CHAPTER 3

Heira’s eyes wandered through the huge house as they walked through the hallways.

The spacious living room was decorated in shades of gray and dark wood, with soft sofas and a fireplace that seemed more for style than for warmth. The whole space looks extremely beautiful, but it definitely needed the warmth of a feminine touch to make it a home.

Mrs. Collins noticed Heira casting glances around the house. “That’s Mr. Moretti. He likes everything in order.” Then, lowering her voice, she added, “But don’t worry, dear. A home should feel lived in. Give it time.”

Her kindness took some of the edge off Heira’s chest.

When they arrived at the bedroom, Heira paused at the entrance, and was drawn to the large, immaculately made bed. She was clearly exhausted after a hard day.

Mrs. Collins set her suitcase down gently. “You must be tired after today. I’ll have something light prepared for you in the kitchen. Would you like tea?”

“Yes, please,” Heira replied softly.

Mrs. Collins nodded affirmingly and left her to settle in. Heira then realized that she hadn't responded to any of Bethy's messages. A few minutes before, she had contacted her to know how the registration went.

She picked up her phone and dialed her best friend's number.

“Hi bestie, how did it go?” Bethy’s voice sounded from the other end of the line.

Heira informed her about everything that went on, including the registry’s office, and that she had already moved into Dante's house.

“Wow, so just like that, you are married to Dante. Who would have thought! You, my friend, are indeed lucky.”

Just then, Mrs. Collins came into the room holding a cup of tea and some muffins. She placed it on her bedside table and left the room quietly.

“I can’t believe you snitched on me after we both promised to get married at the same time,” she said lowly.

“Come on, my dear friend, we both know that wouldn’t be possible with the kind of guys you keep dating.” Heira chuckled.

“So now you're throwing shades at me.”

“No dear, just stating the obvious truth,” she said, defending herself.

Don't worry, I have decided to take relationships seriously now. I just met someone on Date n’ Love, he is such a handsome guy with the hottest body. I look forward to our date together, and I know he is the man for me.”

A round of laughter followed a short silence that was formed after Bethy spoke. The two girls laughed so hard as they struggled to catch their breath.

Bethy had always claimed that for every relationship she’s been in, but they never seemed to last due to her lack of tolerance.

Her last relationship ended after the guy kept forgetting little details about her, such as her birthdays and their anniversaries.

Nonetheless, Bethy never seems bothered as she believes in living life to the fullest. Her standards are set high, and she wouldn't budge for anyone.

“Yes, I know I say that for every man I've dated, but you have to trust me on this one.” Bethy managed to speak through broken laughter.

“Okay, my friend, I believe you,” Heira gave a sarcastic response.

After the phone call ended, Heira munched on her meal to satisfy her growling stomach. Not long did, she became drowsy and lay on the bed to take a nap.

By the time she woke up from her sleep, Dante had gotten back from work. She overheard some staff talking about his arrival.

Her legs weakened for a while as she stepped outside her room. Then, she began to wander around the house so she could get familiar with it.

She took a trip along the hallways. Captivated by the paintings lined on the wall, she made a stop as her eyes lingered on the Brushstrokes, noticing how each line seemed alive, as though the painter had left behind pieces of their heartbeat on the canvas.

The mesmerizing art made her wonder if Dante had chosen it himself or if some interior designer had filled these walls without his say.

As she moved further, she noticed one of the rooms was left open. Heira curiously stepped in as she made her discovery.

Inside was a king-sized bed with neatly spread sheets that stood in the center. There were a few framed photographs that hinted that it was Dante’s room.

But he was nowhere to be found. As she began to look through the room, her eyes spotted a novel sitted on a shelf. Intrigued by it, she started to flip through the pages.

“Why are you here?” a baritone voice came from behind her.

Dante had just stepped out of the shower, undressed. However, he had a towel loosely knotted around his waist, droplets from his damp hair slid down his sharply defined chin, all the way down to his chest, tracing the lines across his torso.

Dazed by the sight, her gaze slowly moved downward, following the motion of the droplets.

It was anticipated that he had a nice build, but she did not expect such an amazing physique.

His chest was broad, firm, the kind of chest that looked like it could shield her from all troubles in the world. The ridges of his stomach were so clearly defined, with each catching the light as water slid over them.

“And why are you staring?” his voice suddenly rang in her ears.

