Luca chuckles darkly. “Said she wanted a fresh start and a life of her own. She feels like she’s given me too much, and she doesn’t want to spend the best years of her life overworking herself for someone who doesn’t appreciate her.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Can you believe that? I gave her a house of her own and a company car. She’s even got a driver and bodyguards. She’s one of the highest fucking paid employees in the company, man. There’s nothing I haven’t given her. How fucking dare she claim that I don’t appreciate her?” He looks up at the ceiling for a moment. “I don’t get it. I asked her to send some flowers to my fiancee, and she just quit, right there and then. For years, she’s been sending flowers to Raven and Sierra on their birthdays and special occasions, but now it’s suddenly beneath her?”
I smile at him and shake my head. “You’re a fucking idiot, aren’t you?”
He looks at me so fucking helplessly, and I bite back a smile as I throw Zane a look. He smirks back at me.
“I suppose it’s good for her, though,” Zane says. “She should go on some dates, find someone to settle down with. She’s right, you know? Val has been overworking herself. You’ve got her on call 24/7, and she barely has a social life of her own. She attends family dinner with us more often than she sees her own family, because you can’t fucking function without her. I hope she finds a wonderful man to marry. Maybe have a baby or two.”
The fucking horror on Luca’s face makes it hard to keep a straight face, but somehow, we all manage it. Luca rises to his feet in a rush, his chair clattering to the floor loudly. “Get me a driver,” he tells me. “I need to go somewhere.”
Zane nods and grabs his phone, a small smile on his face. Meanwhile, Xavier just looks on, confused.
Luca rushes out the door, and Xavier turns to us. “I thought all of your engagements were decided by your grandmother? How is sending him onto this path even remotely a good idea?”
I cross my arms and shake my head. “Grandma is wrong about Luca,” I tell him. “She might have gotten it right for Raven and me, but she nearly got it really fucking wrong. There’s no way Luca and Valentina don’t belong together. Everyone can see it but them.”
He looks worried, and in all honesty, I share his concerns. When it comes to them, though, this is a risk worth taking. If he doesn’t act now, there’s a chance he’ll lose her. But if he does? He could end up having everything he’s ever wanted.
I should know.
I feel the same way about Raven.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Raven
I drop my head to Ares’s shoulder and snuggle closer on the sofa. I’m drawing on my tablet as he reviews documents on his laptop, yet I’m filled with such happiness tonight. It’s the simple things I love most with him.
“Mr. and Mrs. Windsor?”
We both sit up in surprise when one of our bodyguards walks in. Our staff is usually so invisible that it’s easy to forget they’re there at all. They never enter the house when we’re at home.
“What is it, Ben?” Ares asks.
Ben hesitates for a moment. “Hannah Du Pont is at the gate. We’ve denied her entry, but she doesn’t seem to be in a good state of mind. I would recommend that we let her in before she causes a scene and attracts the media.”
Ares looks at me, and I nod. If what he’s saying is true, something is really wrong. Hannah would never risk causing a scene otherwise. She cares more about her reputation than she’s ever cared about either of us.
“Let her in,” I say.
I grab my phone and pull up the cameras. The gates at the front of the mansion swing open, and she drives through. It’ll only take her a few minutes to get to our house, and the closer she gets, the more apprehension fills me. I have a bad feeling about this.
I haven’t spoken a word to her since I asked her if she wanted me in her life, and I didn’t think I ever would again. Not truly. I anticipated seeing her at social events, but this? I didn’t expect her to show up at our house ever again.
Hannah looks distraught as she walks in, Ben by her side. She pauses and looks around, her face betraying her shock. “I see you renovated the place,” she says, her tone soft and matter-of-fact. The venom I expected isn’t there, and it makes me feel uneasy. Considering the way we fell out, there’s no way she could be standing in front of me now without an ulterior motive.
She walks up to us and sits down on the sofa next to the one we’re on, her gaze moving between Ares and me. Trepidation runs down my spine when she clasps her hands nervously.
Normally, she can’t take her eyes off Ares. This time, she’s looking at me, with something that looks a whole lot like remorse in her gaze.
“I’m sorry to drop by unannounced,” she says, her head bowed. Her eyes fill with tears, and she inhales shakily. The way she wraps her arms around herself makes her look so vulnerable, but I’m convinced it’s all an act. I should’ve known she wouldn’t let me walk away so easily — not with both Ares and our parents’ company.
“I… there’s no easy way to say this.” She raises her head and looks into my eyes. “I’m pregnant.”
She’s… what? My heart drops, and nausea hits me hard, her words replaying through my mind. Fear unlike anything I’ve ever known holds me captive as I stare at my sister. She looks so apologetic, but I recognize that glint in her eyes. It’s how she always looked at me when she pretended to feel sorry for the way Mom favored her over me.
I wrap my arms around myself and take a steadying breath. This can’t be happening.
Her gaze shifts to Ares. “I’m five months along. The baby is, of course, yours.”
Ares tenses beside me and reaches for my hand, entwining our fingers before he places our joined hands in his lap. It’s clear that he’s in as much disbelief as I am.
“I didn’t realize it for the longest time. You know how irregular my periods are, Ares. It isn’t until I started to gain weight inexplicably that I thought of doing a pregnancy test. I’ve had no symptoms whatsoever. No morning sickness, no indications at all. I wasn’t even showing until two weeks ago. I… it’s a high-risk pregnancy, Ares, and I just… I need you. I can’t do this by myself, and I’m scared.”
Ares’s free arm wraps around my shoulder, and he squeezes tightly, our hands still entwined in his lap. I’m scared to even look at him for fear that it’s happiness I’ll find written all over his face. Five months… that means he slept with her days before we got married. Or shortly after. I bite down on my lip harshly as I try my best to control my breathing. I can feel panic rising from my chest, threatening to overwhelm me. Did he cheat on me?
Ares lets go of my hand and grabs his phone. He starts to type before he makes a call. “I need a doctor,” he snaps. “Send a doctor to my home within the next ten minutes.”
Hannah’s eyes widen. “You don’t believe me?” she asks, shocked.
Ares smiles tightly. “Just covering my bases,” he explains. “If you’re carrying my child, it’s important that we check your health, isn’t it? Especially if it truly is a high-risk pregnancy.”