Valentina's POV
Seven days of silence, of Leonardo coming home after midnight, of waking to an empty penthouse and wondering if he came home at all.
Mrs. Chen was the only constant. She smiled in the mornings, made breakfast I didn't eat, asked how I slept when we both knew I didn't.
"Mr. Monte is working late again," she'd say, setting down coffee.
"I know,” I said, my lips in a tight smile.
I answered emails, scheduled meetings, brought coffee to an empty office because Leonardo was always in the boardroom or on calls or somewhere that wasn't near me.
And this is friday morning, I arrived at work early, and Leonardo's office was dark.
I sat at my desk and opened my laptop. At nine AM, the elevator doors opened. A woman stepped out; brunette, tall. She wore a tight black skirt,
