On the next day, Eliana had her things packed up. When she went downstairs she entered a very interesting scene, all the household members were gathered in the living room.

Remi, Milo, and Casey were sitting on the sofa, Rafael was standing in front of them with his arms crossed over his chest, his aura was intimidating and scary, as always.

He was looking at the kids with sternness in his dark eyes. He meant business. She was glad that this time she wasn't the end-receiver of his gaze. She also planned to make sure Rafael won't scare them too much.

"You three are staying here alone-" Rafael started.

"-Hello I'm staying with them" Lorenzo waved his hand but he received an irritated look from Rafael.

"Do not interrupt me" Rafael warned "You're staying here with Lorenzo make sure he doesn't do anything stupid" Rafael said and Eliana could observe a rare smirk appearing on his lips. Apparently, he was in a mood good enough to joke around but his jokes often were funny only to him.

"He thinks he's funny," Lorenzo said in an unhappy voice, he was taking full offense for his brother's words. Naturally, his remark was ignored.

"You will behave when Eliana and I are away. You will act like three little angels for Lorenzo. Is that clear?" Rafael stated firmly.

Remi snorted but his face quickly turned serious when he felt the power of Rafael's gaze on himself.

"Is there anything you'd like to add to Remigio?" Remigio was Remi's full name and almost no one ever used it except for Rafael when he wanted to get his point across.

Remi shook his head. "No, everything is clear. We will act like three little angels" he repeated dutifully. Milo knew Rafael's words were directed at Casey and Remi so he didn't feel the need to speak up.

On the other hand, Casey's silence was a testament to how far she has come while living with the Vincenti brothers. She has learned to pick her battles and at that moment there was no reason to antagonize Rafael.

"Excellent" Rafael said but sent his youngest brother a warning look.

"Relax," Lorenzo said and wrapped his arm around Rafael's shoulder in a friendly gesture that was not appreciated. Rafael disliked being touched even by his family. Only Eliana had silent permission to touch him whenever she wants. "They're going to be fine they're left with a favorite older brother," Lorenzo said, a smirk playing on his lips.

The look Rafael gave to Lorenzo was capable of freezing hell.

"My words are directed at you as well. Don't let them do what they want and don't come up with anything stupid. I don't care if you want to play the cool uncle, act responsibly" Rafael lectured sternly.

"This is why you're the least favorite" Lorenzo responded dryly.

Rafael was about to respond so Eliana has found her perfect moment to intervene and save her brother-in-law's life.

"We should go," she said grabbing Rafael's hand.

"You're right" Rafael agreed easily.

"Finally" Rafael turned to face Remi who quickly added "I mean it would be bad if you were late for the plane, right? So goodbye! Have fun, both of you" Remi said before running upstairs.

Rafael shook his head.

"See you on Saturday," Milo said and followed his brother's lead.

"Bye Eli," Casey said gently and hugged her sister tightly. Eliana of course returned the hug touched by Casey's gesture. "Bye," Casey said to Rafael awkwardly while keeping her hands in her pockets.

"If my brothers bother you too much call me," Rafael said and Casey lightened up. Recently she discovered that she can terrorize twins with a threat of telling on them to Rafael.

"I will" she responded and smiled.

The moment Casey left the living room the doorbell rang.

"Are we expecting someone?" Eliana asked confused.

"Not that I'm aware of" Rafael responded.

Lorenzo cursed quietly and watched as Eliana is opening the door.

A blonde-haired woman was standing at the doorstep. She was tall, she had a model-like figure and long blonde hair. She smiled and waved at Eliana.

"Lorenzo, I missed you" she chirped and she ran towards her lover to kiss him on the cheek.

"Who's she?" Rafael asked bluntly before Eliana had a chance to politely phrase the same question.

"Her name is Sabrina," Lorenzo said as if it was explaining everything.

"Sabina" Sabina corrected him. Rafael rolled his eyes and Eliana watched the scene with confusion.

"What happened to Catia?" Eliana wanted to know.

"What do you mean what happened? We broke up, people change, hearts change" Lorenzo shrugged his shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal.

Rafael sighed. "Eliana, we're leaving"

"You don't have to tell me twice," Eliana said shaking her head and picking up her purse.

It took the couple around an hour to get to the airport. When they were in the cabin of a private plane Rafael poured Eliana a glass of champagne. Whiskey was his drink of choice. Eliana decided that here is a good moment to tell him about her idea.

"I might need to...no... I might want to sell the company" Eliana finally admitted. She was doing it with a heavy heart because she knew her husband wouldn't understand it.

"What are you talking about?" Seeing Rafael's gaze hardening his voice became sharper too.

"Don't look at me like that. I know nothing about owning the company. And what about the legacy of illegal activities that my uncle and my father left behind? I was working at customer service all my life I just don't know how to own a company. Especially that big"

"You will do what you feel is right" Rafael agreed reluctantly. Lately, he has started respecting her decisions even if he disagreed with her.

"I have another idea" Eliana continued

"Let's hear it then," he said hoping it's going to be good.

"What if... what if I go to college to get a business degree? Do you think you could help me manage the company until I learn what I need to know?" She asked hopefully, providing an alternative solution. Rafael smiled at her.

"Of course I will help you"'

"Or..." she started speaking but hesitated worried about his reaction.

"Or?"

"You can make SFM a part of your conglomerate" Eliana suggested.

