บททั้งหมดของ From Ex-wife to his Uncle's Obsession : บทที่ 151 - บทที่ 160

(Celeste Moretti's POV)"I never said it was," Vincenzo replied as he took a step back. "Go and freshen up first. Then come downstairs. Mrs. Potts left lobster bisque on the stove, and she'll be disappointed if you don't eat it."About ten minutes later, I was sitting at the dining table with a steaming bowl of lobster bisque in front of me. It was warm, rich, and so carefully made that it felt far too special for an ordinary evening. Vincenzo sat across from me with an unreadable look on his face, quietly watching me eat without saying a word.After a long silence, he finally spoke."Marco called me useless tonight."I looked up from my bowl in surprise."What?""He said I let my wife go out for the evening without even trying to come with her." His voice remained calm, almost emotionless. "He thought it was very funny."I almost choked on my soup."Marco actually said that?""He did."I frowned. "He doesn't really seem like the kind of person who would..." I stopped halfway through

(Celeste Moretti's POV)The officer's voice came through the phone again. It was calm and direct."We're right behind you. What's the new location?"Lavinia read out the address. It was an abandoned warehouse hidden deep inside a wooded area where no vehicles could reach.There was a brief pause before the officer answered. "We won't be able to get backup inside fast enough. You'll have to continue on foot. We'll surround the area from the outside."I lifted my eyes toward the trees. They were thick and dark, with almost no light passing through them. The forest looked quiet, but something about it felt wrong."I want to hear Luca's voice before we move," I said into the phone.Lavinia repeated my request. A few seconds later, another message arrived instead of a reply. It was a single photograph.Luca was sitting on the cold concrete floor with his wrists tied together. His eyes were closed, and he looked completely still.Lavinia let out a broken sob."He's alive," I said, forcing m

(Celeste Moretti's POV)His lips brushed against my earlobe before moving slowly across my cheek, and after that, there was no room left for conversation. I reached behind me without thinking and grabbed his forearm, but it did absolutely nothing except make him smile."I haven't showered yet," I managed to whisper."I'll help you with that," Vincenzo replied in a calm voice.Before I could answer, he lifted me into his arms. A surprised sound escaped my lips, but it disappeared before it was fully formed.The bathroom soon filled with steam as hot water poured over us. White mist covered the glass until the outside world disappeared, leaving nothing but warmth and the steady sound of running water. I leaned my head back and stopped trying to find something to hold on to.After that, everything became a blur. The only thing I clearly remembered was crying by the end. Vincenzo gently kissed the tears from the corner of my eye and quietly told me it was still early and that he wasn't fi

(Celeste Moretti's POV) It didn't. Two days later, Lorenzo called me. He told me that Vincenzo had asked him to come to the executive floor. At first, he thought it was about work, but Vincenzo hadn't mentioned any project at all. Instead, he casually asked whether the Vitale Global's R&D department had been unusually busy lately. After that, he forwarded Lorenzo an article from The Wall Street Journal about workplace burnout. Along with the article was a short note reminding him that Vitale Group International cared about its employees' well-being and encouraged every department to maintain a healthy balance between work and personal life. According to Lorenzo, he had walked back to his office in a cold sweat. The first thing he did was check the attendance records. They showed that I hadn't worked any overtime because all the extra hours I spent on the project were done from home and outside office hours. He spent almost an hour trying to understand what Vincenzo had actually be

(Celeste's POV)Vincenzo had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. "I'll cancel all my morning meetings whenever you're around.""That's not the point." I pointed at my neck. "Look at this. Even full-coverage foundation won't hide it, and I have to see these people today.""I'm sorry."He said it with complete sincerity, but his face told a very different story. He looked like a man who was not sorry at all and was, in fact, quietly pleased with himself. That expression made me want to grab another pillow and throw it at him."You'll do it again," I said."I'll be more careful.""That's not a no!"He picked up his coffee from the nightstand, took a calm sip, and said nothing.I grabbed the pillow and threw it at him.He caught it easily.The next two days were much quieter. Vincenzo kept his distance, I buried myself in work, and we both acted professionally around everyone else. Strangely, that distance was easier and more annoying at the same time. I missed having him close, but I