Valentina pov
“I asked you a question! I know you’re not deaf! What the hell are you doing with my fiance?” the woman screamed, and at any moment, I felt she was going to lunge at me.
I opened my mouth to speak, my voice faltering. “I-It’s a misunderstanding, there’s nothing going on-”
Before I could finish, Luca stepped away from me and stood up. Without hesitation, he walked over to the furious woman, stopping right in front of her.
He casually tucked his hands into his pockets, his gaze turning icy as he looked down at her-the same cold expression he had given the older man earlier. I stiffened, watching as the woman flinched under his stare, instinctively stepping back. Fear flickered in her eyes, her earlier anger vanishing in the blink of an eye.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Luca’s voice was devoid of emotion.
“L-Luca, what is the meaning of this?” she stammered, her voice trembling. “Why are you in a room with another woman? Are you already cheating on me before we’ve even gotten married? I know you don’t like me, but don’t you think this is too much?”
I watched as Luca’s expression remained unchanged at her outburst. Then, after a brief pause, he spoke.
“Then should we cancel the wedding?”
My mouth fell open, and my eyes widened in shock.
Oh my God!
What kind of situation was this?
“What?” she gasped, her voice laced with disbelief.
Luca merely shrugged, his tone as indifferent. “If you already think I’m going to cheat on you before we’re even married, then you probably believe I’ll do it after. So wouldn’t it be better to just cancel the wedding now?”
I blinked, stunned by his words. I couldn’t believe he was speaking to his fiancee like this. There was a thick tension between them, and something told me I needed to get out of here before I got dragged into whatever messy drama was unfolding.
“Um… if you’ll excuse me, I should probably-”
“How could you say that?!” she suddenly shrieked, cutting me off. Her voice was thick with emotion, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “Why do you always bring this up? We’re about to get engaged, Luca, and you keep trying to push me away!”
“And now I find you with another woman! I can’t take this anymore-I’m telling Daddy!”
Yeah, that was my cue to get the hell out of here.
I quickly stood from the bed, swallowing nervously as I took in the chaotic scene before me. There was something eerily familiar about this situation, a strange sense of deja vu creeping over me. And then it hit me-this was just like that time with Julian.
Back then, he had broken up with a girl and conveniently used me as a scapegoat. And now, here I was again, caught in the middle of another man’s breakup drama.
Damn it. Why did I always end up in messes like this?
“Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but please keep talking. I’m just going to leave,” I muttered quietly under my breath, trying not to disturb their conversation as I moved toward the door. But I hadn’t even gotten far before a hand grabbed mine and spun me around and it was no one other than Luca.
His gaze bore into mine with an intensity that made my heart pound loudly.
“We need to talk, Emily,” Luca said, his grip tightening around my hand.
I could feel the glare burning into me from the woman, and at the same time, I could sense the sadness and look of longing in her eyes as they locked onto Luca’s hand holding mine.
Hmm, I felt bad.
My gaze dropped to our hands, and without hesitation, I yanked mine free from Luca’s grip. I lifted my head, narrowing my eyes into a sharp glare.
“Do not touch me,” I said, my voice colder and sharper than I intended.
Luca looked taken aback, his brows furrowing as he stared at me. “Emily…” he murmured, reaching out again, but I immediately took a step back.
Turning to his fiancee who now wore a look of shock, I gave a short, polite bow before speaking.
“This is a misunderstanding. Please don’t take it the wrong way. I am Emily Knight, and I am already married. I just happened to be in the same room as your fiance, but nothing happened.”
Her eyes widened slightly at my words before narrowing, as if something had suddenly clicked in her mind.
“Emily Knight…” she muttered under her breath.
I had no intention of sticking around for whatever came next. Clearing my throat, I quickly added, “Please don’t mind me. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be taking my leave.”
Without waiting for a response, I turned on my heel and bolted out of the room, ignoring the weight of Luca’s gaze burning into my back.
Once I was far away from the room, I let out a deep breath and wiped the sweat from my forehead.
What the hell just happened?
Not only had I suddenly appeared in an unfamiliar room, but I’d also encountered a terrifying man and gotten dragged into some messy couple’s drama.
“This day couldn’t possibly get any worse,” I muttered under my breath- only to immediately regret it.
Because, as if on cue, things did, in fact, get worse.
I froze in my tracks the moment I saw Damien approaching, a glass of wine casually clutched in his hand. He took a sip, only to stop mid-motion when his eyes landed on me.
For a brief second, surprise flickered across his face, but he quickly masked it with a forced smile. He lifted a hand in a casual wave before walking toward me.
However, before my mind could fully process the situation, my body acted on instinct. Without a second thought, I blinked, turned on my heel, and walked briskly in the opposite direction without so much as acknowledging him.
Oh my God! Did I just ignore him like that? But why?
I hesitated, contemplating whether to turn back, but before I could make a decision-
“Mrs. Emily! Mrs. Emily! I’ve been looking all over for you!”
Cealina and Tessa waved enthusiastically as they spotted me.
Nope.
I cursed under my breath and swiftly spun around, determined to escape in the other direction-only to collide headfirst into something. Or rather, someone.
A gasp left my lips as I lost my balance, bracing myself for impact. But before I could hit the ground, a strong arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against a hard body.
A soft whimper escaped me as I lifted my gaze and was met with the piercing eyes of Alexander.
He stood there, towering over me like an attractive devil- strange comparison, I know, but it was the first thought that popped into my head as I stared at him. His hair, his eyes, his face, every inch of him was dangerously perfect. And let’s not even get started on his body… and his dic-
“Do you have eyes at the back of your head, or can you simply not see?” His deep voice snapped me out of my trance.