The Slave of Pleasure
Chapter 84

Rachel

My hands were shaking as I watched the butler in front of me. He seemed uncomfortable, clearly divided between his role of loyalty to Vincenzo and my insistence. Every second that was going on, my curiosity and my need for answers only increased, as was my discomfort. I couldn't stand the idea of not knowing what was going on, especially when, after so much effort, I finally felt that I was starting to approach Vincenzo. But now this Veronica suddenly emerged, threatening to crumble everything we had built.

I took a deep breath and looked straight at the butler, trying to maintain a calm expression, although I felt that the panic was lurking.

- Who is this woman? I asked with a firm voice, though it noted that there was a touch of anguish in it. The butler hesitated, slightly lowering the look, as if weighing each word before answering.

"It's Dona Veronica," he said finally, with a tone of respect, almost reverence. - One of the most powerful women in Italy.

My eyebrows arched automatically. What? One of the most powerful women in the country? This explained a lot, but also raised new questions. Vincenzo certainly had an extensive network of contacts and business partners, but I had never imagined that it involved someone with such an influential position. There was something in the way the butler spoke of her that made my stomach turn. A powerful figure of the Italian scenario, and yet was here, late at night, alone with him, in his office. My mind began to gather the pieces, seeking a logical explanation that, with luck, would not bring even greater weight to my heart.

- So she is here to deal with business? I deduced aloud, almost as if trying to convince myself. My fixed eyes on his, seeking any sign of confirmation.

But to my displeasure the butler hesitated again, and his face took on a strange, disconcerting expression. It was as if you were fighting with yourself, trying to decide what you might or not say. His silence, however, spoke much more than any word could. If she really were here just to deal with business, why did he seem so uncomfortable with my question?

- What did she come to do here then? I pressed, the impatience clearly present in my tone. - And even more, why at this time? Alone with him in the office?

The butler sighed, clearly bothered. He looked down, as if the answers were there on the floor, and murmured, almost as if saying to himself:

"It is better to let Lord Vincenzo Himself tell you."

His answer, instead of reassuring me, only brought a whirlwind of questions to light. I knew I couldn't get any more information from the butler, but her discomfort only made me even more restless. To whom did this woman pose a danger? For me and my relationship with Vincenzo? Or for him, maybe? For a second, an irrational fear went through my mind, something I never imagined feeling: What if this woman, this powerful Veronica, meant more to him than just a business relationship? What if she was someone from his past I was unaware, but still had some kind of influence on him?

I looked away from the butler, feeling the weight of this new reality. Vincenzo had been very reserved about his relationships and his past; I knew there was a story behind his life that he was not ready to share. But now she was there, flesh and bone, with her harmful laugh echoing through the hall. A laugh that somehow seemed to remember that I was an intruder in this world.

I looked back at the butler, who remained silent, seeming to respect the turbulence of thoughts that clearly went through my face. He was discreet, as always, but it was as if he understood exactly what I was feeling. "Thank you ..." I muttered, almost without thinking. I knew it was not his fault, and that he was as dark as I was.

Before he could say anything, I turned and went back to my room, trying to keep my posture, even though my interior was in crash.

As I walked around in my room, anxiety and discomfort only increased. Every minute that passed, the curiosity about what Veronica and Vincenzo could be arguing became unbearable. This torment consumed me, and I knew I couldn't stand being locked there for much longer.

That's when I heard the sound of Vincenzo's office in the distance opening. My heart shot, and, before I could contain myself, I found myself running toward the stairs, descending them in a hurry to finally try to get answers. When I arrived at the foot of the stairs, I stopped for a moment, recovering my breath and trying to calm down.

There they were: Vincenzo and Verônica, talking in a tone that seemed too casual for a business meeting. Something in her posture, in the way she smiled with a calculating glow in her eyes, caused a wave of distrust to walk me. I didn't know who she really was, but every instinct inside me shouted to be cautious.

Veronica noticed my presence before I could decide what to do, and a shrewd smile appeared on his face.

"Ah, approach," she said, with a voice full of false, clearly theatrical sweetness. It was as if I was inviting me to participate in a game in which I barely knew the rules.

Vincenzo looked at me over his shoulder, and his gaze had a touch of surprise, perhaps even of worry. I hesitated for a second, but I took a few steps ahead, determined to face whatever the situation.

I extended my hand, trying to stay calm and be cordial, although my chest was in a whirlwind of emotions. Veronica, however, ignored my gesture, crossing her arms and throwing me a review look, as if judging me up and down. "So is that what you are doing, Vincenzo?" She said with a touch of poison in her voice. "I didn't know I had started paying for hardened harlots."

The offense hit me like a slap. My face warmed with anger and humiliation, and all the words that were on the tip of the tongue fought to go out at the same time. Before I could respond to that cruel accusation, Vincenzo intervened, his firm and determined voice.

"Veronica, this is unacceptable," he said with a sharp tone, which I had never heard before. He turned to me and completed, with clarity and conviction that took my breath away. - Rachel is my girlfriend. Not a harlot.

I was paralyzed for a moment, unable to process the mixture of emotions that his words aroused in me. Girlfriend. He had said "my girlfriend", with all the letters. That word, said so clearly, made my heart beat out, and I felt an inexplicable heat taking over me. It was as if, for a moment, all the doubts and insecurities I had felt had been swept away.

Veronica's eyes narrowed, and the smile disappeared from her face, replaced by an expression of contempt that she clearly made no effort to hide. He seemed to have not liked Vincenzo's answer at all, but his look loaded with arrogance remained relentless.

She released a dry laugh, which reverberated through the room like an unpleasant echo.

"Vincenzo, dear... Always so sentimental," she murmured with contempt, still ignoring me as if I were a mere disposable piece in the room.

But this time her contempt didn't affect me the same way. Vincenzo's words had given me strength and filled me with unexpected courage. I looked straight at Veronica, my posture now firm and determined. I knew she was a powerful woman, which meant something important in Vincenzo's past. However, I was ready to face what came, because at that moment I knew I meant something to him too.