The underground garage went silent the second the woman stepped out of the SUV.
Not normal silence.
The dangerous kind.
The kind that made armed men tighten their grip on weapons without being told.
Rachel noticed two things immediately.
First
The woman was beautiful.
Not soft beautiful.
Sharp beautiful.
The type that walked into rooms like she owned them.
Long dark hair, fitted black dress beneath an expensive coat, heels clicking calmly against concrete like she wasn't entering the middle of a mafia standoff.
And second
Raziel's entire body stiffened the moment he saw her.
Rachel caught it instantly.
That tiny shift in his posture.
That colder expression.
That look.
Oh.
Absolutely not.
The woman's eyes moved past everyone else immediately.
Straight to Raziel.
Then slowly
To Rachel.
And Rachel suddenly disliked her even more.
Because the woman smiled.
Small.
Knowing.
"Well," she murmured smoothly, "this is awkward."
Daniel immediately stepped closer to Rachel.
Protective instinct.
Cassian looked deeply entertained already.
Meanwhile Lucien muttered quietly,
"…I knew tonight wasn't finished ruining our lives."
Rachel folded her arms slowly.
"Who is she?"
Nobody answered quickly enough.
Again.
Honestly she was starting to feel homicidal.
The woman's gaze returned to Raziel.
"You didn't tell her about me?"
Raziel's voice came flat instantly.
"There's nothing to tell."
Rachel blinked slowly.
Oh that response was suspicious as hell.
The woman laughed softly.
"That's rude."
Cassian physically turned away to hide his grin.
Traitor.
Rachel looked toward Raziel carefully now.
"…should I be concerned?"
"No."
The answer came too fast.
Way too fast.
The woman tilted her head slightly.
"He lies very smoothly, doesn't he?"
Rachel's eyes narrowed immediately.
Raziel looked seconds away from ending somebody's life.
Daniel glanced between them awkwardly.
"…this feels personal."
"It is personal," the woman replied calmly.
Rachel hated how elegant her voice sounded.
The woman finally stepped fully into the light.
And now Rachel could see her clearly.
Confident posture.
Diamond earrings.
Cold eyes.
Money.
Power.
Danger.
And the worst part?
She looked like she belonged beside Raziel.
That irritated Rachel immediately.
The woman's gaze dropped briefly to Raziel's hand still loosely holding Rachel's wrist.
Something unreadable flashed across her face.
Interesting.
"So this is the famous Rachel."
Rachel frowned.
"Famous?"
The woman smiled faintly.
"You'd be surprised how many powerful men know your name."
Great.
That sounded deeply unsafe.
Raziel finally stepped forward slightly.
Enough to place himself subtly between both women.
Rachel noticed immediately.
So did the woman.
Her smile widened slightly.
"…still protective."
Raziel's tone stayed cold.
"What do you want, Selene?"
Rachel's stomach tightened slightly.
Okay.
So she had a name.
Unfortunately a very pretty one.
Even worse.
Selene.
Of course her name would sound expensive.
Selene looked almost amused by Rachel's expression now.
And Rachel suddenly realized something horrifying.
This woman knew exactly what she was doing.
"Relax," Selene said smoothly, eyes still on Rachel. "If I wanted him back, I would've taken him already."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Daniel choked violently.
Cassian looked ready to collapse laughing.
Lucien physically walked away.
And Rachel
Rachel felt heat rise straight to her face.
Raziel's expression darkened instantly.
"Enough."
Selene lifted one shoulder carelessly.
"What? She should know."
Rachel stared directly at Raziel now.
"…back?"
Raziel looked exhausted suddenly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Selene smiled sweetly.
"We were engaged once."
The entire garage went still.
Rachel's brain stopped functioning for approximately three business days.
"…you were WHAT?"
Cassian finally lost it completely.
Actual laughter echoed through the garage.
"This night is incredible."
Raziel looked murderous.
"Cassian."
"No, no continue. I'm emotionally invested now."
Rachel looked back at Selene slowly.
Then at Raziel.
Then back at Selene again.
And unfortunately
They looked good standing near each other.
Powerful.
Elegant.
Rich enough to ruin lives casually.
Rachel hated that observation immediately.
Selene noticed.
Of course she did.
That woman noticed everything.
"But," Selene continued smoothly, "he was terrible at relationships."
Rachel blinked slightly.
"…that I believe."
Raziel looked offended.
Good.
Selene stepped closer now.
Not threatening.
Just confident.
"You know what the funny part is?"
Rachel honestly didn't think anything about tonight was funny.
"He never looked at me the way he looks at you."
Silence.
Rachel's heartbeat betrayed her instantly.
Selene's eyes shifted toward Raziel briefly.
"You barely tolerated me."
Raziel answered calmly,
"You wanted my name. Not me."
The atmosphere changed subtly after that.
Less jealousy now.
More history.
Selene smiled faintly.
"True."
At least she was honest.
Rachel studied Raziel carefully.
"…you were actually engaged."
He looked directly at her.
"It wasn't real."
Rachel raised an eyebrow immediately.
"People don't fake engagements for fun."
"In our world they do."
Fair enough honestly.
Selene sighed dramatically.
"God, he's softer with you."
Cassian nodded immediately.
"It's honestly disturbing."
Rachel tried very hard not to smile.
Failed slightly.
Raziel noticed instantly.
Again.
Always.
Selene crossed her arms slowly.
"I came because your enemies moved tonight."
The warmth in the atmosphere disappeared immediately.
Raziel's expression sharpened.
"What happened?"
Selene's eyes moved toward Rachel.
"There's a bounty on her now."
Silence crushed the garage instantly.
Daniel stepped closer immediately.
"What?"
Selene's voice stayed calm.
