84. The Real You!

Author's POV 

Emerald parked her car in front of the massive mansion and stayed seated, letting herself breathe in the sight. The place was beautiful, grand, quiet, and unsettlingly familiar. Most of the pictures she had were taken in the garden here. Her past lived inside these walls, whispering to her, calling her.

She had tried researching the mansion, but someone had scrubbed its history clean.

As she approached the entrance, a guard stepped in to block her. He clearly didn’t recognize her. But the second guard did.

“Don’t stop her,” he snapped, pushing the gate open.

Emerald frowned at the strange reaction but didn’t question it. The mansion tugged at her attention too strongly to focus on anything else.

She stepped inside, and the moment her feet touched the grounds, a rush of déjà vu hit her so hard she almost staggered. Whispered voices—hers, others—echoed through her mind. Old memories scratched at the walls of her skull.

Inside, the current house owner was speaking on the phone. He froze the instant he saw her like he’d seen a ghost. Or a threat. The Queen, the original owner of the house, was standing right in front of him.

Fear stiffened his shoulders. He swallowed hard, remembering whatever Egon had warned him.

Emerald tried to introduce herself. “I am—”

“You can explore whatever you wish,” he interrupted quickly. “King said you might visit.”

Emerald caught the tremor in his voice.

“King? Egon?” she asked, watching his nervousness with full suspicion. She’d seen people shake in front of Egon, but why were they reacting the same way to her?

“Yes,” he squeaked, then nearly ran out of the room.

She didn’t stop him. But as he reached the midway, she called out, “Wait!”

He froze instantly.

“Who am I?” she asked.

He wiped sweat from his forehead. “King ordered us not to tell you anything. You must recall on your own.”

Emerald let him leave, then drifted deeper into the mansion. Every corner held a whisper, every shadow tugged at her memory. Her head throbbed. Voices crowded her mind, growing louder until her chest tightened and her breaths shortened.

She stumbled outside, gasping for air. Black dots swarmed her vision, and she collapsed beside her car. Someone lifted her, but her vision was too blurred to see who.

“Was this a good idea? She’s a beast,” a distant voice said.

“She doesn’t remember herself. It’s nothing,” another replied—colder, sharper… yet oddly familiar.

Her consciousness faded.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself on a luxurious, fluffy sofa. The room around her was a hybrid of a library and a study—dark wood shelves, expensive leather, and an atmosphere that screamed danger.

And then she saw him.

A tall, dangerously handsome man sat across from her, legs crossed, shoulders broad, posture effortlessly dominant. He twirled his phone between his fingers, his muscles clenching with controlled strength. His smirk wasn’t friendly—more like a wolf entertained by a wounded deer.

Emerald’s instincts screamed be careful.

“Such a shame,” he drawled. “Seeing a lioness look like a lost puppy.”

His voice was smooth but sharp enough to cut.

Emerald stared, unamused. “Do I know you?”

His smirk curved. “You used to. I don’t know if your brain still has the capacity.”

His tone made her want to slap him, but the danger rolling off him kept her still.

She rubbed her face. “Who are you, and why am I here?”

“I’m Rafael Delgado,” he said casually, like it was common knowledge. “Spanish mafia king. My men found you collapsed and brought you to me. They love offering surprises. Idiots think I enjoy gifts.”

The way he said idiots made it sound like a death threat, not a joke.

Emerald steadied her breath. “What do you want from me?”

“From you? Nothing.” His smile sharpened. “But your boyfriend…”

“We’re not in a relationship,” she snapped.

“Oh, sweetheart,” he said sarcastically, leaning forward. “That’s adorable. For you.”

He stood, and his height felt suffocating. “Tell me, why did you even fall for him? Weren’t you two enemies? You disappointed me. I expected merciless taste from a woman like you.”

Emerald glared. “Why are you interested in my love life? Do you secretly have a crush on me? Is this your way of flirting?”

He barked a dark laugh. “Even if you were the last woman on earth, I’d choose extinction. You’re not my type. And I have a beautiful wife.”

Emerald raised a brow. “You sound very sure of yourself.”

“Rafael?” a gentle voice called from the door.

Emerald turned her head and froze.

A stunning woman walked in—small, delicate, breathtaking. Her aura was so soft, she looked breakable. There was no one in this world who could match Rafael’s wife in beauty—no goddess, no queen, no mortal soul. She wasn’t just beautiful; she was otherworldly. Soft, angelic, a presence that felt carved from light itself. Her very existence seemed to quiet a room, as if the air paused just to take her in. Emerald, who had never once felt drawn to a woman, found herself momentarily breathless in her presence—flattened, disarmed, undone—because standing before that ethereal grace felt like standing before something divine.

Her beauty felt unreal.

Emerald couldn’t look away.

Rafael snorted. “You’re lucky you’re a woman. If a man looked at her like that, I’d carve his eyes out.”

She didn’t blame him. She’d probably do the same.

“Did you kidnap someone again?” Aurora asked, sounding amused.

Rafael shook his head. “No, Angel. She’s a guest. Since when do I keep captives in my study?”

Aurora gave them both a suspicious look. She clearly didn’t trust him.

“I’ll believe you for now. I’m leaving for work.”

He kissed her lightly. “Have a good day.”

The moment she walked out, Rafael’s face shifted—softness gone, replaced by predatory calm.

“You have a beautiful wife,” Emerald said.

“I know.” He shrugged,  proudly.

“I wonder how you got her,” she teased. He rolled his eyes. “Fear. It’s still there, you know.”

“You should focus on your own safety,” He shot back with narrowed his eyes, offended—and that confirmed everything. No mafia man got a woman like Aurora through romance.

“I do care about myself,” 

she said. 

“That’s why I need your help.”

Her lips twitched. 

"Tell me who I am.”

Rafael tilted his head, amused and impressed.

“You still know how to play. Good.” 

His smirk darkened. 

“So… are you ready to meet the real you?”