Valerio's Secretary

Chapter Seven: The Stairwell

Zara's POV

I barely slept.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Valerio standing in my hallway — tall, intense, and far too close to the truth. The way he looked at me when he asked about Liam’s father, the way his hand had brushed my hair, and the raw hunger in his voice when he said: “This isn’t over.”

By six-thirty, I’m already up, making breakfast while Liam plays with his toy cars on the kitchen floor.

“Mommy, is the tall man coming to our house again?” he asks innocently, pushing a red car across the table.

My spoon freezes halfway to the cereal bowl. “No, baby. He was just… dropping off something for work.”

Liam accepts the lie easily, but I feel sick doing this to him.

I drop him off at Mrs. Rivera’s with a long hug and drive to the office with my stomach in knots. It’s just been a couple of days, and I’m already walking on thin ice. This isn’t how I imagined everything to play out.

The executive floor is quiet when I arrive, and I settle at my desk, going through his emails, trying to lose myself in work, but ten minutes later, his office door opens.

He looks like he hasn’t slept either.

There are dark circles under his eyes, his hair slightly messy, and his jaw tight. He stops right in front of my desk, hands in his pockets, staring down at me with an intensity that makes my skin prickle.

“Buongiorno, Zara.” (Good morning)

His voice is rough and lower than usual.

“Good morning, Mr. Cruz.”

His eyes flick to my desk, the neatly arranged files, and the coffee on my desk. “You were here early. Trying to earn points already?” The question is flat, a hint of mockery lacing it.

He doesn’t move, just keeps looking at me like I’m a puzzle that keeps changing shape. “My office. Bring the Nakamura files.”

I follow him inside.

The moment the door closes, the air thickens. He doesn’t sit, and neither do I. He leans against the front of his desk, arms crossed, watching me. “You left something behind last night,” he says.

My heart stutters. “Did I?”

“Your scent.” The words come out blunt, almost angry. “It was all over my office, and all over my head. I couldn’t sleep.”

Heat rushes to my face. I look away, clutching the files tighter.

“Valerio—”

“Don’t.” He cuts me off. “Don’t say the rule. I know the damn rule. I made it.”

He pushes off the desk and walks to me, slow and deliberate, stopping just short of touching me.

“I don’t like not understanding things,” he says quietly. “And I don’t understand you. Why you feel familiar. Why I keep thinking about things that don’t make sense. Why the thought of you going home to another man’s child makes me want to put my fist through a wall.”

My breath catches.

He lifts a hand like he wants to touch my face, then drops it with a frustrated sound.

“Tell me one thing,” he says. “Just one. Are you scared of me?”

I meet his eyes. “No.”

“Good.” His gaze drops to my lips. “Because I’m not sure I can stay away from you, Zara. And that should scare me more than it does.”

The silence between us crackles.

He steps back suddenly, like he doesn’t trust himself.

“Get to work,” he says, voice rough. “And stay late tonight. We have a lot to catch up on.”

I nod and escape to my desk, legs unsteady.

The rest of the day passes in a haze of meetings, sharp commands, and stolen glances. Valerio is colder in front of others, but when we are alone, the tension becomes unbearable. A brush of fingers when handing documents, his eyes following me across the room, and the way he says my name like he’s tasting it.

By seven-thirty, most people had left, and I was finishing the last report when my phone pings.

Luca: We need to talk. Meet me at the emergency stairwell.

When I get there, he’s already there, looking all serious.

“Valerio’s digging,” Luca says. “Not deep enough to find everything yet, but he’s asking questions about the old Project Sentinel files. He also asked me about you directly this morning. I deflected, but he’s not going to let this go.”

I lean against the wall, exhausted. “What do I do, Luca?”

“Keep doing what you’re doing. Stay close, but don’t slip. Not yet.” He hesitates. “And Zara… if he starts remembering on his own, we need to be ready. The people who did this are still watching.”

A chill runs down my spine.

Before I can respond, the stairwell door above us opens, and Valerio’s voice echoes down. “Zara?”

Shit.

Luca gives me a warning look and slips away quietly.

I step out of the stairwell, heart racing.

Valerio stands at the top of the stairs, one hand gripping the railing, eyes locked on me like I’ve just been caught stealing from his vault. The fluorescent lights cast a sharp shadow across his face, making him look more dangerous than usual.

“Who were you talking to?” He asks, voice low and edged.

I swallow, keeping my expression as neutral as possible. “Just coordinating some files with one of the support staff. Nothing important. “

He doesn’t believe me. I can tell from the way his jaw tightens and his gaze flickers to the stairwell door like he was considering going after whoever it was.

He descends the few steps slowly, stopping one stair above me so he towers over me. “You seem to have a lot of private conversations for someone who’s only been here for what? Three days?” He quirks an eyebrow.

“It’s called doing my job, Mr. Cruz.”

“Valerio,” he corrects sharply, like the reminder physically irritates him. “When it’s just us.”

The air between us feels charged again, the same heavy pull that has followed me since yesterday. I can smell his cologne, feel the warmth radiating from his body, and my mind flashes to last night; him standing outside my apartment, asking about Liam’s father, nearly touching my face.

I take a small step back, and his mouth twists slightly into something cold. “Running already? I thought you were not most people.”

I need distance.

Now.