"Very high. Very public."
Rachel blinked slowly.
"…I miss being a waitress."
Nobody disagreed.
Raziel's expression turned terrifyingly cold.
Not angry.
Worse.
Controlled.
Selene continued quietly.
"They think Rachel makes you vulnerable."
Raziel's arm wrapped around Rachel's waist instantly.
Possessive.
Protective.
Automatic.
And this time
Rachel didn't pull away.
Selene noticed that too.
A strange look crossed her face briefly.
Not jealousy.
Understanding.
Then she said quietly:
"…oh."
Rachel frowned slightly.
"Oh what?"
Selene looked directly at Raziel.
And for the first time tonight
The elegant composure in her expression cracked slightly.
"You're in love with her."
The words landed softly.
But somehow they hit harder than gunfire.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Because suddenly
Everything felt too intimate.
Too exposed.
Rachel slowly looked up at Raziel.
And the terrifying part?
He didn't deny it.
"You're in love with her."
The words stayed suspended in the garage like smoke.
Rachel's heartbeat stumbled instantly.
Because suddenly
Everything felt too still.
Too personal.
Selene wasn't smiling anymore.
Cassian stopped joking.
Even Daniel looked caught off guard.
And Raziel
Raziel just stared at Rachel.
Silent.
Unmoving.
Dangerously unreadable.
Rachel swallowed slowly.
"…Raziel."
His gaze didn't leave hers.
God.
Why did he look at her like that?
Like she was the only thing he saw anymore.
Selene laughed softly under her breath.
"Well. That answers that."
Rachel's chest tightened strangely.
Because he still hadn't denied it.
Not once.
Daniel looked deeply uncomfortable now.
"I actually don't want to witness this part."
Cassian immediately disagreed.
"I absolutely do."
Rachel looked away first.
Only because the intensity in Raziel's eyes was becoming impossible to survive calmly.
The garage lights flickered softly overhead.
Luxury black cars reflected dimly across the concrete while distant sirens echoed outside somewhere in the city.
And somehow the chaos around them only made the moment feel more intimate.
More dangerous.
Selene crossed her arms slowly.
"You know this makes things worse, right?"
Raziel finally looked away from Rachel.
"What do you want, Selene?"
Her expression sharpened slightly.
"I already told you. There's a bounty on her."
Daniel cursed quietly.
Rachel exhaled tiredly.
"At this point I should start charging people for stressing me."
Shockingly
Raziel's mouth twitched slightly again.
Tiny.
Brief.
Still enough for Rachel to notice.
And now she was starting to realize something.
He smiled more around her.
Not often.
But enough.
Selene noticed too.
Interesting.
"The council thinks Rachel weakens you," Selene continued carefully.
Raziel's arm remained around Rachel's waist.
Steady.
Warm.
Protective.
Like he wasn't even aware he was holding her anymore.
Rachel glanced down briefly at his hand.
Large fingers resting possessively against her waist.
Comfortable there.
Like they belonged there.
Her stomach flipped slightly.
Very inconvenient.
"And do I?" she asked quietly before she could stop herself.
Silence.
Raziel's gaze returned to hers instantly.
And for the first time tonight
Something in his expression softened completely.
"Yes."
The answer came calm.
Certain.
No hesitation.
Rachel's breath caught.
Because somehow
That didn't feel insulting.
It felt honest.
Raziel stepped slightly closer.
Close enough for his voice to lower.
"You're the only thing that ever could."
God.
That voice again.
That low dangerous softness that made her entire body betray her immediately.
Daniel looked physically exhausted.
"I hate billionaire romance."
Cassian laughed loudly.
"No you don't. You're emotionally invested too."
Selene shook her head slowly while watching Raziel.
"I genuinely never thought I'd see this happen to you."
Raziel didn't answer.
Because honestly?
He still looked too focused on Rachel to care about anybody else.
And suddenly Rachel understood something terrifying.
Selene wasn't his weakness.
Power wasn't his weakness.
Enemies weren't his weakness.
She was.
That realization settled heavily in her chest.
Warm.
Dangerous.
Intimate.
The tension broke slightly when Rachel swayed unexpectedly.
Tiny movement.
Still enough for Raziel to react instantly.
His hand tightened around her waist.
"Rachel."
Daniel immediately looked alarmed.
"You okay?"
Rachel blinked quickly.
"…yeah."
Not entirely true.
Her body felt exhausted.
Heavy.
And suddenly the events of the night were catching up to her all at once.
Raziel noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
He touched her forehead lightly.
The gesture was so natural Rachel almost forgot everybody was watching.
"You're pale."
Selene raised an eyebrow slowly.
Oh no.
Then Selene's eyes dropped briefly toward Rachel's stomach.
And suddenly
Her expression changed completely.
"…wait."
Rachel froze instantly.
Daniel frowned.
"What?"
Selene looked between both of them carefully.
Then at Raziel.
And for the first time tonight
The elegant woman genuinely looked shocked.
"No wonder you're losing your mind."
The garage went silent again.
Rachel's heartbeat slowed.
Because judging by the look on Selene's face
She understood immediately.
Daniel looked confused.
"Can somebody PLEASE stop speaking in riddles?"
Cassian looked like he was trying not to grin.
Lucien physically looked away.
Traitors.
All of them.
Selene stared directly at Raziel now.
"…she's pregnant?"
Rachel's breath caught.
And the second the word hit the air
Everything changed.
Again.
Raziel's arm tightened around her instinctively.
Possessively.
Protectively.
Like even hearing it out loud activated something dangerous inside him.
Daniel's eyes widened slowly.
"…EXCUSE ME?"
Oh.
Right.
Her brother didn't know yet.
Wonderful timing.
Absolutely wonderful.