Chapter 26: No Room for Third Parties

The entwined heavy breathing persisted from the other end of the line. Livia's hands were shaking, and sleep was now a distant memory.

Irritated and almost ready to scream, she maintained her composure and hit the record button, holding it until the other party hung up.

Sitting up in bed, head hung low, fuming, and unable to shake it off for a long time.

Sleep was impossible now. As she watched the minutes tick by, the night felt excruciatingly long.

Barely making it to dawn, she heard knocking on her door, and her phone began to ring again.

"Angelo" flashed on the screen. Her eyes stung as she fixated on the name, all the while the persistent knocking continued.

After what seemed like an eternity, she went to open the door barefoot.

Angelo looked terrible. "You changed the locks?"

Livia raised her head, revealing a face that took Angelo aback.

Her eyes were bloodshot, her face drained of all vitality, looking as though she'd been through a harrowing ordeal overnight, aged and weary.

"What happened to you?" Angelo asked with a furrowed brow, reaching out to grasp her shoulder.

Before he could touch her, Livia recoiled as if dodging something filthy, her eyes filled with undisguised repulsion.

Seeing her reaction, Angelo's expression turned cold in an instant. "Livia, what is this?"

Livia's chest ached with every deep breath she took. Still clutching her phone, she lifted her heavy eyelids to stare at him directly. "Let's break up," she said.

Angelo's eyes narrowed, a pressure seemingly exuding from his entire body.

"Explain yourself!" Deep, dark, and icy cold, Angelo's gaze had transformed.

Swallowing hard, Livia pulled out her phone and played the recording – those indecipherable sounds that should have never reached her ears.

Each time she heard it, her heart ached more.

"What is this?" Angelo frowned, clearly puzzled.

Livia managed a bitter smile and showed him the call log, "At 3:25 AM, you called me. That's when I heard these sounds and recorded them."

Angelo stared at the call record on her phone screen, then pulled out his own phone, unable to find any trace of a call made to her at that time.

"I had too much to drink last night. Donovan took me home - I didn't wake up until this morning," he explained calmly.

"Who else was there?" Livia sought clarity, ready to understand if he was willing to explain.

Angelo's brow furrowed slightly. "Valentia."

Livia didn't know what to say.

"Luke was at the house too," Angelo added with a spark of irritation at her sarcastic expression.

Feeling exhausted, Livia's arms fell to her sides as she leaned against the door, her eyes losing their luster. "You have a home to go to. Please, just go back there. Don't come here anymore."

With that, she went to close the door.

Angelo put his hand against the door to stop it. "I told you, nothing happened between Valentia and me!"

"So what?" Livia fought back. "There's also nothing going on between you and me. If all you want is a fling, I'll let you know when I'm interested."

"You—" His anger flared at her retort.

Livia pressed the door firmly, determined not to let him in.

"Don't you trust me?" Angelo's voice was almost a snarl.

"I do." Livia lacked the energy to argue any further. She hadn't slept well and was weary. She needed to get ready for school.

Angelo sensed her dismissiveness, feeling frustrated and angry at being distrusted for something he hadn't done.

"What are you saying? You really want me gone?"

"I need to go to school. I don't have time for this. Please move," Livia said firmly, intending to close the door.

Angelo was also fuming. "Are you sure you want to break up with me?"

"Yes, I am," Livia replied, her patience wearing thin.

Angelo looked at her for a long time, reading no sign of regret in her eyes. His brows furrowed deeply. "Livia, you've threatened to break up with me over a dozen times over the years. Don't assume I'm always going to beg you to stay."

Livia chuckled at the comment.

‘Yeah, we’ve broken up countless times over the past three years. It's mostly me doing the dumping, but every time you’d throw me a little sweetness, I’d forget why I wanted to split. It never felt like we could truly call it quits.

This time, it's different.’

"I know." After all, there was someone new in his life who needed him.

Seeing Livia's indifferent demeanor, Angelo had the urge to pound on the door in frustration.

Livia looked at him. "Anything else?"

Angelo stared at her intently, his lips pressed into a thin line. He shoved the door forcefully and walked away with a menacing look in his eyes.

As he left, Livia felt a profound sense of loss.

Angelo drove straight to the studio where Valentia was getting ready for a shoot.

In the makeup room, his icy demeanor made the crew uneasy.

Everyone left, except for Donovan.

"What's wrong with you? You seemed fine when you left," Valentia noted, catching his reflection in the mirror. Angry as he might be, he was still irresistibly handsome.

Angelo had matured a lot since the time she left. He was wealthy, attractive, dominant, and deeply passionate.

She had inquired about him since her return. Aside from the unacknowledged Livia, there was no other woman in his life.

So, she held onto hope that she still had a chance.

Last night was an excellent start.

Angelo questioned her. "Who gave you permission to touch my phone?"

Valentia paused. "What are you talking about?"

"Who else would dare touch my phone?" He didn’t need to think twice. The call to Livia with the compromising audio had to be Valentia's doing.

Valentia turned to him, genuinely puzzled. "I didn't touch your phone. What's going on?"

There was no direct evidence to prove that Valentia used his phone to make that call to Livia, but she was the only person bold enough to do such a thing.

Angelo looked at her coldly. "There's no room for anyone to come between me and Livia."

Valentia's mouth twitched slightly, her fingers curling a bit. She pressed her red lips together and managed a strained smile. "It's quite clear you're close with Miss Ashcroft. A real relationship can't be ruined by an outsider."

She refused to believe that Angelo truly loved Livia. How could he have any real feelings for someone he wouldn't even bring around his friends or acknowledge openly?

It was nothing more than physical attraction.

Valentia believed that even the tastiest dish will one day leave a bad taste in your mouth, to the point where you couldn't bear to touch it again for the rest of your life.

So, if Angelo wanted to mess around with Livia, then he was free to do so.

After Angelo stormed off, Donovan emerged and asked her, "Why was he so fired up? It was so intense I didn't dare jump in."

"It's nothing," Valentia beamed with a smile. "Tell me, do you think he came over just to get back at me by rubbing in how close he and Livia are?"

Donovan honestly didn't know what to say to that.

Trying to smooth things over, he said nonchalantly, "You had your reasons for walking away back then, and it's only natural for him to have someone new in his life now. Don't overthink it. Him offering you the company's endorsement means he still treats you differently."