"You want our companies to merge?" Rafael asked, his eyes sparkling with interest.

"What do you think? Is that a good idea" Eliana asked wondering what thoughts are hiding behind this expressionless face.

"It's an excellent idea but we will have to wait for some time," he said.

"Wait for what?" Eliana's brows furrowed as he said that.

Rafael's smile became very shark-like when he said "Well, first of all, I need an interesting offer from you. Then, if it piques my interest you might be invited for a dinner to negotiate with me,"

"Really, Rafael? I am your wife. Why do I need to schedule our meeting" Eliana pouted.

"Because it's a business meeting of a business partner, not a date" he responded simply.

"Are you going to accept m invitation then?" Eliana asked skeptically when her husband decided he's going to be difficult about something no words could convince him otherwise.

"'Not until you're ready"

Eliana had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. He could be so overprotective sometimes.

"Ready for what?"

"For serious negotiations that will lead you to get what you want. I don't want to use your inexperience. Neither I want to miss the opportunity to teach you about the business so schedule the meeting after you're well prepared. Is that clear?"

"Yes, it's clear. Damn, you're really bossy" Eliana said, smiling.

"That's why they're calling me a boss," Rafael said and send her a cocky smile.

When they arrived in Aspen there was a black jeep waiting for them.

The chauffeur knew where to take them because when Eliana and Rafael entered the car he just greeted them politely and drove away.

They were driving uphill for a while and when they finally arrived at the destination Eliana was left speechless.

In front of her, there was a huge house positioned on a mountainside.

"This place is beautiful," she said in awe and wonder.

"I am glad you like it," Rafael said while taking off his key and thanking Jacob for driving them here. "Shall we go inside?" Rafael asked while watching his wife with amusement.

His words forced Eliana to stop staring and start moving. When they entered the house Eliana discovered that the first floor was an open space with a high ceiling and A-shaped windows with a view of downtown Aspen and the mountain range.

The kitchen, living room, and dining space were a mix of elegant and rustic decor, with stone walls and rich wooden surfaces dominating the space. The wood was burning in the fireplace, warming the interior and adding to its cozy atmosphere. It was the middle of the night but she wasn't sleepy at all. Too many things were happening at once.

Rafael helped her to take off her coat in an old-fashioned gesture. Then h hung the outerwear on the rack and took off his leather gloves. Eliana watched as her handsome man is taking off the layers of his clothes. He was in a black shirt, black pants, he was wearing a gold watch on his wrist. She was wearing a simple red dress.

"Someone has been here before?" Eliana asked already standing in front of the fireplace and warming her hands up.

"Housekeeper. She will visit in the morning to prepare breakfast for us" Rafael informed and Eliana nodded.

"Does that mean we're alone?" Eliana asked, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. She was never alone in the house with Rafael, she realized. There were always kids somewhere, next door.

"Why, yes Mrs. Vincenti. We're totally, utterly alone" he whispered and bit her ear playfully.

"Oh" She managed to say.

"Oh," he mimicked. "Let's go upstairs, it's late" Rafael added and she nodded.

She allowed him to hold her hand as he was leading her through the labyrinth of corridors towards their bedroom.

When they entered the room Eliana looked around and noticed that the furniture was made of black wood, the walls had icy-blue color. But the coldness of the exterior was balanced by the flames of burning wood in the fireplace. In the center of the room, there was a huge bed with grey colored bedsheets.

Eliana could feel Rafael's breath tickling her neck when he said "Take that shirt off for me,"

She followed his order feeling the tension in the air, or maybe she was tense. Suddenly the temperature in the room went up.

Next thing she knows they're on the bed. Eliana is sitting on his lap, as he places a kiss on her lips. Then they move into another position. Rafael is lying on top of her playing with her breasts. Her face is flushed, she covers her face with her arm. It alarms Rafael and he stops moving forward with his activities.

"Eliana?" He asked quietly. "Why are you hiding from me, love?" His gentle voice was only reserved to her but oh Rafael, Rafael could be very gentle.

"I don't- I don't know. Maybe it's better if we turn off the lights" she said anxiously and her hand traveled to the nightstand to flip the switch but he grabbed her wrist gently and placed her hand where it was before on a pillow.

"I don't want to. I want to know why you don't want me to see your beautiful body"

"Beautiful? Shut up" she scoffed. They had sex before, yes. But she was drunk, she wasn't exactly worried about her looks back then.

"Eliana," he said calmly but in a bone-chilling vice "Did you just tell me to shut up?"

Ok, she forgot about being naked now because the idea of upsetting Rafael was quite scary.

"I mean I guess? Sorry?"

He shook his head and chuckled at her cute reaction. With his smile, the atmosphere shifted to more pleasant.

"Sorry, I ruined the mood," Eliana said, her eyes cast down.

Rafael sighed and responded "Eliana, you have an ugly habit of hating yourself for things you can't control, it's okay"

"But-" Eliana tried to let it out of her chest knowing that she ran the moment they had.

But her husband wasn't mad at her. He kissed her forehead in a loving gesture and said: "Shhh, let's just go to sleep," he

"Rafael?" Eliana whispered into his ear.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I love you" she whispered.

"I love you too" he responded with a gentleness that no one ever would suspect him of.

She fell asleep hugged into his chest.

Author's note

I should be asleep an hour ago. T.T I hope you like the new chapters let me know guys. I love to ready your comments