Chapter 10- How Rich Are You?

Day 5

It has been a whole five days being in this wretched room.

I have not spoken to Raphael since yesterday. We had another fight. He brought up breakfast, and I refused to have it. I miss my family. I want to go home and he wont let me.

This is very unfair. I can't even get through to him personally. He's so selfish, possessive and arrogant. I couldn’t understand him either. Sometimes he would be all over me, and other times he was so closed off. Like he wouldn’t speak or come to my room for hours. Sometimes I believe he went through something growing up to become like this. I remember at camp when he told me that his parents didn’t care about him. Was that why he's like this now?

Sometimes when I'm alone, I feel like I would speak to him and try to get through to him somehow. Maybe, just maybe, I could strike a nerve and have him take me home. But every time I looked at him, I felt contempt grow in me. The teensy tiny concern that grew in me for him just completely vanished when I think about what he did to me and my family.

Yes, I hate him. I don’t think that will change.

Escaping doesn’t seem in my reach just yet. So right now, I was depending on the police and my family to find me. By now the news would've gotten around, so I knew they were all looking for me

So, progress? Not exactly.

My fifth day as Raphael's captive, and my fifth log with still no progress. Well, let's just see where we go from here.

***

Tami sighed deeply as he closed her fifth log. She had found her daily logs quite calming, giving her a hope of being found soon.

She wrote because she had no way to express her feelings. She also wrote because she thought it would be a good way to use it against Raphael in the future. Even if he had the best lawyers, these logs could show a jury exactly what she went through, and there would be no getting away from this.

So she ensured she kept it hidden. Whenever she was writing and heard him coming, she quickly discarded it. Luckily, Raphael provided her with her privacy. He never went through her things, neither did he force her to do anything she didn’t want to do, except eating.

That much she had to appreciate. At least being in the same house as him wasn’t overbearing.

She quickly closed the laptop when she heard a knock on her door. Raphael always knocked, despite the fact that she rarely ever told him to come in. Tami saw that it was not lunch time just yet. but knowing Raphael, he probably was just taking a snack for her.

He never gave her the opportunity to go hungry. Tami never ate when he was in the room, simply because she refused to give him the satisfaction.

Nonetheless, she didn’t see him with a snack, neither did she see him with a tray of food like usual. His expression was firm as he entered, probably still upset with her behaviour yesterday. Still, she remained stoic as she waited for him to speak.

"I have an emergency meeting that I have to attend back in Puerto Rico" He informed her, and she suddenly became excited at this.

If he left, she had a better chance at escaping. Whoever he would leave in charge to 'watch her', maybe she could convince them to let her go.

"When will you be leaving?" She tried not to sound too excited. The last thing she wanted was for him to know what she had been planning.

Raphael raised an eyebrow at her. "WE will be leaving today. Pack a bag for at least three days. I'll be back soon to take you down" And with that, he turned to leave.

Tami's chest rose and fell in anger. How dare he! He thought he could just lift her and take her anywhere he wanted?

"I'm not going anywhere with you" She spoke firmly. Raphael had gotten quite used to her stubborn nature, yet it still infuriated him.

"Oh yes you are" He dismissed. "Either you get some things together or I will personally take you shopping once we get there. Either way, you are coming"

She huffed, feeling utterly distressed by the man. She knew he had no problem buying new clothes for her to wear over the days he was planning to stay in Puerto Rico. Still, she didn’t want to have him buying her anything else. He flashed his wealth in her face anytime she refused something. Sometimes she wondered if he really thought his money could shake her.

Ultimately, after a whole argument with herself, she found herself grabbing a duffle bag. She still hadn’t unpacked the clothes Raphael had put in her closet, but slowly she found herself designing the room to her liking. She couldn’t help the inner designer in her, urging her to make the room more comfortable and personal.

Even Raphael had acknowledged the changes. He saw it as a form of her 'coming around'. He still believed he had a real chance at getting her to love him. He had two months after all.

He also knew that taking her with him was risky, since anyone could recognize her. He didn’t miss the 'missing person' reports that had been all over the news and social media. But every time he thought of leaving her alone at the house, his heart ached.

The thought of something happening to her would kill him mentally. He also knew that if he wasn’t there, she would try to escape even more. He couldn’t lock her in the room, because she had to eat. So her guaranteed loyalty wasn’t something he could depend on.

Raphael hated that he had to rush back home like this. Some paperwork with his mother's business that he sold before moving to The Bahamas had been carelessly lost. The process wasn’t a hundred percent complete when he left, but it was only simple things that needed finishing up. Now, he had to start all over again.

"Está todo bien Raphael?" Mrs. Garcia asked, seeing his troubled expression.

"Everything is fine Mrs. Garcia. Just a little stressed. That's all" He clarified. She simply nodded as she continued to clean his room.

Mrs. Garcia was no fool. She knew something had been up with him from the day he returned from Nassau. Still, she didn’t invade his privacy or overstepped in any way. The reason she and Raphael had gotten along so well over the years, was simply because she knew how to hold her corner and give him space.

When the truth is ready to come out, it will. She simply had to believe that all was well and he would be okay.

