Fate To Fake: Loved by the Fallen; Fated to Kill the Divine
Chapter 25: Raphael

Chapter 25: Raphael

"My name is Raphael. I’m your father’s sister," said the black-haired woman as she leaned casually on her desk. Her sharp eyes watched Leo carefully, as if trying to read every flicker of emotion on his face.

"I’m the Head Doctor of this hospital... and for the time being, I’m also acting as the Chairman," she continued, her tone calm and deliberate, though a hint of hesitation briefly laced her voice.

"Your Parents... well, about a year ago, they were in a terrible accident. It happened so suddenly. They... They died on the spot."

She clenched her fist tightly, the knuckles whitening as her eyes lowered for a moment, unable to meet Leo’s. The grief was still there, buried under her strong exterior.

Leo said nothing, his eyes fixed on her, not with surprise.

"After he passed away," Raphael went on, her voice softening, "I was asked to temporarily take over his duties as Chairman. You were the only family I had left. And I just— I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you too."

She exhaled shakily, then gave a weak smile. "So... I decided to take a position at your school as the infirmary doctor. That way, I could keep an eye on you every day without interfering too much in your life. I thought... if I was nearby, maybe I’d feel less alone. And we’ve been living together for almost a year now, haven’t we? Yeah... that’s everything."

Leo hummed thoughtfully, his eyes briefly blinking as he took in her words. Then he tilted his head slightly, a small smile playing on his lips. "So... you gave up working here full-time to work at a school clinic... just for me?"

Raphael looked down, a tiny chuckle slipping out before she nodded gently.

Leo stared at her with something that was almost admiration—mixed with envy. ’Damn guy...’ he thought to himself, jealousy simmering under the surface. He envied the life this body had, the people who cared for it so deeply.

"Can I... hug you?" he asked suddenly, his voice softer now, more honest.

Raphael blinked in surprise. Her face slowly relaxed into a tender smile as she opened her arms without hesitation. "Of course you can," she replied gently.

Leo stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. They hugged in silence for nearly a full minute, neither moving, neither speaking—just breathing.

Knock, knock...

Raphael flinched slightly, stepping back as the quiet was broken.

"Come in," she called out, smoothing her coat and clearing her throat.

A male nurse stepped inside, holding a clipboard. "I need to take his blood for a drug test, Madam," he said respectfully.

Raphael nodded and gestured lightly toward Leo. "Go ahead."

Leo rolled his eyes with a light sigh. "I didn’t take any damn drugs, you know," he muttered, a slight edge of irritation on his face as he stepped forward.

Raphael smiled faintly, amused by his defensiveness. "I know you didn’t. It’s just procedure, alright? Don’t worry. We’re not just checking for drugs—we’re also running tests to see if there’s anything unusual in your blood. Poison, toxins... anything that might explain your memory loss. So just cooperate, okay?"

Leo exhaled and nodded, reluctantly sitting down.

The male nurse wrapped a Velcro strap tightly around Leo’s upper arm, then pulled out a fresh alcohol pad. He cleaned the inside of Leo’s elbow with practised movements, then tapped lightly a few times until the veins became visible.

"Alright, hold still," the nurse muttered as he inserted the needle.

"Hiss..." Leo winced, face twisting slightly at the sting. His muscles tensed, but he didn’t flinch away.

The syringe slowly filled with blood. Once done, the nurse removed it, pressing a cotton ball to the spot. "Hold this," he instructed, guiding Leo’s hand to the cotton.

He transferred the blood into a labeled test tube, sealing it tight, scribbling Leo’s name on the sticker before giving a polite nod. "I’ll take this to the lab now, Madam," he said before walking out.

Raphael watched Leo closely, as if she wanted to say something more. Instead, she offered a soft smile. "Let’s go for a ride," she said quietly.

Leo raised a brow. "A ride?"

"Go change back into your clothes and wait at the entrance. I’ll meet you there."

Without asking more, Leo nodded and left the room.

Meanwhile, the male nurse walked briskly down the corridor, his earlier professionalism now replaced with something far more serious. His expression hardened. Reaching the secured blood storage room, he pulled out a small card and tapped it on the scanner.

Beep.

Access granted.

The door slid open with a soft hiss. He stepped inside, placing the rest of the blood samples into a labelled tray, which he then inserted into the cooler—except for Leo’s.

Holding Leo’s sample with extra care, he pulled out a pager from his pocket and typed:

<We got his blood.>

He sent the message to an untraceable number.

Beep... beep... ting!

The message went through. And then—

Thud!

The wall behind the cooler quietly slid open, revealing a hidden passage. Without a moment’s hesitation, the nurse walked forward, cradling the sample like it was treasure, and disappeared into the shadows of the secret hallway.

Meanwhile,

Leo finished changing into his regular clothes. He flexed his arms a few times, making sure the soreness from the blood draw didn’t linger. With casual steps, he made his way to the entrance—until something stunning caught his eye.

His breath caught in his throat.

"Sexy~" Leo almost shouted, eyes going wide at the sight of a red gradient car parked like a goddamn showpiece, soaking in the night light like it owned the ground it sat on.

He slowed down instinctively, lips parting as he stared. That body... it was ridiculous. Sleek, metallic curves that seemed carved by hand. The colour faded from a deep, passionate crimson at the base to a flaming ember red near the top.

"Shit... those curves," he muttered, walking around it with awe, "Did god sculpt this thing with their hands? Or was it born from sin itself?"

The headlights blinked as if they were teasing him—flirty, seductive—and the low growl of the engine purred in his imagination, promising speed, danger, and pleasure. The wheels gleamed in black chrome, with blood-red calipers peeking through like high heels under a slit dress, daring you to chase.

