Valentina didn’t sleep.
She couldn’t.
The truth sat heavy in her chest like a loaded gun, c****d and ready. Adrian had lied. Not just once, but repeatedly, strategically. each word, each touch, each kiss, a carefully crafted deception.
And worse… she had fallen for it.
By morning, her resolve was steel.
She dressed in black, no silk, no lace, just war. Her footsteps echoed through the hallway as she walked to the courtyard, where Adrian was sparring with Marco, one of his enforcers.
The clash of fists, the sound of grunts, it all faded when Adrian saw her.
His stance shifted.
She didn’t blink.
“I need to talk to you,” she said coldly.
He tossed the gloves aside and dismissed Marco with a wave. “Alone?”
“Always.”
They walked back into the house in silence. Into the study. Into t
