Craved by the Wrong Volkov-Chapter 243: Confrontation 2

Braelyn’s POV

"She is as worthless as her mother.." As soon as those words left her mouth

A slap ran across Natalia’s face, leaving her stunned in complete disbelief at who slapped her.

The entire room fell silent.

The crack of the slap rang through the drawing room, the sound was sharp and violent. For a heartbeat, no one moved, as if they all held their breath unable to believe their eyes

Natalia’s head had snapped to the side. A red mark bloomed across her cheek beneath perfectly applied makeup, her fingers rising slowly, trembling, as if she needed to touch the spot to confirm it had really happened.

"You..." she gasped, staring at me in horror. "You slap me..." she muttered in disbelief, horror flickering in her eyes. My hand was still raised after slapping her. I was seething in anger, even if I didn’t know Avelina personally, I wouldn’t let her talk trash about my mother or anyone precious to me.

I was done letting them walk over me

My palm stung, heat radiating up my arm, but it was nothing compared to the wildfire tearing through my chest. Years of humiliation, silence, and swallowing my pride had all exploded in that single moment. Raphael stared at this defiant version of me, dumbfounded, but I noticed the corners of his eyes were curled up.

Ronan’s chair scraped harshly against the floor as he stood. "Braelyn..!" he gasped, disbelief in his eyes. Natalia recovered from the shock and burst out

"How dare you?!" Natalia’s voice cracked, shrill and disbelieving, her composure shattering like thin glass. "How dare you lay a hand on me?!" she pointed a trembling finger at me. Her chest heaving and falling.

My lips curled up, amused at the sight before me. A sound escaped me. I laughed. Damn, that felt good. My hand twitched to do it again.

My laugh spilt out before I could stop it, breathless and almost hysterical. I could even hear how unhinged it sounded, but I didn’t care. I was past caring. Natalia’s face colour changed from purple to red.

My laugh died off, "If you can’t control your mouth," I said, my voice shaking with fury, "I’ll do it again."

Natalia physically recoiled, stumbling a few feet backwards. Natasha rushed to one side of her, Amelia clinging to the other, both of them holding her upright as if my words alone might knock her over. Her eyes were wide, glassy with shock, like the world had tilted off its axis.

She turned desperately to Raphael. "You’re just going to stand there and watch?!" Raphael didn’t rush to her. Didn’t even take a step.

He stood tall, one hand in his pocket, the other relaxed at his side, his expression carved from cold stone. Slowly, almost lazily, he lifted a brow.

"Do you want me to slap my wife instead?" he asked. "You were the one who almost slapped her," he sneered at her, leaving Natalia.

The quiet that followed was suffocating. Even Amelia stopped sniffling, staring at Raphael in disbelief.

Natalia stared at him as if she no longer recognised the son she had raised.

Inside me, the storm burned itself out, leaving behind something colder. A calm so deep it scared even me. Seeing the scene before me I lost all interest almost immediately. I scoffed at them dismissively before giving Raphael a sharp look.

"I’m done here," I said. My voice came out flat. Devoid of emotions. Raphael nodded at his family. "We will take our leave now.." Raphael is about to leave.

Amelia’s face scrunched up; she glared at Raphael and me. "Are you just going to leave?" She hissed but Raphael paid her no heed

I turned toward the door, heels clicking softly against the polished floor, each step steady. Raphael followed behind me, his hand steady on my back. We were about to leave when a sharp sound stopped us. The sharp sound of ceramic being shattered echoed in the drawing room.

"Mother!!" Natasha gasped

I glanced over my shoulder to see Natalia, who was standing around shattered shards. Her eyes were glaring at me with righteous indignation.

"Have you forgotten your place?!" Natalia’s scream chased after me, high and frantic. "You think you have power because you’re Mrs Volkov? Without this family, you are nothing!"

My hand tightened slightly around my clutch. I stopped walking. The room temperature plummeted. Before I could speak Raphael beat me to it. "Why are you still making a scene, mother?" He asked coldly.

Natalia staggered to her feet, her gaze locked on me. "If you had any heart," she continued bitterly, her voice shaking now, "you would beg Raphael to take Amelia back!" she declared. I turned around finding her ridiculous.

A soft laugh left me, barely louder than a breath. I turned back slowly to meet her gaze fully. "You think Raphael is doing me a favour?" I asked, my voice quiet but cutting.

Our eyes met and I raised an excellent brow. Raphael whispered beside me. "You don’t need to do this.." he said. I shrugged him off, I was done staying silent.

My gaze turned sharp, Whatever she saw in mine made her falter. For the first time since I’d known her, Natalia Volkov looked unsure but she still wasn’t scared. One thing was for sure, they knew something had changed in me.

I tilted my head slightly. My gaze, eyeing her condescendingly, "Between a shareholder..." I said calmly, "And the daughter of a bankrupt company... Who do you think is the better match?"

The words hung in the air like a blade. Amelia flinched at my word. "This marriage was arranged from the beginning to benefit Raphael," I continued. "Because of my shares, so stop acting like I am privileged when we all know Raphael is the one who is lucky.."

No one spoke.

Not Ronan.

Not Natasha.

Not even Amelia.

The ticking of the antique clock on the mantel suddenly sounded deafening. They all went silent at the truth they all knew.