“But Alessio—”
“I told you, your services won’t be needed anymore,” I said through gritted teeth, punctuating each words so she understood the meaning.
Her mouth opened shock. “You mean…?”
“You heard him. He doesn’t want to fuck you anymore. So get lost.”
At Maddie’s voice, I closed my eyes in frustration and pinched the bridge of my nose. Taking a few deep breaths, I opened my eyes to see her glaring at both of us.
Nina’s face turned stormy and she twisted her lips angrily, then looked back at me, waiting.
I gave her a cold stare and crossed my arms over my chest, raising an eyebrow in question.
“I’m going,” she snapped. Her expression was cold as she walked around me. Nina was a cold-hearted bitch and she loved it that way. And Maddie had to tread carefully before she got herself into trouble.
“Bye, Felicia,” Maddie called as she rolled her eyes.
When I reached the top landing, Maddie stepped in front of me, blocking my way.
“I swear to God…if you are playing Ayla…” she warned, anger glittering in her eyes.
“Why the fuck would you think that?” I growled, taking a step forward, completely outraged by her question.
She indicated where Nina had been standing moments ago. When realization sunk in, anger deserted me and I winced at the thought.
“Nothing was going to happen,” I said.
Maddie looked suspicious. “Ayla saw you going into the office with Nina. She thought…she was completely heartbroken, Alessio.”
Guilt coursed through my body and I swore under my breath.
“Imagine how you would feel if you saw Ayla with another man,” Maddie added.
The thought made me see red. My hands tightened into fists until my knuckles hurt. I gritted my teeth.
She raised an eyebrow. “Exactly,” she muttered before heading back toward Ayla’s room.
I stared at her back and then leaned against the banister, my mind filled with dangerous thoughts.
When I first saw Ayla and proposed that she work for me, this wasn’t what I had in mind.
She was supposed to work for me and I kept her close because I wanted to fuck her. That was my intention. But it wasn’t about lust anymore. It wasn’t about fucking her and being done with her.
It was more, something I couldn’t wrap my head around. A feeling that I didn’t understand.
But I wasn’t against it anymore. I let myself bask in this foreign emotion, waiting to see where it would lead me, hoping it wouldn’t destroy either of us in the process.
Sighing, I raked my hand through my hair. I thought I was the only one feeling what was between us. But Ayla felt it too, and I had hurt her.
A connection so deep, so irrevocably beautiful yet haunting and dangerous. It brought us peace, even through the pain.
Chapter 41
She was waiting for me, sitting at the piano, her gaze on the wall before her, looking completely lost in her thoughts.
At the sight of me, she smiled, and I sat on the sofa in front of the piano, keeping my focus on her the whole time.
I hadn’t had a chance to talk to her since this morning. If I wasn’t mistaken, she was avoiding me.
As soon as she saw me, she would walk the other way or act like she didn’t see me. If her eyes caught mine, her expression was impassive, her lips thinned in a hard line.
As I continued to stare at her, the piano the only thing between us, she gave me a strange look and then her expression was blank again before she looked down at the keys.
As I listened to the hauntingly beautiful music, I felt completely transfixed by her beauty and the peaceful look on her face.
All she had to do was sit there silently and she already had my complete attention.
After three songs, she stopped and then opened her eyes, making direct eye contact with me. I smiled, trying to look as gentle as possible, but she ignored it, then went to the book shelf.
She took her time choosing a book, making me nervous with each passing second.
Grabbing a book in her hand, she walked back and sat down on the sofa beside me. All the time, she did it silently while keeping her eyes away from mine.
I waited for her to say something.
I didn’t know how long we stayed like that. I tried to get some work done but I was too lost in Ayla to think.
My gaze kept moving to her, and a few times I noticed her peeking at me, but she would quickly move her gaze away when she noticed me looking. I even saw her scowl at the book and then she twisted her lips in annoyance.
When I couldn’t bear the long, frustrating silence anymore, I cleared my throat and shifted a couple of times in my seat, trying to bring Ayla’s attention to me.