"I left money for you to grab more groceries. I know I have been um, eating more than usual. Stress eating" Raphael lied smoothly. He hated lying to her, since he was always an honest man. But he simply had to in order to guarantee Tami being safe until she was ready to meet her.

"I'll have the driver pick you up in..twenty?"

She nodded. "That's good"

"I'll be gone for a few days. Will you be okay alone?" He asked, growing concern for her too. But Mrs. Garcia simply brushed him off.

"Of course Raphael. Be safe"

"I will. Adios"

"Adios." She waved as he left with a bag.

Raphael took out his phone as it rang. It was his pilot.

"Yes I'm coming now. Is everything ready?" He spoke as soon as he answered the call.

"Everything is ready sir. I believe you said there will be another passenger?"

"Yes. And I will not need anyone to greet us when we arrive. I do not want to be seen by anyone. Is that clear Marvin?" Raphael's voice was stern, showing his pilot just how serious he was about this.

"Crystal, sir. See you soon...I mean, not see you but um-" he didn’t get a chance to finish, because Raphael ended the call abruptly.

He placed his bag in his car before going back inside to Tami's room to see where she was with her packing--if she even packed anything. He knew getting her to agree to this trip was going to be a challenge. So when he walked in, seeing her with a bag on her bed and a dress perfectly perched on her beautiful body, he was more than surprised. His lips tilted in a smile at the sight.

"You look beautiful" He told her as he walked further in the room. She yelped at the sound of his voice, but relaxed when she saw him.

She cleared her throat, flickering her eyes to him momentarily. "Thank you." Was all she said as she attempted to fix her hair in a high bun.

"May I?" Raphael asked, motioning to her hair.

She eyed him oddly, unsure if he actually meant he wanted to fix her hair for her. With her curiosity now spiked, she nodded as she let go of the bundle and placed the hair band in his hand. She low-key liked the smile that played on his lips. It was rare to see him smile. Despite her hate for him, it was nice.

She watched in anticipation as he grabbed her hair in place, with his fingers gentle and caressing as he neatly fixed her hair in what looked like a high ponytail. She was actually pleased with it as well as surprised that he managed to do it so well. Her curly hair fell in bundles from the middle of her head, and a smile involuntarily pulled on her lips as he too smiled down at her in pride for his skills.

His hands ran down her arms and sat on her shoulders as he gazed at her through the mirror. She met his eyes at the small gesture, realizing that this was probably the closest he had ever been to her since she arrived.

With a clearing of her throat, she stepped away from him, avoiding the void she felt when his hands fell to his side again.

He grabbed her bag on the bed, gesturing for her to go first as he held the door open. The first thing she did was gasp when she saw just how big and beautiful the hall outside her room was. She had never been out of the room since the day she arrived, so the thought of seeing some of the house was oddly satisfying.

It felt like hours since they were walking through the huge house, and she was convinced that the front door was miles away. She did, however, take the time to appreciate how big and beautiful Raphael’s mansion was. She knew he was rich, but his house looked like it belonged to royalty.

Something or rather someone caught her eye on the way out, and to say she was shocked was an understatement.

"There's someone else living here?" She voiced her thoughts when she caught the smallest glimpse of Mrs. Garcia on the way out.

Raphael's jaw clicked, even though he wasn’t upset with her. He simply didn’t want her to know that someone else was here, same like how he didn’t want Mrs. Garcia to know about her. He couldn’t blame her for seeing though. He didn’t miss how much she was looking around, and how slow she walked as she tried to behold everything in the house.

"Yes. My helper lives here too. She doesn’t know about you yet, and I would like it to remain that way " His voice had a little warning edge to it, as if he was telling her not to try anything.

It was like he knew Tami would've screamed or something to get the woman's attention. But before she could even try, Raphael was leading her through the door.

She took a deep breath of fresh air as the sea breeze hit her. The sunlight was also a little blinding as her eyes adjusted to the light.

As far as she could see, Raphael's house was the only one in the area, so there was no way she could ask a neighbour for help. She also saw that his house was indeed on the sea side, and she would've acknowledged the beauty of it all if she weren't trying to plan an escape.

She looked back at the house, gaping in shock when she realized just how big it really was. She could see that there was more to it, and the female in her suddenly wanted a whole tour. Nonetheless, she simply walked as Raphael led her to what looked like a garage where not one, not two, but ten cars sat.

"How rich are you?" She asked in shock as he threw her bag in the back of a silver Ferrari.

He smirked at her, gesturing for her to come closer. "I manage" He shrugged as they both sat in the car.

Tami was completely stunned into silence as she ogled the interior. She almost forgot she was mad at him as she rambled about how cool it was. She was always a car freak. She simply loved them and the rush she felt being in one.

She squealed in delight when Raphael roared the engine to life, and his laughter boomed through the car as she ran her hands over the dashboard and everywhere. She swung the seatbelt over her chest as he drove out, and a thought quickly nudged at her brain.

"Just so you know, this is NOT me warming up to you or anything." She stated sternly, but Raphael only chuckled at that.

But what she didn’t even notice was that she already was warming up to him. Whether she wanted to accept it or not.