The Temporary Wife: Luca and Valentina's Story(25)

He takes a step away from me, hurt flashing through his eyes. “I would never do that to you, Valentina.”

“Then what is this? You know as well as I do that you’ll have to marry Natalia before the year is over. There’s nothing you can do or say that would change that. So, this? How is this fair to me? Why now? Can you truly look me in the eye and tell me that you aren’t doing this in an attempt to bend me to your will?”

Luca runs a hand through his hair and looks up at the ceiling. He looks as lost as I feel. Is any of this real? For years, he treated me with near disdain. I’ve always just been an employee to him, and nothing more. Part of me wants his desire to be real, but I’ve known Luca long enough to know it can’t be. He’s a control freak, and I’m not walking the road he paved for me. He’s trying to get me back on track, and he’ll stoop to whatever means necessary.

“I need you to leave. I’ll let this go on account of our history. Tomorrow morning, we’re going to pretend this didn’t happen, and in six months, you’re going to let me go. Nothing you do or say will change my mind, Luca. I’m done being your pawn.”

I walk to the door and hold it open for him. He sighs and follows me reluctantly. I didn’t think he’d have anything left to say, but he leans against the doorway and looks into my eyes, his gaze unfocused. “You were never a pawn,” he says, his voice soft. “You were always my queen. Everyone knew it but you.”

Then he walks out, leaving both my thoughts and my heart in disarray.





Chapter Seventeen





Luca

I lean back in my chair, my eyes on Valentina through the glass walls that surround my office. Fragments of last night flash through my mind as my head throbs painfully. I can’t remember the last time I got truly wasted. I hate losing control, yet that’s exactly what I did last night.

What the fuck did I do? What the fuck was I thinking? It’s all fucking Zane and Ares’s fault. They should’ve kept me at poker night, but instead, they filled my head with thoughts about Valentina and some other man that she’d end up marrying. The fuckers even called me a driver to take me to her place. They should’ve known better, and the same goes for me.

Valentina has been acting normal all morning, and she even handed me some paracetamol and water with one of those annoying smiles on her face and a sweet sticky note, yet I can’t shake the feeling that I did some irreparable damage to our relationship. If I had a chance to retain her at all, I definitely blew it last night.

I hesitate for a moment before pressing one of the buttons on my desk phone. I watch as she rises from her seat, my eyes roaming over the tight red dress she’s wearing today. There are no big deals that we’re negotiating today, and she hasn’t confronted me about last night. If she was going to, she would’ve done it already.

So why?

Why is she wearing red?

“You called for me?” she asks, her face perfectly expressionless.

I rise from my seat and walk around my desk to lean against it. She stands in front of me, her gaze unwavering.

“We need to talk.”

She raises a brow and nods. “What is it you’d like to discuss?”

I study her face for a moment. “I’d like to apologize for the way I behaved last night. I never should’ve gotten as drunk as I did, and I certainly never should’ve shown up at your house in that state.”

She looks into my eyes as though she’s searching for a hint of insincerity, but then she nods. “That’s quite alright,” she tells me. “We’ve all had our fair share of drunken moments. You’re not exempt from them.”

I raise my brow and stare at her, confused. That’s it? That’s all she has to say? “I meant it,” I tell her, my voice soft. “I won’t let you go.”

Valentina crosses her arms and stares me down. “Why? Why do you insist on tying me to this job? It’s not unnatural to be resistant to change, Luca, but you’ll be fine. I’m not walking away abruptly. I’ll find and train a replacement.”

I clench my jaw and reach for her, wrapping a strand of her hair around my finger. “No one could ever replace you, Valentina. No one knows me the way you do. I’d be a fool if I ever let you go. Windsor Finance would never sustain the loss of you. I wouldn’t.”

I see her waver and hold my breath for a moment, scared to say anything that’ll ruin the progress I know I’ve made with her. “Luca,” she whispers, her gaze softening. “I…”

The moment breaks when my office door opens, and I pull my hand away, letting Valentina’s hair slip through my fingers. I look up with barely restrained anger, only to find my sister-in-law grinning back at me.

“Raven,” I say, my anger draining away. She might be my brother’s wife, but she’s always been like a sister to me. Even now, I can’t find it in me to be annoyed with her.

“There you are,” she says, her gaze settling on Valentina. “You forgot this.” She holds up a bag with her brand’s logo on it, and I frown. “These shoes go with the dress you’re wearing. I want you to look perfect on your date tonight.”

Valentina’s eyes widen, and I tense, my stomach dropping. “Date?” I repeat, my tone carrying a hint of danger. “What fucking date?”