Chapter 42: Valentina

Valentina's POV

"We need alcohol," Sheila suddenly announced, pushing herself off the bed. "I'm going to grab a bottle of wine from the kitchen."

"Need any help?" Raine asked.

"I'm good. Back in five," Sheila said with a forced smile before slipping out the door.

Once Sheila was gone, I turned to Raine. "How much do you know about Matteo? Dante's uncle, I mean."

"Not much. Jax doesn't talk about him a lot. Just that he's been with the club forever and Dante trusts him more than anyone."

"What's he like? As a person?"

"Very reserved," Raine said. "Keeps to himself mostly. Jax said he's been through a lot, though he never specified what. Why the interest? Is this about Sheila's obvious daddy crush?"

I laughed. "That obvious, huh?"

"Please. The way she looks at him? Like he hung the moon and stars. Classic daddy issues."

"Don't let her hear you say that," I warned. "But yeah, it's more than just thinking he's hot. She thinks she might have known him when she was a kid. At the orphanage."

"Seriously?" Raine's eyes widened. "That would make her daddy crush even more complicated."

"She's convinced he used to visit the orphanage and give her special attention."

"So she's literally been fantasizing about this older man since childhood? That's next level."

The door opened, and Sheila stepped back in. No wine bottle in hand. Her face was pale, eyes rimmed with red.

"Sheila?" I got up immediately. "What happened?"

I placed my hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing it, and held her hand.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Sheila looked at me, tears welling in her eyes. "I ran into Matteo in the hallway. I asked him about the orphanage."

"What did he say?" Raine asked.

"He said he didn't remember," Sheila replied, a tear sliding down her cheek. "He looked right at me and said he didn't remember spending time at any orphanage."

"Maybe it wasn't him," Raine suggested.

"It was him. I know it was. He's lying."

I guided Sheila to the bed. "Why would he lie about something like that?"

"I don't know," Sheila said, wiping at her tears. "But I'm going to find out."

"We'll help you," I promised, squeezing her hand.

Raine nodded. "Absolutely."

"Thanks," Sheila managed a smile. "I just... I need to know."

"Is this still about your daddy crush, or is it something more?" Raine asked bluntly.

"It's not a daddy crush!" Sheila protested, her cheeks reddening.

"Oh please," I teased, trying to lighten the mood. "You literally call him 'Daddy' in your tone every time you talk about him."

"I do not!"

"You kind of do," Raine agreed. "It's the way your voice gets all soft and breathy when you say his name. Mar-co," she mimicked in an exaggerated, dreamy voice.

Despite her tears, Sheila laughed. "Fine! Maybe I do have a little daddy thing for him. He's just so... masculine. And those hands..." She sighed. "But this is about more than that. If he really is the man from the orphanage, I need to know why he's pretending not to remember me."

"Maybe he doesn't want to admit he's had a thing for you since you were a kid," Raine suggested. "That would be creepy."

"It wasn't like that!" Sheila insisted. "He was just kind to me. He gave me lollipops."

"And now you want to give him a different kind of sucker, am I right?" I joked, making Raine burst into laughter.

"You're both terrible," Sheila said, but she was smiling. "But seriously, what if there's some dark reason he doesn't want to acknowledge the connection?"

"Like what?" I asked.

"I don't know. Maybe he was involved in something illegal? Maybe there's a reason I ended up in that orphanage that connects back to him?"

"Or maybe he just thinks it's inappropriate to admit he remembers you as a child when you're now making bedroom eyes at him," Raine pointed out.

"I am not making bedroom eyes at him!"

"You absolutely are," I said. "Every time he walks into a room, you look at him like you want him to pin you against a wall and call you 'baby girl.'"

Sheila threw a pillow at me, her face crimson. "Stop it! Is it that obvious?"

"Only to everyone with eyes," Raine confirmed.

"Oh god," Sheila groaned, covering her face. "He probably thinks I'm some weird, creepy girl with father issues."

"To be fair, you kind of are," I pointed out.

"Says the girl who wants to bang her stepbrother," Sheila shot back.

I felt my own face heat up. "Touché."

"Look," Raine said, "daddy issues or not, if this connection to the orphanage is real, you deserve answers. We'll help you get them."

Sheila straightened up. "So it looks like we have another task at hand. Besides dealing with Val's troublesome brother, we also have to deal with Matteo."

"And find out if he'll fulfill your daddy fantasy or break your heart," Raine added.

"Can we please stop with the daddy thing?" Sheila begged, though she was laughing again.

"Never," I promised. "Not when it makes you blush like that."

Our laughter was cut short by a sharp knock on the door. We froze, exchanging glances.

"Were you expecting anyone?" I whispered to Raine.

She shook her head, eyes wide.

The door swung open before any of us could respond. Dante stood in the doorway, his gray eyes immediately finding mine, intense and unreadable. Behind him stood Matteo, his expression grim.

"We need to talk," Dante said, his voice low and urgent. "All of us. Now."

Matteo's gaze flickered briefly to Sheila before looking away, jaw clenched tight.

I felt my heart race. Whatever this was about, it couldn't be good.

"What's wrong?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

Dante's eyes darkened. "Everything."