Six years ago(Flashback)

It was one of their lucky nights. Paula's parent's had gone to some charity event, Andres was out partying with his wild friends and Hazel had gone to meet her mysterious boyfriend. Paula was in Rafael's room, the two of them engaged in a passionate kiss.

His hand threaded through her wild dark hair as he deepened the kiss while her hand ran along his jean clad thigh.

Paula sunk her teeth into his lower lip and he groaned. She giggled but the rest of her chuckles were swallowed by his mouth as he reclaimed her lips. She smiled against his lips as she pushed him back on the small bed and straddled him as they continue to kiss.

His hands ran along her bare thighs as her hands explored the hard abs under his crispy white shirt. The kiss soon turned into a wild battle as both their tongues fought for dominance.

Rafael tore away his mouth from hers,his breathing laboured and his eyes hooded.

"No!," he whispered in a husky and breathless voice as he stilled her hands which had started unbuttoning his shirt during their intense kiss.

She leaned forward and captured his lips again in a slow kiss before resting her forehead on his, both of them trying to regain their breaths.

"But why?," she almost whined.

"We can't, Paula. I can't steal your innocence like that. You will hate me after this and l don't want that," he reasoned, but his voice and tense face gave away his restraining control.

"Next year my parents are going to sent me off to a uni in Britain and we won't get to spend much time together," she says in a sad voice.

He raised his hand and tucked the strands of hair in her face behind her ear.

"It will be your first time and l don't want to take something that precious from you in the heat of the moment. You will probably regret it afterwards."

"Don't you want me, Rafael?," she asked in a hardened voice.

His hand raked through his dark hair before he stared back at her with molten heat and undecisiveness in his eyes.

"Can't you see that l am burning for you? I want you Paula and it's almost killing me from holding back but l don't want to do something you will probably regret."

"I won't. I want this as much as you do. There is no one l can think better of than you to claim the price," she said with a smirk as she grinded herself on him.

Rafael closed his eyes with a groan and let out a string of curses. She giggled at his misery.

"Damn you, Paula. You are such a tease," he gritted out through clenched teeth.

"Just give in to your desire. I know that you want me," she whispered in his ear as her hand ghosted over the fly of his shorts. She playfully bite his ear lobe and he groaned again.

" You are enjoying this, aren't you?"

Paula innocently pouted her lips swollen from their kiss and chuckled again. Rafael removed the hair in her face again and stared at her with a solemn expression.

"Are you sure you want to do this because once we start there is no turning back?"

"I am very sure. I want to..."

It was enough confirmation for him because the rest of her words were swallowed by his sudden kiss. He gently pushed her back on the bed and hovered above her, kissing her as if his next breath depended on her.

Both of their hands fumbled with each other's clothing, ripping buttons and zips as they went. When they were both undressed, he reached for his bedside drawer. She heard the rustling of a foil paper and her heart beat quickened in anticipation.

They were finally going to be one that night and she had longed for that day!

That night she not only gave him her innocence, but a part of her heart.

~****~

The following night, Paula laid on her bed, staring at the white ceiling with a silly grin on her face as she reminisced about her intimate moment with Rafael the previous day.

There was only one word to describe it.

Perfecto!

He was both tender and demanding, worshipping her body like she was some sort of goddess. He was damn good at that.

That night,as she drifted to sleep in his arms, feeling spent and satiated, she finally admitted the truth she had denied herself for weeks. She loved Rafael and she never wanted to part from him. The only obstacle standing in their way were her parents.

She decided to try and convince her parents to send her to a local university and that way she would have more time with Rafael.

She longed to move far away from her father's watchful eye and only then will she freely date Rafael. He would visit her during the weekends and they will spend some time together.

By then she hoped that he would be gone from the mansion to start his dream restaurant. Paula thought about giving him some money so that he could fulfil his dream but she sighed, discarding the idea. Rafael was a proud man. He would probably feel insulted by her offer. He believed in self independence.

