Fate's Deception

Chapter One

The Unexplained

The moon hung high in the night sky, bathing the deserted road in a pale, silvery glow.

A young man lay motionless on the cold pavement.

He was no more than twenty-five.

His clothes were torn, his body covered in injuries, and blood flowed from his wounds, slowly spreading across the road beneath him. His breathing was faint, almost swallowed by the silence of the night.

“Raffy…”

A sharp voice suddenly called his name.

His fingers twitched.

“Raffy.”

The voice came again, pulling him away from the darkness.

His eyes slowly opened.

The moonlit road vanished.

The darkness disappeared.

Raffy jolted awake.

He looked around, breathing heavily as his eyes adjusted to his surroundings.

“Are you trying to remember something again?” Zara asked irritably.

Raffy lowered his gaze.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I didn’t sleep last night—”

He didn’t get the chance to finish.

“Whatever. Let’s go. I’m already late.”

“Yes, ma’am. As you wish.”

Raffy lowered his head, stood up, and followed Zara.

They had barely taken a few steps when a voice behind them stopped them.

“Zara, where are you going?”

Both of them turned around.

A woman stood a short distance away, watching them.

“Mom, I’m going to attend a meeting,” Zara replied politely.

Her mother’s gaze shifted toward Raffy.

“And where is he going?”

There was clear displeasure in her expression.

“The driver is on leave today,” Zara replied calmly.

Her mother looked at Raffy with open disapproval.

“Still, it would have been better if you went with Adrian.”

Her tone was unmistakably sarcastic.

Raffy had never been someone she liked. The only reason she tolerated his presence was because of her husband. He was the one who had brought Raffy into their household as a servant, and for her husband’s sake, she had chosen to remain silent.

“Mom, I was going to go with Adrian,” Zara explained, trying to remain patient. “But he isn’t home right now, so I’m going with him instead.”

She glanced at the time.

“I’m already late. Please, let me go.”

Her mother gave a reluctant nod.

“Fine. But be careful.”

The sarcasm remained in her voice.

Zara turned around, and Raffy followed her without a word.

When they reached the car, Raffy respectfully opened the door for Zara.

As soon as she settled inside, he gently closed it. He then walked around to the other side, got into the driver’s seat, and started the engine.

A moment later, the car pulled away, heading toward Penzak.

“So, did you remember anything?”

Zara’s voice carried a mocking edge.

Raffy noticed it immediately.

“Ma’am, I tried very hard, but—”

Before he could finish, Zara cut him off.

“I didn’t give you permission to answer.”

Her voice hardened.

“So don’t cross your limits.”

Raffy fell silent at once.

The rest of the journey passed in uncomfortable silence.

Penzak Traders

The doors opened, and Zara stepped inside.

Raffy followed closely behind her.

Zara walked straight to her usual seat and took her place.

Raffy respectfully stopped a few steps behind her, his gaze lowered.

“Oh, Zara! Who is this handsome guy?”

The girl sitting beside Zara asked curiously, her eyes fixed on Raffy.

Raffy remained standing quietly.

“He is…”

Before Zara could finish, the doors to the hall suddenly opened.

A man entered, accompanied by four guards.

The entire hall fell silent.

A pleasant smile rested on the man’s face as he made his way toward his usual seat at the front of the room.

As he passed by, his eyes fell upon Raffy.

“Raffy.”

He called his name gently.

At the sound of his voice, Raffy lifted his head and looked directly into the man’s eyes.

“Please, sit down. This is my meeting.”

The man spoke politely before taking his seat.

Raffy remained standing for a moment, looking at him uncertainly.

“Sit down,” the man repeated.

This time, there was unmistakable warmth in his voice.

Raffy finally obeyed and took a seat.

Zara watched her father with growing irritation.

She couldn’t understand why he showed so much kindness and respect toward a servant.

“What happened, dear?”

Mr. Hamel looked toward his daughter, who was staring at him with barely concealed anger.

Zara simply shook her head.

“Nothing.”

But her eyes told him far more than her words ever could.

A faint smile touched Mr. Hamel’s lips. He seemed to understand exactly what was going through her mind, but chose not to comment.

Instead, he turned his attention toward the other members of the meeting.

Raffy sat quietly beside Zara, close to Mr. Hamel, his gaze lowered once again.

