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Chapter Thirteen: The Unraveling
publish date:
2026-05-26 00:24:23
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Valerio's Secretary Chapter Forty-two: The Cage
Valerio’s POVI barely slept. The coffee she made sat on my desk until it went cold, and I could not bring myself to throw it away before leaving the office.Now, the penthouse feels like a cage this morning.I stand at the window with a cup of black coffee gone cold in my hand, watching the city wake up below. Tokyo was a mistake, not the deal, that is progressing exactly as planned. The mistake was bringing Zara along, because those three days of proximity have just made it everything weird, and the whole scandal has left me torn between following my instincts and acting like the good gentleman that I am. Now, I have to keep my distance and act like I didn’t want her in all the ways known to man. “Perché non riesco a staccarmi da te?” (Why can't I pull away from you?) I murmur into the bedroom while pacing the length of the room. My thoughts keep circling back to her like muscle memory. I set the coffee down untouched and walk to my desk, the old photo still hidden in the drawer.
Valerio's Secretary Chapter Forty-one: The Distance
Zara's POVThe morning after the statement is everywhere—all the screens in the lobby, the photographer’s face pale and shaking as he admits he was paid, his face plastered on magazine covers. The board is satisfied, the story is dead, but something else is different. Valerio is already in his office when I arrive, standing by the windows, his back to me, hands in his pockets, and doesn’t acknowledge my presence through the glass wall like he always does. Not even a nod. “It’s fine,” I murmur to myself while I settle into my chair, “This is what you wanted, remember? Professional distance and safety.” But I can’t shake the weird feeling pooling inside my stomach. The morning passes in a blur; I handle emails, reports, and scheduling meetings while Valerio stays in his office without a word, and on the few times he comes out, he moves through the office like I am invisible. I try to focus on my work, drowning myself in all the tasks. I update the calendar, file documents, but my m
Valerio's Secretary Chapter Forty: Il Lupo (The Wolf)
Valerio's POV The phone is cold against my ear as I wait, but he picks up on the first ring, his voice rough and low, like gravel scraping comes through the phone. "Cruz." "Il Lupo." I lean back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. "Ho un problema." (I have a problem.) He pauses, then releases a dry laugh. "Sempre problemi con te." (Always problems with you.) "Questo è diverso." (This one is different.) Then, I switch to English. "A photographer. He took a picture of me and someone I care about, and it's everywhere. I want to find him, want him to confess who paid him, and then I want his press shut down." He pauses, longer this time. "E la donna?" (And the woman?) "Non toccarla." (Do not touch her.) My voice drops, cold and hard. "Lei è off-limits." (She is off-limits.) He chuckles. "Capito." (Understood.) "Il nome del fotografo." (The photographer's name.) I give it to him. “Sei ore," he says. (Six hours) "Tre ore." (Three hours.) He’s silent for a fraction of a m
Valerio's Secretary Chapter Thirty-nine: The Fallout
Zara's POVThe magazine cover is burned into my retinas while Clara's threats echo in my ears. The way Valerio had stepped between us, promising to destroy her if she hurt me, should have felt like protection, but it feels like a promise for more destruction.I sit at my desk and stare at my computer screen. The cursor blinks at me, waiting for me to do something, anything, but my mind is blank. I can’t focus, and I can’t breathe.My phone buzzes, and I glance at it. Luca: We need to talk. Emergency stairwell. Now!I stand up on shaky legs and walk toward the stairwell. The door closes behind me, and Luca is already there, pacing, his face pale. "Clara is making calls," he says without greeting. "Board members, senior executives, and anybody who cares to listen. And she is telling them that you are a liability, and that Valerio is being manipulated."My stomach drops. "Manipulated by who?""You." He looks at me with an expression of frustration and pity. "She is painting you as a gol
Valerio's Secretary Chapter Thirty-eight: The Photo
Zara's POVThe morning starts like any other. I wake up in my apartment, and Liam is already chattering in the kitchen with Mrs. Rivera. I dress in my usual work clothes, kiss my Liam goodbye, and drive to Cruz Holdings with the memory of last night still warm in my chest.The dinner, the candlelight, and the way Valerio had looked at me across the table like I was the only woman in the world made it all feel surreal. I shake the thought away as I step into the lobby. I need to focus on work and my life without him being the center of it. But something feels wrong.The moment I walk through the revolving doors, I feel all eyes on me. The security guard at the desk looks at me, then quickly looks away. Two women in the lobby stop talking mid-sentence when they see me, and one of them's gaze drops to the magazine in her hand, then back at me, before she nudges her companion and scurries toward the elevators.My stomach tightens.What is happening? Do I look funny? My gaze drops to my
Valerio's Secretary Chapter Thirty-seven: The Dinner
Valerio's POVI’m definitely going to lose my mind if I get to her end and she actually doesn’t want to go out with me. I stand in front of the mirror in my bedroom, adjusting the collar of my dark shirt for the third time. The second one was too casual, and the first one was somewhere in between, but I still don’t know if it is right. Cosa mi hai combinato, Zara? (What have you done to me, Zara?)I have closed billion-dollar deals in wrinkled shirts and never thought twice, yet here I am, agonizing over a collar. What is wrong with me?I check my watch, and it’s seven forty-five; fifteen minutes until I pick her up. I’ve been ready for an hour. I walk to the living room and pour myself a glass of water, avoiding the whiskey. I need a clear head tonight. No excuses, no blurred lines, just her. I want to have this one night imprinting her if that’s all I’m ever going to get. I feel for the photo from her drawer, and go to grab my keys on the table when I see her hair band. The one t
Valerio's Secretary Chapter Twenty-six: The Tokyo Trip
Zara’s POVI arrive at my desk earlier than usual, hoping the quiet office will give me time to steady myself before Valerio appears. My mind is beginning to act like a mess anytime he’s around me, and I have to do better. I have reasons for being here, and it feels like I’m forgetting that, and I
Valerio's Secretary Chapter 25: The Morning After
Zara’s POVThe morning after the gala feels like waking up from a fever dream.My body still remembers every moment, Valerio’s hand firm on my lower back as we danced, the way his breath brushed my ear when he whispered about the old photo, the heat in his eyes every time they found me across the c
Valerio's Secretary Chapter Twenty-four: The Dance
Valerio’s POVThe gala is supposed to be just another night of calculated smiles and strategic conversations. Instead, it feels like the ground is shifting beneath my feet.I’m standing near the grand staircase, champagne glass in hand, nodding at something one of the European investors is saying,
Valerio's Secretary Chapter Twenty-three: The Gala
Zara’s POVThe gown feels too elegant for someone with a heavy heart as mine.I stand in front of the mirror in my small apartment, soothing down the deep emerald green dress I had bought on sales two weeks ago. It hugs my figure without being flashy; professional enough for an assistant, but still
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