A small pebble hit her window and she jerked back to reality.She sat up, her brows furrowed into a frown. She muttered a curse as she got off the bed. It was probably Andres who sneaked out to some nightclub party and wanted her to let him in without alerting their parents.

She opened the window ready to shout at her brother only to find a smirking Rafael standing below, waving at her. She gasped in shock thinking that surely her eyes were playing a trick on her because she had spent the whole day daydreaming about him.

"Am l imagining or what? Is that really Rafael Ramirez.."

He placed a finger on his lips, shushing her. He removed his finger and his smile spread into a carelessly wicked grin.

"I couldn't sleep because l was missing you. I wanted to see you, Paula," he whispered, his voice sounding like a caress to her in the still summer night.

She smirked at him knowingly, her heart fluttering in excitement at the thought of being with him again.

"Meet me at the backdoor. Everyone is asleep," she whispered back.

Paula closed the window and curtain and then slipped into her evening gown before rushing out of her room. The moment she opened the backdoor, he grabbed her waist and kissed her deeply.

"Patience, sweetheart," she chuckled as she stepped out of his arms.

She took his hand and queitly led him upstairs to her room. The mansion was dimly lit and eerily silent. Her parents were both asleep and Andres, well she was sure he had sneaked out again, probably to a nightclub or a party with his recent girlfriend.

Luckily her room was on the end of the hallway of the second floor and her parents were on the third floor. The walls were also soundproof. She silently thanked whoever had built the house.

They entered her bedroom and she locked the door. Again he kissed her. He released her and glanced around her room in amusement. It was his first time in her bedroom.

Her room was bigger than the cottage house he stayed at. It had a bedroom, en suite bathroom, closet room and a sitting room by the French doors which opened to the view of the garden below.

"It's really a princess's room. It's beautiful," he said in an awed voice.

He strode to her book shelf and looked at the titles. He turned back to her, one dark eyebrow slanted and his lips curled into an amused smirk.

"I didn't know you were into romance novels."

She gave a slight shrug beaming at him.

"Sometimes a girl needs to escape to the fairy tale world when things get tough in the real world. I just love the happy ever after."

She walked up to him and snaked her arms around his neck, grinning.

"I didn't know you were this bold and daring. Coming to my window at this hour," she said in an amused voice.

Rafael laughed as he placed his hands around her tiny waist.

"For you, darling, l can be a lot of things," he chuckled.

A wicked glint entered her eyes as her fingers threaded through his hair. She leaned forward and rasped in his ear.

"Then show me!"

Rafael smashed his mouth against hers and slowly backed her backwards towards her queen sized bed as his frantic hands untied her gown with clumsiness.

Afterwards, she lay in his arms among the tangled sheets,her head on his broad naked chest. She drew small circles on his chest with a lazy smile on her face. He held her, his eyes staring at the ceiling in deep thought.

She wondered what he was thinking about because he had been absentminded for a while. She raised her head about to ask him what was bothering him when he suddenly spoke out.

"l am in love with you,Paula" he whispered in a low voice that she had to strain her ears to catch his words and when she did, her heart literally stopped beating.

She felt numb and overwhelmed by his confession.

He loved her!

She felt like climbing on the rooftop of the mansion and screaming to the whole world that this gorgeous and honourable man loved her.

Tears spilled down her cheeks as her heart couldn't contain the immense happiness inside. Rafael Ramirez was finally hers.

"Oh, Rafael!," she whispered in a teary voice, capturing his lips in a slow and bittersweet kiss.

He stroked her cheek as he flashed her a sad smile.

"I love you, Paula," he repeated again in a firm voice.

"I love you too, Rafael," she replied swallowing back tears.

His thumb brushed away the tears glistening on her cheeks as he stared at her with warm and loving eyes.

"You were right when you said that l was mistaking my obligations to Camilla as romantic love. Camilla was the one who found me on the streets starving, stinking and burning up with a fever after my mother left me. The lady lord had kicked me out because my mother had not paid him rent for half a year and he also didn't want to be stranded with a homeless kid in his care....," his voice trailed off with difficulty.

