Chapter 77 HEAD OR HEART?
••Roman••
"Did I just hear her say spider?" Oh shit!
I turned to Theo, my eyes wide in disbelief. "It’s a fucking spider, Theo."
"What? A spider?" Theo burst out laughing, but his laughter died down when I gave him the bad eye.
I slammed my foot on the accelerator, speeding up as I cursed under my breath. Just then, my father’s call came through on my phone.
"What does he want now?" I muttered.
I picked up, "Roman, what’s wrong with Luci?" His thick, authoritative voice came through, causing my chest to tighten.
Holy shit, I muttered under my breath. How the hell did he know?
"Nothing’s wrong," I said, trying to keep my tone calm, but it came out a little too defensive.
"You mean nothing’s wrong, and you called Vikoz to shout like that, allowing him to alert the whole security that there’s danger?" My father continued, his voice laced with irritation.
I ran a hand through my hair, frustration boiling up. "Sorry for that, Father." Luci had put me in this position, and I couldn’t exactly explain the absurdity of the situation.
"You can’t lead with your heart, Roman, use your head," he scolded. "What’s the hell is wrong with you?"
I stayed quiet, not knowing what to say.
"Another mistake, and I won’t accept it." He said. "You can't be slacking off like this when you'll be in charge of Sem'ya one day." (Family)
"Yes, sir," I muttered.
And then he hung up.
As soon as I ended the call, I couldn’t help but laugh. Theo looked at me, confused, wondering what was so funny. I wanted to get angry, but then I remembered that this was the same way I’d lashed out at Luci the other night. It felt almost ridiculous now, thinking back on it.
Guess it runs in the blood.
"You mean she’s this scared of spiders?" Theo asked, incredulously.
"Unbelievable, right?" I laughed, shaking my head. "I swear, she’s full of surprises."
I zoomed off, heading home. I could still feel the tension in my chest, but I was beginning to relax now. At least Luci wasn’t in real danger, and once I got back, we could figure this out.
••Luciana••
I knew I had invited trouble the moment I called Roman in that panic. But in my defense, it wasn’t entirely my fault, it was my arachnophobia. There was no one around when I saw the damn spider scuttling across the wall, heading toward the closet. I didn’t know what else to do, so I called Roman. The cleaners heard my frantic voice and came in to help me deal with it.
Once it was over, my heart settled back into place, but I knew Roman would be storming in here any minute. So I planned my escape route out of this situation.
And of course, he did.
I had barely settled myself on the couch with my book when the door burst open, and there he stood, his presence commanding.
"What the fuck did you just do, Luci?" he snapped, eyes dark with anger.
He didn’t even knock.
I pouted, trying to look innocent, though I knew I was in trouble. "I just got scared, Roman. There was no one close by to help. I wouldn’t have called you like that if it weren’t for the damn spider."
His expression softened a little, but the anger didn’t completely fade. "You can’t always do that, Luci. You almost had me bring the entire Orlov security to your doorstep."
I felt my stomach drop at the thought of the chaos I might’ve caused. "I’m sorry, Rom," I said, walking toward him.
Theo left the room when he noticed we switched to our lovers mode.
Before he could say anything else, I ran to him and threw my arms around his body, not letting go. I needed to feel his warmth after the panic I just caused.
The sound of his phone ringing broke the moment, and he reluctantly pulled away to check the screen. He didn't pick in the first ring, and then it rang again.
"Who’s it?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.
"Mildred," he said, his face already displaying his frustration.
"Answer it. You can’t tell what she wants," I suggested, wanting him to hear her out before getting upset.
"It’s just to trouble me, I know it," he muttered, refusing to pick it up.
"Just hear her out first," I convinced him.
Roman sighed, finally picking up the phone. I could tell he was hoping for her to be quick.
I didn’t know how long the conversation lasted, but Roman’s patience was clearly wearing thin. When he finally spoke, his voice was tight. "No, Mildred. You are not coming here. Just stay over there."
I already figured what the conversation is about, Mildred must want to come to New York. "Be nice," I said.
"I know you'll support her." He said.
"It wouldn't be bad having her around though." I tried to convince him.
"You always have your way," he muttered under his breath. Then he told Mildred she can come.
I couldn’t help but smile. "Thank you."
He rolled his eyes but couldn’t hide the hint of affection in his gaze.
The next few days were spent with Mildred and me bickering and giggling more than we should have. It was like we had become a team in keeping Roman on his toes. I had no intention of clinging to him constantly.
Luckily, Mildred kept me company, so Roman could get some work done. We had so much fun together, and even watched shows with Roman whenever he managed to tear himself away from his business.
Roman always complained about how distracting we were, but it was clear he didn’t mind. He tried to stay out of our way but still found ways to get involved in our chaos. I loved seeing the contrast between the silent, composed man I’d married and the one who had slowly begun showing me his softer side.
The house felt livelier with Mildred around. She’d tease me and help me unwind after long days. I even started to feel more at home here, even if it was a bit chaotic.
But no matter how many distractions there were, Roman always managed to pull me back into his world. And for some reason, I didn’t mind. Maybe it was because he made me feel safe, even when everything else felt out of control.