AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Something was holding me back, but I did not know exactly what that was. I found myself wanting us to find out together. Truthfully, I was starting to feel real things for this woman. I was trying hard to stop fighting it. The reality was that our lives were complicated. Somehow that turned me on even more.
I clicked one final folder and the screen lit up, tabs cascaded down the display screen. I planned to tell her most of the details when we safely arrived at my house in London. For now, I kept my work to myself as I wanted to tell her in a more relaxed environment. I froze, realizing that I opened the wrong file; the one file I did not want her to see. I began to rapidly close the tabs on each window as she intently watched. Suddenly, she audibly gasped.
“Oh my God!” she exclaimed loudly, causing my staff to all turn and look at us. “Go back!” she demanded harshly.
“What?” I was closing windows so rapidly that I did not know she had seen anything yet.
“The photo!” she snapped.
I took a deep breath, realizing she had in fact seen what I was trying to hide. I was caught. I struggled to play it cool as I opened up a few of the previous tabs one by one. She studied each one, some of which contained photos of various buildings.
“No, that's not it,” she insisted.
I was avoiding the obvious one, but I was out of pages to flip through. Taking another deep breath, I opened it, ready to accept my fate. Nothing would be more awkward than arguing in an enclosed space with four more hours to go. The page loaded the photos and information.
Her eyes widened as her mouth dropped open. Reaching out, she touched the screen of my laptop, swiping through a set of photos on the bottom right side of the screen. Each photo contained parts of my hidden secret. She began to shiver. I felt her lightly vibrating my legs.
“Bella, I can explain,” I blurted.
“Shhh,” she hissed as she continued to scroll through all the documentation I had.
“What the fuck is this Valentino?”
Her photos, her father's photos, information on both of them, information on my job, and finally, a copy of the contract I signed in Spain. It was all in front of her. I sat completely exposed and vulnerable.
In no version of this scenario could I win. I was stuck. It was finally time to come clean. No time like the present and she was not going to take,let's talk later, for an answer.
She crossed her arms over her stomach, glaring at me with narrowed eyes.
Rolling my eyes, I exhaled, “Bella--.”
“Valentino,” she growled, cutting me off, “what the actual hell is happening?”
A look of paranoia and terror slowly spread across her face. I sighed, wishing that I would wake from the nightmare I was now living. It was unenviable that after hearing what I had to say, she would never trust me or speak to me again.
“Your father asked that I not tell you anything bu--,” I began to explain.
She interrupted with eyes full of betrayal, “What does my father have to do with this?”
“Bella,” I sighed, “he asked me to watch you.” I lowered my head in shame.
She jumped off my lap, blustering, “What the hell are you talking about?”
I attempted to explain, nodding toward the photos on the laptop, “Your father asked that I watch you but--.”
“My father is dead!” she shouted.
The cabin fell so silent that you could hear a pin drop if it were not for the low hum of the engine. I lifted my hand, signaling for my staff to mind their business. Part of them returned to their positions but exchanged glances with one another.
Confused, I peered up at her, arching my eyebrows. “Bella, I met with him,” I muttered as I pointed at the screen. “He is right there, and you see, he hired me to--.”
She began to cry and shake so I stopped speaking. She fell back in her seat, recoiling as her eyes welled up with tears. Immediately, I stood, stepping across the aisle, kneeling in front of her. I placed my hands on her thighs, gazing up at her with the most non-threatening look I could muster in the moment.
“I wanted to tell you so many times, but I wasn’t allowed,” I explained quietly.
“No no no,” she lamented.
“What do you mean, no?” I faltered.
