Page 17 of The Billionaire's Off Chance

After our meal, I take her to the Trevi Fountain. Its large façade resembles a triumphal arch, decorated with statues and columns. A few other tourists are present, but Chasmin and I get to stand by the crystal-clear fountain without being disturbed.

“There’s a unique tradition here, where we toss a coin into the water and make a wish. I brought some coins just to do this.” I take out some coins from my pocket, giving some to Chasmin.

“Do these wishes come true?” She looks into the water, seeing other coins already tossed in.

“I don’t know but we can hope. That’s what wishes are about.”

She nods, and we both toss our coins in. She smiles, hope filling her eyes. “What’s your wish about?” I ask, taking her hand.

“That I should be happy with who or wherever I am. You?”

“To make you happy.” I gaze into her eyes and she hugs me.

“You’re already doing that. Thanks.”

We leave the fountain, walking along, eating some of the amazing street food which Chasmin seems to enjoy. We take a boat to get to the oldest castle in the city on a small island in the Bay of Naples. We spent considerable time in the city, looking at various sites. We even get a street artist to paint our portrait. Chasmin is sitting on my thigh, leaning in for a kiss.

It’s been a long day. We ate and danced our way through Rome. We return to the hotel, happy and exhausted. Although I’ve seen those sights a thousand times, with Chasmin it feels new and fantastic. After a quick shower, we get into bed; she hugs me, whispering, “Thank you for today.”

“You make it all worth it.” I reply with sincerity. She doesn’t reply. I see that she’s asleep.

The next day, we take the jet back to the UK. When we land and after getting off the plane, I feel the weight of my responsibilities weighing me down.

“I guess we have to get back to work, don’t we?” I place a hand on her shoulder rather than kissing her like I want to. I notice the paparazzi hiding, trying to take photos. The Italian press might not care about my presence in Italy, but the paparazzi back home can’t rest until they get at least some crumbs of information about me.

Chasmin immediately catches on and keeps a respectable distance. “Yes, we have a lot to do. I need your permission. I need to return home for a little while to check up on Mom.”

“We can go together,” I suggest but she shakes her head.

“No. I want to do this alone. I’ll meet you at home.”

“I’ll take you there. I won’t listen to any argument about that.” She relents and we get into the car waiting for us on the private tarmac. I drop her off at her parent’s place, respecting her privacy. I drive off.

She returns to the penthouse in the evening, looking devastated and on edge. She won’t tell me what’s wrong. I automatically blame Paul, but I can’t be sure. Tonight, we will sleep in separate rooms. After being in the same bed in Italy, it feels strange sleeping apart. I leave my room, heading to her hers. I hear her muffled cry from the foyer. I get worried.Something must be terribly wrong at home with her parents.I step silently to the foyer, finding her pacing the length of the room, sniffling with each step.

After watching her for a minute, I can’t stand it anymore. I go to her, not bothering to hide the sound of my footsteps. She sees me coming and wipes her face frantically. Although the lights are dim, I can still see the tear stains and red, puffy eyes.

I reach her, wipe her cheeks and hold her face so she looks at me. “What’s going on, Chasmin? And don’t tell me it's nothing.”

“I…don’t know how to tell you yet. Give me time, I want to take care of this myself first. If I can’t handle it, I’ll come to you. I promise.”

I stare at her for a moment until she gets nervous; yet she doesn’t tell me the truth. I have to give her time then. She hasn’t fully come to trust me yet. “Okay, I can’t leave you alone in this mood. We’ll stay together tonight; hopefully, my presence will make a difference.”

I lead her to my room. We get in bed and she begins to breathe slowly, no longer crying or sniffling. She holds me tight. I reciprocate holding her with a gentle but firm embrace. When she relaxes enough to sleep, I think about how I can find out what’s wrong, even if it means confronting Paul.

The next morning, I wake up to find that she is not by my side. She’s back in her room. She enters my room, already dressed for work in a cream-colored suit, her hair styled in curls. “Hey, you shouldn’t be late for work. I’ll be waiting for you at the dining table.”

She leaves before I can reply. I shower and get ready for work. After a hearty meal, we leave the penthouse for the company. We get into our respective offices; while I’m getting my laptop out, Igor with his characteristic penchant for ignoring etiquette barges into my office.

“Brother!”

“Igor, don’t you ever knock, and don’t you have other important matters to get back to?” I sit, crossing my legs. Igor is in charge of the real estate and resorts of the company, but he makes sure his work doesn’t keep him from having fun.

“That can wait for a while so I can talk to my brother. Lance, I’ve been hearing rumors. I think they have a great deal of truth in them. It’s about you and your assistant, Chasmin.” He stares at me, expecting me to come clean.

“What about it, Igor? I can handle my issues and put a stop to all those rumors,” I assert, already thinking about the snide remarks thrown at Chasmin. Nonetheless, not vehemently stating that nothing is going on between me and Chasmin is proof enough for Igor.

“So, you and her are now a thing? You know how dangerous that is. You’ve always had a knack for scandals, brother.” We both laugh since I also know his history before getting married to Scarlett.

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