Chapter 2:

“You came here seeking me out. Why are you pretending?” Victor sneered as he reached for the vodka on the coffee table.

With one hand pinching Aria’s face, he forced the alcohol down her throat. The alcohol flowed into her mouth and nose, causing a suffocating sensation to overwhelm her.

She struggled vigorously, but she couldn’t break free from Victor’s restraint.

Aria was on the verge of collapsing, her cheeks wet with tears.

She should have seen this coming.

For three years, no commission from De Luca Group had ever reached $70,000. Naively, she trusted Xavier, believing he wouldn’t manipulate her into the clutches of a pervert like Victor.

Clearly, she was mistaken, and her biggest error was trusting Xavier.

Aria had shared a bed with him every night, but he had always treated her like a plaything, one that could be easily discarded with money.

Victor ripped her clothes apart. In her despair, Aria suddenly caught a glimpse of a vase beside her.

She grabbed the vase in passing and with all her strength, hurled it at the back of Victor’s head.

The vase struck him with great force, causing him to let go of her and cry out in pain as he clutched his head. Fuming with anger, Victor cursed at Aria, “You damn woman! How dare you strike me!”

Despite her intense dizziness, Aria managed to grab the signed contract from the coffee table before making her escape.

Rushing out, she collided with a tall figure – a familiarly handsome and sinister face.

Tears filled Aria’s eyes as she struggled, thrusting the contract into Xavier’s arms.

Though she held onto Xavier’s clothes, she slid down weakly.

In a hoarse voice, Aria murmured, “Xavier, I got the contract signed. Remember the 70,000 dollars commission…”

Xavier caught her before she fell. Just then, Victor emerged from the suite.

Seeing Xavier carrying Aria, Victor demanded, “Give me that woman!”

Xavier’s cold demeanor intensified upon hearing Victor’s demand.

Daniel, who followed closely behind, immediately intervened. He sternly warned Victor, “Monsieur Laurent, she is Mr. De Luca’s woman. How dare you lay hands on her?”

Victor’s mind was clouded, and his next words were filled with anger. “How is that possible? Then why did she come to meet me alone?”

Daniel meaningfully reminded him, “Do you think it’s a coincidence that Mr. De Luca is here?”

Victor was left dumbfounded as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat, when he realized the truth of Daniel’s words.

In the back seat of the black Maybach, Aria lay on Xavier’s lap. She panted and murmured incoherently while tugging at her clothes.

The drug Victor had given her had taken its toll, evident by her flushed face.

The car was dimly lit, and Xavier’s dark eyes betrayed no emotion, but his jaw was tightly clenched.

He took Aria’s small hands in his large palm and ordered coldly, “Tell the project department to stop funding our collaboration with Victor until he begs for forgiveness.”

Daniel understood his boss’s intentions well. He knew this was just the beginning. Mr. De Luca wouldn’t let Victor get off this easily.

Despite Mr. De Luca’s claims that he didn’t like Aria, he had immediately sent Daniel to pick her up from the hotel after she left the company.

Daniel couldn’t help but sigh silently. It was clear that his boss had feelings for Aria.

Suddenly, Aria pleaded for help in a trembling voice, “Xavier, please help me. It’s so hot…”

She clung tightly to Xavier’s shirt, pulling him closer.

Her voice was filled with torment and ambiguity. Even Daniel, driving, felt embarrassed as he saw her sweaty forehead and exposed cleavage from the mirror when she opened her collar.

Xavier’s eyes narrowed as he assessed Aria’s condition. He ordered Daniel to stop the car and step out.

Daniel complied. After pulling the car over, he quickly exited and walked more than ten meters away. He then stood with his back facing the car.

Meanwhile, in the car, Xavier’s gaze landed on Aria again.

He carefully sat her up on his lap, supporting her back with one arm while his other hand gently cradled her head. His icy gaze softened as he leaned in and pressed his cool lips against her feverish ones.

Aria woke up the next day feeling groggy and in pain, her body aching all over.

