Page 89 of Angelo

Her head snapped back to Valentina with a sheepish look.

With a disgruntled frown, the blonde went on to say, "Sandro was away at boarding school most of the time. He only returned to Palermo during summer and winter holidays. Yet, he shielded me from Vincenzo's wrath better than anyone. My mother was helpless against my stepfather whenever he went on a rampage, but Sandro wasn't afraid of pissing him off. Sometimes he even got beaten for it."

Beaten?

Horror spread across Elyse's face. "Oh,Dios."

Valentina smiled a strained smile. "He was not always as big and strong as he is now. His brothers took full advantage of their superior size and strength while we were growing up. They were merciless every time Vincenzo ordered them to teach him a lesson. Sandro took the fall for me quite a few times. I did the same for him. Vincenzo and his older sons were not easy men to live with."

Without question, gut instinct told Elyse that Valentina wasn't exaggerating here. She knew Alessandro had suffered plenty under his father's cruelty. It appeared Valentina had fared no better.

Elyse's eyes softened with compassion. "I don't doubt you. It must've been horrific to be Vincenzo's child."

Valentina whispered hoarsely, "I do not know how I would have survived those years without Sandro."

Blue eyes searched for green eyes. Kindly, Elyse offered, "I'm glad you had each other."

"Me, too."

She studied the blonde closely. Valentina looked truly miserable with her sad eyes and slumped shoulders. But Elyse couldn't shake the feeling that she was sympathizing with a wolf in sheep's clothing. The fact that the blonde was choosing to bare her soul at a time like this—mere hours before her wedding—felt questionable. There had to be a catch.

Elyse probed, "It sounds like you two shared a decent relationship at one point. Why did it change?"

Valentina winced as though in pain. "I let a girl come between us."

"What?"

"I was only eighteen. It was the first time I ever admitted to myself that I wanted to be with a woman. Her name was Maria, and she was beautiful and funny and kind. At the time, she became my world. Maria dated Sandro first. Later, we fell in love and started fucking behind his back. Everything went to shitwhen he found out about us. He lost trust in me, and I resented him because Maria still wanted him even though she had me. Our fallout turned into a rivalry. We have been at each other's throats ever since."

Elyse felt like a cold, heartless bitch for doubting her stepsister-in-law, but why was Valentina being so open and vulnerable out of the blue? Something felt wrong. She was about to berate herself again when Valentina burst into a hearty round of laughter, her malaise peeling away like a snake shedding skin. "Oh, Dr. Romero! You should see your face right now! You look so confused. It is rather adorable."

Elyse balked at Valentina's one-eighty switch-up. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Valentina hummed. "I simply wanted to show you how convincing I can be when I put my mind to it."

Feeling played, Elyse grew irritated beyond measure. "Are you saying that you flat-out lied to me for five minutes straight?"

Valentina tittered, "I could have kept going if I did not have a wedding to attend."

Elyse glared at her. "You're the fucking worst."

"And I would not call them lies," Valentina insisted, grinning. "They are more like embellished versions of truth."

Scowling, Elyse asked, "Which parts were embellished?"

"To be frank, Sandro and I have never gotten along. We were oil and fire from day one. Everything else, though, is somewhat rooted in reality. Our scuffle over Maria was real, but she wasn't as significant as I made her out to be. Sandro fucked her once, I fucked her once, and I only did it to annoy him."

Elyse felt herself relax a little.This was the petty, vindictive Valentina that she knew and distrusted.At least, Alessandro hadn't been keeping more secrets from her about his stepsister.

"What about Vincenzo and Alessandro’s brothers? Were they really as bad as you made them out to be?"

Scoffing, Valentina nodded without hesitation. "Vincenzo and his sons were worse than monsters.Fucking psychopaths. They were always violent with us. But Sandro and I never took the fall for each other. I might have even thrown Sandro under the bus from time to time. It was fun to watch him bruise and bleed."

Elyse sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"

Valentina's demeanor shifted again. Her expression became serene as she remarked, "Nothing I do should surprise you. Because I am willing to do anything to get shit done.That is the point I am trying to make here.”

“I don’t know whether to be impressed by your ability to overcome obstacles,” admitted Elyse, “or terrified of your complete disregard for others.”

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