Chapter 49: Jealousy

Livia was dying to know how Angelo knew she'd be here.

Was it a serendipitous encounter, or had he been following her?

"Sorry to disappoint you," Livia said as she walked past him.

Without hesitation, Angelo grabbed her hand, and with a slight pull, she was drawn into his embrace.

He still had a cigarette in his mouth, his hand wrapped around her waist, eyes squinting.

"Let's go home." Livia's hand pressed against his chest. "Disappointed you didn't catch anything?"

Angelo knew she was angry and discarded his cigarette beneath his foot, quashing it. "How about we go up and get a room?"

"So, who tipped you off?" Livia stared at him.

Their conversation was disjointed, but they both understood what was meant.

Angelo's lips twitched into a mischievous half-smile. "Would you believe me if I said it was just a coincidence?"

"Sure," Livia arched an eyebrow. "I'll believe whatever you say."

"Damn it."

Livia tried to pull away from his grip, but Angelo was not about to let go.

"What are you planning to do?"

"Go home and sleep."

"Let's go." Angelo opened the car door and pushed her inside.

Livia resisted. "We're not heading the same way."

"We can go to my place or yours, it doesn't matter. The goal is the same—to sleep." The implication in Angelo's eyes was all too clear. Livia thought his mind was filled with nothing but sex.

"I'm not in the mood today," Livia said.

"Because of that guy?" Angelo tightened his grip on her wrist.

Livia glared at him. "You think if I don't want to sleep with you, it's because of another man?"

"What else could it be? Most of the time, when a woman suddenly doesn't want to sleep with a man, it's because she's got thoughts about someone else." Angelo looked self-assured.

Rolling her eyes, Livia's peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a woman, fully decked out in a way that still made her stand out.

She gently tapped Angelo's shoulder,. "Your ex-girlfriend."

At the mention of those three words, Angelo's brow furrowed, but the woman was signaling him with her eyes.

He turned just in time to see Valentia getting into a nondescript Volkswagen, where someone was already inside as the car door opened.

"You didn't come here for her, did you?" Livia teased.

Angelo withdrew his gaze and pushed her into the passenger seat. "We're going home to sleep."

He shoved her in, roughly fastening her seatbelt, and warned, "Behave yourself."

Livia stared at him.

Angelo slammed the car door forcefully and then walked around to the driver's side, driving away.

They hit some traffic and ended up next to Valentia's Volkswagen. From where Livia sat, she could see Valentia in the backseat, though the tinted windows made it difficult to see anything but a vague silhouette.

"There's a man with her," Livia reported helpfully to Angelo. "Maybe she got desperate after you rejected her and just picked up some random guy."

Angelo glanced at her. "Why don't you get out and ask her?"

Livia wrinkled her nose. "She's not my girlfriend. Why should I bother?"

"She's not my girlfriend either," Angelo retorted.

"Who knows."

Angelo snorted. "Don't think this will make me forget you went into the hotel with another man."

Livia fell silent.

Angelo brought Livia back to his place. As soon as they entered, he pinned her against the door and leaned in close, "What did you do with that man? Why were you with him?" He hadn't asked in the car, worried it might cause an accident.

Livia was surprised he was still thinking about it.

"We just bumped into each other. I treated him to some Italian food, but he's got a weak stomach. I was worried he might faint, so I took him back to his hotel," Livia explained without a hint of guilt in her tone. "That's all it was."

"Bumped into each other?" Angelo was skeptical. "You didn't call him and arrange to meet on purpose?"

Despite his repeated interrogations and doubts, Livia wasn't the least bit angry.

She just gazed steadily at Angelo, a smile gradually spreading across her face.

"What's so funny?" Angelo narrowed his eyes.

"Are you jealous?" Livia asked.

Angelo paused, taken aback, then let her go. "Are you kidding me?"

"Then, I'm going home." Livia didn't press him any further and turned to open the door.

But he stopped the door from behind, closing it.

Livia found herself pinned against the door by Angelo, her hands intertwined with his above her head against the panel. His voice came from above her, "Next time you dare to be alone with another man, you'll see how I'll take care of you!"

After his threatening words, his kiss landed on the nape of her neck.

Livia lifted her head. "If I really were with another man, do you think you'd even find out?"

The pain on her shoulder was suddenly replaced by a wet sensation as he retaliated with bites and kisses that made her quiver.

Angelo spun her around to face him, his breathing already rough.

The look in his eyes was unmistakable. "You'd better hope I never find out, or I'll end you," he said.

Then he kissed her lips.

Livia's hands naturally found their way to his shoulders, reciprocating his kisses.

There was no reason to refuse something that made them both happy.

Clothes were strewn on the floor as Angelo carried her to the couch. Just as he pressed down on her, a cell phone rang from the floor.

The ringtone was insistent, irritating the entwined couple.

Livia pushed Angelo away. "Either answer it or turn it off."

Swallowing hard, Angelo got up to pick up his pants from the floor, fishing out his phone with disgust. Glancing at the caller ID, he hung up without hesitation.

But as he ended the call, he noticed a new message on WeChat: "Angelo, save me."

He clicked in to find a location.

Livia, not hearing a phone conversation, turned and saw the change in his expression.

"What's wrong?" Livia covered herself with a throw pillow. "Something going on?"

Angelo redialed the number, but it had been turned off.

"I've got to take care of something real quick." Angelo hastily put on his pants and shirt.

"Is it Valentia?" Livia asked calmly.

At the mention of that name, Angelo couldn't help but frown. "Just go to sleep."

Without an answer, Livia knew that was indeed the case.

Livia didn't say much more. Once he left, she slowly got up to dress and tidy up her hair, then grabbed her things and headed out the door.

She picked up some snacks from the supermarket below her apartment and headed back home. Alone, she flipped on the TV and began munching away.

The talk show was quite entertaining, and Livia found herself laughing, though Angelo lingered in her thoughts.

She couldn't believe Angelo had no feelings for Valentia.

While half-watching the TV, she pulled out her phone and opened Facebook. Upon refreshing, the top trending news read, "Valentia rushed to hospital with a face covered in blood."

Curiously clicking on the link, Livia saw the photo. It wasn't very clear, but the ambulance was conspicuous.

Scrolling down, she saw a video that was equally blurry, but she recognized another figure in it.