Chapter Three: The Woman in the Suit
1426 Words
The silence stretches.
Not awkward.
Not empty.
The kind of silence that weighs something before deciding whether it lives.
Alessandro’s eyes are on me now—dark, unreadable, sharp with something I don’t like. I’ve seen that look before. Men wear it right before they decide you’re a liability.
The woman beside him doesn’t rush the moment.
She enjoys it.
Her smile lingers, slow and deliberate, like she’s savoring my confusion. Up close, the masculine suit doesn’t hide her entirely. The lines of her face are too sharp, too intentional. Her hair is slicked back, not concealed. Her posture is relaxed, confident—dangerously so.
She knows exactly who she is in this room.
And she knows exactly who I am.
“Well,” she said lightly, breaking the tension. “You weren’t supposed to hear that.”
I didn’t answer.
My instincts are screaming.
Wrong place. Wrong moment. Wrong knowledge.
Alessandro steps forward, subtly positioning himself half a step in front of her. Not protective.
Possessive.
“This area is restricted,” he said to me.
Not angry.
Controlled.
I lifted my chin anyway. “Your house is full of locked doors. Hard to know where I’m allowed to exist.”
The woman laughs softly.
“Oh, I like her,” she said. “She bites.”
Alessandro doesn’t look at her. “That wasn’t part of the plan.”
She shrugs. “Neither was buying a girl instead of clearing a debt quietly.”
My pulse jumps.
Buying.
Girl.
Quietly.
I forced my voice steady. “Am I missing something? Or is this the part where you both pretend I’m not standing here?”
Her gaze flicks back to me, sharp and assessing.
“You’re standing here because Alessandro has terrible impulse control,” she said pleasantly. “And because your father is a greedy idiot.”
My jaw tightens.
“Careful,” I snapped.
She smiles wider. “There it is.”
Alessandro turns to her then, his voice dropping. “You were meant to leave before she arrived.”
“And miss this?” She gestures vaguely between us. “Absolutely not.”
Something shifts in the air.
This isn’t just business.
It’s personal.
Alessandro exhales slowly, like he’s choosing patience over violence. “Aria, go back to your room.”
No.
Not now.
Not when I’m finally seeing the cracks.
“You said I wasn’t part of the original agreement,” I said, ignoring him. “What agreement?”
The woman’s eyes lightened up.
“Oh, this just keeps getting better.”
Alessandro’s gaze snaps to me. “That wasn’t an invitation.”
“Too late,” I replied. “You already said it.”
Silence again.
He doesn’t deny it.
That’s my answer.
The woman tilts her head, studying Alessandro. “You really didn’t tell her?”
His jaw tightens.
Tell me what?
My heartbeat thunders in my ears.
“Tell me,” I demanded.
She sighs dramatically. “Fine. Since we’re already knee-deep in secrets.”
She steps closer.
Not to Alessandro.
To me.
The click of her shoes against the marble is soft, measured. When she stops, she’s just outside my reach.
“I’m Valentina,” she said. “And I’m the reason you’re still breathing.”
That lands wrong.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
Valentina glances over her shoulder at Alessandro. “It means he wanted to end this much faster.”
“That’s not true,” Alessandro says flatly.
She raises a brow. “You wanted leverage. I wanted elimination.”
Cold crawls up my spine.
Elimination.
Valentina turns back to me. “Your father’s debt wasn’t the problem, Aria. Debts can be erased. People who talk? Much harder.”
I swallowed. “Talk about what?”
Her smile fades.
“About the shipments your father helped move,” she said. “The accounts he touched. The names he overheard.”
I felt sick.
My father.
A pawn in something much bigger.
“You were never meant to be collateral,” Valentina continues. “You were meant to be motivation.”
My breath stutters.
“And when motivation failed,” she adds quietly, “you were meant to disappear.”
The room tilts.
I looked at Alessandro.
He didn’t look away.
That’s worse than denial.
“So what changed?” I ask hoarsely.
His voice is low. “You.”
Valentina scoffs. “Don’t romanticize it.”
“I’m not,” he replies. “She’s unpredictable.”
I let out a hollow laugh. “That’s your defense? I’m inconvenient?”
“No,” he said sharply. “You’re observant.”
Valentina steps back, folding her arms. “Which is exactly why she’s dangerous.”
Dangerous.
I straightened. “Funny. I was just thinking the same about you.”
Her eyes narrowed, amused rather than offended. “Good. Fear sharpens instincts.”
Alessandro turns to her. “Enough. She stays.”
Valentina’s gaze flicks between us. “You’re choosing her over efficiency.”
“I’m choosing control,” he answered.
She smiles slowly. “You always did like complicated games.”
She turns to me again. “Tell me, Aria. If he lets you live… what do you think that will costs you?”
I didn’t answer.
Because I already know.
Everything.
Valentina steps away, already losing interest. “I’ll be watching,” she said lightly. “Closely.”
She pauses at the doorway.
“Oh—and Alessandro?” She glances back over her shoulder. “If she runs, I won’t hesitate.”
Then she’s gone.
The door shuts softly behind her.
I’m left alone with Alessandro.
The air between us feels heavier now.
More honest.
“You lied to me,” I said.
“Yes.”
No apology.
“You were going to kill me.”
“I was going to end a liability.”
“And now?”
His gaze drags over my face slowly. “Now you’re an asset.”
I laughed bitterly. “Congratulations. I’ve been upgraded.”
He stepped closer.
“You should be grateful.”
I looked up at him. “For what? Not being murdered tonight?”
“For being interesting enough to survive,” he said quietly.
That shouldn’t sound tempting.
It does.
I hate that it does.
“You’re afraid,” I said suddenly.
He's still.
“Of her,” I continued. “Not of me.”
A pause.
Then, very softly: “Valentina doesn’t forgive mistakes.”
“So why keep me?” I pressed. “Why risk it?”
His eyes darken. “Because she underestimates you.”
My pulse jumps.
“And you don’t?” I asked.
His mouth curves slightly. “I never underestimate women who don’t beg.”
Something about that sends a chill through me.
“Go,” he said, gesturing toward the hallway. “Back to your room.”
I didn’t move.
Didn't you send for me to come and eat dinner? And now I should go back to my room? Oh, so now the plan is to starve me to death, hmm wonderful, I exclaimed!.
He looked at me firmly and was about to say something but I cut him off.
“Alessandro,” I said quietly. “If she wanted me dead… what’s stopping her?”
His answer is immediate.
“Me.”
That should be reassuring.
It isn’t.
I turned and walked away before he could say anything else.
The hallway feels longer now.
Colder.
Every shadow looks like it’s listening.
When I reached my room, the door unlocks automatically.
I stepped inside.
It locks behind me.
Again.
I leaned against it, heart racing.
By morning.
That’s what he said.
But now I know something worse.
Morning isn’t a deadline.
It’s a test.
I moved to the window, staring out at the dark compound below.
Lights flicker.
Guards change shifts.
A world built on control.
My phone vibrates suddenly on the bed.
I froze.
Slowly, I walked back and pick it up.
A new message.
Unknown number.
VALENTINA:
If you’re smart, you’ll try to run.
Another vibration.
VALENTINA:
If you’re lucky, you won’t succeed.
I stare at the screen, heart pounding.
Then the door handle rattles.
Once.
Twice.
Not unlocking.
Testing.
A voice speaks softly through the door.
“Aria,” Alessandro says. “We need to talk. Now.”
I looked at the phone.
Then at the door.
Then at the window.
And for the first time since this nightmare began—
I realized I might have only one chance to choose wrongly.
- Writer