He closed his eyes and drew in a deep shuddering breath as painful memories flashed before his eyes. Paula silently stroked his cheek, wordlessly encouraging him to go on.

"I moved around our small town for days looking for a job but no one wanted to hire a twelve year old boy who looked homeless and probably a thief. I was hungry and had no money to buy food.

I stole from a local bakery and ran away but they caught up with me and beat me to near death. They left me by the side of the road, bleeding. I couldn't move my body and l ended up spending the night there. No one seemed to care about a dirty kid sleeping on the pavement.

I was just some other unfortunate street kid and beggar in their eyes. They ignored me and went about with their regular business. I was filled with so much hatred and resentment for my mother and the world as l lay on that dirty pavement, hungry and cold from the chilly night air blowing around me.

The next morning, l was asleep when a shadow appeared before me, blocking the sunlight which had been warming me. I opened my eyes ready to hurl insults at the person but the words froze on my mouth. Before me was standing the most beautiful girl l have ever seen in my twelve years with her long blond hair and aquamarine blue eyes. She smiled at me and asked me my name.

Afterwards, she bought me a loaf of bread and a bottle of cola. She told me that her father had a horse farm and was currently looking for a stable help. I agreed her offer and she took me to her house.

Her father was very welcoming. They treated me and gave me accommodation and food. The people at the farm were like family to me. I have been grateful to them ever since. I vowed to myself that l was going to pay them back for saving me from the streets and possibly from a life of a criminal.

Mr Felipe is quite an old man. His health is fragile and he is always sick. Camilla would cry, worried that her father was going to die and she would be left alone. Her mother died while giving birth to her and Mr Felipe was her only family left. So l promised her that l was going to be her other family."

By the end of his story, Paula was openly crying.

"I am really sorry that you had to go through all this," she choked out.

He leaned down and kissed away her tears.

"Some battles and scars only serve to make us stronger," he said.

"I have never felt this way about anyone other than you. When l am with you, l feel so happy, carefree and relaxed. I forget all the future plans l have and enjoy myself to the fullest," he added in a frank voice.

She leaned forward and kissed him tenderly.

"I feel the same. You make me want to strive to be a better person for you. You make me feel worthy, something that my own parents failed to do," she whispered to him.

The nights that followed, it became their routine. Rafael sneaking into her room, make love,cuddle ,talk and laugh. At dawn, he would sneak out to get back to the cottage and Hazel,being the heavy sleeper she was, didn't notice a thing.

Rafael was unusually happy those days. He would smile as he tended the flowers in the garden or driving Mrs Solano. Paula occupied his daily thoughts.

She was the first thing that crossed his mind when he woke up in the mornings and his last thought as he drifted off to sleep. His dreams would be filled with images of her. He felt like he was under her spell but he didn't mind.

She was one of the best things that ever happened to him. He refrained from thinking about the future which looked uncertain and bleak to him. So he decided to live in the moment and cherish her for as long as he can.

"What's going on with you these days? You seem so happy and you always have this silly grin on your face. I thought that after what happened with Camilla, you will be sad for days," Hazel asked in a suspicious voice, one morning as they sat down for breakfast.

The smile on his face collapsed at the mention of her name. He had not thought of her in days. He expected to feel the painful tug at his heart but nothing came and it surprised him.

"Life goes on, aunt. She chose to be with someone else and there is nothing l can do about it except move on," he said in a gloomy voice, shrugging his shoulders carelessly.

His aunt put down her fork and clasped her hands together regarding him intently.

"Have you found someone else, Rafael?," she asked with a wicked grin.

"No! Where did you get that idea?," he asked in a timid voice, his heart racing in fear.

"I have noticed that you are befriending that pretty new maid. What's her name again?"

"Selena is just a friend," he replied with a sigh, inwardly relieved that his aunt knew nothing.

