This chapter is dedicated to Haleemah2004 for her support and always looking up to the next update.... Infact she made me drop three chapters tonight which wasn't originally planned for but I did it for her....thanks babe😚
Loving her is a losing game
Bianca's pov
"Care to explain what you're doing here with my interim Trent?" He said with a spleen of anger in his voice which made me wonder why he was boiling up...
"It's lunch time Boss... we're here to eat" He said with a proud smile. I looked up for the first time as my eyes locked with the beautiful golden eyes which was cold and distant.
He averted his eyes from mine like I was some pests.
"Lunch time is over..." He said with an expressionless face towards Raphael.
"Retire back to your office... There's a meeting by 3pm Ms. Bennett" he continued with his eyes still glued at Raphael before he walked away with his bodyguard Ivan who was silent throughout the whole rukus.
I was pissed off... what right did he have to come here and spoil my lunch all because he's the CEO? I also have my own right as a worker and I didn't even disobey any rule whatsoever.
"I'm not done with my Lunch Mr. Alcantara" I said out of the blue forcing him to stop on his track. It took him a while to process before he turned towards me.
"Care to repeat that?" He said furiously
" I said I'm not yet done... You cannot just barge in here all in the name of being the boss and tell me what to do at my break period. This is my lunch break and I intend on staying till it ends" I said in a breath which made everyone stunned at my action at the Cafeteria.
Ivan had this playing smile on his face which he was trying to hide, Raphael was also stunned at my action while Stefano just stared at me blankly.
It was hard to read his mind. He was about to say something but Ivan nudged him gently at his elbow.
" See you by 3pm Ms. Bennett..." Ivan said with a pleading eyes and pulled Stefano away from the Cafeteria.
I sat back and took the last piece of dessert into my mouth which ended up tasting blandly.
Raphael just kept staring at me. The way he scanned my face was blinding as I could feel it in my soul.
" You want me to choke me with your intense stare right?" I said sarcastically.
" You're really one hell of a woman" he said with smile playing on his lips. I chuckled.
"What's your deal with the boss?" He said from nowhere as I almost choked on my water.
"Careful mi cara" he said stretching the wipes to me
"Thanks" I said in a beam smile.
"Are you going to answer my question?" He said again not giving up.
"What if I say no?" I said smiling cynically
"You should know I won't take that for an answer but if you don't want to talk about it...then it's fine" he said still with his fixed smile.
I love that he's not pushing me to talk... but can I even trust him with this? I mean I really need someone to talk to about my whole shits with Stefano for the past few weeks here.
After some deafening silence.
" He was my first love" I blurted out . I looked up at him to study is reaction but I got none.
He grabbed the mango juice and turned into the two glass cups.
" Was or is?" He said still trying to put the bottle head back in it's place. I went mute for a moment as my heart skipped at the comment.
" I'll take that as is" he said again casually before we clicked our cups together and he took a sip from his glass cup. " and luckily for you... His heart is still burning for you" he added with a knowing smile on his face.
"Stefano? Sorry to burst your bubbles but you're mistaken... All that guy feels is hatred... You need to see the way he looks at me like a fly he can't wait to get rid off... He hates me" I shrieked my tongue and took a sip from the juice. He laughed hysterically.
" Then you don't know men... Judging from how he jolted here and lashed out at me... He was ready to kill me with that his devouring eyes sparking with fire... That is... He was jealous and being possessive of you unknowingly to him I guess ... Stefano is never like that which makes me more curious than ever... nevertheless, I'll be watching from afar" He said with a synchronic smile.
A lot was playing around my head, I refuse to believe whatever Raphael may be thinking right now... Is it really jealousy? No I doubt... He's wrong... Stefano and I is impossible...
We've reached a journey of no return.
I still love him but can he forgive me for the sins of the past?
"Are you done playing it in your mind?" He said bringing me out of my reverie.
"Playing what? I'm not playing anything" I said defensively. He chuckled.
" Looking at your actions and reactions... It seems to me that you broke his heart..." he said folding his hands on the table. " so tell me... Who broke who?" He said again casually. I took the last gulp of the juice and stood up as my gps beeped.
" Another topic for another day" I said with a cynic smile.
" So there'll be another day... Can't wait for it" his eyes danced with joy as he stood up to my level.
