while wiping her lips.
"What happened to you, little dove? Are you all right now? " I asked.
"Yeah, I had a weird feeling." She moved her head.
"Maybe your body couldn't digest the strawberries and cream you had in the afternoon. I said you couldn't have it. Or perhaps you were overthinking Jack."
I carried her bridal style towards the car, yelling at her in the process, thinking she was under a lot of stress, which is not good for her body.
I slid her into the seat. Her eyes expanded unexpectedly.
"Or perhaps..." She paused. "Rafael, take me home soon," she said.
I was puzzled, but I followed her orders.
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