Chapter 17
As if she’d stumbled upon a hidden secret, the receptionist nearly cried out in surprise,
“She really does look like her! Someone once saw President Raven drunk, hugging a woman and calling the same name over and over. The photo was passed around in our group chat for a few days before it got deleted. I saw it, too; she looks exactly like her!”
“I heard President Raven was in love with that woman for years, but she already had someone else, so he never confessed.”
“So, after failing to win his true love, he found a substitute?”
The whispers floated into Savannah’s cars and her entire body stiffened.
If what they said was true, then everything fell into place,
The reason Rafael had helped her, married her and paid off her debts was all because she resembled the unreachable woman he had once loved,
And if that were true, she needed to be even more careful and keep her distance.
Up ahead, Rafael hadn’t heard a word. When he noticed she’d stopped walking, he turned back and instinctively reached for her hand.
“What’s wrong? You don’t look well. Are you feeling sick?”
Before his fingers could reach her, Savannah quickly pulled away, silently rejecting him.
Rafael was just about to speak when someone called for him. With no other choice, he asked his assistant to accompany Savannah, then turned and left.
But before walking away, he cast her a long look, deep, unreadable and lingering.
Savannah didn’t think much of it. She followed the assistant and got a general understanding of Raven Corporation’s operations and internal structure. By the time they wrapped up, the sky had already begun to darken.
Before she left, Rafael had his assistant pass along a message; he had a dinner engagement that night and told her to head home on her own.
Since Rafael wasn’t around, Savannah was more than happy to be free and didn’t ask further. It was late into the night when Rafael finally came home, reeking of alcohol.
The moment the door opened, Savannah saw him stumble in, barely keeping his balance before collapsing toward her.
Instinctively, she caught him. Their bodies pressed close, and in an instant, the sharp scent of alcohol mixed with the subtle warmth of his cologne filled her senses.
But as she steadied him, something felt off.
His face was flushed, unnaturally so. A faintly sweet, almost cloying scent clung to him. His breath came fast and heavy.
Was he simply drunk?
Savannah couldn’t help but grumble inwardly. After all those years in the business world, how could Rafael still let himself get this drunk?
But the man in her arms wasn’t behaving as he should. Feeling the warmth of her body, he
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slowly lifted his gaze. A dark glint flickered in his eyes.
“Savannah…” he murmured.
The sweet, sticky scent around him intensified with their closeness. And in that moment, it hit her: he wasn’t drunk. He’d been drugged.
Her heart clenched. She instantly tried to push him away.
But that tiny movement seemed to offend him. He frowned slightly, grabbed her wrist and pullec her close, shifting their positions entirely.
She stumbled and fell right into his arms. He said nothing. His eyes bore into hers, the darkness within them laced with something wild and unchecked.
Their warm breaths intertwined and Savannah could clearly feel the terrifying heat radiating from his body.
Unlike usual, tonight’s Rafael was much more aggressive.
He gave her no room to retreat. His burning kisses landed without warning.
From her lips, to her ears, to the pale skin of her neck, every inch became his to claim.
