Chapter 41 Forty - one

Chapter 41 Forty - one
I feel my cheeks catch fire when Lorenzo leaves us.

Going mute, my heart rate accelerates as I mull over his possessive claim just now. I'm torn between awe and confusion.

Because goodness me. What's up with him and his assertiveness today?

It's not like I'm not already familiar with how he likes to remind me that I'm his property every time, but shamelessly making it known to everyone in his company on my first day of work isn't what I signed up for.

But I can't deny what he did just now was hot. Goosebumps spread across my skin, sensations blazing through me as I reminisce about the last sixty seconds.

I glance in the direction of his office and see he's just settled behind his desk. He removes his suit jacket and rolls up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing two armfuls of sexy tattoos and an expensive gold wristwatch. He doesn't seem to notice that I'm staring at him, his focus lingering on the laptop in front of him.

Despite his unawareness, heat crawls up my neck and I shamefully bite back a coy smile as I observe him. More like ogle him.

However, I pull myself together when Clara's brown eyes suddenly obstruct my view. It appears she's been trying to capture my attention, judging by the arch of her defined eyebrow.

I totally forgot she was still around, silly me. A wave of mortification washes away my illicit attraction.

Letting my coy smile fade, I clear my throat awkwardly and swallow, forcing on a smile. "Hey," I drawl, barely dragging my eyes from Lorenzo.

"Hey," she says, casting a glance at Lorenzo's office before looking back at me. "It seems you're missing your husband already, huh?" she teases, and I nearly melt down from the wave of shame that descends upon me.

I almost huff with disbelief but I refrain.
What the fuck? Why would she even assume that?

I don't miss him. In fact, I'm glad he's left.

I think she has got the wrong idea because I got carried away for a second, staring at him.

But surprisingly, I can't say any of this in my defense as my mouth suddenly fails to cooperate.

I lick my lips and try to act cool.

"It's fine," Clara supplies with a genuine smile. "You two seem like a nice couple, but I had no idea boss was married."

I don't know what to say, so I awkwardly misinform her, forgetting how long it's been since I've been tied to him. "We got married a month ago."

"Oh wow. That's nice. I hope to experience what you two have someday," she says dreamily with a weary sigh.

Although my exterior gives nothing away, I can't help but wince inwardly. What an odd thing to wish for.

She has absolutely no idea what kind of marriage Lorenzo and I have. But since I can't exactly explain anything to her, I just chuckle at her weird wish.

We brush off the topic as she gestures warmly. "Regardless, once again, welcome to the company. It's good to have you here."

"Thanks." I offer a cordial smile.

She nods. "Please follow me. I'll introduce you to the rest of the team." She starts moving forward. "Come on."

With a curt nod, I trail behind her as she leads me to a new room filled with a few individuals in corporate outfits.

Halting in front of the room, a knot of anxiety forms in my stomach as I meet their gazes individually. I can almost smell the hostility radiating from some of them, while the others appear chill.

Scanning the room, I note that there are seven people in total, excluding Clara and me. Five females and two males.

"Hello, everyone," Clara calls out to them, dropping the big announcement. "Meet Liora, boss's new secretary..." She gestures toward me, a smile plastered on her face.

Disbelief floods the room. I think they're shocked to hear I'm Lorenzo's new secretary.

One of the women stands up from her seat, asking in confusion, "Boss's new secretary?" Her eyes rake over me before she turns back to Clara. "What about Anita?"

"Yeah, what happened to Anita?" another questions.

Unease stirs within me as I feel unwelcome in their midst. Whoever Anita was to them, she seemed really important, and I don't think they are pleased to find out I have replaced her.

Well, it's not my fault she left and her job got shoved down my throat by my callous husband. There's nothing I can do about it.

"Anita is gone," Clara answers firmly. "Liora is boss's new secretary," she repeats with a grunt in her tone.

"Welcome, Liora." A lady waves at me from the back with a smile etched across her face.

For the first time since I stepped into this room, I feel a sense of relief course through me. Finally, someone who accepts me.

I nod at her in acknowledgement, a warm smile playing on my lips.

Another woman also waves at me cordially. "Nice to have you on the team, Liora."

A flicker of joy crosses my heart, and I can't help but smile wider. It's two people who accept me now and aren't sulking over the sudden replacement of Anita.

I'm still reveling in my brief moment of joy when a male voice cuts through my bliss.

"Well, I hope she knows what she signed up for," the man says, scrutinizing me like he's trying to find out if I have what it takes to be here. "CEO Sorrentino is a hard man to please. Anita was the only secretary who could handle his..." He pauses, as if trying to find the right word. "Temperament," he adds with a false smile.

My nerves tighten with perplexity as I meet the man's hard gaze.

If I didn't already know better, I would say he was trying to scare me off. But I already know how the man he's trying to caution me about is.

Clara chuckles, placing a hand on my shoulder as she addresses her colleague, Aiden. "Well, I'm sure that's nothing she can't already handle since she knows everything about him. Isn't that right, Liora?" She turns to me and adds remorsefully, "I'm sorry, am I allowed to call you by your name?"

"Sure, it's no big deal."

"Okay." She smiles with approval.

She redirects her gaze to her confused colleagues and continues, "And boss wanted me to let you all know she's off-limits—talking to you two specifically." She points a finger at the two men perched at the back.

Aiden raises an eyebrow, scoffing incredulously. "And why is she off-limits?"

"Oh, I must have forgotten to tell you all..." She grins. "Liora isn't just the boss's new secretary. She's also his wife."

Another round of disbelief passes through the audience. I spot eyes growing wide, jaws dropping to the floor, and lips parting with bewilderment.

"What?!"

"She is his wife!?"

"Boss is married?!"

I initially thought Clara was the only one unaware of my wedding to Lorenzo. Now it's clear none of his employees had any idea about it until this announcement.

What an unexpected surprise from the new girl.