“Explain,” my grandmother says, her hands clasped in her lap. She looks every inch the sophisticated matriarch, right down to the tense expression on her face.
I wrap my arm around my wife’s shoulder in a silent effort to reassure her. The two of us are seated in my grandmother’s sitting room, neither one of us sure what to expect of the interrogation that’s about to ensue. Normally, Valentina performs extremely well under pressure, but not today. I underestimated how much my grandmother means to her.
“What can I say?” I murmur, tightening my grip on my wife. “I fell in love, and it only seemed right to follow my heart. I was scared that I’d regret it for the rest of my life if I let Valentina walk away, when it was clear that there’s no one else I could imagine myself growing old with.”
Grandma looks between the two of us, her gaze suspicious. “You said you got married?” she asks, her voice soft. I thought I knew my grandmother well, but in this moment, I’m finding it impossible to read her.
I reach for the documents I put in my suit jacket’s inner pocket and hand them to her. “This is a copy of our marriage certificate,” I tell her. “But you’re welcome to call Mayor Kingston to verify that he did, in fact, marry us.”
She stares at the papers in disbelief before glancing back at us, anger making its way onto her face when she realizes it isn’t a ruse. “What were you thinking?” she asks, exasperated. “And you, Val? How could you do this without even speaking to me?”
She slaps the papers onto the coffee table and looks away for a moment, her disappointment apparent. It’s near unnoticeable, but my wife starts to tremble and clasps her hands together, her gaze downcast. I pull her closer protectively and pin my grandmother down with a stare.
“We weren’t thinking,” I admit. “We’re in love, Grandma. Can you really blame us? Valentina and I were years in the making, and you above everyone else, should be aware of that.”
She glares at me and shakes her head. “I’m supposed to believe that you’re suddenly in love with Val after tormenting her for years? You’re forced to get engaged to Natalia Ivanov, and all of a sudden you decide you’re in love with the woman you couldn’t stand for years?”
My wife flinches, and I grit my teeth, guilt rendering me speechless. She’s right, of course. For years, I did resent Valentina, and I hear the implication loud and clear. She thinks I’m using Valentina, and she isn’t wrong.
“I don’t believe for a second that you two are in love with each other. Val,” she says, her tone harsh, “tell me honestly. Is he threatening you?”
My wife shakes her head and looks up remorsefully. “I’m sorry, Grandma Anne,” she says, her voice trembling. “It’s true. I… we’re in love with each other. I know that our decision to get married was rash, but Luca is right. We were years in the making.”
Grandma crosses her arms and raises her brows. “Pray tell,” she says. “What was it that made you suddenly realize you’re in love, after years of barely tolerating each other?”
Valentina blushes and looks down for a moment. “It was on Ares and Raven’s wedding day,” she murmurs. “Um… Luca… I… well, something happened that made us realize that… I mean…”
“I kissed her,” I admit. “I kissed her that day, and things haven’t been the same since.”
Grandma frowns, the gears in her mind clearly turning. “That was months ago, and I vividly remember that the two of you barely spoke to each other after that day. Val even stopped coming home for dinner.”
My wife looks down at her lap, and I grab her hand, holding it in mine. “Neither of us was sure how to handle the change in our relationship, but then you announced my engagement to Natalia.”
Grandma frowns and glances at my wife. “Is that when you realized you were in love with Luca?” she asks, her tone gentler now.
Valentina shakes her head. “That’s when I quit my job. I realized then that I couldn’t stand being around him if he was to marry someone else. The thought of him falling for Natalia tormented me, and I knew that witnessing him with her would tear me apart.”
Grandma’s eyes widen. “You quit your job? How come I never heard of that happening?”
“I didn’t report it to you because I had no intention of letting her go.”
Grandma smiles then. It’s only for a split-second, but it’s a real smile, nonetheless. “So I am to believe that you two fell in love that way and rushed into marriage?”
“Valentina has been by my side for eight years, Grandma. Why would I want to wait even one more second, when not making her mine could result in me losing her forever? With the engagement, there was only one way for me to prove my commitment to her.”
“Marriage,” Grandma says, nodding. She falls silent for a moment, her gaze drifting between the two of us. She wags her finger at us and shakes her head. “I don’t believe the two of you for a second, but the fact that you got married is undeniable.”
She leans forward and sighs, her eyes falling closed for a moment. “I’m freezing all of your family assets, Luca,” she says. “Not only did you get married behind my back, you also put us at risk of making an enemy out of what would have been a strong ally. It’s going to be hard to break off your engagement.”
Valentina glances at me, concerned, but I merely smile. I haven’t used the family assets in years. I make more than enough money of my own, and Grandma should be well aware of that.
“Very well.”
“If,” Grandma says. “If the two of you are still married in three years, I’ll grant you your inheritance.” She holds up her finger, annoyance flashing through her eyes. “And only because it’s Val. Had your brought home anyone else, that would’ve been the end of you.”
I nod and breathe a sigh of relief. It was a gamble, but I knew the way she favors Valentina would work in my benefit.
“However, this arrangement doesn’t come without its own set of rules.”
I gently rub my thumb over the back of my wife’s hand. I knew she’d be nervous, but I’ve never seen her this way. I’ve watched her hold meetings with world leaders and billionaires without so much as flinching, yet she cowers in front of my grandmother. It’s both surprising and endearing all at once.
“The two of you must truly share a life, so naturally, you must share a home and a bed. You cannot have different bedrooms or lead lives separate from each other, and you may not spend more than three consecutive nights apart for the next three years.”
I try my hardest to act surprised, when truthfully, Ares already warned me about the rules.
“You also must remain faithful to each other, Luca and Val. If, for even a second, I suspect that either of you is disloyal or unfaithful, or that the two of you are in fact attempting to trick me, I’ll take away your inheritance, Luca. Val, if this were to occur, I’ll fire you at once and I’ll ensure you’re blacklisted. You will never work in any of the industries we operate in.”
Valentina looks up sharply, a hint of fear in her gaze. I lift our joined hands to my lips and kiss the back of her hand, quietly reassuring her. Neither she nor I would ever cheat. That isn’t something I’m worried about with her.
“For the time being, I ask that you keep your marriage confidential,” Grandma says, her eyes falling closed. “It won’t be good if the Ivanovs find out in this manner. Let’s handle this with tact.”
She narrows her eyes. “And if the engagement is dissolved and I subsequently find out that this was all a trick, both of you will pay for it.”
“Understood,” I tell her, not in the least concerned. My contract with Valentina will last a minimum of three years, so none of her worries will come to pass. I’ll successfully receive my inheritance, and Valentina will receive all the funds she could possibly need.
I glance at my wife, taking in the guilt she tries to hide so hard. Three years. She and I just need to get through the next three years together without exposing our pretense.
