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77
Adriano

“Are you ready, honey?” I asked my wife Azalea as I straightened my tie in front of the mirror.

“Yes, I’m all dressed,” she replied, walking toward me. Her black business dress fit her perfectly, making her look both professional and stunning.

For weeks now, I had been searching for Alex with no luck. My men couldn’t find a trace of him anywhere. I even put some of my people inside his company, hoping they would tell me if he showed up. But that clever bastard never appeared. This told me one thing - he knew I was the one who killed his parents.

That’s exactly why I decided to bring Azalea to work at my company. If I kept her close, I could protect her better.

“I still don’t understand why you want me to work at your company,” she said, her cheeks turning pink with embarrassment.

“Because you look beautiful,” I whispered, pulling her into my arms. “I wish I could lock you up in this house so no other man could ever look at you.”

Her face turned even redder. “Thank you for saying that.”

Without hesitation, my lips claimed hers. Ever since I had tasted how sweet she was, I couldn’t keep my hands to myself. My rod twitched at the sight of her naked body whenever I saw her.

But even as I held her close, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching us. Alex was out there somewhere, planning his revenge. Until I found him, none of us were truly safe.

“I also don’t understand why you suddenly sent Amira to study in another country,” Azalea continued, pulling back slightly. “It’s all so confusing.”

I couldn’t tell her the real reason. I didn’t want her to worry or live in fear. I had sent Amira away because I knew Alex might try to hurt the people I loved to get back at me.

His mother had seen both Amira and Azalea when she came here with my father that day. She probably told Alex about them before she died. Now he might be planning to use them against me.

“The school there is really good,” I said, burying my face in her neck to avoid looking into her eyes while I lied. “And I want to teach you about business too.”

I almost wanted to laugh at my own excuse. It sounded so weak. Would she actually believe this?

“Really?” she asked, her voice full of excitement.

Surprisingly, she did believe me. Sometimes her innocence amazed me.

“Yes, honey. I’m sorry I didn’t ask you first.”

“It’s okay,” she said, running her fingers through my hair. “Thank you. But...” She stopped talking, like something was bothering her.

I looked up at her face. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing serious. It’s just that I don’t want anyone at the company to know I’m your wife,” she whispered.

Her words felt like a punch to my chest. Was she ashamed of me? Did she think I wasn’t good enough for her?

“Why? Am I not good enough for you?”

She quickly raised her hands. “No! I didn’t mean it like that at all. I just don’t want the other employees to treat me differently. I want to be able to learn from them without them acting fake around me because I’m the boss’s wife.”

“I can teach you everything you need to know.”

“I know you can, but I still want to be able to talk to other people normally,” she explained.

I thought about her words. Maybe she was right. In my dangerous world, being known as my wife could make her a target for my enemies. Maybe her instincts were protecting her without her even knowing it.

“Adriano,” she called my name sweetly. “I’m still your wife, you know. That won’t change.”

“I know, but…”

She pressed her finger against my lips to quiet me. “I understand how you feel. I just don’t want to feel pressure at work.”

Thinking about it more, this might actually be a good idea. With Alex hunting for ways to hurt me, keeping our marriage secret at work could keep her safer.

“Okay. I’ll keep it a secret.”

“Thank you.” She suddenly hugged me.

“I won’t agree that easily,” I said with a smirk. “I want a kiss to make sure my lips stay sealed.”

“Yes, sir,” she laughed before kissing me again. I got lost in the kiss, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her closer.

For that moment, I forgot about Alex, about revenge, about all the danger surrounding us. This woman in my arms was what I was fighting to protect.

When we finally broke apart, I took her hand and led her out of the bedroom.

“Good morning, master,” the maids said as soon as they saw us in the dining room.

“Good morning,” Azalea replied politely. We sat down and started eating breakfast. Just as we were finishing, Matteo walked in.

“Good morning, sir,” Matteo greeted me, then turned to Azalea. “Good morning, ma’am.”

“Good morning,” Azalea responded.

After we finished eating, we left the house and walked to the car. Being a gentleman, I opened the back door for her first, then got in beside her.

The drive to my company was pleasant. Azalea kept making jokes and laughing, filling the car with happiness. I found myself studying everything about her - the sound of her laugh, the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled.

The thought hit me hard: if anything happened to her because of my war with Alex, I would never forgive myself.

“Did you hear about Chiara?” she suddenly asked.

My body tensed at the mention of that name, but I quickly controlled myself. “What about her?”

“She’s sick,” Azalea said sadly.

Chiara. The bitch who had tried to destroy Azalea’s life. Calling her “sick” was putting it nicely. Last I heard, she was locked up in a mental hospital, completely broken after what I had done to her.

Some people might call it cruel, but she had tried to hurt the woman I loved. In my world, that meant she got exactly what she deserved.

But Azalea didn’t need to know the details of what I was capable of. Not yet.