CHAPTER 5

She had been irritated with Matthew for a while because he hadn’t even given her any attention when he arrived at the office. What was the point of them being in the same room if he wasn’t going to do anything? She kept standing and sitting down with nothing to do. She had even offered him coffee, but he merely shook his head and didn’t lift his face from the folders his secretary had brought in earlier.

Out of frustration, she couldn’t stop herself from walking up to his desk and dropping a folder in front of him. It worked—she finally got his attention. Thank God. She had almost turned into a mere decoration in his office.

“What?” Though his brows were furrowed, amusement was still evident on his face. It even seemed like he was deliberately ignoring her.

That only made her more annoyed.

“Don’t ‘what’ me, Matthew! It’s almost noon and I still haven’t done anything at my desk. You already have your own secretary—you don’t need a PA-slash-decoration in your office!” She tried to forget the FuBu thing. It made her sick to think that was her real job and the reason she was there.

He pouted before letting his gaze roam over her in a slow, heated manner.

“I didn’t know you’d look even sexier in an office suit, Zenna. I thought—”

“You thought you were alone here. You thought I was just decoration in your office and wouldn’t get bored!” She forced herself to ignore the warmth pooling in her stomach at his words. “I’m not used to doing nothing, Matt.” Even when she had been close to giving birth and her doctor had forbidden her from working, she hadn’t listened. Doing nothing made her feel like she would get sick.

“Well, I do have something I want you to do, Zenna. Come here…” he called in an authoritative tone.

She felt a strange nervousness at his voice, but there was something in it she couldn’t ignore—especially when she met his gaze. It was as if she were being magnetized, drawn closer. Damn Ricaforte charm. But she wouldn’t let it affect her.

“I’m not joking, Matt. If you’re just going to tease me, then I’d rather—”

“Do I look like I’m teasing you, Zenna?” She clearly saw his Adam’s apple move. He gently caressed her cheek. “I don’t feel tired from the pile of work here in the office like I used to. It’s all because of your presence, il mio amore.” His hand slid down from her cheek to the nape of her neck. The warmth of his palm made the hairs on her body stand on end.

His face slowly lowered as he stared intently at her lips when suddenly her stomach growled. Shit. Only then did she remember that she hadn’t eaten breakfast. She had woken up late because of Nate’s restless night. He had caught a cold after staying too long in the shower the day before. She had stayed up worrying that his temperature might rise. When she woke up, she immediately bathed and dressed. She had even applied light makeup and lipstick while in the car.

“Have you had breakfast?” he asked in a serious tone.

She simply shook her head.

“Goodness, Zenna!” he said through clenched teeth as he glanced at his wristwatch. “Come with me.” She didn’t even get the chance to protest as the man pulled her out of the office.

There was a long line in the canteen since it was already lunchtime for the employees. However, the line at the counter parted when they arrived. People stared at them as they walked hand in hand to order food.

If she hadn’t secretly nudged him with her elbow, he wouldn’t have stopped pointing at the dishes he wanted to buy.

“How many people are we feeding?” she whispered, scolding him. She couldn’t help but think about what the onlookers might be saying about them.

“You’ll eat all of it. Just take it out if you can’t finish and store it in the fridge so you won’t go hungry when you’re too lazy to cook. I’m worried about your health, baby,” he said deliberately loud enough for everyone to hear. The people around them began whispering. Even the staff taking their order seemed stunned.

Oh earth, kill me now.

She tried to pull her hand away, but he tightened his grip. This only caused her to be pressed closer to his side. And he still wasn’t satisfied with the public display of affection. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder, burying his face at the side of her neck. She secretly stepped on his foot to make him stop, but he skillfully avoided it, as if he already knew what she would do.

Damn you, Ricaforte, she gritted inwardly.

“Don’t fight, baby. Unless you want me to give you a kiss mark in front of everyone eating here.” He placed a light kiss on the side of her neck. Her entire body stiffened as a jolt of electricity ran through her veins. Her face burned, and she knew it must have turned as red as a ripe tomato.

When they finally got their order and sat at a table for two, Matthew almost fed her himself. Not wanting to attract more attention, she continued eating even when she was already full. Otherwise, the man would make another scene and act as if they were in a relationship—something she feared. They had already been attracting attention for a while, yet Matthew seemed to be enjoying it, while she felt extremely uncomfortable with all the eyes on them.

This man knew exactly how to irritate her in front of other people, and what she hated most was that she couldn’t refute him. Damn him, she cursed inwardly.

She had thought Matthew was only joking when he told her she would be working as a designer at La Fashionista. But when they returned to his office, he immediately had his secretary accompany her to her new office and introduce her to her fellow designers in the Fashion Design Department.

Before ending their conversation, he reminded her, “You will work in my company, not as my personal assistant, Zenna. I don’t want your talent to go to waste. But that doesn’t mean you’re free from me. You are still bound to warm my bed, Zenna Marianette Lopez.”

She let out a sigh as she sat on her swivel chair. She would never be able to escape Matthew’s trap. But for Nathaniel’s sake, she would endure it.

Fortunately, her fellow designers welcomed her well, which somehow eased the stress caused by Matthew Ricaforte—except, perhaps, for one: Yvette Miranda.

