Chapter 63 Severance
Matteo
I needed to leave her so I could get my day started. But I stood there longer than I should have—taking in her freshly fucked glow.
She’d tried to sneak out of bed like a thief at dawn, but my hand had found her waist in the dark, dragging her right back against my chest. She grumbled at me, all sleepy annoyance and bare skin, and I’d answered with a pill pressed to her lips and a kiss against her neck.
A headache cure. A distraction. A reason to touch her again.
And then she let me.
No roles. No performance. Just heat and skin and the slow rhythm of something neither of us wanted to admit.
Now I was walking back to my own suite with a stupid ghost of a smirk on my face, like some goddamn teenager. My steps lighter than they should’ve been.
I loved that my dick is the only one that’s ever been inside her. And every time we fuck she gets a bit more uninhibited, a bit more confident in showing me what feels good.
But I am conflicted. This wasn’t the plan. I am not supposed to be feeling like this.
Valentina was a placeholder—a solution to a problem. A body to put in the bridal seat. A womb to carry the Genovese heir. That was it. Once the baby was born, I’d find a polite way to make her disappear, just like any other person that needed to be dealt with.
Except… now I wasn’t so sure.
She moved through my house like she owned it. She slept in my bed like she belonged there. And when she kissed me, it didn’t feel like strategy. It felt like war.
I turned the shower hotter than usual, trying to burn the thoughts off my skin.
But she stayed.
In my head. In my chest. In that stupid damn flutter I felt when I caught her smiling at the housekeeper like she actually gave a shit.
I got dressed in a black button-down and charcoal slacks, slipped on my watch, and checked the time. Plenty to do. Files to review, calls to make, loose ends to tie up.
One of them was Maria.
I texted Rosco:
Need her brought to the estate. Quietly.
His response came fast.
On it. ETA within the hour.
I settled into my office with a cup of black coffee, my second already, and buried myself in the day’s work—contracts, invoices, shipping manifests. Two hours passed before I heard the tap of Rosco’s knuckles on the office door.
“Boss,” he said as he stepped in, Maria trailing behind in heels far too loud for her own good. “Got her.”
Maria looked the same as always—tight blouse, tighter ponytail, dark lips, and a scent that clung like she wanted it to leave a mark.
Rosco’s phone buzzed, and he frowned at the screen.
“Shit. Sorry, boss. I gotta handle something—urgent. You good with her?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Go.”
Rosco left, closing the door behind him.
Maria didn’t wait to be invited to speak.
“I’m guessing this isn’t about booking your next trip,” she said, arms folded, eyes narrowed.
I gestured to the chair. “Sit.”
She didn’t.
I didn’t ask again.
“I wanted to thank you,” I said calmly, “for your dedication over the years. Your discretion, your consistency. You’ve served this family well.”
Her brow arched. “Past tense?”
“You’re no longer needed.”
Her nostrils flared. “And why’s that?” she snapped. “Because of your little wife?”
I didn’t answer.
“She’s not going to be with you on every trip,” Maria went on, stalking closer to the desk. “She’s not going to take care of your needs the way I do. Let’s not pretend she can.”
“You’re right,” I said smoothly.
She smirked.
“She takes care of me better.”
The smirk shattered.
Her mouth opened, then closed again, and the silence that followed was thick with venom.
I opened my drawer, pulled out the envelope—heavy with cash, banded in neat stacks—and set it on the desk between us.
“This is your first payment. I realize you’ve become accustomed to a certain lifestyle, and I want to make sure you’re taken care of properly.”
She stared at the envelope like it was a personal insult.
“So here’s something to get you started,” I continued. “Create a life. Settle down. Maybe find a husband. In a few months, I’ll set you up with a little trust fund. Quiet money. No questions.”
Maria stepped forward, snatched the envelope—then threw it back at me.
It hit my chest and landed on the desk with a slap.
“You’re going to regret this,” she hissed.
Then she spun on her heel and stormed out of the room.
The door creaked open again, this time with a softer hand.
Valentina stepped inside, brows gently raised, her voice casual but not without curiosity. “Everything okay? I just saw Maria storm out of here.”
I leaned back in my chair, watching her. “I let her go.”
Her lips parted in surprise, but she didn’t speak.
“She served her purpose. I offered her a generous severance to make the transition smooth and quiet, but…” I gestured toward the door. “Didn’t go over well. She may need to be… handled, if she causes a scene.”
Valentina tilted her head, studying me like she was reading between the lines. “I see.” A pause. Then, with a small, teasing smile: “Well, sounds like you’ve had an eventful morning.” She walked further into the room, slow and graceful, “I came to see if maybe you had time to have lunch with your wife.”
I stood, rounding the desk in two strides. One hand found her waist, the other curled around the small of her back, pulling her flush against me.
“Of course I have time for my wife,” I whispered, and kissed her—deep, slow, and claiming.
“For fuck’s sake,” a voice snapped from the doorway.
We both turned.
Luca stood there, arms spread in mock exasperation. “Alessio’s not even here right now for your little performance.”
“When it’s real,” I said coolly, “you don’t wait for an audience. You just… go about your business.”
I smirked when his jaw twitched. “But I understand your confusion. Being stuck in a marriage to someone you don’t even like must make this kind of thing foreign to you.”
Luca straightened his spine. “I like my wife. That’s why I married her.”
I rolled my eyes. “Sure you do. Now, what do you want?”
“I just passed Maria. She looked ready to kill someone.” He leaned casually against the doorframe. “Said you fired her?”
“She’s being replaced,” I said. “By someone more appropriate.”
Luca let out a slow whistle. “Shame. Maria gave the best head.”
Then he looked directly at Valentina.
“And isn’t that right, Val?”
I didn’t even think.
I pushed her gently behind me, stepping into Luca’s space, close enough for him to smell the warning in my breath.
“You better stay the fuck away from my wife.”
Luca raised his hands in mock innocence. “What? I didn’t do anything. Why so jumpy, cousin?”