3

I stared blankly into space while twirling the pen in my hand. I’d been out of it for a while now, replaying everything that happened earlier this morning while I was preparing breakfast. As usual, my husband was on another out-of-town business trip and wouldn’t be home until next week.

Being the wife of the CEO of one of the wealthiest companies, I expected all of this. I had no problem with him constantly being busy with work—I understood it, and I had my own business, so I didn’t get bored easily. I was used to being alone at home with just the maids, and I was fine with it—until yesterday. Sebastian suddenly showed up at our doorstep last night, grinning like a Cheshire cat, and announced that he’d be staying here for an indefinite period—and that Niu couldn’t do anything about it.

They were the Altamiranos. They owned several houses in the city—not to mention all the condos and townhouses. They were filthy rich, and I didn’t understand why he had to crash at our place like some homeless guy.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Kate, my friend and secretary, waved her hand in front of my face. I stared at her for a few seconds, debating whether I should tell her what had been bugging me for the past twenty-four hours or just keep it to myself.

“Can I ask you something?” I asked cautiously. I was a bit nervous. I’d been holding this in for a year, and if I told her now, it would be the first time I admitted this feeling out loud.

Kate raised her perfectly arched brows at me, which made me uncomfortable. Her intimidating aura got to me, and it made me want to reconsider telling her. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her—I just wasn’t used to talking about sensitive things. And this one was a very sensitive topic, especially for someone like me who’s married.

“Well?”

I sighed deeply.

“I have this friend from high school, and she’s a little bothered because… she’s attracted to her brother-in-law. I mean, this man is also giving her signals.”

Kate studied my face like she was measuring the weight of what I just said. My heart pounded louder with every passing second, and she just kept staring, like she was trying to read my soul.

She crossed her arms over her chest and raised her brows again.

“What?”

“Do I know her?” she asked.

I breathed a sigh of relief when she looked away and started playing with her freshly manicured nails.

“She’s a friend from high school and no, you don’t know her,” I answered quickly, even shaking my head, hoping she wouldn’t get suspicious since I was stuttering a bit.

She nodded slowly and adjusted her position, leaning forward and resting her arms on my desk.

“You know what? You don’t have to hide it from me,” she said bluntly.

“Hide what?” I asked, still stuttering. My heart was pounding and my breathing hitched.

Kate let out a soft laugh, like she already knew my secret. I blushed because of it. I felt ashamed that, as a married woman, I was attracted to someone else. Even if our marriage wasn’t founded on love, I was still bound to be faithful as long as we stayed married.

“You can’t hide anything from me, Claire. We’ve known each other since we were babies. We’re practically sisters,” she reminded me. I felt stupid for trying to hide something so obvious.

“I didn’t mean to, okay? That man is a walking sin—and you know him personally, right?”

“Yeah… but Samuel is way hotter than him,” she replied with a smug grin, referring to the man currently courting her. I rolled my eyes at her.

Well, Samuel Ortigas was one fine male specimen, no denying that. But there was something about Sebastian Altamirano that pulled me toward him. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but he had the power to shake my world just by standing in front of me.

“We’re not talking about Samuel, Kate. We’re talking about Sebastian Altamirano, Niu’s older brother.” I frustratedly tugged at my hair and slumped in my seat. “Being attracted to him is one thing, but him sending signals and everything… I don’t get what he wants when he knows I’m his brother’s wife.”

“Look, Claire. Men are just like that. They’re pigs. They don’t respect boundaries once lust takes over,” she said bluntly, shocking me a little.

My cheeks flushed at her words. Even though I was already married, I was raised to always be formal, and vulgar words were never allowed in our house. Kate’s choice of words was always outrageous—I should’ve been used to it by now.

I sighed and closed my eyes tightly. Niu wouldn’t be home for a week, and having Seb in the house was a huge problem. In our year of marriage, Seb had only come home a few times—for important meetings or family gatherings—and whenever he was in town, I always made sure to avoid him as much as possible.

It frustrated me that I couldn’t avoid him now that he was staying with us. I didn’t know what his intentions were, but I was sure he had something planned. I couldn’t trust him. Besides being a ruthless businessman, he was a notorious playboy. He’d made countless women cry, and not once had he taken any of them seriously, even though he was already in his forties. I scoffed at my thoughts—sure, he was aging, but he aged like fine wine.

I jumped when Kate slammed her hand on the table—I swear my heart almost leapt out of my chest from the shock. I glared at her.

“Stop thinking about him already. Focus! Miss Stanford’s about to arrive. We can’t afford to look sloppy in front of that lady. She’s super picky when it comes to her jewelry,” she reminded me.

Yeah, a big-time client was coming. That’s what I should be focusing on. I’ll think about what to do later—I had to prepare for my inevitable confrontation with Seb. I absolutely would not let myself be affected by him, even if he stripped naked and served himself to me on a platter.

I stood up, fixed my clothes, and walked over to the jewelry display area. My love for gems and jewelry helped me decide what I truly wanted to be—a jeweler. Ever since I was a child, I was fascinated with jewelry. My mom always wore them, and I thought they made her look even more beautiful and sophisticated. I loved seeing her adorned with sparkling diamonds.

“Isabel, is everything ready?” I asked one of my employees, who was busy arranging the jewelry on the shelves.

The necklaces were neatly arranged on one side, and the rings were displayed in another section. I personally designed the layout of the store, so it had my personal touch, though a friend of mine handled the overall interior design.

This was one of the reasons why my father married me off to one of our business affiliates. As the sole heiress, he thought I was incapable of managing the empire. He wanted to make sure the company he worked so hard to build would end up in the right hands. My father hated it when I joined the national beauty pageant. To him, pageants were just platforms for gold-diggers who wanted rich men to fund their lifestyles. But I pursued it anyway, and I didn’t regret it—I achieved one of my dreams, to become a beauty queen. But like every victory, it came at a price—I agreed to let my father choose my groom.

I was busy instructing my employees when an unexpected guest arrived—along with our anticipated client, Miss Stanford.

He looked ruggedly handsome in brown jeans and a white shirt. Even though he wasn’t dressed formally like he usually was, it was impossible to deny how handsome he looked. His aura was a mix of intimidation and authority.

I bit my lower lip as he slowly walked toward me, his arm draped around Stephanie Stanford, who looked very pleased with how close they were. He stared into my eyes with such intensity, it was like he was devouring my soul—and I couldn’t look away. It was like he was pulling me in with just his gaze.

His eyes dropped to my tube top, and his expression darkened. For some reason, his intimidating and dangerous aura thrilled me. My neck and cleavage were exposed, and he stared longer than he should have. My knees weakened when he deliberately licked his bottom lip while staring straight at my chest. I saw the tip of his tongue as he licked his lips—and dirty thoughts instantly filled my head.