“Zenna, why did you give up your booming career in Armines? Girl, what a waste. You earned more in Italy than here in the Philippines.” From what she knew, Yvette was the best fashion designer at La Fashionista. Zenna sensed something unpleasant in her attitude but chose to ignore it. She was here to work, not to pretend or compete with coworkers.

She smiled at the others who had turned their attention to her and Yvette. It seemed they could also sense the tension between them. Why not? She was from Armines Fashions, one of the most renowned companies in the global fashion industry. Naturally, someone like Yvette Miranda—talented, skilled, and highly competitive—would see her as a rival.

“It’s for personal reasons, Yvette. And I don’t think a company has to be famous for me to showcase my abilities in fashion. I know you’re skilled and a great designer. Nice working with you.”

Yvette’s brow arched noticeably at her response.

“Is it because of Robert Hidalgo, your ex-fiancé? Oh, sorry for being nosy. I just happen to know Rob.”

She shook her head at Yvette’s bluntness. But she wasn’t affected by Robert anymore. In fact, recalling him brought a sense of warmth—though it was quickly replaced by guilt over what had happened to their families. Robert Hidalgo was a good man. Truthfully, he didn’t deserve the humiliation she had caused him.

After she revealed her pregnancy, she had been certain he would break off their engagement. But instead, Robert had said he was willing to accept both her and the child she was carrying.

In the end, she had no choice but to maintain their relationship—not as his fiancée, but as a friend. It hadn’t been an issue for Robert. In fact, he continued to visit her and Nathaniel, and he even became the child’s godfather.

“Robert is a dear friend of mine, Yvette. He has nothing to do with my job. For your information, he’s in Europe right now. I think he’s there for his family business.” She shrugged before taking her seat at her workstation.

“She’s close to Robert Hidalgo?”

“Her ex-fiancé is the CEO of Hidalgo Builders?”

“I just saw her with Mr. Ricaforte in the canteen having lunch this noon.”

“Oh my, she’s quite capable.”

She ignored the whispers of her coworkers. As she had said, she was there to work.

She heard Yvette slam into her chair as she sat down at her own station. Zenna almost laughed.

“So childish as usual,” commented the woman at the neighboring station. “Don’t mind her. She’s just afraid of being outshined. I’m Arianne Melendez.” She extended her hand.

Zenna warmly accepted it. “You’re far more professional than her, Arianne.”

They both laughed softly. At least she had found one friendly coworker.

“IT IS DESTINY, Zenna.”

“Do you think so, Candice?”

“Of course! After that one-night stand, my godchild was conceived. And after almost two years, you met again. Not only that—he’s the CEO of the company you’re working for. It’s God’s grace—”

“And I also told you he plans to make me his mistress. You missed that part, Candice!”

“Don’t be mad, dear. Think about it—you’re fated for each other. Don’t you want to give Nate a complete family?”

Seriously? She almost regretted calling her friend to share her problem. It didn’t seem like Candice understood her at all. In fact, she seemed delighted that she had reunited with Matthew and was even excited about the idea of her becoming his mistress.

“Oh, Candice, you don’t understand.” She pressed her temples.

“Zenna, don’t dwell on the negative. Look at the bright side—for my godchild. You can’t hide the child from his father forever. Nate is a smart boy. One day, he’ll ask about his father. What will you say? Your son deserves a family, Zenna. Don’t deny him that.”

“But what if he uses Nate to control me? As if I don’t know he only wants to sleep with me. What I can’t accept is that he’s already married. What am I supposed to be—his mistress?”

“What if that’s not his plan? What if he’s not actually married like you think? Did you see any wedding ring on his finger?”

She paused. She hadn’t noticed one.

“I… I don’t think so.”

“See? You should talk to him, Zenna. Maybe it’s all just your assumptions. Maybe it’s your fear talking.”

“You only say that because you haven’t met and dealt with that Ricaforte. He’s so arrogant and… and perverted.” A handsome pervert, her mind defensively added.

“Wait, what? Ricaforte? Oh my God, Zenna, he’s a Ricaforte?”

She rolled her eyes. What was wrong with Candice? She reacted as if she had just heard the name of a famous Hollywood actor.

“Oh my… Zenna, you don’t realize how lucky you are.”

She grimaced at her words. What the hell was she talking about?

“He is gold, Zenna, my gosh!”

“Gold?” She rolled her eyes again. If anyone saw her, they might think she was having a seizure.

“Yes, as in G-O-L-D! Don’t you know the status of the Ricafortes, Zenna? They’re multi-billionaires. And I don’t know what secret their lineage has, but they’re incredibly blessed. A lifetime of success—and a bloodline anyone would want to be part of. There’s no one unattractive in that family, Zenna. No wonder my godchild is so handsome.”

She cleared her throat. “My son is handsome because his mother is beautiful.” She didn’t mean to boast, but her friend seemed to be missing something. Sometimes Candice really spoke without thinking.

“Of course I know that, Zenna. But does he look like you?”

She fell silent. Not really. Nate was a replica of Matthew.

“Which Ricaforte man did you get involved with?”

She shook her head. She was certain the call would drop the moment she said his name because Candice would immediately rush to search it online.

“Matthew Sylvester Ricaforte.”

She heard Candice gasp before the call suddenly ended.

Crazy Candice!