I try my hardest to appear disappointed as Stephen Harris, my Chief Operating Officer, tells the board that he’s retiring. It’s about fucking time. I can’t wait to see my wife’s eyes light up when I tell her the news. She’s perfect for his role, and truth be told, she’s been doing this pig’s fucking job for years now. It’s about time she gets recognition for it.
This news is the only thing that’s salvaging my shitty morning. I couldn’t sleep last night, my mind replaying Valentina’s words.
He’s the reason you’ll never have to worry about me falling in love with you.
Is this some form of karma? Is it payback for tormenting her for years, for not realizing what I had? She’s my wife now, yet it some ways, it feels like she’ll never fully be mine. She’s given me her body, but that’s not all I want.
“I understand this may be shocking to some of you, but worry not. I’ll stay on until my replacement is fully trained, of course,” Stephen tells us.
Not a single person in this room is surprised. If anything, we all agree that this is long overdue. Everything about this man is long-winded. Even the way he speaks is irritatingly slow. Why the fuck does he talk that way?
“It would be so hard to pass down years’ worth of knowledge, but I have the perfect candidate in mind.”
I raise my brow in surprise. Everyone at this table knows there’s only one qualified staff member, and it’s my wife. They know as well as I do who has actually been doing his job.
“Please allow me to introduce you to my son, Ben. I recently hired him to join my team with the expectation that he’d take on my role eventually.”
Stephen’s secretary opens the board room’s door, and in walks a familiar face. I sit up in my chair at the head of the table and clench my jaws. It’s him. The man Valentina was talking to at the club. What the fuck is he doing in my board room?
His eyes meet mine as he pauses next to his father, recognition apparent in them. For a moment, he looks pained, but he swiftly schools his features. So he remembers seeing me with Valentina, huh?
“My son was the COO of Feria Finance in Australia for years. When he told me he was ready to come home, I knew I could safely retire and hand over the reins. I trust that you’ll agree that his work experience is highly relevant and exactly what we’re after.”
I see my board members nod and start to tap my finger impatiently. What in the fuck is going on here? The looks Stephen is exchanging with everyone around me tells me that he’s buttered them all up. This plan of his has been in the making for a while, and I’m caught off-guard. That rarely happens.
“I’ll have to look into his background, but provided he checks out, we could consider him a candidate,” I say carefully. Until I inherit my shares, I’m merely another employee, just like everyone else here, and they love to remind me of it every chance they get. I can’t let my anger show, or they’ll push for this asshole’s appointment that much harder.
Stephen smiles at me, clearly pleased with my answer. “That settles that then. He can take over as soon as I’m formally retired. I’ll start training him at once.”
I lean back in my seat and pin him down with a cold stare. “I said I’m willing to consider him as a candidate, but he isn’t the only one. I’d like to nominate someone myself, and I’m sure our other board members have recommendations of their own too.”
Stephen looks surprised, as though he genuinely thought this would be a done deal. “Another candidate?” He frowns, making him look even more like a fucking pig.
“Valentina.”
I don’t miss the way Ben flinches, his eyes widening. Who the fuck is this idiot? If he truly was the COO of Feria, then he clearly is qualified for this role, yet it doesn’t look like he’s done his homework. He should’ve known he’d be going up against Valentina. Clearly, he’s an entitled lazy fucker, just like his father.
“B-but she’s your secretary!” Philip sputters. “How could she… how could she ever be COO?”
I frown at him and lean in, resting my elbow on the table. “How could she not? She’s already doing your job, isn’t she? Why not recognize and compensate her for it?”
His face blanches before it swiftly reddens, the sight truly amusing. It brings me a sense of peace to know that Ben is probably going to age just like his father did. How utterly unappealing.
“We have two nominees,” James Lee, my Chief Technology Officer, says. “So I suppose we should put them to the test.”
Murmurs dance across the room as everyone discusses amongst themselves. All the while, I study Ben. Even his name is dumb. It reminds me of a weird cartoon I used to watch as a kid. My gaze is clearly unnerving because he starts to fidget, his hands running over his suit, then his hair. His foot begins to tap, and he glances back and forth between me and his shoes.