"You fought with Matthew over her and you tell me she is just a friend. If you like her, just go for it. She is a nice girl," Hazel encouraged him.

"I fought with Matthew because he was taking advantage of the poor girl. I am not interested in her," he said in a small voice, his mind trailing to a beautiful, dark haired princess who resided in the mansion next door.

"Then tell me who you are daydreaming about these days?," her eager voice invaded his thoughts.

"You love making up things," he said and gave out a small nervous laugh.

"I should be the one interrogating you, aunt. You have been going out a lot recently, telling me that you are going out to a friend's house for a sleepover. Who is your mysterious new boyfriend?," he asked with a smirk.

A blush went across Hazel's cheeks. She pointed an accusing finger his direction.

"Stop diverting the conversation".

"Nothing is going on with me. You are just being delusional," he said with a weary sigh.

"My hunches are never wrong, dear nephew. One of these days l am going to find out," she chuckled and he swallowed with difficulty as he felt his neck breaking out in a cold sweat.

~****~

Paula was sprawled on the couch giggling at a funny scene in a Thailand drama she was watching when her mother enters the room in heavy strides. Her usually composed face was flushed with anger and her nostrils were flaring, literally breathing out fire.

She plopped down on the couch next to her and huffed out a frustrated breath.

"How dare she!," she seethed as she angrily removed her high heels.

Paula cocked an eyebrow at her, amazed by her mother's behaviour. She was usually composed and graceful. The only time she ever lost control was when she was arguing with her father.

"Having a bad day?," she asked her in a curious and concerned voice.

"I have just ended my friendship with Mrs Becky. That woman is a devious, sly and rotten bastard. I can't believe she insulted me to my face," Sofia hissed through clenched teeth.

Paula did an internal happy dance, fighting off a smirk which threatened to break out on her face. Good riddance! She hated that nosy woman. Her mouth was always spewing insults and gossips 24/7. It was like she worked for a gossiping agency.

"I am sorry, mum. The two of you were really close friends," she said with fake sympathy.

"I will never tolerate anyone insulting my daughter. Who does she think she is? The damned queen of England?," her mother continued seething, barely paying attention to her words.

Her heart skipped a beat at the mention of her. She swallowed with difficulty.

"What did she say?," she asked in a nervous voice but Sofia was too absorbed in her anger to notice the sudden change in her mood.

Sofia threw back her head on the couch and laughed like a maniac, clutching her stomach. Her daughter stared at her as if she had gone crazy. Her laughter trailed off as she wiped away a few tears which had escaped her eyes. She stared at her daughter with a funny smile.

"Can you imagine the nerve of that old hag. She warned me to keep a close eye on you and that boy, Hazel's nephew....," her voice trailed off as she dissolved into another laughter.

Paula felt like her head had been doused in a bucket full of icy water. She felt paralysed and numb. She never imagined that the old lady could prove to be so cunning that she would figure out her relationship with Rafael that day downtown.

Sofia scoffed to herself.

"She is crazy! She thinks that my daughter will ever lay her eyes on the likes of that boy. I know you, Paula. You are just like me. We both have quality tastes," her mother said grinning at her.

She forced a small smile at her, feeling like she could hyperventilate with extreme fear. Mrs Becky suspected them. Of course it didn't surprise her at all. The lady was old but very sly, shrewd and cunning.

"Don't let her words get to you. Mrs Becky is known for being a gossiper. She enjoys making up stories and selling them with her big for nothing mouth. I know that you will never do that. You are an heiress to the Solano empire . You were born a princess, my dear and princesses were meant for princes and not garden boys."

Paula felt herself relaxing. Her mother had not bought Mrs Becky's words.

"You are right, mother. Mrs Becky is crazy. How can l set my eyes on a mere help. That's ridiculous!," she chuckled and gave out a small awkward laugh.

"She is a total lunatic. Her husband must enrol her in one of those mental asylums," her mother answered heatedly.

Sofia left afterwards to go to her room, probably to get drunk. Paula was left taking deep breaths wondering how she had managed to sit through that terrifying conversation with her mother without giving herself away.

