Page 51 of Viral Affair

“There’s nothing between you two for now, but who knows? It’s hot in here, and I know Spencer. He wants you badly and will drive you crazy until you give in,” I asserted.

A lot of unexpected things happened when people spent time in a paradise such as this. It was going to be fun to see how things unfolded between them over the next few weeks. Laura had driven Spencer crazy in the past, and I was going to win this bet between my father and me.

I didn’t want to say too much because my brother didn’t like talking about his personal life with anyone, but I told Laura about Spencer’s fear of commitment after Samantha had left him abruptly, nearly causing him to lose everything. I had no idea what got into me, but I shared more than I intended. Laura listened. Maybe in the beginning I didn’t trust her, but deep down I knew she wasn’t cunning and manipulative. She wouldn’t use this information against him. I cared about my family and my brother, and it was time for him to finally move on. He’d been wearing the mask of a grumpy, rude, jaded man for too long.

“There’s nothing going on between us. I’ve been in the spotlight before, and it ended badly. I’m trying to be professional around Spencer. Also, I’m not sure if I’ll even stay in this job after the summer,” Laura said all of a sudden.

I ran my hand over my jaw, confused. Was she planning to leave Maja? There was no way that could happen. “I knew it. So, you’re planning to bail on them? Do you realise how much this will crush Maja?”

“No, it’s not like that. The family I worked for before might be returning to the country. I got a call a few hours ago. Nothing is set in stone, Rupert. Mrs. Forrester wasn’t certain they were coming back, which is why I don’t want to talk about this right now. I don’t want to risk Spencer’s career. This type of scandal could ruin him. We started off on the wrong foot, and I’d like to change that for his daughter’s sake,” she explained.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Technically, this was none of my business, but Laura was now my business, too, if her decision affected the people I cared about.

She extended her hand for me to shake it, and I did, glad she was willing to bury the hatchet between us. I had to admit, I’d been a bit too harsh with her during that family dinner.

“I get it, but whatever you do or don’t do, don’t let him get too involved if this goes beyond … whatever. Spencer wants you, and trust me, he always gets what he wants,” I added before walking back to the villa, suddenly thirsty.

Later, I quickly changed and jumped into the pool. Maja had been calling me since she’d started splashing in the pool around ten minutes earlier. The weather was glorious, the sun shone, and Laura was sunbathing on a lounger. Ten minutes later, my brother showed up and jumped straight into the pool to join us.

Maja giggled, chasing me around and trying to swim at the same time. I was glad to see her happy. I glanced briefly at Laura, who was talking on the phone with someone, standing very close to the pool. Spencer must have noticed her, too, because a minute later he shouted, “Laura, what are you doing? Are you filming us?”

I was curious to know who she was talking to, so I told Maja to give me a break for a minute, then swam closer to where she stood. Now she was pointing the phone at Spencer who was only just getting out of the pool. It was too hard to see anything in the sun.

Moments later, I was out of the water, too. Laura turned the phone towards me and Spencer, so I could finally see who she was talking to. My heartbeat instantly accelerated.

“Veronica, is that you? Are you spying on me now?” I asked as she stared at me with wide eyes.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Veronica

“Hi, Rupert. Sorry, I didn’t know you were already there. I thought you were joining them later,” I said, staring at his handsome, sun-kissed face and muscular chest.

Both Spencer and Rupert were gorgeous, but there was something about Rupert that warmed my heart and instantly brightened my mood. He was kind, thoughtful, and more controlled than his hot-headed brother who most women in this country swooned over.

“I think we need to talk, Veronica. Where are you?” Rupert asked as he grabbed Laura’s phone and walked away.

I’d been in Rome in the past few days. Right then I was sunbathing by the pool at my hotel. Earlier, my mother had asked over the phone why some random, yet elegant looking man had taken her to a private clinic for a checkup. Apparently, a few days ago she was also moved to a hotel by some lady who’d announced that Banks Construction was renovating her flat, claiming that my boyfriend had arranged it all. Mum got so emotional, and I didn’t know what to say.

Rupert must have made the arrangements when he was with me in Gloucester. I felt so down that I’d intentionally avoided him for a few weeks. I just didn’t want to face him after Vincent had threatened to ruin him and his family.After spending all this time thinking about everything, I still wasn’t sure how to approach the situation.

“In Rome, handsome, but we’re going to head to Sicily in a couple of days. Just don’t say anything to Laura. She’ll hate me, plus I don’t want to bother her while she’s clearly enjoying herself out there. Maybe your brother will finally make a move and shag her.” I chuckled.

He marched off with Laura’s phone to talk to me in private. I didn’t even know why I was suddenly so nervous and a little jealous of Laura. My roommate had two gorgeous men with her while I was stuck with Jess who’d flirted with every available guy since we’d gotten here.

Rupert dragged his hand over his jaw, and it seemed he was frustrated with me. Maybe even angry, which didn’t surprise me.

“What the fuck are you doing in Rome? And what’s with all the secrecy? I thought we were fine and then you suddenly stopped taking my calls. What the hell is going on?” he asked frustrated.

All right, so he was angry with me. Luckily, Jess was at the bar, so she wasn’t eavesdropping, as usual, when I was talking on the phone with someone.

“Listen, I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you, but I needed some time to think. I knew you were going away with Spencer, so I didn’t want to interfere too much,” I explained, but his expression didn’t change. “I knew we were going to see each other soon, and I just thought it would be better if it were a bit of a surprise.”

“You say you are coming here … to Sicily? When? Fuck, woman, you were driving me bloody insane with all that secrecy. I miss you, baby,” he growled.

I shifted on my lounger as an unexpected heat enveloped my core. I’d missed him so much, too, but the Russian beauty brand still hadn’t contacted me about that brand deal. I had a feeling they weren’t going to offer me this job, which meant I’d have to keep working in the club until I’d saved enough to quit.I didn’t look forward to that conversation with him. He already gave me the ultimatum with how things were to work with him.

“Please try to enjoy yourself. I’m here with Jess, who is kind of annoying. I’ll text you when I’m on the island, but for now you have to trust me. I have a plan in place,” I assured him.

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