So he’s a pussy, huh? I smile, pleased. I’m not sure what Valentina ever saw in this fucker, but perhaps this is my chance to ensure she forgets all about him. Sometimes our memories are skewed, making the past seem sweeter than it was. Maybe all she needs is a good dose of reality.
“Let’s not overcomplicate this. They’re both equally qualified, so the one who brings the biggest client into our hedge fund will get the job,” I say, knowing Valentina can easily get it done. There’s no one she doesn’t know in this industry, and she’s well-respected. This should be easy for her, especially when competing with someone whose network is primarily in Australia.
“I think that’s fair,” James says.
The rest of the board nods in agreement, and I rise to my feet. “You each have two months to close your deals. Make them count.”
The door slams closed behind me, my mask slipping out of place. I didn’t think I’d ever see his fucking face again, yet here he is, in my fucking office. Is life taunting me? What kind of fucking bullshit is this?
Just the thought of Valentina looking at him the way she did last night makes fury dance across my skin. I’m tense as I walk back to my office, a sense of unease washing over me as I lay eyes on my wife.
She’s typing at her desk and pauses suddenly as she lifts her hand a little, her wedding ring sparkling in the light. I secretly slipped it onto her finger this morning, unable to resist. I was hoping it’d take her a little longer to notice. It’s crazy how badly I want the world to know that she’s mine. I want to mark her as off-limits, now more so than ever before. The more she gives me, the more scared I grow of ever losing her. This was meant to be a simple deal with an end date in sight, but every single one of my intentions went out the window the first time she fell asleep in my arms. There’s no fucking way I’m letting her go.
She looks up and catches me staring, a sweet smile finding its way onto her lips. I was worried that she’d be reminiscing about Ben, but she seems fine. If anything, she seems sweeter today. Somehow, I feel a little closer to her, as though she’s lowered her walls just a little for me. Will seeing him at the office undo the progress we’ve made?
I walk up to her and bend over, my hand wrapping into her hair as I steal a quick kiss. I thought she’d push me away and reprimand me, but she gives in and wraps her arms around my neck, kissing me back. She has no idea what she does to me. It’s fucking insane. “We’re at work,” she murmurs against my lips. “Anyone could see.”
“Maybe I want them to.”
Valentina pulls away and throws me a warning look, but the way her eyes twinkle negates her seriousness. “Don’t you dare,” she says, the edges of her lips tipping up into a small smile.
My eyes drop to her empty ring finger, and she holds her ring up between her thumb and index finger. “Did you put this on me, or am I losing my mind? I told you I wouldn’t wear it to the office.”
I smile at her, my heart heavy. “Maybe I just want everyone to know that you’re mine. Can you blame me?”
Her eyes widen, and a gorgeous blush stains her cheeks, making my heart race. She’s so painfully beautiful.
“Valentina,” I murmur. “There’s something I need to tell you.” She raises her brows in question. “Stephen is resigning, and I nominated you as a candidate for COO.”
She jumps up from her chair and closes the distance between us, her hands pressed against my chest and her face so fucking close. Is she daring me to steal another kiss? “Please tell me you aren’t joking, Luca. I won’t forgive you if you are.”
I wrap my hands around her waist and drop my forehead to hers, breathing her in for a moment. I’m like an addict, getting high off her fucking scent like a fucking fool. I pull away a little to look at her and shake my head. “It’s true, baby.”
Her eyes widen, and she rises to her tiptoes, kissing me with no regard for our environment. I wish I could just carry her into my office and fuck her until the unease I feel is put to rest, but I can’t. Whether I like it or not, I have to face the music.
“Valentina,” I murmur against her lips. “You aren’t the only candidate.”
She takes a step away from me when we hear footsteps around the corner, and I sigh, wishing I could just send a company memo informing everyone that she’s mine. I hate sneaking around with her. “What do you mean? Who else could possibly —”
She looks past me, shock and torment flashing through her eyes. “Ben,” she whispers. My stomach twists painfully, every fiber of my being violently responding to his name being on her lips.
He pauses in front of her desk, and I move to stand next to my wife. “He is the other candidate,” I tell her reluctantly.
The regret in his eyes mirrors hers, and it’s clear the history between them left its mark. How do I erase it? How do I erase every single fucking trace of him, when he’s standing right here, looking at my wife like he wants her back?
