Rafael stared at her, then gave a quiet, humourless laugh. He realized pushing her further would get him nowhere—her stubbornness only heightened his curiosity, and it unnerved him.
"I have my own ways of removing makeup. It would be an honour to assist you," he murmured, a sly smile lifting the corner of his mouth. "Shall we do this the simple way… or the hard way, Miss?" His gaze shifted briefly to the king-sized bed behind them.
Madelyn smirked, her lips curling with a wicked edge. "You seem more energetic than I expected. I bet you're a strong man in bed, too." Her voice dripped with teasing venom as she traced the tip of her finger along his lips. "Are you sure you're in shape for a long ride with me now, or would you prefer after the ceremony?"
She wondered, briefly, why he seemed unaffected. Surely, by now, the drink Margaux had given him should have taken effect. She couldn't wait much longer.
Rafael didn't fully grasp the layered meaning in her words, but her touch stirred something in him—a buried hunger he didn't want to feel. He gently removed her hand from his lips, careful not to let the spark catch flame.
Narrowing his eyes, he grasped her chin a little too firmly, his fingers pressing into her soft cheek as he brushed the cotton pad, soaked in cleansing water, across her skin.
"We'll see what's beneath the surface, depending on how pretty your face is," he murmured, though he had no real intention of taking things further.
"What you're doing isn't right," Madelyn protested, her sultry mask giving way to a steely gaze. "I won't accept your rudeness." She struggled, but he held her firmly.
"Am I being rude by serving you, miss?" Rafael asked, his voice low in a teasing tone.
"You're being rude and unethical. I won't accept this 'service' from you." Madelyn's voice rose with anger, yanking his hand away.
Catching a clear view of her features, he stood still as a stunned breath escaped his lips, overwhelmed by the weight of what he saw.
No. It was not possible.
Yet there she was—Madelyn, or someone who looked so uncannily like her that it shook him to the core. The same voice. The same eyes. The same presence. But… was it really her?
He pinched her cheek lightly, testing the softness of her skin, grounding himself in the reality that she was there, in front of him.
"Madelyn?" he whispered, shock breaking through the cracks of his usual composure.
How is it possible that she looked like her?
Madelyn remained silent, her eyes locked on his, though her heart was racing. She fought to keep her breath steady, suffocating under the weight of his gaze.
Rafael's mind raced, memories flooding back—her voice, her laughter, the look in her eyes.
"How dare you have this face?!" Rafael roared angrily while he blindly tightened his grip around throat.
Madelyn desperately clutched his massive hand, her fingers frantically trying to loosen his cruel grasp, but it only tightened, leaving her feet dangling helplessly above the floor.
She fought to hold back the tears welling in her eyes, refusing to beg for mercy once again. She refused to shed tears again because of him no matter the reason.
Her voice choked out a whisper. "I... it hurts... I can't breathe."
Rafael coldly stared into her tear-filled eyes, realizing he might kill someone whose identity he wasn't sure of just because she looked like Madelyn. Even though he didn't want her presence around him, he couldn't take her life on his ceremony day.
"Having this face is a death wish," Rafael warned in a dark tone. "Do not appear before me with that face of yours, or I will show no mercy next time."
Eventually, he released her neck, and she flopped onto the floor, gasping for air.
Rafael adjusted his suit, trying to maintain his composure, and stepped out of the room, leaving her behind.
Madelyn was still gasping, her chest heaving as she struggled to catch her breath.
"Maddie?" Margaux called apprehensively from the entrance, but Madelyn couldn't muster her voice to answer.
"Maddie, are you okay? What did that monster do to you?" Margaux asked, rushing over to her sister, who was still on the floor, gasping and clutching her dress to her chest with tears streaming down her cheeks.
Seeing Madelyn in such a vulnerable state broke Margaux's heart. She had panicked when she couldn't find her in the ceremony hall after overhearing the exchange between Madelyn and Rafael earlier through a spy earpiece, which had cut out.
Luckily, she found Madelyn here, alive, but the sight of her sister's exhaustion and terror struck Margaux deeply. She could hardly imagine how difficult it was for Madelyn to stay brave in front of the man who had once been her love and was now her attacker.
Noticing that Madelyn's breathing was becoming irregular and that she looked pale, Margaux jumped up from the floor and rushed into the kitchen to look for water.
Fortunately, she found an untouched bottle and hurried back to Madelyn, taking out a pill from her purse to give to her.
Madelyn gulped down the water with the pill.
"Take it slowly and breathe deeply," Margaux instructed, and Madelyn followed her guidance.
As Madelyn took slow, deep breaths, her breathing gradually stabilized.
"I will make Rafael pay for today's actions," Madelyn vowed under her breath, her fist clenched tightly.
Her encounter with Rafael had left her so traumatized that she felt she had nearly lost her life for the second time.
Madelyn rose from the ground, wiping away the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "How much time does he have left?" she asked.
"His health should be deteriorating with each passing minute," Margaux replied, offering a reassuring smile.
"We should go join everyone else in the ceremony hall and start the fun." Madelyn said, her voice devoid of emotions.
Gathering her usual cold and confident composure, Madelyn walked confidently out of the room with Margaux.