The Temporary Wife: Luca and Valentina's Story(13)

I’ve worked hard to keep a certain amount of distance between us, and each and every day, I remind myself of the countless reasons I should despise her instead of want her… but I don’t think we can ever go back to the way we used to be. Not now I know how she looks when she comes for me.

“I need you to know that I have the utmost respect for you, Valentina. You are, without a doubt, the most valuable resource Windsor Finance has. I was out of line, and if anyone overstepped, it was me. I said things I didn’t mean, and if I could take back my words, I would. Hell, it isn’t just my words I’d take back. It’s my actions too. I don’t think I’ve ever regretted anything quite as much as I do that night. I care about you more than you might think, and the last thing I ever intended to do was hurt you.”

How could I have touched her when I know that I can never have her? There’s only one way I get to keep her in my life, and it’s as my employee, nothing more. I can’t risk jeopardising our precarious working relationship any further.

She flinches and grits her teeth. “You’re not the only one who regrets it, Luca,” she tells me, the anger draining from her voice, leaving only remorse. “I’d much rather we never speak of this again.”

She runs a hand through her hair and scoffs, her anger returning with a vengeance. “And Windsor Finance’s most valuable resource,” she repeats, a mocking smile on her face. “Right. That’s exactly what I am to you, huh? How could I, for even one single second, have forgotten?”

Fuck. Fuck. “I didn’t mean it that way,” I rush to tell her.

Valentina’s eyes flash with anger. “You seem to be saying and doing a lot of things you allegedly don’t mean,” she retorts. “Perhaps you should consider refraining from saying anything at all.”

She’s telling me to shut the fuck up, huh? “I…”

“You have a meeting in ten minutes,” she interrupts, pure fury in her eyes. “I will email you everything you need for it.”

Then she walks out, leaving me staring after her. How did I manage to make things even worse?





Chapter Nine





Valentina

“Val?”

I look up at the sound of my abuela’s voice and find her standing in the doorway of my bedroom. “Abuelita? What are you doing here?”

Her eyes roam over my face, a hint of concern in them. “I rang the doorbell twice, but you didn’t hear me, eh? I was worried about you, so I came to take a look. You haven’t come home in a while.”

I rise to my feet and grab her hands, noting how cold they are. “How did you get here?”

She smiles at me. “I took the bus and walked. I called you a few times earlier, but you didn’t pick up. I had a bad feeling, so I used the code on your fancy door lock.”

I lift our joined hands to my face and warm her hand on my cheek. “I’m sorry, Abuelita. I’ve just been busy with work. I should’ve come to see you and Mom.”

She leads me to my living room and sits me down before taking my hands in hers. “You didn’t come home because you were worried I’d ask too many questions.”

I blink in surprise. “What do you mean?” I ask hesitantly.

She shoots me a knowing look. “What happened, Val? Why have you been so upset lately? It’s been a few weeks now, and you haven’t been yourself. Did you argue with Luca?”

I pull my hands out of hers and wrap them around myself. “No,” I lie. “He’s just my boss, Abuela. What are you thinking?”

She smiles at me. “You have worked for him for many years now, Chiquita. He is more than your boss. He’s like family, no? Perhaps more than that.”

My nails dig into my skin, and I shake my head even as my mind drifts back to the way he kissed me. It’s hard to explain just how betrayed I feel. To him, it was nothing but a quick hook-up, a way to control me when he thought I was veering off-track.

He has no idea it was the first time in years I let someone in. I trusted him with my body and let myself lose control. It was a foolish decision, and it’s one I profoundly regret. For a moment, he made the boundaries between us melt away, and he made me want things I know I can never have, only to remind me that I’m nothing to him. It’s everything my mother always warned me about, yet I still acted foolishly.

“No. He’s just my boss, nothing more. You should stop watching so many Telenovelas because you’re seeing things that aren’t there.”

“Am I?” she asks, her brows raised.

“Yes!”

She rises to her feet and starts to unpack the food she brought me, placing different containers on my coffee table leisurely. “If that’s true, then why have you been upset ever since you went to that wedding?”

I stare at her in surprise. How could she possibly have noticed that? “I’m not upset.”

She glances at me and shakes her head. “What is it then? Did the wedding make you think about settling down yourself? It’s about time, Val. By your age, I was already running after your mother.”

I groan and fall back on the sofa. “Abuela. I’m focusing on building my career. I just want to take care of Mom and you.”

She looks me square in the eye and pauses, a yoghurt container in her hand. “But who is going to take care of you, Princesa?”