Setting Things Straight
Dante
We’re late.
When we arrive at the manor, Valeria greets us with a neutral expression, almost tense. And yet, I thought she’d be pleased with how the plan was progressing. Andrea called to keep me updated.
But something is bothering her.
Even so, when she walks toward me, she manages to be fully present. I pull her against me and kiss her briefly before we join the others around the table.
She talks about Bianca in a voice a little too controlled to sound natural.
The others exchange questioning glances, but no one dares ask anything.
Eventually, Mara takes over.
“I have news,” she announces. “I spotted Bianca as I was leaving the office. She looked over her shoulder before getting into a cab. At the time, I had no idea she already had the files. Her behavior put me on alert, so I followed her. She went to a bar and came back out about fifteen minutes later. When she got into another cab, I stayed behind.”
She pauses.
“Any guesses who walked out five minutes after she did?”
“Peltier,” Valeria guesses.
“Exactly.”
Then Mara turns to me.
“Ask Andrea if he managed to get a recording of their conversation.”
I leave the room to call Andrea and return a few minutes later.
The moment I walk back into the room, silence falls.
Mara avoids my gaze.
Valeria stares at the table.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Valeria answers a little too quickly.
I don’t react.
I simply place my phone in the center of the table and start the recording.
The audio quality is decent. We can hear the background noise of a restaurant: clinking glasses, muffled conversations, soft music. An isolated table, probably chosen on purpose.
Bianca’s voice comes first.
“It’s done. I got it. Here.”
A dull sound follows. Probably a USB drive being set on the table.
A few seconds of silence pass.
“How did you manage that?” Gaspard asks, clearly stunned.
“I simply knew how to seize an opportunity when it presented itself.”
Then she explains how she saw Valeria leave the office early and how Louane gave her access to the lab without suspecting anything.
“Most importantly, don’t open it here. Who knows if she planted a tracker on it? Let Wald deal with that.”
For a few seconds, only the sounds of the restaurant fill the recording.
Then Gaspard speaks again.
“How’s the pregnancy going?”
“Fine. No nausea so far. I have an appointment next week.”
“Will Dante be there?”
“Yes.”
“You really want him there after what he did to you?”
Bianca’s tone hardens slightly.
“I have no intention of giving up on him.”
Gaspard lets out an irritated grunt.
“I never hid what I wanted,” Bianca snaps coldly. “We had an agreement. Don’t start blaming me now.”
A longer silence follows.
“Understood,” Gaspard finally replies in a cold voice.
Then Bianca continues:
“When do I get my payment?”
“As soon as Wald verifies the authenticity of the documents.”
“Perfect.”
A chair scrapes against the floor, and the recording ends.
I stop the audio.
Silence floods the room.
Valeria remains motionless, elbows resting on the table, hands clasped beneath her chin.
“So Gaspard really was the third man,” she finally says.
I immediately grab my phone and call Andrea.
“I want a deep investigation into Gaspard Peltier. Everything he owns: bank accounts, companies, stocks, properties. Then cross-reference all of it with what we already have on Wald. They have to share financial interests somewhere. When Wald goes down, I want that traitor buried alongside him.”
Mara and Stephen leave shortly afterward.
Valeria and I prepare a quiche lorraine for dinner.
The contrast with what we just heard feels almost unreal.
“Why are you and Mara angry with each other?”
“For nothing,” she replies tiredly.
“Then tell me.”
She sprinkles the grated cheese with exaggerated concentration. For a few seconds, I think she won’t answer.
Then she finally sighs.
“She didn’t do what I hired her to do when she decided to follow Bianca. I was simply setting boundaries.”
“And yet following her was the right decision…”
Valeria says nothing. Something else is bothering her.
A suspicion suddenly crosses my mind.
“What exactly is Mara’s job?”
“She runs my security team.”
“You’re not telling me everything.”
She avoids my gaze.
And suddenly, the answer becomes obvious.
Mara got herself hired as my secretary.
“Tell me what her real role is.”
Valeria gives me an annoyed look. She realizes I’ve already figured it out.
“You hired her to spy on me.”
“Not to spy on you,” she immediately corrects. “To protect you.”
For a second, I’m speechless.
“And you thought I didn’t deserve to know?”
“Oh, please,” she cuts in. “You’re allowed to want to protect me, but I’m not allowed to do the same for you? Is that it? I’m supposed to stay some fragile little woman while you play the hero?”
“That’s not what I said—”
Her eyes flash.
Neither of us backs down.
Neither of us wants to.
The argument should continue.
Instead, it changes shape.
And instead of backing down—
“Go fuck yourself, Dante. You don’t have exclusive rights to being the alpha here.”
A slow smile spreads across my lips.
“Oh yeah? So you’re the alpha in this relationship?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
“Prove it.”
The air crackles between us.
Then she steps forward.
For one second, neither of us looks away.
Then she slams me hard against the wall and captures my lips.
Our bodies ignite almost instantly.
Our breathing shortens.
Very quickly, our clothes disappear.
“I want you right now,” she breathes against my mouth.
Fuck.
She shoves me onto the couch and climbs on top of me. She claims my mouth in a raw, carnal kiss.
My cock twitches against her thighs.
“Tell me what you want, Dante.”
“You. I want you on me.”
She doesn’t wait for a second invitation and sinks onto my erection, our eyes locked.
Our moans blend together.
She starts to grind, sliding on and off me with every roll of her hips.
I’m in a trance.
My hands grip her breasts. I can’t get enough of her.
I move up to take a nipple in my mouth. I nibble and suck, savoring her intoxicating taste.
She moans, arching her back, head thrown back as she rides my hardness.
I’ve never seen anything so desirable.
She opens her eyes and tears into me with another hungry kiss.
When she lets go, I take the lead. She doesn’t look away for a second as I fuck her.
It’s so good. It’s almost painful.
I flip her over and lay her on the couch. I pull her legs around my waist to drive deeper.
Sweat covers us. The room fills with the sound of our bodies moving together.
The rhythm turns frenetic. She clinches around me, and I finally blow my load deep inside her.
The orgasm leaves us drained. I collapse on top of her, gasping for air. Once the tremors stop, I carry her to the bedroom and lay her carefully on the bed.
After cleaning her quickly with a warm cloth, I slide under the sheets and pull her close.
“Alright, I admit it,” I concede, breathing in the scent of her hair. “You’re the alpha male.”
She lets out a little laugh.