"Get out."
"Baby, listen."
"I said get OUT!"
The shout rips from my throat, raw and ragged.
Silence crashes down between us.
For a long moment, he just stands there, looking at me like he wants to argue. Like he wants to refuse, pin me against the wall, and make me listen.
But he doesn't. He nods once.
Sharp. Reluctant.
"I'll go." His voice is quiet. Controlled. "But this conversation isn't finished."
He moves toward the door, then pauses.
"Those women?" His tone drops to something final. "They're gone by morning."
"Make sure they get severance." The words come out before I can stop them. "Enough to keep them stable while they find something else."
He stops.
Turns.
Stares at me as if I've just done something incomprehensible.
"Even now," he murmurs, something like wonder bleeding into his voice, "even after everything, you're worried about them."
"They're not the problem. Why should they be punished for your actions?"
"Valentina, every one of those women threw themselves at me. I never sent for a single one. There is only one woman I've ever pursued, and she is going to be my wife."
His gaze holds mine for a long moment. He always says these things that make it hard for me to breathe.
"Do you understand why that terrifies me?" His voice is barely audible. "Why a woman like you is the most dangerous thing that's ever walked into my life?"
I look away, throat tight. "Just go, Salvatore."
He finally leaves, and I stand there frozen, staring at the empty space where he stood.
Then slowly I sink back onto the chaise, and I don't know what the hell to think about any of this. I know she's upset. I know she doesn't understand any of this, but… I need my best friend.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Salvatore
Icalled Valentina to join the team meeting. I half expected her to skip it, and fully intended to punish her for it later. Or whenever I’m off my own punishment.
How did I not think to fire Mia?
The question loops in my head as I wait in the main hall, watching my staff file in one by one. Fifteen people. All of them looking nervous, because they know something’s wrong.
I remember the day I told her we were done. Or thought I did.
It was right before Valentina arrived. I’d gone downstairs to my office, and Mia had been there, straightening papers on my desk.
