The Wrong Bride (The Windsors, #1)(92)

Xavier frowns. “She saw me with Valeria at the gala, but I don’t see how that matters.”

“Valeria,” I murmur. He says her name so reverently. It’s no wonder Sierra sent him a stink bomb.

Zane looks at me, and I shake my head. I don’t know who she is either. She showed up on Xavier’s arm two weeks ago, and none of us had ever heard of her before.

“So who is she?” Zane asks. “I remember seeing her. She’s beautiful, that’s for sure.”

Xavier turns around to face Zane, a chilling smile on his face. “Stay away from her,” he warns. “Don’t fuck with me, Zane. I don’t want any of you anywhere near her.”

“Hmm,” Zane says. “You’re protective of her, huh?”

Lexington and I glance at each other before mutually agreeing to let it go. In the end, Sierra’s match will be decided by Grandma, anyway. Perhaps this is for the best, after all.

I walk toward the table and grab Zane’s deck of cards, shuffling it absentmindedly. I’ll have to tell my wife about this. I wonder what she’ll think of it. I know she also thought there was something between Xavier and Sierra.

Luca walks in, stumbling, a bottle of scotch in his hands. I can’t remember the last time I saw Luca drunk. He doesn’t like to lose control, and excessive drinking is one of those things he hates doing.

“Luca,” Zane calls. “You alright?”

Zane slams his bottle down on the poker table and sits down, a humorless laugh escaping his lips. “Of course I’m fine,” he snaps. “Why wouldn’t I be fine? I can do without her. I don’t fucking need her.”

Lexington glances at me in question, but I’ve got no idea what’s going on either. Usually I’m the one that stays on top of my brothers’ bullshit so I can prevent scandals, but I’ve been preoccupied with my wife. “Is this about your fiancee?” I ask, confused.

He looks up at me. “I can’t even remember that girl’s fucking name,” he snaps.

“Valentina,” Xavier says, a knowing look in his eyes. “This is about Valentina.”

Luca looks up, his gaze filled with torment. “She left me.”

Lex frowns. “What do you mean, she left you? Did you… were you two seeing each other, or something?”

Luca waves his hand in irritation. “No, of course not. It’s Valentina. I wouldn’t… I’d never risk it. Not when I don’t know if I’d be able to marry her. She… she quit her job, man.”

I sit down next to Luca and lean back, shocked. “She’s been with you for what? Eight years?”

He nods. “Yep. Fresh out of college, both of us. I just thought that… I don’t know, man. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Xavier starts to tidy the table, clearing away the poker chips while Zane hands each of us a glass before pouring Luca’s scotch into them. “We’ll need ice,” he says matter-of-factly.

“We’ll need a whole lot more than that,” Lex adds.

“Did she tell you why she quit?” Xavier asks.

Luca chuckles darkly. “Said she wanted a fresh start and a life of her own. She feels like she’s given me too much, and she doesn’t want to spend the best years of her life overworking herself for someone who doesn’t appreciate her.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Can you believe that? I gave her a house of her own and a company car. She’s even got a driver and bodyguards. She’s one of the highest fucking paid employees in the company, man. There’s nothing I haven’t given her. How fucking dare she claim that I don’t appreciate her?” He looks up at the ceiling for a moment. “I don’t get it. I asked her to send some flowers to my fiancee, and she just quit, right there and then. For years, she’s been sending flowers to Raven and Sierra on their birthdays and special occasions, but now it’s suddenly beneath her?”

I smile at him and shake my head. “You’re a fucking idiot, aren’t you?”

He looks at me so fucking helplessly, and I bite back a smile as I throw Zane a look. He smirks back at me.

“I suppose it’s good for her, though,” Zane says. “She should go on some dates, find someone to settle down with. She’s right, you know? Val has been overworking herself. You’ve got her on call 24/7, and she barely has a social life of her own. She attends family dinner with us more often than she sees her own family, because you can’t fucking function without her. I hope she finds a wonderful man to marry. Maybe have a baby or two.”

The fucking horror on Luca’s face makes it hard to keep a straight face, but somehow, we all manage it. Luca rises to his feet in a rush, his chair clattering to the floor loudly. “Get me a driver,” he tells me. “I need to go somewhere.”

Zane nods and grabs his phone, a small smile on his face. Meanwhile, Xavier just looks on, confused.

Luca rushes out the door, and Xavier turns to us. “I thought all of your engagements were decided by your grandmother? How is sending him onto this path even remotely a good idea?”

I cross my arms and shake my head. “Grandma is wrong about Luca,” I tell him. “She might have gotten it right for Raven and me, but she nearly got it really fucking wrong. There’s no way Luca and Valentina don’t belong together. Everyone can see it but them.”