All Chapters of From Rejected to Rafael's : Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

**Chapter 1: The Betrayal**MERISThe letter shook in my hands. I read the first line twice, then a third time, because my brain refused to process it on the first pass."Congratulations. We are pleased to offer you the position of Marketing Assistant at Connor's Industries."I didn't wait to read the rest. My heart slammed hard against my ribs, overwhelmed with something so pure it almost hurt.The sound came out before I could stop it, somewhere between a laugh and a sob, loud enough that the woman nearest to me turned to stare. I didn't care.Two years after graduating, I'd finally been given a chance to work in Connor's company. My fated mate. My fiancé.I grabbed two glasses of wine from the nearest server, ignoring the looks, and downed them both before he could blink. The warmth spread through my chest like a slow bloom. I deserved it. I'd worked hard for this job, even though Connor was rich enough to ensure I never worked a day in my life if I chose not to.My eyes swept the

**Chapter 3**MERISThe alcohol drained out of me in seconds. That's what fear does, it clears you out fast, strips every warm thing away until there's nothing left but cold and that phone call still ringing through my skull.I pulled myself off him without looking at his face. I couldn't afford to look at his face."This was a mistake," I said. My voice cracked on the last word.I adjusted my dress and tried to move, but he yanked me back."Not so fast, princess." He circled his arm around my waist, pinning me to the car. I struggled, but he was far stronger than me.He claimed my lips again, but the call I had just received made my feelings disappear. Instead, I felt disgusted. The only thing on my mind was my dying mother.I didn't have time for this.I looked up at him, and even in the dark, even through the mask, something in his eyes made me pause for a half second before I pushed past it."I'm sorry. I need to go to the hospital. Right now," I whispered, tears stinging my eyes.

**Chapter 5: The Deal**MERISI'd rehearsed this.The entire Uber ride. The elevator. The walk across that marble floor. I had the words lined up clean and ready, qualifications, circumstances, the upfront payment request, all of it organized into something that sounded composed and impossible to say no to.Every single word of it was gone the moment our eyes met.Because the man standing across the desk from me wasn't just Rafael Belmont, the next Alpha Chairman, business mogul, the man I'd built my entire dreams around at seventeen.He was the man from the car park. The mask was gone, but I'd have known those eyes; I couldn't be mistaken. I'd felt his mouth on my throat less than twelve hours ago. I'd moaned under his breath without knowing it was him. And he stood there and let me walk away without saying a word.I held my face very still and said nothing.My wolf was making a considerable amount of noise inside me, none of it helpful."You were expecting me," I said. It didn't com