She fanned herself with her hand. The conversation had heated her blood. She stood up deciding that she needed to get some fresh air. She felt suffocated and her hands couldn't stop trembling.

She went into the garden and sat down on the same bench, she and Rafael had first kissed at two months ago. A fond smile traced her lips as her hand slowly ran along the bench, recalling the beautiful memory.

She had stayed with him all night until early morning but she missed him already. After the terror she had experienced a minute ago, all she wanted was for him to take her into his arms and kiss her into oblivion.

Leaning forward, she plucked out a white rose and closed her eyes as she inhaled the fragrant smell. Her eyes flew open when she heard kicks and punches sounding in the air.

She turned her head to the direction of the commotion and a horrified gasp escaped her as the flower slipped out of her hand. Rafael was lying on the lawn, his arms shielding his face as Andres and Rodriguez stomped on his stomach and face.

She stood up and crushed the white rose under her feet as she ran towards the scene.

"What are you doing?," she screamed at the two brutal boys.

Andres and Rodriguez stopped to stare at her with annoyed faces.

"Well, well! Look who decided to intervene!," Rodriguez sneered at her but she ignored him.

She turned to her brother with a heated glare.

"If looks could kill, l swear l did be six feet under the ground," Andres said and they both roared in laughter.

"Why are you beating him?," she seethed at him.

"Why do you care about him that much? He is only a mere help," Juan Rodriguez sneered.

"Stay out of this, Rodriguez!," she warned him pointing a finger in his direction.

Juan Rodriguez clenched his jaw in anger.

"If you were not the baby sister of my best friend, l would have snapped that finger. Never point at me, Paula. It pisses me off," he gritted out.

Andres stood between them.

"Enough guys. Stop arguing over silly things," he said.

Paula let out a mocking laugh.

"Someone is bleeding and groaning on the ground and you call that silly!," she seethed.

"I beat him because l caught this scum bag drooling over you," Andres spat out.

"He was salivating over you while you were sitting on that bench. Probably getting a hard on. I bet that if we had not arrived on time, he probably would have ripped your clothes off and had his wicked way with you in the garden," Rodriguez chimed in with a snort.

"You will not use that language at my sister," Andres warned him and he kept quite.

She never liked Rodriguez. He was sly, malicious and enjoyed using dirty words. She turned back to her brother with a small frown.

"That's stupid, Andres! You know that l am beautiful. Every guy sees it and they can't help themselves from staring at me. If l don't seem to mind guys ogling me, then why should you? Actually l bask in people's adoration. He is harmless. The poor guy was just staring and you had to rearrange his face because of that?"

"I can't believe you are defending him!," Rodriguez gasped out in horror.

"You better know your place!," her brother warned, pointing a finger at a battered Rafael before walking away with his friend.

When they were out of sight, Paula dropped her composed facade and dropped to her knees beside Rafael, tears leaking out of her eyes uncontrollably. His face was bruised, battered and bleeding. His left eye had began swelling.

His eyes were closed as he drew in deep and ragged breaths. Pain ripped through her at his miserable state. Her trembling hand reached forward and gently touched his swollen face. She quickly pulled back her hand when he grunted in pain.

"I am sorry, Rafael. It's all my fault," she said in a teary voice, sniffing back some tears.

His eyes opened and he flashed her a trembling smile.

"Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault."

"What they said is true. I indeed wanted to ravish you while you were sitting there. You looked so beautiful with the sunlight playing on your face," he chuckled and then stopped to grimace when another pain shot through him.

Paula smiled through tears both wanting to hug him for his sweet words and wanting to smack him across the face for making it a joke when he was badly hurt.

She helped him up with great effort and staggered with him to the cottage. She took a hidden path through the woods, not wanting to alert anyone. They went into his room and she gently set him down on the bed and disappeared into the bathroom to retrieve a first aid kit.

