I think back to his harsh words and bite down on my lip. He genuinely thinks of me as a gold digger. I could see it in his eyes. He thought I was using him for his connections, that I’d get with Joshua just because he showed me some interest. He seemed to truly believe that if it hadn’t been him at that gazebo with me, I’d still have done what I did, like I’m some kind of whore eager for a rich man’s attention.
For years, I’ve done my best to stay away from those types of rumors, terrified I’d end up walking in my mother’s footsteps. I know better than anyone that he lives in a different world, and that if we ever got together, it’d end in tears for me. After all, I’ve gotten my heart broken in the exact same way once before. This time, there’s a lot more at stake than my useless heart — my livelihood is at risk.
“No, Abuela. He doesn’t care about me at all. Didn’t I tell you? That man is the devil. He’s heartless and emotionless. Hecares about nothing and no one but himself.” I suppress the aching of my heart and straighten my spine.
I’m nothing but an employee to him, if that. His family might welcome me into their homes and hearts, but he never did, and he never will. I always knew we weren’t friends, but I thought… I suppose I thought too much. I never should’ve let things get as far as they did. I never should’ve kissed him back. I should’ve known he didn’t truly want me. He just wanted to control me.
She smiles ruefully and shakes her head. “You have been together for so many years. I suppose if there was anything there at all, something would have happened between you two. If you still hate him the way you did then, then perhaps he is not the man I thought he was.” She leans in and brushes my hair out of my face. “You should think about what makes you happy, Chiquita. This job? It no longer makes you happy. You haven’t been smiling lately, and you’re always stressed and overworked. Your mother and I are fine, Val. It’s time for you to start living your life. You shouldn’t always work so hard. You should find someone who will provide for you.”
I grab her hands and entwine our fingers. “Iamliving, Abuelita. Don’t worry about me, okay? I’m happy, and I still love my job. Everything is okay. I’m just having a couple of rough weeks, that’s all.”
She shakes her head. “You aren’t happy, and you don’t even realize it. I know what my granddaughter looks like when she’s truly happy. This, my beautiful girl, isn’t it.”
She cups my cheek and sighs. “Just promise me you’ll think about what I told you, okay? Think about what would make you truly happy, and promise me you’ll chase whatever that is. Life is shorter than you think, mi niña.”
I nod and wrap my hand over hers. “I promise.”
Abuela pulls away and turns back toward the food she brought me. “Here,” she tells me. “Have some of this—” shefrowns as she stares at the container filled with Menudo in front of her. Her face pales as her expression goes blank. “Rosa,” she says, calling me by my mother’s name. “This? What is it called?”
Worry grips me as I wrap an arm around her. “Abuela?” I murmur, my heart racing.
She looks into my eyes and blinks. “Ah, Valentina? What is wrong, Princesa?”
What is going on? “Abuelita, have you been forgetting things lately?” I ask, my voice soft.
She laughs it off with a wave of her hand. “I’m old, Val. It happens.”
That seemed like more than momentary forgetfulness. She was confused, and for a moment, she thought I was my mother. “How about we pay a visit to the doctor? It would make me feel so much better.”
Her expression hardens and she shakes her head. “Sharks,” she tells me. “They’re all sharks. All they want is your money. Even if nothing is wrong, they’ll find something to make us pay. I won’t go.”
I sigh and run a hand through my hair. “This is why we have health insurance, Abuela.”
She shakes her head, a stubborn glint in her eyes. “You know they don’t cover everything, especially for me. I won’t go.”
I nod reluctantly. It’ll take me a while to convince her to go, but I’ll have to. “Okay, Abuelita.”
I rest my head against her shoulder, a hundred different thoughts fighting for dominance in my mind. I’m worried about my grandmother, and though I won’t admit it, I truly am still hurt over Luca. He always warned me not to overstep our professional boundaries, but somewhere along the way, I did, and now I have to find a way to undo that. I can’t risk losing my job, not when my family needs me so much. I need to do better.
Chapter Ten
Luca
“These three are my proposed targets,” Valentina tells me as she places a document on my desk. “If we acquire these companies, we’re positioned to expand the way you intend to.”
No pink sticky note, yet again. I always hated them, but much to my surprise, I’ve come to miss them. She hasn’t given me one since I kissed her, and it’s surprising how bleak my world has become as a result of it. It’s odd how it’s the little things I miss the most.
I wish that were the only thing she’s refused to give me, but it isn’t. She’s also been withholding her smiles and the mockery I always convinced myself I despised. Valentina no longer calls me out on things the way she used to, and she’s become careful around me. She does her work without offering unsolicited opinions, and I miss her sharp wit.
“Tell me more about each of them,” I murmur, needing an excuse to keep her in my office, to hear her voice. We barely speak these days. More and more, she’s using the company’s instant messaging system instead of walking into my office the way she would have in the past, and when she does enter my office, it’s always brief.
“The document in front of you details everything you need to know,” she tells me, her voice clipped. It pains me to look at her. Having her standing so close and knowing I can’t touch her is the very definition of torment.
“My head hurts,” I lie. “Please summarize it for me.”
Why do I continue to torment her this way? I know better than anyone that this’ll only make her dislike me more, yet I can’t help myself. I want to keep her right here, where I can see her.
For a moment, I see annoyance flash through her eyes, and I pray she snaps at me and gives me the sass she used to. Dull disappointment washes over me when she nods and does as I ask, her voice as calm and professional as usual.