He brought his hands forward, took mine and placed a kiss on it. " I had a lovely lunch...thanks to you Bella" he said with a Duchene smile.
"Thank you too Raphael" I said still on my smile.
Stefano
"Why are you smiling synchronically?" I said looking sideways to Ivan who was sitting at my Love leather sofa with a synchronic smile plastered on his face as I tried to round up my research on my tablet. Damn I'm so tired.
"Nothing" he said then the gps on his hand beeped. " It's time for lunch Boss" he said still with a playing smile on his face. Okay I've heard enough of it.
" What's up?" I said giving him a disapproving look before shutting my tablet and placing it back on my desk.
"Ivanovo!!!" I shrieked out his name as he gave his hands up in the air.
"Okay okay... I was just thinking about tomorrow...you know... It's your sister's birthday party" he said sumptuously.
"So?" I heaved a brow at his side.
"So I'm sure you know your sister very well... But let's just wait for how things will play out tomorrow... right now I'm hungry Amico" he said holding his belly with a pouty face.
Ivan and rare dramas are known to be scary and not to be taken lightly but I shoved it off as I'm not ready for his sarcasms at the moment.
I stood up ignoring his comments and adjusting my tie. He gave me a mockery stare which I don't seem to understand.
"Ivanovo Gordon!!!" I don't want to hear this topic right now" I said as I walked ahead of him to the elevator.
He tried to use the general elevator but I dragged him back into my own magnificent elevator." I don't know how many times you want us to fight over this elevator issue" I said as a matter of fact in a shrewd tone. He chuckled.
"So are you ready for tomorrow? " He said again but this time in a more serious tone.
I shut my eyes for a moment before opening to retort back but my eyes caught something at the left side of the company where the cafeteria is located as the elevator descended down.
One beautiful thing about this elevator is the fact that I get to see virtually 80% view of my company. I stared longer at the flaming red headed woman sitting and laughing callously with a man
I wondered what he whispered in her ears that made her to smile in an enchanted manner. I felt my spirit boiled in anger as I tightened my fist.
"Are you okay?" Ivan asked warily. I tried to compose myself to avoid earful of lecture from him just before his own eyes also traveled to the same direction.
He gave this sheepish smile.
"Careful there before everyone start to wonder why the boss is ready to murder someone from inside the elevator" he said in a mockery tone trying to hide his smile. "Who's furious? " I asked non-chalantely before I realized my mistake but his smile just grew wider.
"Your words not mine... I never said you were furious" he said still with the smile plastered on his face.
"I..."
"Good afternoon Boss" a Man said cutting me off from my statement as he walked across me... I didn't know the elevator had descended already. I just reacted with my head down slightly as I always do.
I was supposed to go through the lobby but I found myself walking towards the left side at the down lane of the company.
" Boss that's not way to the King's Restaurant" Ivan said with a glint of mockery in his voice.
"We're eating at the cafeteria today" I said firmly avoiding his gaze as I walked ahead of him.
"Your wish" he retorted in a jesting voice.
Getting to the entrance of the Cafeteria, a whole lot of people were in marvel probably being the first time I've been here... I hardly go through this particular lane of the company causing everyone to stop abruptly at my entrance.
My eyes traveled across and luckily she was so easy to locate as she laughed hysterically at whatsoever the guy might have said to her.
I moved closer without any of them noticing.
Why are they so engrossed with their talk for them no to even notice nor acknowledge my presence when every other person have done that at this cafeteria.
"Okay let me rephrase it... Who...
"Mind I take my interim?" I said as a way of entrance which was kinda of cliché at a cafeteria. For goodness sake... what's wrong with me? Why am I even here? I could feel Ivan mocking me inwardly from the side he stood with me.
"Mr Alcantara... Pleasure to see you here" Raphael Trent, the director of social resources said without a flinch of fear. I'm not surprised looking at his personality...
He has this demeanor aura that can make any girl worship at his feet but I'm still far above him when it comes to this games and since he's good at his job here at the company. I'll spare him.
"Care to explain what you're doing here with my interim Trent?" I inquired with a spleen of anger in within me... I don't even know why I'm feeling this way... Maybe it's because I've known Trent to be a Man whore and now he's flirting with my interim... I mean she's meant to be under my care right?
