“We’ll get married this evening,” Luca tells me the second I end my call with my mother. We should be arriving at Abuela’s house within the next few minutes, but I couldn’t rest easy until my mother confirmed that Abuela truly is okay.
I stare at Luca for a moment and shake my head. “No, we won’t.”
He raises his brows. “Need I remind you that we had a deal?”
“Do you have that in writing?”
He grins dangerously. “I do not.”
“Do you have a witness?”
He shakes his head and chuckles darkly. “You know I don’t.”
“Then… do you have any leverage? Because I just got off the phone with my mother, and she confirmed that my grandmother is at home and perfectly fine now.”
Luca’s eyes roam over my body, and he smiles humorlessly as he undoes my seatbelt. He reaches for me and pulls me onto his lap in one smooth move, using his free hand to push a button that makes a divider rise between his driver and us.
I push against him, but that just gives him a chance to reposition me so I’m straddling him. My skirt rides up, and I blush fiercely as Luca tightens his grip on my waist, keeping me in place.
“Well played, Valentina,” he says, his voice low. His eyes flash dangerously. “I should’ve known better. I did, after all, train you myself.”
My heart starts to race as he buries a hand in my hair and tilts my head so I’m facing him properly. The way he’s looking at me undoes me. Luca cups my cheek, his thumb brushing over my bottom lip. “Tell me why,” he murmurs, pained. “I won’t ask you for anything in return for finding your grandmother, Valentina, but give me this much. Tell me why you won’t marry me.”
I look into his light brown eyes, my heart thumping loudly. There are a thousand reasons we shouldn’t be together, and he knows it. “You know you have to marry someone who is an asset to your family, and I’m not. Even if it isn’t Natalia… it’ll never be me.”
“That isn’t true. Dion’s fiancée, Faye, isn’t from a prominent family. She’s a normal girl from a middle-class family, and my grandmother adores her just as much as she adores you. So why can’t it be you? Do you truly dislike me that much?”
I look into his eyes, unable to figure him out. Has he truly lost his mind this time? “Why would you want to marry me, Luca?”
He brushes the back of his fingers over my cheek and smiles. “I don’t want to get married at all, but if I must, I want to marry the one woman that’s been by my side for years. You and I work together perfectly, and nothing would have to change if you don’t want it to. There isn’t anything I won’t give you if you save me from Natalia. You might not be the woman my grandmother chose for me, but you’re the only other woman she’ll ever accept. Besides, you know how good we can be together. It’s no secret that I want you, so why not enjoy each other for a few years?”
I frown, my thoughts reeling. “You’re proposing a marriage of convenience?”
He nods. “That’s what it would be with Natalia. I only have to remain married for three years to get my hands on my inheritance, but I can’t see myself lasting that long with her. You, on the other hand? We’ve been together for eight years. What’s another few years? You’d walk away with whatever the hell you want. There must be something I can offer you?”
I look into his eyes, thrown off. I know Luca well enough to know that he’s serious. He wouldn’t have brought this up if he wasn’t seriously considering this as an option. Initially, I thought he was just acting impulsively, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. “There isn’t,” I murmur. “All I need is for you to let me go. Stop sabotaging my efforts to find a new job and let me go. I’m tired of playing games with you, of feeling used and manipulated. I could never marry someone like you — not even for a mere three years.”
For a split-second, I see pain flash through his eyes, but then he averts his gaze and sighs. “Valentina,” he murmurs. “At least think about it.”
The car stops in front of my abuela’s house, and I push away from him, flustered. “Don’t follow me,” I warn him, before getting out of the car and slamming the door closed. I can’t focus on anything but Abuela right now. Marriage? To Luca? He truly has lost it. What makes him think I’d marry him after everything he put me through in the last couple of weeks? Blacklisting me is one thing, but using Abuela as a way to coerce me into marriage? He truly is rotten to the core.
I walk into the house and pause in the doorway, my eyes finding Abuela. She’s sitting on the sofa, surrounded by medical professionals, a frown on her face. It’s clear that she doesn’t fully understand what’s going on, and it worries me.
I walk up to her and kneel in front of her, my hands wrapping over hers. “Where did you go?” I ask, my voice breaking. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?”
“Rosa,” she reprimands me. “I’ve told you so many times I went for a walk. Stop asking me,” she snaps.
My heart drops as she yanks her hands out of mine. She doesn’t recognize me. Tears start to gather in my eyes, and I inhale sharply.
“Valentina.” I look up to find Luca standing by my side, his hand outstretched. I thought he’d left, yet here he is. There’s no anger in his eyes. There’s only compassion and unwavering support that I’d never expect from him. I place my hand in his, and he helps me up.
“Didn’t I tell you not to follow me?” I ask him, my voice weak.
He smiles at me and gently brushes my hair out of my face. “I thought I told you I’d never let you go?” he replies. “How could I walk away when you need me the most?”
I sniff as a tear runs down my face, and he catches it with his thumb, his expression so tender that it takes all of me not to burst out crying.
Luca places a hand on my shoulder and gently guides me toward the medical team, a serene expression on his face. I look up at him, and he smiles encouragingly. “It’s okay,” he murmurs. “She’s fine, Valentina. That’s all that matters for now, okay?”
I nod, and he places his hand on my lower back as his doctor gives me an overview of my grandmother’s condition. “I would recommend a caretaker,” he says, his voice soft, almost as though he’s reluctant to say anything at all. No doubt he’s seen the state of our house. It’s small, and all of our possessions are old. It’s obvious we can’t afford round-the-clock care. “Her condition will continue to worsen, and at times, she might become violent. It’ll frustrate her to forget things, and soon, she’ll start to struggle with simple tasks. She needs assistance.”
I bite down on my lip, my heart heavy. I can’t afford that, and even the best insurance wouldn’t cover all of it. I want to get her the best care possible, but how am I supposed to do that? Considering my funds, there’ll be no way for me to monitor if the staff I hire are treating her with kindness. With my budget, they’ll likely just do the bare minimum. In six months, I’m about to be without a job too.
I glance up at Luca, regret weighing heavy on me. I’ll have to stay in my job, but if I do that… can I bear to watch him get married? His earlier words resound through my mind, and I look into his eyes, my lips moving before I even realize what I’m doing.
“There is something I want, Luca,” I tell him, my voice barely above a whisper.
He smiles, a victorious glint in his eyes.