She dipped the cotton wool into the ointment and dabbed at his wounds. He grimaced at the slight sting. Tears spilled on her cheeks as she treated his wounds. His hand reached forward to brush away the tears.

"Don't cry, Paula. You know that it hurts me to see you like this," he murmured, wiping away her tears.

"It's all my fault. You are suffering because of me. Andres and Rodriguez beat you and l feel bad because there is nothing l can do."

A tremulous smile graced his swollen lips. He stroked her cheek lightly and her face leaned into his warm touch.

"As long as we are together, l don't mind any treatment l get," he whispered.

She hugged him tightly and he wrapped his hands around her waist as he rest his head on her stomach.

"I really don't want to lose you, Rafael. It will kill me."

He lifted his head and their eyes locked together. He pulled her down to sit on his lap and then captured her lips in a slow and gentle kiss. Her hands ploughed through his dark hair as she kissed him back as if her life depended on it.

His hands slipped under her skirt, gliding along her bare thighs. She moaned into his mouth as she leaned towards him, feeling the familiar molten heat pooling low inside her.

He buried his head in her neck and kissed her smooth skin. She gasped as she felt his hand inching dangerously up her thigh.

"I need you, Paula. Right now," he rasped in her ear as his other hand fumbled with the waistband of her skirt.

Someone cleared a throat behind them and they both looked up with a startled gasp.

Hazel was standing in the doorway of the room, her face white with disbelief.

~****~

Rafael removed his hands from Paula's skirt and she scrambled to her feet, her face red with shame. Both of their faces looked pale as they stared back at a furious Hazel.

A moment of tense and deadly silence reigned for a moment.

"I didn't expect this from you, Rafael," she said in a voice laced with disappointment as she glared at her nephew.

Paula blinked back tears. The moment she had feared had eventually came. Hazel was very loyal to her parents and she knew it was only a matter of time before she out them to her parents and then it will be all over for them.

Her father was infamously known for his cruelness and merciless dictatorship. If he ever find out about her illicit relationship, she knew that he was going to kick out Rafael and possibly Hazel too and then tighten the security around her to make sure she never meets Rafael at all costs.

She shivered as she saw her dreams getting shattered before her eyes.

"It's my fault, Hazel. I am the one who approached Rafael and pestered him until he gave in to me. I am the culprit here. Please don't tell my parents," she pleaded, tears escaping her eyes.

"Don't blame yourself for my choices, Paula. I gave in to you because l wanted you and l don't regret it," Rafael replied in a firm voice.

"You have to break up," Hazel said in a hardened voice before walking out.

They were left staring after her, shock etched on their faces. Paula sank down on the bed and started sobbing, her face hidden behind her hands. She felt the small bed dip under his weight. He wordlessly took her in his arms and rubbed a comforting hand up her arms.

"What are we going to do?," she wailed.

He kissed the top of her head, the gears in his brain busy working.

"Don't worry, love. We will figure out a way," he reassured her.

She looked up at him with a tearstained face and quivering lips.

"I don't want to lose you, Rafael."

"You won't," he said with a small smile as he cradled her head on his chest again.

He had smiled at her and assured her that things were going to be fine but frankly his heart was drumming in his chest in fear of the uncertain future. He knew the rage of Pedro Solano and he had once seen a glimpse of it when he caught Andres in bed with one of the maids.

He had grabbed his pistol and threatened to shot his son for disgracing him by sleeping with the maid. He was a man who valued his image and reputation the most.

Rafael kissed Paula's hair again and closed his eyes, praying that his aunt would not betray them.
~****~

"Have you broken up with her?," Hazel asked at dinner that day.

It was her first time bringing up the subject after she caught him in the process of striping off Paula's clothing. He had attempted to explain to her, but she had ignored him all day until he gave up and then decided to wait until she cooled off.

"No," he replied in a small voice, the pasta in his mouth suddenly tasting like cardboard.

He raised his head to her, pain simmering in the depths of his dark eyes.

"I love her, aunt. I used to think that l love Camilla but l was mistaken. The feelings l have for Paula run deeper than anything l have ever known," he confessed.