"It's lunch time Boss... we're here to eat" He said with a proud smile. if not for the crowd present... I would have thrown his ass of this building before my eyes met with a glistening blue pair of eyes across Trent.
My heart got stuck on a spot and with all the strength left in me, I averted it away quickly before I melt in those ocean blue sparking eyes. Damn it! What's wrong with me?
"Lunch time is over..." I said to cover up the awkwardness which I believed was about to rise.
Ivan nudged me at the wrist but I was oblivious to it.
"Retire back to your office... There's a meeting by 3pm Ms. Bennett" I said before I realized what I said... Jeez where did that even come from? Stefano really? I plunged my brain silently wishing I could take that back... I began to walk away to hide my sparrows.
"I'm not done with my Lunch Mr. Alcantara" my heart paused at the sound of her beautiful voice. I didn't see that coming as I stopped on my track.
" Care to repeat that?" I said challenging her
" I said I'm not yet done... You cannot just barge in here all in the name of being the boss and tell me what to do at my break period. This is my lunch break and I intend on staying till it ends" she said again in a breath... I missed that side of hers ... That fierce personality made me fall for her back then until she turned her back against me.
That thought alone was enough to boil my blood again as Ivan just used his hands to nudge me carefully at the shoulder area.
" See you by 3pm Ms. Bennett..." Ivan said in an apology gaze and dragged me out of the cafeteria .
I was mad again at the fact that she broke my heart first and now she doesn't even feel remorseful about it.
Seeing her laughing around with other guys really want to make me strangle her neck and remind her of every pain she caused me in the past.
"Meeting by 3pm? Really?" Ivan chipped in immediately we were out of sight in a mockery tone. I was really not in the mood for his sarcasm as I kept walking up the lane to the lobby.
""C'mon man... What are you going to do about that 3pm ghost meeting" Ivan said again in a jesting tone.
"Fix it... You're good at this...and Ms. Rennes will be joining you for the meeting..." I said before leaving the lobby and embracing the fresh air outside the building.
"It's almost 3 and won't you be joining us? He asked suspiciously. Then I shook my head
"No... I have better things to attend to" I said with a straight face. If possible I don't want to see her around my surroundings again.
Ivan's face went subtle. He knew my mood was already sour so he stopped nudging me with his hysteric talks.
Once we were inside my Rolls Royce, he looked sideways at me.
"Don't you think you're too hard on yourself Stefano" he said quietly with his eyes glued to the road. I was still silent with my eyes on the road as well.
"C'mon man... It's been eight years already... Don't you think it's time to let go and live past all this?" he said glancing briefly at me before fixing his eyes back to the road.
"Live past what?" I said trying to contain my anger as my fist tightened on its side.
" You know what I'm talking about... Talk to this woman" he said solemnly trying to find a reaction from me but he got none.
" I have nothing to say to her...she mean nothing to me" I said in a husky tone.
"Yeah I see that even when you almost beat up every man that glances at her side" he retorted dryly.
" I don't understand what you mean by beat... I do no such thing" I said defensively in a furious tone
" I see..." He stated blandly parking the car at the parking site of the kings restaurant. I slid out of the vehicle with my sunshades and made my way into the renown restaurant. Simple and classic.
"Hey Mr. Alcantara, welcome to my humble restaurant" Gina, the old granny said as I gave her my subtle smile.
Ever since I left Venice to Rome, I've always loved her food which reminded me of Venice. She has this peculiar way of preparing her meals which made her stand out from other elite restaurant. Her restaurant may not be big but it's comfortable and simple.
"The regular ma'am" Ivan said to the woman as we find a place to sit.
Her restaurant is always flowing with people yet she always manage to attend to everyone within a short period of time along with her husband.
Ivan will not stop staring deeply at my fragile soul.
"What again..." I asked glancing briefly at the message that dropped on my cellphone.
"Nothing" he said with a calculative smile and shrugged it off. I knew he wanted me to talk to her...but say what exactly?
"Ohmyyy... Is that Stefano Alcantara?" I heard a woman say from behind as I tilted my head sideways before she came upfront for a proper view.
The brunette girl at the wine tasting party... Fuck! What's she doing here?
This shouldn't be her kind of place considering her status.
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Love you, Ria🍒