As she sat up in the bed, she looked around the room, trying to piece together how she had ended up there the night before.

A familiar hoarse voice interrupted her thoughts, “You’re awake?”

Suddenly, memories of the previous night flooded her mind, causing her face to flush.

She remembered her encounter with Xavier and how he had aided her escape, but she still needed answers about the changes to the contract terms.

Despite her dizziness, Aria mustered the strength to get up and faced Xavier’s indifferent gaze. “Mr. De Luca, why didn’t you inform me about the changes in the contract?”

Xavier narrowed his eyes.

In his eyes, Aria was like a hedgehog. If he didn’t provoke her, she could be obedient in every aspect. But she would not hesitate to push back once he pushed her too far.

Coldly, Xavier reminded her, “Aria, as a subordinate, you have no right to question your superior’s decisions. Remember what I told you on your first day here?”

Aria fell silent, acknowledging his point.

Just as Xavier was about to explain the contract’s profit points to her, his phone rang.

He answered, putting it on speaker mode as he got dressed. “Speak.”

It was Daniel on the other end. “Mr. De Luca, our team has just received a message. A woman matching the description of the person you’re searching for has been located in Florence. I’ll send you the information shortly.”

Xavier stopped buttoning his shirt and frowned. “Make it quick.”

After ending the call, Xavier turned to Aria and remarked, “You should have known this wouldn’t be an easy task. The commission was 70,000 dollars, after all.”

Aria’s grip on the bedsheet tightened, unable to argue with Xavier. She lowered her gaze to conceal her emotions.

She felt suffocated by the fact that Xavier was still searching for information on the long-lost woman. She was also unhappy that he didn’t inform her about the changes in the contract.

But she knew Xavier was right. As a subordinate, she had no right to question her superior.

Miserably, she thought to herself, ‘Aria, know your place! Is it that difficult to be submissive and compliant?’

After breakfast, the driver drove them to the company in Xavier’s black Maybach.

Half an hour later, the black Maybach stopped in front of the company.

The driver respectfully opened the door for Xavier, who stepped out elegantly in a well-tailored black coat, exuding a commanding aura.

Loosening his tie, Xavier handed documents to Aria, his deep eyes freezing slightly when they landed on her pink lips.

Suddenly, he raised his hand and gently rubbed the corner of her lips with his calloused fingers.

“There’s a little lipstick smudged outside your lipline.”

As Xavier wiped away the stray lipstick from Aria’s lips with his thumb, his warm and gentle touch caused Aria’s eyes to tremble uncontrollably.

Catching sight of her flustered and helpless reflection in Xavier’s eyes, Aria quickly composed herself. She thanked him calmly, despite her fluttering heart.

Xavier withdrew his hand and smiled before striding confidently toward the office.

Meanwhile, Aria managed to suppress the slight palpitations in her heart as she switched on her iPad and hastened to follow Xavier. She needed to report on today’s work schedule.

“Mr. De Luca, there’s a meeting with the higher-ups at nine o’clock—”

“Mr. De Luca!”

Before Aria could finish speaking, an unfamiliar woman suddenly rushed over.

The woman pounced on Xavier and grabbed the corner of his shirt tightly, pleading desperately, “Mr. De Luca! Please tell HR to keep me. I really need this job!”

Xavier’s cold eyes filled with disdain as he glanced at the bodyguards beside him and growled, “Get her out of my sight!”

Hearing this, the bodyguards at the side quickly stepped forward. They grabbed the woman’s hand and dragged her away.

However, the woman seemed to have gone crazy. She used all her strength to resist the bodyguards.

“Let go of me! Please give me some time to talk to Mr. De Luca! Mr. De Luca, just a few minutes! Please!”

Noticing the displeasure on Xavier’s face, the bodyguards quickly tightened their grips.

As the woman struggled against the bodyguards, her long hair swayed in the sunlight, and the red mole on her earlobe caught Xavier’s attention, freezing his gaze.