CHAPTER 6

Valeria POV

“Sandor has disappeared.”

My father said it so calmly, like it was totally normal that my fiancé, my soon-to-be husband had just vanished.

For a moment, I thought I misheard him. “What do you mean, disappeared?” I asked slowly, my stomach twisting. “How?”

He didn’t even flinch. “Valeria, the most important thing is that you’re married. It doesn’t matter which of the Alessandro brothers you marry.”

I blinked. My lips parted in disbelief. “What?”

Before he could answer, another voice cut through the room.

“Valeria.”

I turned sharply and there she was, my sister, Evie. Her heels clicked against the marble floor like she owned the place, her red lips curling into a smirk.

“I would’ve been here earlier,” she said casually, flipping her hair over her shoulder, “but I had far more important things to do. I heard your groom… ran away.”

“Evie!” Father’s voice came out in a low growl.

“What?” she said innocently, though her tone dripped with venom. “I’m only telling the truth. Poor Valeria is so dull that she can’t even keep a man.”

I stared at her, my chest tightening. Every word was like a knife twisting deeper into me.

“Enough, Evie,” Father warned again, but I could barely hear him. My pulse was roaring in my ears.

I turned away before I said something I’d regret and left the room, the sound of her quiet laugh chasing after me.

Massimo was waiting by the car. He didn’t speak as I approached, didn’t ask how I was doing, and didn’t offer any comfort. Just a nod, and he opened the door for me.

The ride was painfully quiet.

The air between us felt heavy, suffocating. I kept my eyes on the window, watching the city lights blur past. My wedding dress itched against my skin, a reminder of the farce this day had become.

“I’m not your wife,” I suddenly blurted out, breaking the silence.

Massimo didn’t even look at me. He just exhaled, long and tired, like I was the one exhausting him.

That sigh irritated me more than words ever could.

“Did you hear me?” I snapped, turning toward him. “I said I’m not your wife.”

His hands tightened slightly on the steering wheel before he finally spoke. “Don’t worry,” he said flatly. “I only stepped in. Once Sandor returns, you’ll get your proper wedding.”

My lips curled in a humourless laugh. Oh, so even you don’t consider this real. Perfect.

Massimo Alessandro, the man with ice in his veins. Always so calm, so collected, so painfully unreadable.

He’d always looked at me like I was an inconvenience, a shadow taking up too much space. He never tried to get to know me, never even pretended to care. Did he hate me that much, or did he just hate women in general?

Fine. I could play cold too.

When we finally arrived at his estate, I expected something cold and empty like him, but it wasn’t. The mansion was beautiful, with warm lights spilling across the grand staircase as we stepped in. The maids lined up neatly, bowing slightly.

“Welcome home, Mrs Alessandro,” one of them said politely.

Mrs. Alessandro. The words stung.

“At least someone here has manners,” I muttered under my breath.

Massimo ignored me and spoke to the head maid. “Where’s Penny?”

“She’s around here somewhere, sir.”

My brows furrowed. She?

“Who’s Penny?” I asked, crossing my arms. “You have a kid?”

He didn’t even pause. “Not quite.”

And then he walked off, up the stairs, without another word.

I stood there blinking, my blood boiling. “Not quite?” I repeated to myself. “What the hell is that even supposed to mean?”

Was she a lover? A mistress? His secret child? What the hell was going on in this house?

Not that I should care. He wasn’t really my husband. Just my stand-in husband.

Still… I did care. And that annoyed me even more.

Massimo POV

Valeria had no idea how bad things could’ve gotten if I hadn’t stepped in.

We’d called Sandor for hours. No response. Phones switched off. His men gone, his bodyguards nowhere to be found. Even his car was missing. It was like he’d vanished from the face of the earth.

If we hadn’t acted fast, Valeria would’ve walked to an empty altar, humiliated, broken, destroyed. And no matter how cold I seemed, I couldn’t let that happen.

So I took his place. Married her to save her pride.

Now she thinks I’m the villain.

She doesn’t know I’ve spent the last twelve hours cleaning up the mess her missing fiancé left behind. She doesn’t know I might be next if I don’t find out who’s behind his disappearance.

She walked in just as I was pouring myself a drink. The firelight caught her face, flushed, angry, but breathtaking all the same.

“Where’s my room?” she asked sharply, crossing her arms.

Her tone dripped with defiance, and for some reason, it made me smirk. “You’ll be staying here tonight,” I said. “Maria’s setting up your room upstairs. You can move in tomorrow.”

She scoffed. “Seriously? This entire mansion, and there’s no room ready for a guest*?

“This is a room too, no?” I replied, lifting an eyebrow.

Her eyes narrowed. “That is not what I mean.”

I tilted my glass lazily, the amber liquid swirling as I met her glare. “Then maybe you should be clearer next time.”

She looked ready to throw something at me, and for a brief moment, I almost wished she would.