CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Coraline

Grocery shopping was the only part of my current job I enjoyed. Solely because I didn’t have to be around Alessio or his things while I did it.

I pushed my almost full cart down the frozen foods aisle, searching for the vegetables section.

Just as I found it and began perusing the shelves while grabbing what I needed, I heard the click-clacking of heels coming my way.

“Oh look. If it isn’t the bitch who is trying to steal my man.”

At first, I doubted the words had been meant for me. But looking around, I realized no one else was in the aisle. So I turned back to the stranger only to realize it was Georgina, the woman who had pretended to be Alessio’s girlfriend.

I still didn’t know why she had done that. Except Alessio was lying.

Then her words registered and my brows furrowed in confusion. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure I understand what you’re talking about.”

She let out a string of Spanish words that were no doubt insults by the way she was glaring at me as she said them.

“That just made me a lot more confused.” I pointed out.

She stepped closer, eyes flashing in anger. “You filthy whore. I’ve done my research on you. Pretending to be his cook while seducing him so you can use him for his money.”

I shrunk back in bewilderment at the words, wondering what the hell she was talking about. Seducing Alessio? That was almost laughable. Where did she get such false claims from?

“Excuse me? How dare you throw all those baseless accusations my way?” I exclaimed. “You don’t even know me!”

“I know enough, puta,” she sneered.

Heat rose within me as I started to get angry. She had no right to approach me out of the blue and just start hurling insults and derogatory names at me.

So I squared up to her, pushing the cart out of the way. She was really tall and I felt a bit intimidated by our height difference but I soldiered on, enunciating to her face, “You are crazy.”

She raised her hand and before I could even blink, she had landed a slap to my face.

My head snapped to the side at the impact and my eyes watered from the shock and suddenness of the action.

“Stay away from Alessio or you’ll regret it,” she growled before turning to stalk off.

Regaining my composure in a quick second, I turned my head and shot out a hand, grabbing a full chunk of her shiny, salon-styled hair.

She shrieked when I gave a violent tug, her head whipping back and her neck arching at an unnatural angle.

“You fucking bitch!” she howled in pain, venom coating her words.

“Don’t you dare put your fucking hands on me ever again, you psychotic shrew!” I tugged again, my grip tight against her scalp, and she screamed bloody murder.

By now, we were attracting stares from shoppers around but I couldn’t find it in me to care. Georgina was trying to release herself from my grip by clawing her long nails down my arms.

She scratched and dug at my skin, leaving marks and scrapes in her wake but I still didn’t let up. Then she managed to twist her body and reached her hands up to attack my face.

I jerked back, letting go of her hair in the process. A few extensions came off with me and I flicked them off, my gaze never leaving my opponent.

Georgina’s eyes were wild, her hair a mess as she frantically patted the section I had ripped off.

Her face contorted into an ugly mask as she cussed me out in Spanish and lunged at me.

Luckily, a few store workers stepped in at that exact moment and held her back before she could collide into me and do any real damage.

“This isn’t over, puta,” she snarled in my face, struggling against the workers till they released her.

Saying more Spanish words underneath her breath, she shoved my cart in my direction and finally walked off when it hit me in the stomach.

“Are you okay?” One of the workers asked me and I just nodded, my brain trying to process the last couple of minutes.

When everyone that had gathered eventually dispersed after seeing the catfight was over, I grabbed the handle of my cart and pushed myself to head towards the checkout counter.

I was in a daze on my way back to the penthouse, unaware of my surroundings. I tried to pull myself together though before stepping through the door because Alessio was still around.

I didn’t want him questioning me or suspecting anything was off. I just wanted to leave for the day and be on my own.

If he knew about the fight, he would probably seek Georgina out to question her and that would make her think I had run off and reported her to him.

It would make me more of a target in her eyes and I just wanted to not be on anyone’s radar. In her twisted mind, Alessio was hers and I was trying to steal him away, and since I didn’t want to be involved in whatever was going on between them, I’m choosing not to pursue the matter any further than what went on earlier.

So I rolled down my sleeves to hide the reddening marks on my arms and hauled the grocery bags through the door.

He was seated in the armchair, tapping away on his phone when I walked past him to head into the kitchen so I could put what I bought away.

“What’s that?” His question halted me in my tracks. I froze like a deer caught in headlights.

Not turning, I asked, “What’s what?”

“Turn around, Coraline.”

“Why? There’s nothing to see.” I stubbornly refused.

I heard him sigh and thinking that was going to be the end of it, I resumed walking towards the kitchen only to feel strong hands land on my shoulders and spin me around before I could take a single step forward.

The grocery bags fell from my grip at my sudden momentum and I was suddenly face to face with Alessio’s probing gaze.

Face to chest actually, if you considered our vast height difference.

But he tilted my chin up and moved my head to the side, his sharp eyes zoning in on something on my left cheek.

“Who hit you?” he demanded in a low, chilling tone.