The Billionaire’s Ex-wife

Chapter 14

The word tasted like poison on my tongue. I stared at him, waiting for him to either rephrase the statement or be like "Oh Alessia, that was a joke".

Instead, Dante stood there, unbothered. The chair scraped behind him as he pushed himself upward and rounded his desk until there was nothing between us but air thick with the mix of our cologne.

I didn't know when the word left my mouth again.

"Mistress?"

"You heard me," he said, his voice low, like he was explaining something to people in a boardroom.

"You want your job? Your independence? Fine. Be mine. Publicly. And, on my own terms.

Something in me snapped and I laughed weirdly. He really meant it.

"So that’s it? You’re blackmailing me into your bed? Was she not enough?"

A smile pricked the corner of his lips, he didn't even look surprised.

"You saw it too?"

"You think I lost access to the Internet like you made me lose my job? You think I'm one of those cheap hoes that would crawl into your bed?"

"Jealous, Alessia?" I closed the distance before I could think better of it

“No, Dante. I’m disgusted" I looked at him closely, like I was uncovering some truths.

“You said you wanted our marriage to work, next minute you’re in a hotel with another woman, then you try to buy me back? That’s not love. That’s ownership".

He caught my wrist, hard enough to stop me from pulling away without causing a scene.

"I wasn’t with her” he said through gritted teeth. His eyes looked like he was making things up though.

"The photos are from three years ago. She’s an ex-client. The ‘gossip news' is planting trash, you know how this industry works so you should understand. Someone wants me to look bad before the merger next week"

"What a convenient excuse” my voice shook and I hated that it was obvious. He wanted to say something but I didn't let him.

"You’re always the victim, aren’t you? Poor Dante, the misunderstood billionaire. Meanwhile, I get a call about being sacked because you asked for it”

"I wasn't even in the country when that picture was taken. You can check" he snapped

“Or don’t. Believe whatever lets you hate me. God knows you’re good at that" His grip loosened, and I yanked my arm back like he had burned me. My skin did burn where he’d touched me.

Five years and my body still hadn’t gotten the memo that we were done. I quickly reminded myself of why I was there.

"You don’t get to do this” I hissed " I mean. You don’t get to sabotage my career and then offer me a leash like it’s a gift. I’m not that easy, Dante. I won’t beg. I won’t kneel. And I'm sure as hell that I won’t spread my legs because you threatened my boss. You and him can go to hell"

"No” he agreed, and the word came out rough, his jaw was tight.

“You’re not. I have never thought of you as a w***e" His eyes dragged down my body, then back up, slower.

“The lady right before me, who just stormed my boardroom like a hurricane is ten times hotter than any w***e"

"Don’t!" The warning was for both of us.

"I mean it” He sat back on the edge of his desk, running a hand through his hair, and memories rushed down my brain. He always does that when he was losing control and I used to calm him by kissing his knuckles and picking his hair.

"I went too far, okay? The company's image isn't good right now. I don’t do crazy, Alessia. I’m always in control. But you? You make me go crazy. I knew you wouldn't agree easily. I thought if you lost the job, you’d have to come to me, so….”I smirked at him

“So what?" He nodded

“You do not have a choice”

I wanted to argue, to ask him why he thinks he has the right to rule out my choices but I thought it was pointless.

"Then call Nikolai” My chest was heaving, “Right now. Tell him I’m not getting sacked. Tell him you’re just a bastard who overstepped."

"I will,” He held my gaze, unblinking

“If you give me one night. Dinner again. No quarrel, no talk about business. Just us”

The room was too quiet. I could hear the clock on the wall, blood rushed into my ears and the memory of Leo’s sleepy smile when I kissed his forehead this morning. I just wanted to do something for him, what if this was the only chance left in bringing himself and his father together? What if it doesn't work out, too?

He doesn't look like a changed person. His arrogance, the crack in his voice, everything. It felt just the same. I folded my arms, trying to hold myself together

“And if I say no?"

“Then I call Nikolai, you keep your job, and I stay the villain in your story or maybe change my mind and do something worse"

Damn him to hell, I muttered in my mind.

Then, he reached for me, not my wrist this time. His knuckles brushed my cheek, and his hand rested on my breasts. The touch felt so light and familiar that it nearly broke me.

"You don’t get to touch me” I whispered and yet I didn’t move.

"I used to,” he whispered back. "Everywhere."

The past and the present collided in my chest and something sparked through me. My palm cracked across his face before I’d even decided to move.

The sound was obscene in the quiet. A sharp, clean slap landed on his cheeks and his head turned with the force of it. For a second, nobody breathed.

His eyes, were wide open like he had seen something strange. He touched the mark slowly, like he couldn’t believe I’d done it. Like he wanted to memorize the sting.

"You…"

"I hate you, Dante" I said, and this time my voice didn’t shake. It was stark cold

“I hate that you can still make me ache. I hate that part of me worried about the image on the internet before I walked in here. I hate that you know exactly how to make me feel small and wanted at the same time"

I stepped back, putting the distance and years between us again while I locked eyes with him.

"You want a mistress, Dante? Go buy one. There’s a whole line of them outside your building. They’ll smile for the cameras, protect your whatever company image and never slap you when you deserve it”

"Alessia” he barked, it sounded like a warning and a plea. He stood up from the desk and walked towards me. I held up a hand.

“Don’t you dare follow me. Don’t call Nikolai like you are doing me a favor. You call him because it’s the right thing to do. Because for once in your life, you don’t get to control me in order to get me in your bed” His chest rose and fell like he just ran a race.

The red mark on his face was obvious now. I had hit him harder than I meant to or maybe exactly as hard as I meant to. Either ways, that slap translated what I couldn't say.

"Was that supposed to make you feel better?" he asked, voice deadly quiet.

"No" I grabbed my bag from where I’d dropped it. My fingers were finally steady. "That was for trespassing"

He didn't try to stop me when I walked to the door, and my hand was on the handle when he spoke. His voice wasn’t arrogant anymore. He sounded defeated.

"For what it’s worth… I looked at those photos and felt bad because I knew how it would look to you. I knew you’d think I'm with someone"

I didn’t turn. There was no excuse that'd justify the fact that he was trying to make me his w***e.

"Sadly it doesn't matter who you're with"

Then I walked away. My heels were loud on the marble floor.

The two men he’d dismissed were still in the hall. They saw the look on his face when I opened the door and they saw me walk past without flinching, exactly the same way I walked in earlier.

Let them talk. Let the gossip blogs get this one right for once.

Outside, the sun hit my face and I finally exhaled. My palm throbbed but my heart throbbed worse. I didn't know if I had ruined the only chance of getting Leo and his father together.

As for my job, there was no way I was going to get it back after what just happened. But for the first time since Nikolai called me to his office, I wasn’t nervous.

I had a lot to worry about later but for now, I didn't stop walking.