Craved by the Wrong Volkov-Chapter 245 - 5th anniversary

Braelyn’s POV

After the confrontation at Ronan’s place, things slowed down to a peaceful rhythm, at least on the surface. There hadn’t been any scene from Amelia or the Volkovs, and I hadn’t seen Lucien since that day at the hospital.

Rumours were going around in the company about how careless he was, although I had a feeling someone was fuelling those rumours.

The fact was that he hadn’t stepped foot in Volkov Apex for days, nor had there been any communication between us.

During these days, Raphael had been doing his best to repair what he had broken. He was trying to turn things back to how they were in the past, but it felt more like we were polite strangers living in the same house than a couple.

I walked into the kitchen and was welcomed by the aroma of food. My eyes immediately went to Raphael, who was placing dishes on the centre island. My lips twitched at the sight.

"Good morning, Lynn," he chimed.

I was dazzled by the sight of Raphael in an apron. It was rare seeing him so domesticated. After all, he might be a jerk, but he still had a dangerously handsome face.

I was too stunned to reply to his greeting. When I didn’t see breakfast on the dining table, I was confused. It didn’t cross my mind to see Raphael in the kitchen cooking. The last time he did something like this was over a year ago.

"What are you doing?" I couldn’t help but ask, eyeing him. Did he think cooking for me would buy my forgiveness? Even if he were the best chef in the world.

Raphael placed the last plate down, then pulled the apron off over his head. "I prepared breakfast, silly," he laughed lightly.

I blinked at him. Although I saw it before me, I still couldn’t believe it. There were a lot of dishes here. He had to wake up pretty early to get this ready. Why did he have to go through that much stress?

"Why?" I blurted. I couldn’t help but ask. Even if he was trying to win me over, he was busy and had an important appointment this morning.

Raphael smiled, soft and gentle. "Today is our fifth anniversary, Lynn," he said, leaving me stunned. Then he added quietly, "I promised to cook on every anniversary."

Something twisted in my chest.

The date had completely slipped my mind. It was a silly agreement we made years back. My cooking had always been a disaster, but Raphael was exceptional. He could effortlessly prepare several dishes.

He had promised to prepare breakfast on every anniversary, and he kept that promise. Even last year, with our relationship already cracking, he had made a simple breakfast and left before I woke up.

That was before the open marriage chaos, but I could already sense something was changing in Raphael back then. That simple meal had reignited my hope, knowing he hadn’t forgotten.

But now, watching everything he prepared, I felt complex emotions, and joy wasn’t one of them.

"I had forgotten..." I said honestly. "You have a lot going on. You shouldn’t have gone through the stress."

I saw the light disappear from his eyes, but he forced a smile immediately. "But I wanted to," he said.

Then he added, "Just have a bite. Please don’t let it go to waste," he pleaded.

The meal held meaning to him, but the fact was, I was hungry, and I saw no need to reject good food.

I took a seat, my eyes darting across the table, taking in every dish. He had done his assignment and researched my condition. There wasn’t a single dish that didn’t match my taste. He fixed the first plate for me before fixing his own.

I took the first bite. It wasn’t bad at all. I could feel the care put into it, but for some strange reason, it wasn’t as enjoyable as it had been in the past. The bliss of eating his cooking wasn’t there. It felt like a regular breakfast.

The soft clinking sounds echoed in the kitchen until a soft, almost hesitant voice spoke.

"Happy anniversary, Lynn," he said quietly.

He didn’t get a reply. I just continued eating. My stomach was important, no matter what.

His grip on the fork tightened slightly. Something flickered across his gaze, but he didn’t stop.

"Will you be free today after work? I made reservations somewhere," he suggested.

I paused for a moment as if contemplating before continuing.

I should have rejected him directly, but I didn’t. "I will think about it," I said, dabbing my lips with a napkin before getting off the stool.

"I’m full. We have a summit to attend, although I would prefer you go with someone else," I said coolly.

Raphael ignored that and got off his stool. "The car is already waiting, and the summit will be starting soon," he said. The hurt expression on his face was gone, replaced with that calm look I knew too well. No matter what, today’s summit was important.

"Maybe after the summit we can go out together..." he added softly.

*******

The chauffeur drove us to the location. The entire ride, Raphael and I barely spoke a word. Luckily, he was on a phone call with his assistant, making last-minute arrangements.

This summit was important for Volkov Apex Holdings to re-establish its standing and show they weren’t shaken by New Horizon’s recent actions.

We arrived on time and got to our seats after meeting the other company representatives. Raphael was exchanging a few words with a manager from a partner company as the main event was about to start.

"You look elated about today," Raphael mentioned, noticing the manager was in a good mood.

Something flickered across the manager’s face before he smiled. "Is it obvious?" he laughed.

"You’ve had a smile on your face since you stepped in," I chimed in, a bit curious too.

The manager smiled. "I guess I can’t help it," he said, then added, "I heard an interesting rumour that New Horizon will be appearing today," he drawled, a subtle smirk on his lips. He was aware of the relationship between the Volkovs and the other company.

I waited for Raphael’s reaction, but he didn’t say anything. He stiffened for a moment and lost interest in the manager. I slowly glanced up and noticed he was staring at the entrance.

Something stirred in me, and I looked over and saw what Raphael couldn’t look away from.

Lucien.

My breath caught. Lucien wasn’t among the delegates for Volkov Apex. It could only mean one thing.

My fingers curled as I sensed the impending storm.