Lorena was seated in the garden reading the papers as she occasionally sipped her tea, a picture of quiet grace, elegance, and sophistication.
"How could you do this to me, Mother?" Rafael roared as he strolled through the patio towards the garden. Disrupting the quiet and serene environment. The birds who were chirping happily nearby flew away.
"You scared the birds, Rafael," Lorena replied, sipping her tea. She did not look up from the papers she was reading.
Rafael stared incredulously at her. "You seem to only care about the birds. What about me, your son? He queried.
"What do you mean, Rafael?" She retorted.
"You planned my wedding and announced my engagement to the Beaufort family without my knowledge or consent. That is what I mean," he snarled.
"I can assure you that that decision was well thought out and thoroughly planned. It was in your best interest at heart. The Beaufort family has a powerful political standing, and they shall aid in our campaign of expanding into the political world. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement. They need our money, and we need their connections." She replied calmly.
"Then you could have roped in Damien for this. Why did you have to involve me? Damien is older, this should be his responsibility," Rafael retorted. He was getting agitated, and his mother's calmness was deeply unsettling.
Lorena laughed incredulously at his words. "Was that supposed to be a joke? Damien? You expect me to put the fate of this entire family on the shoulders of your reckless and impulsive brother? Have you lost your mind, Raf?"
Rafael groaned in frustration as he ran his hands through his hair. "I don't care what your reasons are, Mom. I will not be getting married, and that is final."
"Listen to me, we cannot afford to make enemies out of the Beaufort family. I do not know what kind of stunt you are trying to pull or where this rebellion is coming from, but you would do well to quell it."
"I will not marry into the Beaufort family!" Rafael said definitively.
For the first time since their conversation started, Lorena dropped her papers and stared intently at him, "Yes, you will. I am only doing what is best for you. I know you don't see it but…."
"What's best for me?" Rafael interrupted his mother. "You are only doing what is best for you." He snarled.
"Don't you dare talk to me in that tone," Lorena snapped. Her cool facade fell off like a mask. "I am your mother, and you will accord me that respect. I have already decided on your marriage, and the wedding day has already been fixed. Get your emotions in order before then."
"I will not be marrying into the Beaufort family. You will either find another groom or cancel the wedding." Rafael said and walked away.
A chattering sound echoed as Lorena slammed her glass of tea to the ground. How dare Rafael? He had never defied her before and always did what she asked. Why was he being defiant now?
"Poor glass," Damien muttered as he strolled towards his mother. "It seems the favorite son has decided to crawl from under his mother's skirt, and it seems to have ruffled her feathers." He said with an amused laugh. Only he could find his jokes funny.
"Don't antagonize me, you rascal," Lorena snarled.
"Easy there, tiger. I am not here to pick a fight." Damien replied, hands raised in surrender.
"Well, then, that's a first. You are always picking fights and throwing tantrums over me picking your brother over you. So what changed? She asked with raised brows.
"Nothing much, honestly. Your decision yesterday was disappointing, but not one bit surprising. No matter how much I complain or argue, you won't change your mind, so I won't bother." Damien said coolly.
"You seem to have matured recently. If you have always been this responsible, then I would not have kept you aside," Lorena said.
"It is never too late to put me back in the family way." He replied with a grin.
"What's the catch?" Lorena asked. She always had keen senses and knew he was up to something.
"I know why your beloved son is opposed to the idea of marriage, and I can tell you."
Lorena raised a brow in thought. She assumed Rafael was opposed to marriage because he did not like the Beaufort family, or he was scared of commitment. "What's the reason?" she asked.
"There is another woman whom he fancies." He replied.
"Rafael is in love with someone? How am I unaware, and do you somehow know about this? Did you conjure this up so that you could waste my time?" She snapped.
"I promise you I am not lying. I saw them with my eyes, and I have proof," he said, pulling out his phone. He showed her the pictures he had taken last night, but only Rafael's face was visible as the place was dark and they could barely make out the features.
"Who is this woman, and why are they in the stable?" She asked incredulously.
"One of your servants." He replied with mirth.
Lorena's expression alternated from shock to confusion and perplexity. She cackled. "You have got to be kidding. How could a man of Rafael's standing fall for a maid and even refuse to marry into a powerful family because of a servant?" However, the expression on Damien's face showed he was serious and not pulling her legs.
" I will return your shares, and you will be in the family business. I don't care how you do it, Damien. But I need you to separate her from his life. I will not have such a virus corrupting my home. As soon as you accomplish this, you will have your position."
****
At breakfast the next day, Lorena was staring intently at Rafael, who was eating his toast in silence. "Your brother gave me a disturbing piece of information."
Rafael stared at her, trying hard to decipher her thoughts, but he came up with nothing. "And what might that information be?"
It was a staring match. Each one tried to decipher the other's thoughts. "That you are in love with a peasant."
"She has a name. It's Camilla." Rafael replied. There was no point denying it because he planned on making their relationship official. "I would appreciate it if you don't judge her by her status. She is the woman I have chosen to spend the rest of my life with.
"Do you love her?" Lorena asked Rafael after deep contemplation, her voice saccharine, her eyes like steel traps.
"I do."
She set her cup down with a clink. "Then I will save you from yourself."
Word travels fast, and in a few minutes, the servants gossiped about how Rafael stood up to Lorena and stood his ground on not getting married. A wave of relief washed over Camilla as she heard this. Rafael was fulfilling his promise to her.
Damien did not like being used. However, this situation was the perfect revenge for him. He had always fancied Camilla, but she somehow ended up with Rafael. Everything he wanted was gotten effortlessly by his brother. Now that the opportunity to sabotage him presented itself on a platter and there were huge rewards, he would do it.
***
For weeks, Damien watched Camilla like a hawk, followed her, and ensured she served and tended to his needs. He would leave lingering touches that she felt uncomfortable with or stare too long. She always tried to avoid him to the best of her ability, but that made the hunt interesting for him.
Camilla was cleaning the library one evening. It was a last-minute job, and she needed to finish quickly to see Rafael. It was almost time for their meeting.
She finished and was heading out when Damien cornered her. "You think Rafael loves you?" He whispered, his breath reeking of alcohol. "You think love is enough to protect you from this family? It can't." He slurred.
Camilla shoved him, but he grabbed her wrist and pinned them above her head. "Let me go!" She snarled, but he tightened his grip and forced his lips on her.
Rafael, who had waited for her at the stables and didn't see her, decided to look for her in the house. He rounded the corner at that moment and saw what he thought was impossible.
"How could she do this to me?" Rafael thought as his world came crashing down. "I was willing to sacrifice my family and several years of hard work to be with her but she is nothing but a social climber and a two-timing bitch. I should have known better than to give my heart to a peasant."
He stormed away in fury. Standing there and watching Camilla kiss another man was nerve-wracking, and he could not continue to do that to himself. He drove off into the night.
Camilla successfully shoved the drunken Damien off her, kneed him in the balls, and escaped from his clutches. Oblivious to Rafael's arrival and departure, Camilla went to the stables to look for him, but Rafael was nowhere to be found.
Unfortunately, she did not go to the stables alone. Damien saw the perfect opportunity to carry out his plans where no one could see or hear them. He finished what he had started in the library. Her pleas and cries for mercy fell on deaf ears as he forced himself on her.