Chapter 59 SOMETHING PERSONAL?
\~~~RAINA.
I remained seated in my office long after the call ended, and long after the silence became too loud to ignore. The phone lay face-up on my desk like a ticking bomb, dark and harmless-looking, yet capable of ruining my entire life.
My fingers curled slowly into my palms as my thoughts ran wild, colliding, spiraling, and refusing to settle.
What if I told Luciano the truth?
The thought came softly at first, almost hopeful.
What if I sat him down and explained everything? What if I chose my words carefully, gently, and told him I never meant for any of this to happen? That the lies didn’t start because I wanted power or money or control but because I was cornered. Because I was desperate and because I was afraid.
I could imagine it.
I would stand in front of him with my hands shaking, and my voice low. I would tell him how it all started, how it snowballed into something bigger than I could handle. I would tell him I never planned to hurt him. That I never planned to get tangled in his world this deeply.
But then reality would crash in.
Luciano doesn’t forgive lies.
He punishes them.
If I took up that ridiculous offer to spy on him and to steal from him, there would be no coming back. That wasn’t just lying. That was betrayal. And it was the worst kind.
He wouldn’t hesitate. Not with me and not even for a second.
And even if, by some miracle, he didn’t kill me immediately, what about my family?
My chest tightened painfully at the thought of my parents. They are difficult, judgmental, and sometimes cruel, but still, my parents. Still, the people who raised me, and who loved me in the only way they knew how.
Dragging them into this… God, no.
I pressed my palm to my face, breathing in deeply, trying to steady myself. My head throbbed and my eyes burned. I felt like screaming, like throwing something, anything, just to release the pressure building inside me.
How was I supposed to choose?
Tell the truth and risk everything.
Or lie a little longer and become something unforgivable.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t hear the door until it burst open.
“Do you think this is your playground?!”
I nearly flew out of my chair.
“Ale… Alessia,” I hiccupped, my heart racing.
She stormed toward me, anger written plainly across her face. “Do you know the kind of name you’re earning for yourself by canceling meetings abruptly? The whole execu…” She stopped mid-sentence as she got closer.
Her eyes narrowed.
“Have you been crying?”
“No!” I jumped up quickly, waving my hands. “No, of course not.”
She stared at me for a long moment, clearly unconvinced, then exhaled sharply. “Did something happen?”
“No. Something entered my eye. I will head to the meeting now, I…”
“It is fine,” she cut in. “I already told them you had urgent business outside the company.”
Relief washed over me so fast my knees almost buckled. I nodded. “Thank you. It won’t happen again.”
She studied me again, this time more carefully. “Did Rafael do something to you?”
“What? No, please!”
“Then what? Did I say something you didn’t like?”
“Certainly not.”
“Something personal?” she pressed.
My eyes fluttered, the tears I had been fighting rising again. I quickly pressed my palm to my forehead, pretending to massage away a headache.
“Oh, come on,” Alessia sighed. “You can talk to me.”
Before I could react, she pulled me into a hug.
That was it.
That simple gesture which was warm, unexpected, and sincere broke whatever fragile wall I had left. I burst into tears, sobbing into her shoulder, all the fear and confusion pouring out of me at once.
“Oh God,” she murmured, patting my back gently. “It is okay. It is okay.”
We stayed like that for a while, my cries slowly easing into shaky breaths. When she finally pulled back, she wiped my tears with her thumb, her expression softer than I had ever seen it.
“If it is my brother,” she said quietly, “you can tell me. I will talk to him. He might not show it, but he listens to me. Whatever I say, he will do.”
I managed a small smile and shook my head. “It is not that.”
“And if it’s me,” she added, “you should tell me too. I know I’m not exactly nice to you, but I still don’t want to see you like this. I prefer that lousy version of you.”
A weak laugh escaped me despite everything.
“Talk to him if he’s the cause,” she continued. “Rafael might not show it, but he is a very nice person.”
I almost rolled my eyes.
“I know you don’t believe me,” she said, reading my face easily. “You will see for yourself. Let’s have lunch together later, okay?”
She patted my shoulder one last time and walked out.
I stood there long after the door closed, staring at the space she had occupied.
That was the first time Alessia had been kind to me without an agenda. No suspicion, and no sharp words. Just concern.
And somehow, that made everything harder.
If I told Luciano the truth, I might die.
If I didn’t and went ahead to betray him, I would definitely still die.
But betrayal felt worse.
Lying to survive was one thing. Turning against him? Spying on him? Stealing from him?
I sank back into my chair, exhaustion crashing over me.
But then again, I could be secretive about it. Right?
I mean, I had been lying to him for months now, and he doesn't know yet.
This might as well be a piece of cake, right?