CHAPTER THIRTY

Sharon took a sip of her coffee, as she tried her best to concentrate on everything but Luca Pavilochenki

Who was sitting across from her at the table

He insisted they had breakfast together that morning, for some reason

His eyes were on her, she could feel them

“So do you plan to walk out of this table too?”

Luca asked

She had expected something like this, but she didn't expect him to be so direct

“Actually my appetite’s just fine today”

Luca scoffed

“You and your father, you seem—close”

He was being sarcastic, and this was a direct hit.

Was he trying to get her to give him a sort of explanation?

“Yes, we're close, what's wrong with that?”

She looked him straight up, and there was no fear in her voice

Luca set his cup down and stretched his arm so he could hold her palm

“You can tell me—”

It sounded sincere, it sounded like he genuinely gave a fuck

But Sharon had believed him before, and she only got herself hurt

“With all due respect Young Master Luca, my personal life is none of your business.

And if I remember clearly, you stated in your rules of marital perjury that I had no business prying into your personal life, do not pry into mine”

She took her hand away from his and went on sipping her tea

But she wasn't done talking

“You know our little honeymoon is ending soon. You won't have to see my ugly whorish face anymore.

If you leave for work early and come back late, maybe stop by a club on your way back, you won't see me

Ever!”

Sharon stood up to leave

But before her legs took her away, she caught a glimpse of Luca's facial expression

It wasn't his usual mask of coldness, nonchalance and screen altogether

It was something deeper

It was pain—

****************

I'm starting to think you're a psychopath Mr

Donald

Should I be scared?

Donald twirled his fork around the pasta on his plate

“It depends, are you easily fazed?”

“Who in the world wouldn't be? You have an illegitimate son and you beat your wife”

“Things like that happen all the time, I mean I'm not the first to do it”

She pushed back her glasses

“If the media catches up with you, you're cooked. Unless of course your wife gives some sort of testimony saying it's fake.

That would complicate things.

But if she clarifies it, you could end up in jail if she chooses to press charges”

Donald paused, letting it all sink in

Everything she said could really play out

Mrs Emilia Gray could easily deny the allegations on her husband, say it was

AI, tell the public it was a big sham cooked up by their enemies

Mr Gray could also use this opportunity to clear his name. The media which was partly within his control would project his innocence

And just like the whistleblower, their own strategy would turn on them

If the Pavilochenki's were going to cripple the Grays, they needed rock solid evidence

This meant that he had to obtain a testimony from Mrs Gray, in case she would deny everything in the future

“I see, this is quite interesting”

“Are we done here sir?”

“Don't you like my company love? Are you ashamed of being with me?”

“Well you did say you were a promiscuous wife beater”

“In theory”

Donald's hand went under the table and rested on her lap

“I can also be romantic”

She slapped his hand away and folded her arms around her chest

“Don't you have a girlfriend or something?”

“Donald chuckled”

“I’m single. To be honest I don't remember the last time I was in a relationship”

She smiled

His phone rang, it was Claire. He had ignored her texts and now she was calling him

“Aren't you gonna get that?”

“It's no one important”

“Well good luck finding a girl—”

“I found one already. She's smart and pretty and amazing, but she doesn't like me enough to finish a meal with me”

She sighed

His phone stopped ringing

“I hate the fact that you're my superior, I could've whacked you with my purse or something”

There was silence between them

“I really have to go, your brother put me in charge”

She grabbed her purse and stood up

“Miss Enya”

He called her nae, for the first time

“I love you!”

Claire paced around uncomfortably. Donald had been gone for a long time, and it was a Saturday so work couldn't have been his excuse

What was keeping him so long, where did he go? Why wasn't he picking her calls?

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Claire rushed to open it

Donald walked in casually as she held the door open

No greetings, no kisses, he just walked in and sat himself on a couch

“Where have you been Donald, I called, I texted but you didn't respond, I was worried about you—”

Claire walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder

Donald acted like she wasn't there, his mind was far away

“Baby, tell me what's wrong”

“It's nothing, I went for a business meeting”

“On a Saturday?”

“Do you have a problem with it?”

There was tension in the room. Donald was usually soft spoken and sweet, but

Claire was experiencing a side of him she had never seen before

“it's just that—”

“Just that what?”

“Nothing, I'm sorry”

“Of course you are, you don't expect me to stay with you 24/7 do you?

You're not my mom, stop pestering me about my whereabouts!”

Tear pooled in Claire's eyes

“But you're my boyfriend, and you're supposed to give me some sort of explanation”

It was at that moment Claire smelled something different, like someone else's cologne. It was misty, feminine

Could he have been with another woman? No, Donald loved her

He patted her head

“I want you to do something for me Claire”

This time his voice was soft, like he wasn't the same person from a minute ago

“What's that?”

Donald smiled

“I want a narration of how Mrs Gray got into that mess

On record—”