Hazel's stony face relaxed. Tears shone in her eyes as she reached forward to place her hand over his.

"They will never accept your relationship, Rafael and you know it. Isn't it better to end it now and avoid hurting in the future when you are both too deeply involved. Paula likes to act tough but she is not that strong. It will destroy her."

He remained silent, staring into space in a brooding silence. Hazel squeezed his hand.

"She is never going to be yours, Rafael. Face it and let her go before she is too absorbed in this."

"She is already too attached," he whispered more to himself and his aunt sighed as she stood up from her seat.

"Then figure out a way out of this mess," she said in a stern voice before walking out.

~****~

Hazel entered Paula's room and saw that she was still bundled in her blankets yet it was already noon. She blinked back tears. She had always wondered when the young miss was going to fall in love and when she did, it was Rafael, the forbidden.

Ever since the afternoon she confronted them, Paula had barely left her room. Petra had even informed her that she wasn't eating properly so she had decided to check on her.

She crossed the large room to pick up a small remote and pressed a button. The dark drapes made a sound as they opened to reveal large windows which overlooked the amazing view of the garden below.

She went to the bed and flipped open the blankets.

"It's almost noon and you are still in your bed. Come on. Get up and take a shower, young lady," she said in a happy voice, trying to cheer her up.

Paula opened swollen and bloodshot eyes and the older woman's heart squeezed in pain.

"Do we have to separate because of our different social classes? It's not fair!" she spoke out in a pained voice.

Hazel sighed sadly as she sat down on the bed beside her.

"The world is never fair, Paula. That's the way it is. The two of you will never be together for long. Your family will see to it."

"But l love him! I have never felt this way about anyone," she cried out in a frustrated voice.

"I know that, Paula but sometimes in life, we don't always get what we want. I know that you are hurting right now but this will pass. You will find another guy in the future who will probably love you even more than Rafael."

"No one will love me the way Rafael does. I don't need anyone but him only!," she cried out, the waterworks starting again.

"You are not going to tell my parents, are you Hazel?," she asked in a nervous and hopeful voice.

"I have decided to let you two deal with this on your own. But know that nothing stays hidden forever. Your parents are going to find out and when they do, Rafael will be kicked out and you will be assigned a personal bodyguard wherever you go. Your father will make sure to monitor your every movement. You both know that this is going nowhere. Why put yourself through unnecessary heartache?"

Hazel stood up to leave the room. She stared at a sobbing Paula and decided to give her time to think it through.

"Take a shower and then come downstairs. I have prepared your favourite meal," she said before walking out.

~***~

Paula went to the cottage that night and this time she didn't need to hide from Hazel. Hazel opened the door for her.

"I want to see, Rafael," she told the older woman who then frowned at her in return.

She wordlessly opened the door wider to let her in. Rafael had heard her voice and he came out of his room. Hazel stared between the both of them, her expression grave.

"I hope you both know what you are doing. I am going out so that you can have time to talk," she said as she grabbed her handbag on the couch.

The moment Hazel left, Rafael kissed Paula and again like the other times, they stumbled to his bed and made love again.

"What are we going to do, Rafael?," she asked as she laid her head on his chest.

His hand rubbed her forearm as he stared at the creamy walls absentminded.

"Honestly l don't know," he replied.

She suddenly sat up, her eyes lighting with an idea.

"Let's run away and get married," she suggested in an excited voice.

"The idea of getting married to you and having you to myself for the rest of my life is appealing but l am not that selfish, Paula. You are still young and have so much to achieve. You still have to finish high school and go to college. And l can't let you ruin your relationship with your family. I know how much it feels to be without family."

"If you truly love me, Rafael then you will go away with me," she said as she laid back on the bed and stared at the other side, away from him.

One thing he had learned about her, she was quick to be angry but easier to convince her. He drew closer to her and one hand draped over her tiny waist as his other hand ran along her bare stomach.

