I glare at Luca as I slam my folder down on the boardroom table. “We are not investing in that,” I tell him. “I need more operational liquid assets, and I disagree with this distribution.”
Several of our board members nod, while a few of them keep their heads down out of fear of Luca. They’ve gotten used to our quips now. We might be happily married, but at work it’s often hard for people to believe that.
Luca rises from his seat and glares right back at me. “It’s like you forget who the CEO of this firm is, Valentina. If I say we’re investing in it, we’re investing in it!”
“Clearly, we should reconsider the CEO position because you’re not equipped for it if you think that investment is a good idea!”
“Mr. and Mrs. Windsor,” Hana Tanaka, our Chief Compliance Officer, says. “Perhaps it’s best if we put this to a vote. Shall we reconvene next week? If both of you could give us an idea of the return on investment for both your proposals, we’ll take it from there. We don’t need to finalize next year’s budgets in one meeting.” Hana is never fazed by us. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her lose her calm.
“Agreed,” everyone else murmurs, each of them no doubt eager to get out of this meeting. Our board members all rise and exit the room, and Luca and I follow them, throwing daggers at each other the entire time.
He follows me as I walk to my office, and I glance back over my shoulder. “Don’t you have work to do?” I snap.
He smirks at me tauntingly. “My office is right next to yours, Valentina. Why? Were you hoping for something else?”
The edges of my lips turn up into a mischievous smile. “What if I say yes?”
His gaze darkens, and he pulls me into my office, my door slamming closed behind us a second before he roughly pushes me against it. He presses the button that turns my windows opaque and smirks at me.
His lips find mine, and I moan as he kisses me. Luca’s hand wraps around my wrists, and he pushes them above my head, trapping me against the door. “Could you stop making my cock so fucking hard during board meetings, hmm? Watching you dominate a room will never get old.”
I giggle against his lips when he pushes up against me, a rush of desire flowing through me. His free hand roams over my body, stroking my breasts, before moving lower. “Luca,” I warn when his hand slides underneath my skirt.
He chuckles and nips at my bottom lip. “Did you just tell me I’m not equipped to be CEO?” he asks, his voice low, dangerous.
I bite back a smile, and he wipes it off my face entirely when he slips a finger into me. “Looks like this incompetent CEO is making your pussy awfully wet. It’s the one thing I absolutely excel at, don’t you think?” His thumb flicks over my clit roughly, punishingly, and I moan for him, unable to suppress my desire. He knows exactly how to drive me insane, and he revels in it. Luca pulls away a little to look into my eyes, clearly enjoying my torment. “If I make you come against this door, will you let me invest in that biotech deal?”
I shake my head and try my hardest to hide my amusement. “No.”
He kisses me, his tongue slowly tangling with mine. “What if I go down on my knees right now and eat your pussy?”
His movements become more intense, and he knows he’s got me close already. I can tell by the way he smiles.
“No,” I tell him as I pull my wrists out of his hold. “But if you fuck me, I’m willing to talk about it.”
He growls as he pulls away a little to undo his suit trousers, but just as the button comes undone, a knock on my door interrupts us. “Goddamn it,” he murmurs. “I’m firing whoever is at the other end of this fucking door.”
He runs a hand through his hair and straightens out his clothes while I do the same, both of us equally frustrated. We’re both so busy that we often pass out by the time we actually get home. These office hook-ups have become the highlight of our days.
“Come in,” I call as I sit down behind my desk, Luca by my side, his arm on the back of my chair.
We both tense when three men walk into my office, and Luca’s stance turns protective. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he growls. “I thought I told you not to show up here without an appointment?”
I stare in shock at my father, and vaguely recognize the two men with him. One of them is Hugo Garcia, the chairman of the Garcia family’s empire, and my father’s older cousin. He is the real power behind the family, yet he doesn’t appear in public very often. Seeing him here is shocking enough, but it’s the younger man that has me raising a hand to my heart in surprise. Mateo Garcia… my younger brother. I’ve caught glimpses of him at events before, but we’ve never been quite this close before.
“I came bearing both gifts and apologies,” Hugo tells my husband, a polite smile on his face. He turns to me then and places his hand on my father’s shoulder. “I’ve been calling, but you keep declining my calls, Luca.”
