Chapter 45 The Hickies.
Natalie’s POV
I slowly tried to open my eyelids as a strong light struck them. I closed them again and stretched my hand to touch Rafael’s body, who insisted on sleeping in my room last night. But his place was empty despite his scent lingering in the air. I opened my eyes and sat up, only to see Rosy, one of the domestic staff. As soon as she saw me wake up, she smiled softly and said, “Good morning, Miss Natalie.”
It was strange to wake up and find one of the domestic staff in my room. It had never happened before. They can’t just walk into my personal space so casually without asking.
It seemed like she realized what I was thinking, so she smiled again and clarified, “Mr. Merrin asked me to bring your breakfast to your room. I hope I didn’t bother you, though.”
I scanned the room with my eyes, making sure there was nothing suspicious or odd left from last night. I sighed in relief when everything seemed normal. I smiled, cleared my throat, and said in a clumsy tone, “Okay, thank you, Rosy.”
She said, “If you need anything, just ring the bell,” then turned to leave.
Panicked, I exclaimed wide-eyed, “Which bell?”
Rosy glared back at me, pointed to the bedside, and said with an amused smile, “Mr. Merrin installed a chime next to your bedside drawer connected to the kitchen chime,” and from the look on her face, I could tell that she also found the arrangement odd.
I tucked my hair behind my ears, sat up straight on the bed, and said, “That’s nonsense. Why would I need a bell beside my bed?”
“Oh, I don’t, Miss Natalie. You can ask him,” she stammered, then stared at my bare neck with a hint of genuine shock on her face. I furrowed my brows, wondering what she was glaring at. Unconsciously, I placed my palm on my neck, only to feel a little pain. ‘The hickeys!’ the realization hit me.
My face flushed red like hers. I felt awkward. What the hell was Rafael thinking of sending her to my room?
“Is he downstairs?” I asked, my tone tinged with anger.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
She shook her head and said, “No, he asked me to bring breakfast to your room because you worked late last night and might be tired.” She stole a glance towards my neck again as she finished her sentence.
“Why would he ask you that?” I yelled at her. It was the first time I had ever yelled at one of the domestic staff, so she blinked in stunned silence, not knowing how to reply.
She thought I was yelling and asking her. I was just so angry and thinking aloud. I let out a deep sigh and said with a soft tone, “Never mind, Rosy. Go to your work. I’ll talk to him later.”
She nodded and left.
What would the domestic staff think of this? Surely they would wonder why Rafael is suddenly so concerned about me. What if they told Grandma and Tobi about this? They would ask me a lot of questions.
I stood up and headed to the tall mirror, only to see my neck was covered with blue and green love bites.
I pushed my body back to lie on the bed, flipped onto my stomach, buried my face into my pillow, and screamed loudly, “Raf!! I’ll kill you.”
As I walked downstairs, I couldn’t help but notice the strange gazes from all the domestic staff directed towards me. I felt awkward. Did they notice or hear something last night? But they weren’t allowed to be in the sleeping suite.
Ignoring their stolen glances, I headed to the main door. Once I stepped outside, I saw a yellow Bugatti parked in the middle of the front yard. I knew all of Rafael’s cars-he had more than twenty. Even though he had two Bugattis, this wasn’t one of them. I had never seen him using a yellow car before.
I saw the driver who was standing beside the car heading towards me with a big smile on his face. “Good morning, Miss Natalie. Congrats. It’s a good car,” he said, passing a car key towards me. I blinked several times, not giving any reaction.
I lifted my gaze from the key and stared at the man’s face. I raised an eyebrow and asked with astonishment, “What do you mean? What car?”
He turned towards the Bugatti and answered, “This Bugatti. Mr. Rafael asked me to hand you the keys.”
I paused for a moment, staring at the car that cost more than ten million dollars in amazement. Then, I shook my head in disbelief. Even though I lived with the Merrins as one of them, I had never been blessed with such an amount of money. Without saying a word, I turned around and headed towards the garage.
The driver ran after me and said, “Miss Natalie, please wait!”
“I’m already late for work. I’ll use my car. Tell Rafael that I didn’t accept his ‘present’,'” I said, speeding up my steps towards the garage, trying to avoid further embarrassment.
“But,” he stammered, then followed me inside the garage and added, “But, Miss Natalie. Mr. Rafael used your car to go to the company.”
My jaw dropped to the ground. I snapped, “Why did he do that, for God’s sake!”
I didn’t wait for the driver’s reply. I turned around, seeing red. He had done enough for one day. With steady steps, my high heels digging loudly into the ground, I headed to the gate.
The driver asked with panic, “Where are you going, Miss Natalie?”
“I’m not using this car. I’ll take a cab,” I said, not looking back at him.
He followed me with fast steps. “Please, Miss. You will cause me trouble if you take a taxi.”
I rolled my eyes, knowing that Rafael must have threatened him. I knew how cruel he was with his workers. They trembled just if he furrowed his eyebrows at them.
“I don’t care. I’m not using that damned car,” I snapped, realizing that I had yelled at the domestic workers twice in one day. It was all because of him.
I didn’t want to use it because I knew it would attract attention in the company, and they would start asking questions and focusing on Rafael and me. I didn’t want us to be the focus of their gossip, especially not when he was still engaged to someone else.
I stood for ten minutes, but no taxi passed by. The neighborhood was filled with famous and rich people, and they mostly used their own vehicles.
I stared at Daniel’s house and wondered if I should call him to take me to the company. When I grabbed my phone from my handbag and glanced at the watch, I found it was already ten thirty, and he must be in his office now.
I thought of calling a cab agency, but I pushed that thought away and stared back at the driver, who was standing behind me with a gloomy expression on his face. I let out a deep sigh and said, “Give me the key, I’m going to use that car!”
His face lit up, and he smiled a broad smile. “Here it is, Miss,” he said happily.
I passed him after I took the key, with a determined look on my face, ready to make Rafael pay for the awkwardness he caused me.
I took my seat and started the engine, only to be stunned by the sound coming from the car. “Hello, good morning!” The voice said. It was the car system.
One could feel the luxury of the car as soon as they stepped in. “Hello,” I replied, and added, “What are you?”
“I’m Sirri. Please, give me your destination,” the system said, and a map appeared on the screen before me.
I smiled but chose the option of turning the map off. Sirri added, “Drive safe!”
I smirked, “He didn’t even consider choosing a feminine car for me.”
I stopped the car before the tall building of Merrin Group and tried to cover the hickies on my neck with a scarf before going out in public.