Unexpected Encounter: A Second Chance at Love

Kazi sighed. Riftan would never admit even if he had not the right point. "I just don't want you to unintentionally hurt yourself." 

"What do you think I am? A horny teenager who can't keep it in his pants in front of a beautiful woman?" He scoffed. "I just find her attractive, that's it." 

"Well—" Kazi shrugged. "If it's really like that then I don't see any problem but if it's not—" He didn't complete the sentence. He just patted Riftan's back and left. 

Riftan scoffed and entered the room. 

... 

When Rachael saw him, she quickly got up. 

"Are you hungry?" He inquired. "Janet is bringing the food." 

She shook her head. "No, it's okay. I am not that hungry." 

When she sat on the edge of the bed and sighed, Riftan sat right next to her. "You seem stressed. Are you worried about Andrew?" 

"I am always worried about him." She looked at him. "Shouldn't I be worried?" 

"Well—" He shrugged. "Given the fact that we are always surrounded with danger, I guess it's okay to worry." 

Rachael fidgeted with her wedding ring. "He has his reasons for continuing in the path he was forced into and I respect that, I really do but—" She sighed. "I also cannot help but constantly worry about him. I mean, I don't know what I will do if I lose him. Andrew is my everything and—" 

She stopped midway when Riftan chuckled. 

"I am sorry, I am not mocking you or anything. It's just—" He sighed. "Andrew is lucky to have someone who cares for him even after being a part of this fucked up world. I mean, at least he knows he has someone who will genuinely mourn for him if something happens unlike most of us." 

"That's not true, you also have Janet." Keeping quiet for a while, Rachael added, "You also adore your sister a lot." 

"She is all I have." He adored his sister. She was the only family he had. 

"See, you also have someone who cares for you," she smiled.

"People like me don't deserve anyone's love and care, Rachael." He leaned towards her. "I am a very bad boy." 

"I don't think so," she disagreed with him. "From whatever I have heard, you don't sound like a bad person." 

When he looked at her, she added, "Sometimes the circumstances we are in force us to do things that may make us seem like a bad person but the reality is different." 

"Wait, are you trying to make me feel good about myself? Because I swear, it's working," he chuckled. "You are trying to make your husband's enemy feel good." 

"Well, even you saved your enemy's wife, didn't you?" Rachael smiled. "Maybe you aren't as bad as you think." 

Riftan couldn't help but nod in agreement. The way Rachael smiled at him made him feel light and happy. He did save his enemy's wife, he shouldn't have but he did. 

He always wanted to kill the Volkov's. With them out of the picture, things would be so easy for him. But now he couldn't help but wonder what would happen to Rachael if anything was to happen to Andrew. 

The way she talked about him was enough for him to understand how much she adored Andrew, how much she loved him.

Would she ever forgive him if one day he was to take Andrew's life?

…..

[Thirty minutes later] 

[Outside The Genovesse Mansion]

"Are you sure you want to go by yourself?" When Andrew told him he would go inside the mansion by himself to bring Rachael, Owen did not like the idea. 

He didn't trust Riftan, not even a little bit. He wouldn't be surprised if he used Rachael as a pawn to harm Andrew. 

"I'll be quick." Andrew looked at his stained shirt and frowned. There was no way he would meet Rachael with blood all over him. 

Understanding his turmoil, Owen started taking off his shirt. "All of this doesn't make sense." He couldn't understand why Riftan Genovesse would help them. Not only did he rescue Rachael but also tipped the names involved in the kidnapping. 

Andrew agreed. "I know." Nothing made sense but right now his top priority was to bring his wife back to his side. He would deal with the rest later. 

After switching their shirts, Andrew headed towards the mansion in his car while Owen waited in a distance with the backup, all ready to ambush the place if needed. 

…..

[Inside] 

"Rachael, what's wrong?" Janet inquired. "Is the food not to your liking?" 

"No, the food is great," she quickly answered. "I am not that hungry." 

"I don't think you have eaten anything since morning," Riftan remarked, earning a look from Kazi who was also at the table with them. "Unless your kidnapper fed you something delicious that I am not aware of." 

"I—" 

Just then a guard entered the mansion. "Master, Mr. Andrew Volkov is at the gate." 

The sudden spark in Rachael's eyes did not go unnoticed by him. "Let him in," he commanded. 

Kazi glanced at his watch. "Well, that was fast," he chuckled. "It's good to see that the 

Volkovs are still in the game." 

"I don't remember them ever leaving the game." Riftan looked at Rachael. "Now that your husband is here, why don't you finish the food before he takes you away? I don't want him to think that I tried to starve you." 

Without saying anything, Rachael took a few bites of the food on her plate. 

...

When Andrew entered the mansion, the first person who greeted him at the door was Kazi. 

"Who would have thought that one day I will have to greet a Volkov?" Kazi scoffed. "Life is really unfair at times." 

But Andrew had no time for his snarky comments. His eyes were wandering around looking for Rachael. 

"Relax, your wife is safe and in one piece." Kazi patted his shoulder. "We are more hospitable than you think. She is having dinner with Janet and Riftan." 

...