He moved behind it slowly, squinting. "Man... that big ass... I freaking love it," he whispered, placing a hand on the number plate, completely lost in the moment, the world fading around him.

Who was inside?

Of course, he already knew. There was only one person who would own something like this.

His hand tingled with the urge to just hop in.

He leaned in, staring at the blacked-out window.

"Come on... how long are you gonna tease me?

Can I come inside?" he asked, his voice playful but restless.

"I’ll be gentle~"

But then, his expression shifted the moment the window began to roll down. His heart skipped, and a strange tension crawled down his spine.

Because sitting inside, cool as ice and sharp as a blade, was a white-haired woman.

Leo gulped.

Honestly, he’d assumed the car belonged to his aunt, ’I mean, she was the head doctor and the acting chairman of an entire hospital’

That screamed filthy rich, didn’t it? This kind of hot, dangerous machine suited her perfectly... or so he thought.

But then, the driver’s window lowered a little more—revealing something that made Leo pause.

Sitting behind the wheel was a white-haired woman, wearing sleek black sunglasses. Her hair shimmered under the car light like strands of silver silk, glowing so brightly it almost looked surreal. Her face was sharp and sculpted—perfectly angled cheeks, a pointed little chin, and a small, elegant nose.

Effortlessly intimidating.

She didn’t say a word.

She simply chewed her bubble gum slowly, her soft pink lips moving in a lazy rhythm. The entire atmosphere between them thickened with tension.

He didn’t know what was more powerful—the car or the woman inside it.

Leo suddenly wanted to vanish.

’Crap... rich girl alert... she’s gonna be the annoying, sassy type, I know it.’

He instinctively started planning his escape. His eyes shifted subtly. Maybe if he played it cool, he could quietly back away and—

’Maybe... I can just steal her ca— No! No! Leo! This isn’t your body, you moron!’ he scolded himself with a stern look. ’And if you’re gonna steal something... do it secretly, dammit!’

As if she could hear his thoughts, the woman turned her head ever so slightly and gave him a look—cold, detached, and piercing through her sunglasses like she could see right through him.

"I know," she muttered dryly, her voice as smooth and icy as a marble floor.

Leo flinched slightly. "Huh?"

Her eyes scanned him up and down, slow and judging. She didn’t even bother to hide the disgust in her face—like she was looking at some unwanted dirt stuck to her heel.

Then, without another word, the tinted window slid back up, sealing the barrier between them with a quiet but harsh finality.

Veins popped on Leo’s forehead. He opened his mouth—

BEEEEPP!!

A loud, old-school horn blared from the side.

Leo blinked and turned around... only to see his aunt waving at him beside a beat-up, ancient-looking car that sounded like it had come straight from a scrapyard.

The muffler coughed. The paint had faded into patches. And how it was still running was a miracle in itself.

Raphael waved again awkwardly, her cheeks tinted red with embarrassment as she watched her nephew’s face drop like a stone.

"H-hey! What’s with that face that screams ’Shitty car!’ huh!?" she shouted defensively.

"You said it, not me!" Leo lifted his hands with a smirk, as if she’d confirmed it herself.

"Mind you! This little beast is the best car you’ve ever gotten a ride in! It saved my life countless times!"

Leo didn’t respond. He just opened the front door and got in, the car creaking so loudly it sounded like it was crying.

The red car woman inside watched silently as they drove off. Her expression unreadable, her gum popped softly as her head tilted.

"Hmm..." she hummed lowly, still watching the fading old car in the distance, "So that’s the guy, huh?"

She narrowed her eyes behind the glasses, her voice dipped in disgust.

"He looks pathetic... and utterly useless. Tch. Is he really the one expected to carry that man’s legacy? Seriously?" she scoffed, before revving the engine of her own car and speeding away.

Meanwhile...

Scrrrrcchhh!!

"R-Raphael! Are you sure this car actually saved your life?!" Leo cried out, gripping the edge of the seat with both hands as the car swerved sharply around a two-wheeler, narrowly avoiding it by inches.

"Or It saved others from YOU!—Shit! Truck!! Go to the side!"

Scrrcccchhhhhh!!

The tires screamed again as Raphael jerked the steering wheel. "Don’t shout! I know how to drive! I’ve been doing this for years!" she yelled back, frowning at his panicked expression.

Leo stared at her like she was a maniac. "It’s not you I’m worried about- arrh!"

He clutched the seatbelt, looking wildly around the dashboard.

"I-is there even an airbag in this thing?!"

He frantically searched for any sign of safety features—stickers, text, labels, anything.

"Airbag?" Raphael blinked and tilted her head, genuinely confused. "What’s that?"

"..."

Leo’s soul visibly left his body.

After what felt like a near-death rollercoaster experience across a war zone, the clanking, wobbling car finally came to a wheezing halt on top of a bridge.

Thud!

Something metallic dropped underneath with a solid clank.

Neither of them checked what it was.

Leo stumbled out of the car, hair disheveled, shirt slightly soaked with sweat, and his face pale like a ghost. He dropped to his knees, gasping.

"Haa—haa—haa... I... finally..." He swallowed hard. "I’m alive... right?"

He placed a hand over his chest, trying to feel the rhythm of his heart—or check if it had stopped ten minutes ago.

"Tsk, don’t be so dramatic!" Raphael said, lightly pouting as she came around and pulled him back to his feet.

Leo breathed in heavily, forcing himself to calm down. But then he looked ahead—and his breath caught again.

"What the... ?" he muttered, eyes wide, unable to look away

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Important Notice ⬇️