Page 101 of Sinful Games

I spun around so fast I dropped the file I was holding, my heart racing with excitement. But to my disappointment, there was nothing there.

"You don’t care about him, huh? Little liar!" she chuckled, pointing an accusing finger.

As I scrambled to pick up the fallen file, Valeria couldn't contain her laughter, her shoulders shaking with mirth.

"Okay, okay, maybe I care... a little," I muttered.

Valeria smirked triumphantly. "Aha! I knew it!"

I shook my head tiredly and followed her to her office. Flopping onto the small brown leather sofa in the corner, I closed my eyes, knowing that if I stayed like this, I’d drift off to dreamland. But getting up again seemed like too much effort.

“How are you, Caia? Like, really?” she asked, breaking the silence.

I shrugged, stifling a yawn. My eyelids felt like lead weights. “I’m... alright,” Iwhispered.

Her fingers danced across the keyboard, the rhythmic tapping oddly soothing, lulling me into a drowsy state. Just as I was about to succumb, the typing abruptly stopped.

“Don’t fall asleep. You’ve got to give your patient in room 174 his pills and help him with his shower,” she reminded me.

I chuckled, pushing myself up from the sofa and stretching, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the heads-up, boss.”

The corner of her lips lifted as she slipped on her glasses and sifted through various files. “Surprised your hubby let you work today.”

I let out an exasperated groan. “Stop calling him that!”

With a casual shrug, she quickly signed a document and stamped it. “So, what’s going on?”

“Nothing much,” I sighed, feeling the weight of the world settling on my shoulders. “I just told him about... Sadiek and everything else.”

Valeria paused her task, removing her glasses. “Oh, honey,” she whispered, rising from her chair to sit beside me. She enveloped me in a comforting hug.

“I’m okay, Valeria. Really?—”

“Shut up, just let me hug you for a bit.”

I chuckled softly, drawing her closer for a moment before she planted a tender kiss on my cheek and released me.

“Tell me everything,” she urged gently.

“Last night, we went to a gala for orphans, and Sadiek was there. He acted like he didn’t recognize me, but just seeing his face and hearing his voice made me panic. It felt like my whole body shut down. I ran outside to the back garden and ended up wandering through a maze. Eventually, I found a secluded spot with a bench and sat there in the cold, trying to gather the courage to go back inside. That’s when Alexsei came looking for me and found me there.”

“Do you think... he arranged for you to meet Sadiek on purpose?” Valeria asked, concern and sadness in her eyes.

I shook my head. “No. Not at all. Alexsei had no idea about... my past.”

At first, I thought he might have set it all up to hurt me, but seeing the fury in his eyes this morning, the tension in his fists, and the rigidity of his shoulders made me realize he was completely unaware of my past. His anger seemed genuine and raw.

After I cried in his arms and he stroked my back to calm me down, he kissed me softly and told me to get ready and take a long warm shower. And that’s exactly what I did. The warm water felt like it was washing away everything that had happened.

Dressed in simple black jeans and a cropped black knitted jumpsuit, I made my way to the kitchen, only to find it empty. But next to a glass of orange juice, a cup of warm lemon tea, and a plate of scrambled eggs with two pieces of toasted and buttered sourdough bread, there was a small note.

Igor needs me at the Manor.

Spend the day with Valeria if you want but don’t forget your phone.

Don’t wait for me tonight.

I wouldn’t deny feeling a pang of disappointment. Insecurity gnawed at my chest, but I brushed it off and started eating my breakfast, the sour taste lingering in my mouth amid the deafening silence.

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