The Temporary Wife: Luca and Valentina's Story(75)

I still remember how impoverished she looked when she first started working for me. She’ll never know, but she’s the reason our entire company now gets free catered lunch in the cafeteria. It’s something I implemented when I realized she was eating cup noodles every single day, despite the salary I paid her. It didn’t take me long to find out that all her money went toward her family’s care and upkeep.

There’s no way he couldn’t have known. If my grandmother is correct, and he was actively trying to prevent her from getting a high-profile job, he would have known she had to drop out of college. He would’ve known what situation her family was in, and how much had fallen onto her dainty shoulders. He knew, and he once again turned his back on her.

“I knew you’d call me eventually,” he says as he holds his hand out for me to shake.

I stare at in disgust and tip my head toward the seat opposite my desk. “Sit.”

He frowns for a moment before pulling his hand away and doing as I asked. I’ve got approximately thirty minutes before Valentina’s meeting with Ben and Stephen ends, and I want this pile of garbage out of here before she’s forced to lay her pretty eyes on him. He is one of the reasons she was scared to bring me home, why she’s hiding part of herself from me.

“I’ve been looking to invest in your fund for months now, but your secretary failed to convey my messages. After what you told me last time, I didn’t think I’d hear from you. I suppose you’ve realized how incompetent she is, and how much money you’re leaving on the table because of her. It’s hard to find good staff these days, so I won’t hold it against you in the slightest. You did, after all, reach out personally.”

How? How could a man like him have fathered someone like Valentina? Perhaps not having him in her life is a blessing, and not the curse she thinks it to be. Nevertheless, there’s no forgiveness for the pain he caused her. There is only retribution.

“I invited you here to inform you that I’m formally withdrawing the insurance policies every single Windsor company has with ReInsure as soon as our term is up. We will not be renewing. All of the Kingston companies are following suit, and so is Silas Sinclair’s firm. If I have it my way, the rest of my network will follow my lead. All in all, I expect the loss to be a few hundred million for you.”

Until now, he’s handled every single type of insurance for us, ranging from litigation insurance to the health insurance we provide to all of our employees. His company is the industry standard for insurance, but it won’t be for much longer. I can’t touch the Garcia family as a whole — they’re simply too powerful. But this? This I can do. Miguel and Reinsure aren’t that hard to destroy. I’ll ruin him, and not even the head of the Garcia family, Hugo Garcia, will be able to save him. With a bit of luck, Hugo won’t even care about his second cousin. The loss of such a profitable company will draw his attention, but I’m willing to face any consequences that come from it.

“Ares will issue a formal statement through a press conference, and every single media firm we own will cover the news. We’ll ensure everyone hears about it. How many clients do you think you’ll lose? How many companies will assume that we must know something they don’t?”

The panic in his eyes brings me joy, but it isn’t enough. I want him to suffer the way he made my wife suffer. I’ll take away everything he left her for, right down to the same fucking building he refused her entry to.

“Why would you do that?” he asks, his voice trembling. “Is there something we’ve done? Are the prices of our policies too high? We can always renegotiate, Luca. Let’s talk about this, and allow me to make you an offer you can’t refuse. I’ve been meaning to re-invest the insurance funds, and it’s Windsor Finance I chose. It would be a massive investment.”

I chuckle and run a hand through my hair. “Do I look like someone who lacks money?” I pause and take in the utter desperation in his eyes. He’s not stupid. He knows this could easily bankrupt his company, and his reputation will never recover.

“Please,” he says, the word clearly hard for him to say. “Tell me what’s going on. I can fix this, if you tell me what it is you’re displeased with.”

I smile at him and cross my arms. “Very well. I’ll reconsider if you go down on your hands and knees in front of Valentina and beg her to forgive you for the pain you’ve caused her. If you can make her forgive you and acknowledge her not only as your daughter, but as your heir, I’ll keep my hands off you.”

He rises to his feet in such a rush that his chair clatters to the floor. I glance past him and sigh, irritated. Valentina took a lot of care choosing those chairs. If he damaged them, I’m sure that would annoy her. Perhaps I shouldn’t have offered him leniency after all.

“I don’t know what that little wench told you, but she takes after her mother. She’s a nagging little thing, and no doubt, she made you pity her with some bullshit sob story. Did she seduce you the way her mother seduced me? Take it from me, Luca. You’ll regret this. I’ve been in your shoes, and I understand what it’s like to be blinded by passion. She isn’t worth destroying a solid business relationship. What do you think people will say when they hear you cut ties with me over a woman? They’ll ridicule you.”

I smile and lean forward, my elbow on my desk and my fist pressed to my chin. “No, they won’t. They’ll applaud me for doing what Windsors always do: putting family first. I strongly advise you to beg my wife for forgiveness. If you don’t do it by the end of the day, I’ll take every single thing that you left her for, and I’ll drive it into the fucking ground. I’ll make you regret the day you left her waiting for you at school, filled with faith that you’d be there. You broke her heart in irreparable ways, and I won’t stop until you feel the way she once did: despaired and abandoned. There will always be a price to pay for bringing tears to my wife’s eyes, Miguel. I’ll make you pay for every single one of them if it’s the last fucking thing I do.”