Chapter-37 Coffee

Gianna

“Gianna?”

“Gi…?” I felt someone shaking me, making me almost jump up from my seat with surprise. I turned my head, and Teresa raised a brow at me, looking concerned. And that’s when it dawned upon me that a room full of very important people was gawking at me.

Including Maximus.

“Sorry,” I apologized, my face flaming up. “I…”

“It’s okay,” Maximus smiled at me. “How about we take a little break? This meeting has been going on forever. Grab some coffee and a bite? It’s almost lunch time anyway.”

“Sure,” everyone nodded, and I swear I wanted to crawl under the table and hide with mortification.

“Miss Rosario, would you mind joining me?” Eve, Maximus’s lawyer, said. “I would like to go through the points you mentioned earlier. If this is the right time?”

“Uh…” Teresa hesitated, glancing at me.

“It’s okay. Go,” I assured her. “I will grab some coffee in the meantime.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.” Teresa squeezed my hand and then joined Eve, immediately falling into conversation as they walked out.

“So…if it’s not too inconvenient, can I take you out for coffee?” Maximus said, cocking his head, his amber eyes watching me intently.

“I’m sorry about earlier…” I said, feeling like crap. As if I wasn’t already feeling that way before.

“It’s okay,” he smiled. “We all have our days. So, coffee? You look like you can do with some fresh air.” I wanted to decline, but would that be professional? Especially after not paying attention during such an integral discussion.

Probably not.

“Sure,” I nodded.

Maximus gave me another of his slow, lazy smiles and pulled out his phone. All the while, his eyes were stuck on me, as if trying to read something. It was unnerving, and I averted my gaze, focusing on gathering my things instead.

“Pedro, get the car ready,” he ordered. I didn’t raise my eyes until I felt him standing in front of me.

“Ready to go?” His voice was smooth as velvet and kind, almost as if he were petting a lost puppy.

I gazed up at him, and that was a bad idea because he kind of took my breath away. Could I be blamed? This man was devastatingly gorgeous. Especially in a crisp black suit, white shirt and no tie. I could actually see a bit of ink from the three open top buttons.

“Yeah,” I nodded. “Let’s go.”

The ride in Maximus’s car was filled with silence, and I actually appreciated that. My mind was already filled with too much noise. My failing marriage, my cold-hearted husband who wanted to make it work just with wild sex. And my bleak future that had no hope for love or children in it. A part of me just wanted to disappear because with Nico it felt like trying to come out of a never-ending dark tunnel. Every single step forward leads to ten steps backwards.

“Ladies first,” Maximus said, opening the door of his fancy Rolls-Royce for me.

“Thank you,” I mumbled, climbing inside, and it was kind of awkward when he climbed in beside me. A part of me wondered if Nico was still stalking me. I wish he would, so he can know that I was with Maximus, and that would just set him straight.

We didn’t wander off too far before the car pulled in front of a chic cafe. Maximus climbed out first and then opened the door, holding his hand out for me. And before I could stop, I found myself placing my hand in his, my engagement ring glinting in the sunlight. I noticed Maximus’s eyes falling on it before it settled on my face again.

We took our seats by the window, and once we had ordered, I knew there was no hiding in the silence anymore. Especially when I could feel his eyes on me. He was always watching me for some reason. Like trying to figure something out.

“I’m sorry for zoning out during the meeting. I…I was just a bit…distracted,” I said.

“I can see that,” he nodded. The waiter came in with our drinks, and I mumbled an almost inaudible thank you to him.

“I’m usually not like this,” I said, looking down into my cup, the swirl of cream dissolving like fog.

“You handled it just fine,” he replied, casually resting one arm on the back of his chair. I glanced up at him, but he wasn’t smirking or teasing. Just watching me with that same quiet focus that made it hard to breathe.

“Now you’re being generous,” I mumbled.

“If that’s how you feel,” he said, leaning forward. “But I would say this…I miss that beautiful glint in your eyes today. That’s what I look forward to the most every time I see you.”

My breath hitched, just for a second.

It was such a simple thing to say. But the way he said it—like he meant it, like he noticed unraveled something tight inside me. I looked at him, unsure whether to laugh, deflect, or pretend I hadn’t heard him.

“I didn’t know you paid that much attention,” I said quietly, trying to keep my tone neutral, but my voice betrayed me as always.

