Page 133 of Heart of a Villain

CHAPTER

THIRTY-SIX

Sayeda kept her hands clasped in front of her, and her head bowed. Lorenzo had forgotten one important thing that had changed in his life since the last time they’d laid eyes on one another, and it had nothing to do with his new role as the “leader” of a cartel—one who was still required to follow his predecessor’s rule.

It was his wife.

His very needy, very clingy wife.

Alessandra had no idea who Lorenzo truly was, yet Alessandra was doing the Lord’s work by not giving them a moment alone.

The second the plane landed, she was whisked from the tarmac. Then, during transport, she was handed off to Chamas. The Chamas vehicle, from what she’d overhead, was supposed to take her to the newlyweds, but Alessandra had ordered that she be taken to the mansion. Ever since, whenever Lorenzo took a step, Alessandra was right there, and Sayeda found herself having a hard time keeping inside how much she enjoyed his agony.

“Zo?” Alessandra called, looking around. “Lorenzo, honey? Where did you go? Come and look at this setup. I want to make sure everything’s perfect tonight for Father’s special guest. Do you know he didn’t tell me who it was? He said that I would be surprised, but I’m guessing it’s a celebrity. An American celebrity. Lorenzo?”

Sayeda held Lorenzo’s gaze. Alessandra had to call him a third time for him to look away, and, clearing his throat, he took a step forward.

“Sweetheart, why do you have Juliana dressed like the rest of the help?” he asked. “She’s our head chef.”

“Because she is the help,” Alessandra reminded him.

“I thought you two were friends.”

“Lorenzo, I’m the Chamas queen, and she works for me. That’s just how it is. Now, what do you think of the place settings?”

“I need to take her with me to discuss the menu.”

“Lorenzo, no. We’re doing everything together. This is how my mother and father were, how they did it.”

“Hundreds of years ago.”

She shot him a look.

He didn’t notice.

Again, his gaze had danced across the room, and inside, Sayeda wanted to die. She knew that Adrían was probably right behind her, but with the looks Lorenzo kept tossing her way, even five minutes alone would be enough for him to exact his revenge. The last thing she wanted was for him to take anything else from her. In the past several months, she’d discovered a treasure trove of things that she was afraid to lose.

“Leave Juliana alone,” Alessandra ordered. “She has work to do, and although Rafael isn’t here, I don’t want us to do anything that might scare her off again. I’m surprised she came back.”

He massaged Alessandra’s shoulders. “Why wouldn’t she come back? I’m here.”

Alessandra rolled her eyes.

Someone tapped Sayeda on the shoulder, and she nearly leaped out of her skin.

“Sorry,” one of the servers said. “But I was calling your name. You must have been daydreaming.”

Either she was daydreaming, or she hadn’t had to answer to the alias in months.

“Chefe is here. He’s early. His guest of honor has a complaint about the menu, so he would like to talk to you.”

“Chefe would like to talk to me?” she asked. “Or the guest?”

“Both.”

After thanking the woman, she went to the kitchen, and uniformed staff directed her until she found Chefe in the back office, leaning against a solid oak desk piled high with documents. However, the moment she spotted his guest, looking immaculate in a dark blue suit, she didn’t look away. His back was turned, but she would know her man blindfolded and with her eyes closed.

“Juliana, this is Gano,” Chefe introduced. “Gano, this is the person you requested. The head chef.”

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