Chapter 5

Luca's POV

Four years later

If anyone had  told me four years ago that a single night would still haunt me like this, I would have laughed and lit a cigar over it.

But here I was.

CEO of Valenti Empire,at least the version of it the world was allowed to see, not what was underneath the tailored suits, private boardrooms, and skyscraper glass, the real business that  ran on blood, silence, and leverage.

And yet, she still lived somewhere at the back of my mind. Not her name which I never got but the way she looked at me that night. Like I was the last good thing in a world that had betrayed and forsaken her.

Then she was gone. Vanish completely from the surface of the earth. I had my men look into every corner of Ironvale both near and far away but she was never found, not even a strain of her hair.

I never stopped looking, not once.

"Sir, the investors from Berlin are on line two," Carmine, my head of finance, called as I walked into the executive suite.

"Tell them I’m ten minutes behind. And make sure the Cloud shipment clears tonight without any noise."

“Yes, boss.” He quickly responded 

I stepped into my office;glass walls, black and white marble, not even a single item out of place. My name was written in gold letters on the door. 

Meetings came and went. Threats from rivals were handled as usual. 

By late afternoon, I had only one thing on my mind which was getting through the meeting my father had insisted I attend. Some introduction to the heiress he wanted me to marry against my wish.

I was already annoyed,and definitely wasn’t ready to be paraded.

But when I opened the private room’s door, mid-conversation on the phone with my lawyer about a legal cleanup in South Dakota.

I stopped more like I froze in between tracks.

My supposed fiancee was sitting there with legs crossed, cigarette in one hand,her fingers elegantly tipped in black polish. Her face turned slowly, and our eyes met.

They were not scared,not nervous but cold, composed and almost intimidating.Her black dress hugged tightly against her body. Her lips were painted a dull red color. She didn't block,she just stared at me like was some furniture 

But God… I could swear deep down I recognized something in her. Not her face;hers was sharper now. Older,beautiful in a  haunting way.

No, it was something else,something familiar I couldn’t place.My voice betrayed me.“Who the hell is this?” I scoff

She didn’t answer. Just brought the cigarette to her lips and took a long slow drag, the smoke curling.

“You watch your tone, Luca,” my father warns from the far end of the room, rising from the armchair he had been sitting on with a frown on his face. 

“This woman comes from a family far more powerful than you realize.”

“Then maybe you should have warned me I was walking into a god damn trap,” I snapped angrily 

But he simply smiled, feeling unfazed at my reaction. “Consider it a surprise engagement party then. No cake, unfortunately.” he scoff

I turned back to her….She still hadn’t said a word and I  couldn’t stop staring at her. My mind was working overtime, digging  through faded  memories. I had  been with other women before and even after her just to get my mind off her but no one stayed in my bones the way she had. And now, sitting in front of me, was a woman who looked nothing like the broken girl in that hotel room four years ago… but yet everything in my gut reacted  like she was the one.

I scoff within myself, because it made no sense at all.

The girl had vanished with no trace,no name. I had tried looking for her but to no avail.

This woman was anything but a ghost. She was polished,strategic,intimidating.And for some godforsaken reason, I couldn’t look away I just kept staring.

“Do you speak,” I asked dryly, “or do you only communicate through staring contests and smoke signals?” I added 

And finally she exhaled and spoke.

“Only when the conversation is worth my time.”

Her voice was low,soft, and dangerously calm.I laughed once under my breath. 

“Charming.” I said under my breath

“She’s your fiancée,” Father interrupted smoothly. “Whether you like it or not.”

“She’s a stranger.” I said with a clenched jaw

“All marriages start that way.” he said dismissively

I clenched my jaw. I didn’t like being cornered and I really didn’t like being handled. My father knew all  that which is probably why he is enjoying this so much.

I walked to the liquor cart, poured myself a glass, and turned to her again.

“I don’t like being lied to,” I said sharply. “So let’s not play games. Who are you?”

She tilted her head slightly,her  eyes cold and unreadable. “The woman you’re going to marry.” she simply pointed out like it wasn't already obvious.

I smirked, despite the tight feeling  in my chest. “That’s cute. But it doesn’t answer the question.”

“Does it matter?” she asked, standing slowly. “You’re not here to fall in love, Luca. You’re here to sign a name beside mine and keep both our families from eating each other alive.”

Her heels clicked on the marble floor as she walked past me, brushing close enough that I caught a scent I couldn’t place but somehow it felt familiar.

She walked towards the window, her back now facing  me, smoke trailing from her fingers as if this whole engagement thing was just another inconvenience and she couldn’t be bothered to protest by it.

I hated how she already got  under my skin within less than 10mins.I hated how much I wanted to break her calm.

My father’s voice cut through my thoughts. “She’ll be joining the company under a new division,Valenti Global. And you’ll be working closely together.”

“Oh, how romantic,” I muttered between muffled voices. “Forced closeness,What’s next, matching rings and a romantic press release?”

“She has qualifications,Luca, ” he said, too quickly.

Which meant she had power,Influence, And secrets. Very Interesting.

I faced her again. “So you’re just going to act  fine with all this?”

She turned back with her eyes narrowing. “Do I look like a woman who needs approval?”

No,she doesn't.She looked like a woman who gladly  burned down kingdoms just to feel warm and God help me, something about that made my chest tighten.

Still, I couldn’t shake the thought that there was something here. Something I definitely was missing.

“You feel familiar,” I said, narrowing my gaze. “Have we met before?” I asked even though I knew she wouldn't give me a proper answer 

A sly smug curve at the corner of her lips but her eyes stayed dead and unreadable 

 “You would remember."

It wasn’t a denial,but it wasn’t confirmation either; it was just another carefully placed wall.

She tapped the ashes of the cigar into a crystal tray

 “I have another meeting. If this is how the Valenti heir handles first impressions, I hope the second comes with less posturing.”

She walked out without waiting for any permission.Like she owned the whole damn room.

And maybe she did. What was I thinking?

The moment the door closed, I turned to my father. 

“Who is she really?”

“She’s from a family that doesn’t ask for permission and doesn’t explain themselves,” he said. “That’s all you need to know.”

“No,” I said, voice low. “That’s all you want me to know.”

He met my gaze “She is the key to keeping our enemies off our neck. That should be enough to answer your questions”

It wasn’t,Because something about her clung tightly around my mind. Something about her silence, her cold stare, that scent I couldn’t place,It lit a fuse I thought had burned out long ago,and for the first time in four years, I felt it again.That same pull I felt four years ago 

Who the hell is she?