She gathered herself as she glanced at the man, who looked rather pissed, waiting for the answers to his questions.

“Huh… I stumbled here. I didn’t know this was your room.”

“You didn’t know or didn’t care?” he asked with a brow arched.

Heira was perplexed at his reaction, does he always throw questions at people?

“Well, I care enough to know we should be sharing a room since we are married,” Heira replied, a little defensively.

Even though she didn’t choose to be with him, she believed she had the right to be by his side always, now that she's his other half.

Dante took slow steps towards her, his eyes locked with hers, his perfectly built body still on display as he didn’t bother to reach for a shirt. The walk felt appealing to her rather than intimidating.

Heira could feel her heart thudding with each step he took. He stopped right in front of her, close enough that she could smell the musk scent of his soap, and the warmth of his body brushed against her skin.

Feeling her heart race with nervousness. A light flutter stirred in her belly; there was no denying the effect he had on her.

His voice came low and steady. “You really want to share a room with me, Heira?” His eyes didn’t leave hers.

She managed to blink while holding his gaze. “Isn’t that what married couples do?

For a while longer, they both looked into each other's eyes like they were searching for the answers to their questions.

He placed his hand on her face, his fingers slowly moving unto her lips as he moved closer to her so much that they could both smell each others breath.

Her heart began to flutter as every inch of her leaned closer without her realizing. “That is what loving couples do, not us.” He said pulling away from her.

“Do not feel entitled to anything here. You are only here to pay the price your family owes me. Get that into your head and leave!” He said, pointing to the door.

Heira flared up at his arrogance. What sort of a cruel man is he? She couldn’t stand the thought of being talked down to, let alone being owned by a man.

Slam! She slammed the door shut behind her with annoyance.

“What a spoilt brat!” Dante snapped.

Heira’s mind pondered all through the night. Her father hadn’t informed her about the price Dante mentioned.

“Will I become one of his staff?” She thought to herself

Despite his rudeness, Dante was still a decent gentleman. His charismatic appearance swayed her, and she knew there was more to him than the cold front he showed. She could feel it in the way his eyes lingered on her when he thought she wouldn’t notice.

So she made up her mind to warm her way into his heart even if it wouldn’t come easy.

Nevertheless, her mind did not seem capable of recovering from how he spoke to her.

***

As the morning revealed itself. Dante was about to leave for work when Heira quickly appeared from her room with her bag.

“Dante, can you give me a lift? I’m heading to work as well,” she said as she tried to catch up with him.

“You can take another car in the driveway,” He replied, paying very little attention to her.

“Please hubby, if it’s too much trouble, you can just drop me off at the subway station instead.” She hooked her arm with his, wanting every opportunity to get closer to him.

Dante refused her, but she wouldn’t let go of his arm. However, he eventually nodded upon considering how adamant she is. Also, time was slipping away, and he didn’t want to get to work late.

The ride seemed longer than usual because of the loud silence between them. Dante’s face was fierce as he avoided any form of conversation. Heira attempted to break the silence, but every word she rehearsed in her head sounded clumsy. So she just sat there, stealing quick looks at him.

She continued to enjoy the peaceful ride until the car came to a halt at the subway station. Dante had told the driver to stop while she was lost in her thoughts.

“Off you go,” he said, facing her.

She became speechless, not expecting him to take her word for it, the barest minimum he could've done was drop her off at the office.

“Thanks hubby,” she said, forcing a smile on her face. She knew Dante didn’t like to be called that, he had frowned at her moments back for calling him hubby, but she didn't plan to stop.

The second she stepped out, the car sped away before she could say something else.

While suppressing her disappointment, she was happy to have succeeded at getting a ride from him.

“It only gets better,” she murmured.

Fifteen minutes later, she arrived at the company. Since returning from her studies abroad, she had been working as an executive director in the Arven company.

However, she had barely settled into her office when Sebastian, the senior human relations officer, came in with a folder in his hand, and an expression that instantly made her feel tense.

“I thought you should hear this from me before the official memo goes out,” he placed the folder on her desk as he continued.

“The board has decided to reassign your position in the company to someone else.”

Heira’s throat clenched at what she just heard. 

“Why?” she questioned unbelievably.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know their reason for doing this.”

“Did my father agreed to this?”

“He gave the order,” Sebastian said, giving a sympathetic nod.