He buried his head in her neck and inhaled her familiar scent of roses and lavender. His lips left a trail of kisses on her neck before his teeth lightly grazed her shoulder.

His hand slowly trailed lower until he reached the very place where she was aching for him. She choked out a cry at his intimate touch. Encouraged by her little gasps, he flipped her on her back and hovered above her as his mouth crashed down on hers in a passionate kiss.

The buzzing of his cell phone drew them out of the haze of their desire. Rafael let out a string of curses before reaching for his cell phone on the nightstand. Paula noticed the name flashing on the screen and her heart skipped a beat.

It was Mia!

Rafael frowned before declining the call and turning off the cell phone. He placed the phone back on the bedside table and laid down beside her, staring at the ceiling.

"I know about the bet you made with your friends," he confessed.

Paula sat up on the bed, clutching the sheet to her chest.

"Are you mad at me? Do you want to break up with me?," she asked in a panicked voice, her face paling.

A low laugh rumbled from him as he sat up too and leaned against the headboard.

"That you made a bet that you were going to make me fall head over heels in love with you and then your father will found out and throw me out of the mansion and then you will have Hazel all to yourself," he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She bit her lips to keep from crying. He placed a finger on her lips when she attempted to explain.

"l don't mind about your original intentions because l know that this is no longer a game to you. Along the way, you have fallen in love with me and that's all that matters. You were the best thing that ever happened to me, Paula," he said, his hands cupping her cheeks.

Paula flung herself in his arms.

"I love you, Rafael. I don't know how l survived without you before."

He hugged her back and kissed her forehead.

"I don't knoe why Mia called me out to a restaurant to tell me but what l do know is that she doesn't like you very much," he told her.

Paula was glad that Rafael had believed in her love for him but what she still didn't get was Mia's intentions when she oust her to her boyfriend. She drove to her family's house the next morning.

"Why did you tell, Rafael about the bet?," she asked the moment she entered her room.

"I guess shit has hit the fan. Did you two break up already?," Mia replied in a sarcastic voice, applying makeup in front of the mirror.

Paula staggered backwards in shock when she realised that Mia's intention had been to ruin her relationship with Rafael.

"Why are you doing this?," Paula asked, tears pooling in her eyes as she felt the blow of her friend's betrayal.

Mia threw the lipstick she was applying against the mirror with a cry. She turned to face Paula with a look of utter despise.

"You ask me the reason of why l did that. Don't act all innocent and righteous, Paula. You trampled on other people's feelings on your way to get to Rafael and you have the nerve to ask me why," she seethed.

"Mia..," Paula gasped as realisation dawned on her.

"You flirted with Leandro in my presence when you clearly knew how l felt about him. What a faithful friend you are, Paula! You were busy enjoying your little fling with your gardener turned boyfriend, not carrying about the trail of bleeding hearts you had left behind on your way to him.

It has always been about you, Paula! You have always gotten what you wanted even if it meant walking over other people. I had to live in your shadow for ten years. You never treated us as your friends. You always thought that you were better than any of us," she burst out into crying after her little rant.

Paula felt a prickle of guilty. She realised that she had been selfish when she used Leandro in her seduction plan.

"I am sorry, Mia. I had no idea that you felt this way."

Mia let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Of course you wouldn't know because you are selfish and thinks only of yourself. Leandro rejected me after l confessed my feelings to him. He told me that he was in love with you," she said sobbing.

"l never wanted to hurt you, Mia."

"Spare me the fake sympathy. I never want to hang out with fake people like you."

"Is that what you really think of me?," Paula asked in a hardened voice.

"I have never liked you, Paula. You always acted like you own the world, looking down at people over your aristocratic nose. I only befriended you to get closer to Leandro because you hanged out in the same circles and it was also good for my image."

"Then l guess we are done," Paula said before storming out of the room sobbing.

She couldn't believe that the girl she had considered a friend and sister all long, had only been using her.

A/N

Don't be silent readers. I want to hear your thoughts , readers.