Mr. Hamel soon became absorbed in the meeting, listening carefully as the members presented their proposals.

Zara, however, seemed far more interested in Raffy than in the discussion.

She kept glancing at him, watching him closely.

Raffy paid no attention to her.

His focus remained on the meeting. He listened carefully to every proposal and every word spoken by the members.

Mr. Hamel was a well-known businessman and the director of Penzak Traders. His position made every decision discussed in the room important.

After some time, the meeting came to a successful conclusion.

Mr. Hamel rose from his seat and looked around the room with a pleasant smile.

“Thank you all for joining the meeting. I truly appreciate your time and valuable suggestions.”

As he stood, everyone else followed and rose respectfully.

Everyone except Zara.

She remained seated, completely absorbed in her phone.

“Zara…”

Mr. Hamel looked toward his daughter, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“As we all know, you are my beloved daughter. But here, you are a member of this meeting, so you should treat me the same way everyone else does.”

Zara didn’t respond.

She remained completely absorbed in her phone.

Mr. Hamel watched her for a moment before turning his gaze toward Raffy.

He didn’t need to say anything.

Raffy immediately understood what he wanted.

“Ma’am…”

He called her respectfully.

“Ma’am…”

Zara turned toward him.

Fury was evident in her eyes.

The moment their gazes met, Raffy lowered his eyes.

He couldn’t bear to look into her furious eyes for more than a second.

Zara glanced around the room.

Everyone was standing while she remained seated.

The members stared at her in disbelief.

They couldn’t believe she had shown such blatant disrespect toward Mr. Hamel—the renowned businessman and well-known tycoon.

Yet Zara seemed completely unfazed.

“Zara, if you wish, you could show me a little respect.”

Mr. Hamel’s voice carried a hint of sarcasm.

At his words, Zara immediately stood.

In her haste, however, she lost her balance.

Before she could fall, Raffy quickly reached out and caught her, steadying her with one hand.

For a brief moment, Zara found herself supported by him.

She immediately pulled away and removed his hand from her arm.

She glared at him furiously.

Raffy lowered his gaze at once and took a step back.

Mr. Hamel watched the exchange closely.

A knowing smile slowly spread across his face.

“As we all know, the meeting has come to an end. Once again, thank you all for joining us. You may leave now.”

Mr. Hamel gave them permission to leave.

One by one, the members thanked him and left the meeting hall.

Soon, the room grew quiet.

After a while, only three people remained inside—

Mr. Hamel, Zara, and Raffy.

“Oh, dear. Are you all right?”

Mr. Hamel asked with a hint of concern.

Zara looked at him with a furious expression, clearly unable to understand what he meant.

Seeing her reaction, Mr. Hamel couldn’t hold back his laughter.

A few steps away, Raffy stood quietly, watching the warm exchange between father and daughter.

A faint smile appeared on his face as well.

“So, Mr. Raffy, since you’re here as well, and the meeting has come to a successful conclusion, I’ll treat the two of you today.”

Mr. Hamel looked toward Raffy with a pleasant smile.

Raffy said nothing. He simply smiled back at him.

Zara stared at her father in disbelief.

“But, Dad—”

She didn’t get the chance to finish.

“Please invite your brother as well,” Mr. Hamel interrupted. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him.”

He turned toward Raffy.

“Invite your brother, Raffy.”

With that, Mr. Hamel headed toward the main door.

Zara and Raffy exchanged a brief, disbelieving look.

Neither seemed to know what to make of his decision.

After a moment, without saying another word or looking at each other again, they silently followed Mr. Hamel out of the hall.

The Hotel

Zara and Raffy entered the hotel together.

Mr. Hamel wasn’t with them. He had asked them to go ahead and order whatever they wanted, promising to join them later after taking care of some important business.

Zara walked a few steps ahead while Raffy followed quietly behind her.

The moment Raffy stepped inside, something felt wrong.

A sudden wave of dizziness washed over him.

The voices around him seemed to grow louder with every passing second. Conversations overlapped, footsteps echoed across the floor, and the noise seemed to close in around him.

Raffy tried to steady himself.

It didn’t help.

His breathing became heavier.

There were too many people.

Too many voices.

He pressed his hands over his ears, desperately trying to block out the noise.

But it only grew worse.