“I do,” he said, still holding my gaze. “It’s hard not to. I am not gay, as I already clarified before.” My stomach flipped—annoyingly so. This isn’t going in the right direction.

“By the way…I heard from Leonardo yesterday,” he added casually, effectively breaking the tension.

That made me freeze. “Leo?”

Maximus nodded. “Left a voice note. Not exactly threatening, but he strongly suggested I ‘tread carefully’ with this collaboration… because it involves you.”

What the fuck.

I blinked. “He threatened you?”

Maximus chuckled, shaking his head. “Not directly. I believe your brother is too clever for that. Says it’s just a heads-up, you know… in case I get too er...ambitious.”

I stared at him. “That’s insane. He had no right—”

“It’s fine,” Maximus said, still smiling. “Honestly, I expect no less from him. He’s just doing what he thinks is his job. Protecting you.”

Maximus didn’t look even slightly ruffled by it. No arrogance, no offense taken. Just calm understanding. But Leonardo…he and I needed to have a chat.

“I’m sorry…Leonardo is just way too protective,” I apologized, feeling embarrassed as hell. “You don’t need to worry about him…”

“I am not worried, Gianna,” Maximus said, casually stirring his drink. “He’s not wrong to be cautious. But I don’t plan on hurting you. This is just business.”

Just business. But there was something about the way he said it. I shifted in my seat, suddenly feeling far too exposed under his gaze.

“Right,” I agreed. “But honestly, why are you being so nice to me? You barely even know me.”

His lips curved into the faintest smile. “You think I have some hidden agenda?”

“Don’t you?” I countered, though my voice lacked bite. “People always do.”

He sat back, his expression unreadable. “Maybe. But I don’t want anything from you that you’re not willing to give.”

That made me go still.

“What?” I frowned.

“We have signed a mutual contract of collaboration between us. That’s just as far as this is going to go, right?” There was something about his tone. As if he was challenging me to say otherwise. Testing me in some way.

“Precisely,” I agreed. “That’s how far it’s going to go.”

“Then that settles it,” he smiled and I almost reflexively stopped breathing when he reached out and wiped the foam from my lips. His amber eyes locked on mine, his full lips parting slightly.

“As cute as that foam moustache looked, I don’t think you would like to walk around with that,” he grinned. “I believe we should get going now.”

“Yeah,” I mumbled, quickly finishing my drink.

Why does it feel like there was always some underlying meaning behind everything he said? The thought made me scowl. I do not need another game-playing, mercurial man in my life. Nico was more than enough for one lifetime.

Thankfully the rest of the meeting was covered quickly. I honestly couldn’t wait to go back home because my head was throbbing with pain. I was bombarded with too much information and Nico at the moment. I needed a nice, long bath and a nap to get my shit together.

“That concludes everything on our end,” Maximus said with a smile. “Now comes the real work—bringing this project to life. I’m confident that, together, we’ll give it our all and make this a remarkable success.” Everyone cheered and I couldn’t help but smile as his eyes fell upon me.

“To celebrate this collaboration, I’m hosting a launch party this Saturday. Members of the media will be in attendance, and we’ll be officially announcing the project to the world. It’s poised to make headlines. So be prepared everyone.” The room flooded with applause and I relished this sense of excitement and drive that pulsed through everyone.

“Thank you, once again,” I said to Maximus as we were about to leave.

“And as always, no need to thank me,” he answered. “I will see you on Saturday, then?”

“You will,” I nodded.

“Your entire family is invited. The official invitations will be delivered shortly,” he said, then added with a faint smile, “I’m especially looking forward to meeting Nicholas. It's about time, don’t you think?” I blinked, my eyes widening in surprise.

What?

Oh dear god…this was not going to be good.

I did exactly what I planned when I came back home. I took a long, warm bubble bath, enjoyed a glass of wine from Nico’s expansive collection and then threw myself on the bed and was out within seconds.

I wasn’t sure what stirred me, but when I turned over, a familiar masculine scent greeted me, followed by the feel of a warm body beside me. I groaned as I felt the soft brushing of fingers on my cheek, my eyes shooting open in protest and immediately meeting his dark ones. I blinked and then almost jumped off the bed with panic, my heart pounding in my chest with panic.

What the hell was he doing here?