Page 65 of Fight Me Little Pearl

“I’ll walk you out,” Louisa says, taking my hand. I wave goodbye to the girls.

There’s a very expensive-looking sleek matt-black sports car I’ve never seen before parked right at the entrance and Valentino is leaning against it. He is in his signature all-black look. From head to toe, he is dressed in black.

“Damn,” Louisa whispers. “You’re eating good, Francesca.”

“Behave,” I mutter.

Valentino holds out his arm when I reach him, and I step into his embrace. “Valentino, this is Louisa, my cousin and best friend. She was at the wedding, but I don’t think you have officially met her.”

Louisa holds out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you officially.”

Valentino shakes her hand briefly. “Thanks for taking care of my wife.”

“You don’t have to thank me. It was my pleasure.”

Valentino leads me to the passenger seat of the car and holds the door open. I wave at Louisa before slipping inside. As we drive off, I continue to wave at her until she’s out of eyeshot.

“Why are you in a bar,piccola mia?”

I turn to him with a smile. “You don’t like it?”

“I’m not sure,” he says mildly. “I’m not going to dictate what you do, but bars are filled with drunken men. I will have to commit murder if someone touches you inappropriately.”

I laugh. “It didn’t come to that. No one touched me inappropriately. And if one had I’m sure one of those men trying very hard to blend in and not quite succeeding would have stepped in.”

He smiles. “Yes, they would have. How was your day?”

“It was okay until the girls found the alcohol.”

“Tell me about it,” he says conversationally as he navigates through traffic.

I arch my brows, surprised he is interested in my day out. “It was mostly just women’s gossip. Are you sure you want to know?”

“I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.”

“Okay.” I stare at his profile. “Maria is married to a sixty-something-year-old prick who apparently doesn’t satisfy her in any area of her life, especially sexually.”

He glances at me. “Hmm.”

“Unlike Maria, Bella’s husband is in his forties, but in my estimation, he is worse. He beats her regularly, and she’s had two miscarriages because of this.”

“That’s because he has another family,” Valentino states quietly.

My mouth parts in a gasp, and I blink at his handsome face. “What?”

“He has another family,” he repeats. “A wife and four kids. Three boys and a girl. Bella is wasting her time.”

“How do you know this?”

“The background check. Remember?”

“You said it would be a simple thing.”

“This is the simple version for Vance,” he says. “If he wants to be thorough, he will even find out what Maria’s dead grandmother had for breakfast before she died.”

“Her grandmother is dead?”

“For five years.”

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