Mateo glances at our father, and my eyes widen when he kicks the back of his legs, bringing him to his knees harshly on my cold marble office floor. “Apologize to my sister or this is the last you’ll see of me,” he murmurs, his voice soft, as though he didn’t want me to hear.
Hugo clears his throat and glances at me apologetically. “When our corporation suddenly received several blows from the Windsor family, we were at a loss,” he tells me. “As far as I knew, we hadn’t done anything to offend the Windsors, so I set out to investigate what happened. It took a while, but eventually, I got to the truth. Valentina, words cannot make up for the pain and loss you were forced to suffer. Nothing matters more to me than family, and I’d like you to know that your father’s behavior has nothing to do with me, or the rest of the Garcia family. We do not support or condone the way he’s treated you, and while I understand that you may want nothing to do with us, I’d love nothing more than a chance to get to know you. As your uncle, I would like you to know that there will always be a place for you by my side. I understand that you’re married now, but to me, you will always be a Garcia.”
Mateo walks up to my desk, his gaze filled with the same remorse that’s in his uncle’s eyes. “I never knew about you,” he says, his voice soft. “If I’d known I had an older sister, I never would’ve stood by and let things be. You wouldn’t know this, but I’ve quietly admired you for years. You were an inspiration to me long before I found out that we’re related, and if you’d give me a chance, I’d really like to get to know you. I will respect whatever choice you make, but I want you to know that these aren’t just empty words. Both my uncle and I would like to make up for what happened.”
He hands me a stack of documents, a shaky smile on his face. Luca’s hand wraps around my shoulder as I stare at the papers, my eyes widening. “You’re giving me shares to Garcia Ltd and ReInsure?”
Hugo nods. “You’re a Garcia. Your father’s shares have been redistributed between you and your brother, as they rightfully should have been. Even if you want absolutely nothing to do with us, this is the least we can do for you. Of course, I hope you’ll take this as a token of goodwill and give us a chance. We’ve missed out on so much already, and I’m not getting any younger. I may never be able to take your father’s place, but if you let me, I’d like to be part of your life.”
I stare at the documents and look up at him. “Clever,” I murmur. “The Garcia shares are a true gift, I’ll admit that much, but ReInsure? Giving me that means I’ll have to salvage and rebuild it, or it’ll be my loss.”
Hugo grins at me. “Truthfully, I’m not to blame for that. Your husband told me the only way I’m allowed to so much as speak to you is if I give you everything your father gained by walking away from you, right down to the land that ReInsure’s headquarters were built on. Of course I hope you’ll rebuild it, but it truly is up to you. The Garcia family isn’t so weak that we can’t sustain the loss of one single company amongst everything we own. If you want to blow the whole thing up, I’ll make that happen for you. Since you’re a Garcia, I have no doubt you’re every bit as temperamental as your little brother is. Perhaps that would appease you a little.”
I lean back in my seat and shake my head. “If I damage the company any further, it’ll affect the employees, and they’ve never wronged me.” I look up at my uncle and smile coldly. “I’ll turn it into Windsor Insurance.”
I expected him to be offended, but he merely smiles at me and nods. “Whatever you want, Valentina. It’s yours.”
Mateo nudges our father with his foot, and I stare at him, surprised to find this prideful man on his knees. “I apologize,” he says, sounding pained. His apology sounds empty, as though he’s merely sorry he got caught but doesn’t regret the pain he caused. I always thought it was the entire Garcia family that rejected me. It never even occurred to me that it was just my father and his parents, and I’m not sure what to think about.
Hugo smiles at me. “I’d really like it if you’d come home sometime, Valentina. You have so many cousins that would love to meet you. My wife, your tía Liliana, would really like to have you over for dinner. Will you please think about it?”
I nod, my heart wavering. The thought of having a family of my own, of being wanted and loved by them… I thought I’d given up on it, but I’d be lying to myself if I said that his words don’t give me hope. “I… I’ll think about it… Tío.”
He grins at me so widely that it’s hard to believe that the man standing in front of me could easily rival Grandma Anne.
“I’ll be waiting,” he tells me, and I can’t help but smile back. I glance up at my husband to find him looking at me with pride. He orchestrated all of this, simply because he wanted justice for me.
I’m going to make sure he feels as loved as I do, every second of every day, for the rest of our lives. And with a bit of luck, I’ll do it all over again if we ever meet again in another life — because one lifetime with this man could never be enough for me.
