My Ex-wife is now a Billionaire Heiress

Chapter 5#

•Andrea•

"Madam President, you have a um-- a visitor." My secretary Lisa told me as I rounded up a few works in my office.

"Who?"

"I told him to wait but he's insisting that you're his--"

Before she could finish, the door opened and Riccardo walked in.

She winced and lowered her head in defeat. "I'm really sorry, madam."

I sighed then put down my pen as I closed the documents. "It's okay. You can leave us. But have the guards on standby just in case."

"Yes ma'am." She bowed her head briefly then walked out.

I leaned back on my chair, crossed my legs and stared at Riccardo. "What can I do for you, Mr. Del Valle?"

He stared at me for a very long moment before clearing his throat. "We were supposed to have a meeting yesterday. In private. Your um..." He cleared his throat again. "Your father and I scheduled the meeting before he called in sick."

"I see. Have a seat, Mr. Del Valle."

He pulled out one of the chairs in front of my desk and took a seat.

"So...you said you and my father were supposed to see each other before right?" I asked him, refusing to meet his gaze as I pretended to flip through some documents.

"Yes. Actually, the meeting was between him and my father. Not until I stepped in as the chairman of Emporium."

"I see." Then I looked up at him. He didn't seem so much like yesterday. He now looks so calm and collected unlike the persistent and clingy Riccardo of yesterday. Could it be that he has given up already? So easily?

Nah, that wasn't like Riccardo.

I looked away from him and fixed my gaze back on what I was doing. "You seem fine today. I'm guessing you're feeling much better now."

He hesitated for a moment. "Yes, I am."

"That's good to hear. We certainly wouldn't want a repeat of what happened yesterday. You created quite an horrendous scene here that left a foul impression on my investors yesterday."

"I'm sorry." He quickly interjected.

"Indeed." was all I said and continued flipping through the files.

A moment passed before he says, "I didn't know Robert had a daughter named Andrea. I thought it was just Philip and his younger sister Katerina. How come no one's ever heard of you before and how come there's barely any photo of you on the Internet?"

"You looked me up in the Internet?"

"I like to be familiar with the people I do business with. Or don't you think it's the right thing to do, madam president?"

I stilled. Then slowly lifted my head to look at him, my lips curving into a small smile. "Of course." I leaned back to look at him. "So did you find what you were looking for?"

"I didn't. But that doesn't mean I'll stop looking."

He was staring at me so intensely. As if what he was looking for was actually hanging on my face.

"So," I got up from my chair and moved to stand in front of the glass walls in my office that out looked the city. "This woman you were um... mistook me for her yesterday, what exactly happened to her? Rosalie or wasn't that her name?"

"Yes. That's her name. Rosalie's my wife. We were only married for a year but it felt as if we knew each other our whole lives."

"What happened to her?"

He lowered his head and looked down. "She left me. Uhm, it was my fault actually. I let my anger get the better of me. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I shouldn't have let her go."

"But you did. You said your anger got the better of you."

"Yes, it did. And I'm so sorry I let it happen."

"Did you even think of how hurt she must have been as a result of what you did? We women are quite sensitive to a lot of things. Did you ever think of what you actions might have cost her?"

He sighed. "I regret that every single day. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't wish...that I don't wish things could have been different."

I snorted and looked away from him. "That's what you all men say. Do you even want to know what I think, Mr. Del Valle?"

He didn't retort but I continued anyway.

"I think you deserve what you're going through right now. You were a horrible man to a woman whom you didn't only claim to know your whole life but also to a good woman who loved you dearly. No wonder some of you men end up being miserable and pathetic. You never know how to treat a good woman right. Not until she's out of your life. And then you start thinking of ways to get her back to do what? Put her back in the same position she was before she left you?" I let out a disgusted laugh. "You've got to be kidding me."

He got up from his chair. "You know for a woman who seem less interested in me, you seem pretty quite affected by my story." He said as he stalked for me.

I stepped back. "I don't need to know anything before seeing you for who you really are, Mr. Del Valle."

"Is that so?"

He was trying to cover the distance between us while I just kept stepping back. Just as I gestured to turn away from him, I lost my balance but just before I could sway and drop to the floor, he caught me by my waist and pulled my body against his.

I felt him.

All of him.

I didn't think that after all these years, being so close to him again would ignite something deep inside of me. Something I thought I had buried deep inside of me for life. I didn't move and neither did he. We just kept staring into each other's heart, our chests heaving with every breath when all of a sudden he lowered his head and covered my lips with his.

I froze.

Riccardo's lips moved against mine so softly and passionately, coercing mine to open up for him. The moment his tongue slipped into my mouth, I regained my senses, pushed him away from me and crossed my hand on his face.

"How dare you?!"

One of his hand held his face as he looked at me. "I knew it. You know I really wanted to stop believing you were Rosalie. That people just coincidentally look like others but you--! You know one thing I can never forget in this life is the taste of my wife's lips."

I stepped away him but he stepped even closer.

"Like I said before, you can lie to anyone in this world but you cannot lie to me, Rosalie." He said, trying to cover the space between us. "Just drop the act for God's sake! I know it's you alright?!"

"Security!" I yelled as I tried to get away from him. "Security!"

"Rosalie--"

Four of my bodyguards dashed in and looked from Riccardo to me. With shaky hands, I pointed at Riccardo. "Get that man out of here right now!"

Riccardo was still standing, staring at me as the men surrounded him.

"The cops...get the cops now!"

"Yes ma'am." One of them responded as they looked at Riccardo, waiting.

"Mr. Del Valle, we'll need you to come with us nice and slow otherwise we'll result to other means." One of them said, stylishly showing off his gun.

Riccardo looked at me and sighed. "Rosalie--"

"Get him out now!"

"Yes ma'am!" And that was how they led him out.

The moment they were out of the door, I shut the door and placed one hand on my chest, the other on my lips as I slowly dropped to the ground.

I was trying to hold it on but the tears were stinging my eyes. I couldn't help it as a tear slipped down my eye.

I wiped it off. I mustn't show any sign of weakness. Not now, not ever.

Another slipped down my eye again and I brushed it off. That was how they kept slipping down my face again and again and I kept chanting my mantra, wiping them off.

I mustn't let Riccardo affect me again, no matter what. Not now, not ever.

The goal was to make him suffer like I suffered. To make him feel the pain I felt. And hurt the way I hurt. To break him just like he did me.

And I won't rest until that goal is achieved.

Just then, my phone rang, interrupting my thoughts.

I picked it up and held the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Miss Andrea Queen?"

"That's me."

"This is Inspector Quentin calling from Los Angeles Metro police station. We would like to invite you to please come over to the precinct and give a statement concerning the harassment effectuated by Mr. Riccardo Del Valle present here right now."

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