His knees weakened, and he slowly sank to the floor, lowering his head between them.

The world around him began to blur.

The voices faded into a distant murmur.

And then, everything went dark.

“Raffy, where should we sit? Suggest somewhere my dad likes.”

Zara glanced over her shoulder.

There was no answer.

She took another step before realizing she could no longer hear Raffy’s footsteps behind her.

Irritation flashed across her face.

She turned around.

The anger disappeared instantly.

Raffy was sitting on the floor, his hands pressed against his ears and his head lowered between his knees.

“Raffy?”

Zara hurried toward him and knelt beside him.

Her voice softened.

“Raffy, are you okay?”

He didn’t answer.

Before Zara could do anything else, Raffy’s body suddenly went limp.

He collapsed onto the floor.

“Raffy!”

Zara caught his shoulder and tried to wake him.

“Raffy… wake up.”

Nothing.

She called his name again, but he remained completely unresponsive.

Panic began to replace the confusion in her eyes.

People nearby noticed what had happened and quickly gathered around them.

Several of them rushed forward to help.

With their assistance, Zara managed to get Raffy out of the hotel and into a vehicle.

They rushed him to the hospital.

Throughout the journey, Zara kept calling his name.

“Raffy… please, wake up.”

Tears slipped down her cheeks, but she didn’t even notice them.

Her entire attention remained fixed on him.

Raffy lay motionless beside her, completely unresponsive.

His breathing had grown faint, and his body felt cold.

Fear tightened around Zara’s heart.

She had never seen him like this before.

“Please, Raffy…”

Her voice broke.

“Please be okay.”

The moment they reached the hospital, Zara rushed toward the entrance.

“Doctor! Please, help him!”

Her voice trembled with panic.

Doctors and nurses immediately rushed toward them.

They took Raffy from Zara and quickly wheeled him into the emergency room.

“Wait!”

Zara tried to follow, but the doors closed before she could enter.

She stood there for a moment, staring at them in disbelief.

Then she began pacing outside the emergency room.

Her hands trembled.

Tears continued to fall from her eyes.

“Please be okay, Raffy…”

She whispered.

A short while later, Mr. Hamel arrived with Noah.

They hurried toward her, both visibly worried.

They had already learned about Raffy’s condition and had rushed to the hospital as soon as they could.

“Zara…”

Mr. Hamel called softly.

Zara turned toward him, her tear-filled eyes immediately returning to the emergency room doors.

“He’s inside,” she whispered.

Noah looked toward the doors, his expression tense.

“My brother…”

His voice trembled.

“Is he all right?”

“I don’t know,” Zara whispered.

Her voice broke.

She turned toward Mr. Hamel and hugged him tightly.

Mr. Hamel wrapped his arms around both of them.

“He’ll be all right,” he assured them gently. “Raffy will be fine. We’ll see him soon.”

His words were calm, but the concern in his eyes betrayed his own fear.

The three of them remained outside the emergency room, waiting anxiously.

After what felt like an eternity, the door finally opened.

A doctor stepped out.

His expression was serious.

Mr. Hamel immediately rushed toward him.

“Doctor, tell me about Raffy. Is he all right?”

The doctor remained silent for a moment.

That silence was enough to send another wave of fear through them.

Zara’s legs gave way.

She sank to the floor, tears streaming down her face.

“No…”

She shook her head.

“No, this can’t be happening. He has to be all right.”

Noah immediately sat beside her.

“Please, sis. Don’t worry.”

He tried to steady her.

“Brother will be all right.”

His own voice trembled, and tears slipped from his eyes despite his efforts to hold them back.

The doctor finally spoke.

“He is all right. Please, don’t panic.”

Relief washed over them.

Zara lowered her head onto Noah’s shoulder and began to cry.

Noah gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s okay, sis. He’s all right now.”

Mr. Hamel released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

“Thank you, Doctor.”

He looked toward the emergency room.

“Can we see him?”

“He’ll be shifted to a private room shortly,” the doctor explained. “Once he’s settled there, you can go in and see him.”

Mr. Hamel nodded gratefully.

“Thank you.”

The doctor gave them a reassuring nod before walking away.

For the first time since Raffy had collapsed, the three of them were finally able to breathe.

But none of them knew what had really happened to him.

And, more importantly—

none of them knew why.