Burn For Me

Episode two- burn for me

Chapter Two – Burn for Me

~Extended to

The girl froze for just a moment, her wide eyes locking with Valentina’s, and for the briefest second, the entire room seemed to disappear. No music. No laughter. Just the heat between them—a silent, electric charge that made Valentina’s breath catch.

A voice broke through the silence in her head. You shouldn’t want this.

But it was already too late. The pull was undeniable.

Valentina took a slow step forward, unsure what possessed her, only that her body moved as if pulled by an invisible thread. The girl’s lips parted—barely—but she didn’t move away. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t run.

She was beautiful in the kind of way that crept up on you. Not loud or artificial like the women who usually threw themselves at Valentina, desperate to be seen, to be chosen. No, this one was softer. Real. Her dark curls were pinned back messily, a few stubborn strands clinging to her cheek where the kitchen’s heat must’ve kissed her skin. Her uniform was plain, but her presence was anything but.

Close now, Valentina could see the freckles dusted across the bridge of her nose, the way her lashes trembled ever so slightly. Her name. Valentina needed to know.

“I don’t think we’ve met,” Valentina said, her voice lower than usual, tinged with something that sounded dangerously close to curiosity. “You’re not part of the usual staff.”

The girl swallowed. “I’m not.”

“Then what are you?”

A beat. Then another. The girl blinked as if waking from a spell. “Temporary help,” she said. “I—uh, catering." I shouldn’t even be out here, I was just—”

Her voice faltered, eyes flitting down like she’d revealed something she shouldn’t have.

Valentina’s mouth curved into a slow, amused smile.

“You’re clearly not very good at hiding,” she murmured.

The girl’s cheeks darkened, a soft flush spreading across her warm brown skin. “I wasn’t trying to hide.”

“No?”

“I was trying to breathe.”

That caught Valentina off guard. The honesty of it. For a moment, she just stood there, stunned in silence. Then she laughed—soft and low, the kind of sound that made people lean in and wonder what came next.

“You and me both,” she said.

The music filtered back into the room, something classical and expensive. Her brother’s idea. Of course. The staff bustled around them, but it all felt distant, background noise to the buzz under her skin.

“You have a name?” Valentina asked.

The girl hesitated, then nodded. “Lucía.”

Lucía. It suited her—delicate on the surface, but it lingered like something dangerous just under the skin. The name made something sharp and hot twist low in Valentina’s stomach.

“I’m Valentina,” she said, though she didn’t need to. The girl already knew. They always did.

Lucía gave a shy nod. “I know.”

A pause stretched between them, thin and taut. Valentina’s fingers itched to do something—reach out, touch, pull—but she didn’t. Not yet.

“I should go,” Lucía said suddenly, glancing over her shoulder toward the double kitchen doors. “If they see me talking to you…”

Valentina tilted her head. “They?”

Lucía gave her a look—half nervous, half pleading. “Your family. The other staff. It’s… not a good idea.”

Valentina stepped in just close enough to smell the citrus and honey scent clinging to Lucía’s skin. “That’s never stopped me before.”

Lucía’s breath caught.

“Maybe it should,” she whispered.

Valentina smiled. “Maybe. But now that I’ve seen you, I’m not sure if I can stop.”

Lucía took a step back, reluctant but firm. “You should try.”

And then she was gone, slipping through the crowd like mist, vanishing into the kitchen before Valentina could even think of stopping her.

But the damage was done.

Valentina stood there, her fingers twitching at her sides, the empty space in front of her suddenly colder than it had been seconds ago. She could still feel the ghost of Lucía’s presence, the way her voice had sounded soft and almost scared—and still, so real.

Someone tapped her shoulder.

“Val,” came a familiar voice—her cousin, Alessia. “Your mother’s looking for you." She’s not thrilled that you disappeared during the toast.”

Of course, she wasn’t. Her mother never missed a chance to be disappointed.

Valentina didn’t move. She watched the kitchen doors, half-expecting Lucía to reappear, though she knew she wouldn’t.

“Did you hear me?” Alessia asked, her voice tinged with impatience now.

“I heard you.”

“Then let’s go before she starts breathing fire again.”

Valentina finally turned, her face composed, the heat carefully tucked beneath her usual armor. But as she walked away, something clung to her—the girl’s name, her scent, the way her eyes had held hers like a dare.

Lucía.

The name was already lodged in her mind like a splinter.

She followed Alessia through the grand hall of the estate, heels echoing against the marble. Every guest turned to smile, nod, toast, murmur their respect. Valentina didn’t care. She wasn’t in the mood to be the heir tonight—the woman they admired and feared in equal measure.

“You’ve got that look again,” Alessia muttered.

“What look?”

“The one that means you’re thinking of doing something you’ll regret.”

Valentina smirked. “Maybe I am.”

Alessia rolled her eyes but said nothing. She knew better than to press.

When they reached the front of the hall, their mother was already waiting—perfectly composed in a dark emerald gown, her hair twisted into a flawless chignon. She didn’t speak right away, only narrowed her eyes at Valentina like she could smell rebellion in her.

“You disappeared,” she said, her voice clipped. “Again.”

“I needed air.”

“You need discipline. You are not a child, Valentina. This family depends on you to show restraint, to lead.”

Valentina said nothing. She felt Lucía’s name rise to her lips again and forced it down like a sin.

Her mother sighed. “Try not to embarrass us tonight. "This union means something.”

It always meant something. Every event. Every smile. Every conversation.

But for the first time in a long time, Valentina didn’t care what it meant.

She only cared about the girl in the kitchen.