Chapter 35


    Luca’s POV


    I exited the office after a little while without ending up getting any bit of work down, it was of no use, my


    mind was too unfocused to get any more work for the day and I ended up giving up trying.


    It was currently some minutes after ten pm and I was making my way through the office building and


    into the empty elevator. I massaged my fingers through my hair and tugged on the roots a little just as


    the elevator doors slid open and I got out in an instant. I headed outside the building and nodded my


    head at the receptionist who greeted me good night as I walked past her desk, all the way outside the


    office building.


    “Get in the driver’s seat, you’re driving me home tonight.” I said to the guard who usually follows my


    car, and sat in the passenger’s seat, beside the driver.


    “On it, sir.” He replied and tugged the back seat’s door open for me, I got in and tugged the door close


    myself. I knew he knew how to drive really well so I didn’t need to worry about him crashing the car with


    me in it.


    The car pulled out of thepany’s premises, into the busy express roads of Venice and I slumped


    the chair a little in order to give my back muscles a much needed stretching. The cars windows were


    pulled wide up and I stared out the window, wondering if there was anyone out there from the auction


    who was currently monitoring my movement and following my second car containing the rest of the


    guards.


    I’d have to be extra careful than I used to be on a normal day, from now on. I’ve always had guns on


    me everyday, and a knife, Incase anything happens unexpectedly. There were also different weapons


    in the office, we’ve only been attacked there once, one certain morning, in the winter.


    Everyone had suddenly poured out of their different offices the moment they heard the loud sound of a


    gunshot going off, instead of them remaining right there in their office like normal, sensible people.


    The people who had caused themotion had made use of that time to get on different floors,


    deactivating the whole elevators from moving from one floor to another. Once it got fixed by those


    people, a crowd of people dressed in orange poured into the hallways immediately.


    Worst, I hadn’t been at the office at that moment, which made everyone finallye to the conclusion


    that they were too scared toe when I was in thepany’s premises and had monitored and


    waited on me until


    I left for somewhere else. It was a good thing James was here at the office then, he had raced through


    the long rows of staircases because the elevators were currently not functioning at that moment. Once


    he got there, he fought with the dude controlling the elevator and had it fixed immediately, which had


    automatically soiled the people’s ns because they had hoped the workers would remain in there


    without any option of leaving.


    The guards and security guards were finally able to intervene together with the supervision and help of


    James and together, those that actually organized that attack caught before they could escape. The


    police got involved because everything that happened waspletely legal, and ever since then,


    we’ve upped our security even more in the office, and I had done the same for the house.


    Which was why I had ced two guards on Sofia the very next day after we got married, because I


    knew how risky it was being without a guard, in this world of ours where almost everyone with greed in


    their minds are brutal as hell and had no care for anyone and anything, all that matters to them was


    finding what they came to get and taking what they want.


    I sighed and tugged my phone out from my pocket when it suddenly started vibrating against my thigh.


    I epted the call on seeing who it was.


    “Where are you, man?” James’ voice came up immediately. I ced the phone against my ear and I


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    stared at my fingers while the car moved at a steady pace, barely jostling me around, thanks to good


    roads.


    “What is it?” I demanded, feeling emotionally drained and having no strength in me to entertain James


    for so long, at the moment.


    “I hope my ears aren’t deceiving me right now, and that I am indeed hearing faint sounds of moving


    cars and homes and the sound of someone in a moving vehicle, and not someone still sitting still in an


    office, working himself to death.” James said calmly without any pauses and I patiently waited for him


    to get it outpletely.


    “I’m hanging up on you right now.” I informed him and heard as he chuckled quietly for a few seconds.


    “You still haven’t hung up, by the way.” James’ voice drifted into my ear after about a minute and I


    rolled my eyes, knowing that he had only said that to try to goad me into losing it.


    “What do you want, James?” I echoed again after a few more minutes. I dragged my fingers through


    my hair once again and breathed out a slow sigh. I leaned my head against the headrest and allowed


    my eyes to slid close, with the phone still pressed against my ear.


    “I just wanted to check on you, and how you’re doing and shit… and most importantly, if you’re still at


    the office or heading home.” James replied, all traces of yfulnesspletely out of his voice this


    time.


    I scrubbed my hand over my face for a few seconds, the demarcation between the front and the back


    of the car wasn’t closed at the moment, which automatically means I won’t be able to reply to him In


    details.


    I’ve always put up a font in front of the whole guards – in front of everybody, rather, except James.


    “Luca?” James'' voice nudged me back to the present moment once again and I breathed out another


    sigh, my head was starting to pound really badly at this point.


    “I’m heading home, at the moment. I’ll text you once I get home tonight.” I replied to him and heard his


    mind move, without him saying a thing.


    “The guard’s driving,” I added and heard something that resembled a relieved sigh escaping his lips.


    “That’s good, I guess. Please text me when you get home.” He answered back and I nodded my head


    despite the fact that he couldn’t see me and ended the call almost immediately.


    I dropped my head onto the headrest once again as my head pounded strongly on one part of my


    head. I really needed to get something into me, make use of some drugs and get some sleep.


    I wasn’t even sure if Sofia was still going to be awake at the moment, but I really hoped she wouldn’t


    be. This was the earliest I was going to get home since I got married. I had wanted to still stay behind


    at the office until an hour to midnight, but the heaviness in my heart, which I had no idea where it


    actually came from, and the pounding of my head, including the tiredness in my bones, made me


    reconsider after a few minutes.


    The car drove on and on and I wished my problems could drive themselves out of my life, head and


    mind at that same speed.


    Another small sigh escaped my parted lips.


    ******


    I headed into the house, climbing up a few stairs slowly to avoid my headache from going up a few


    more notches. I stood outside the door and waited for a few seconds, I knew Sofia’s guards would have


    left for their homes by now since it was already some minutes to eleven pm.


    I fished out my keys and inserted it into the door before turning it around and getting the door open. I let


    myself and closed the door silently before locking it up once again. The lights in the lounge were still


    turned on and I turned it off as I walked past it, into the living room. The living room was empty as I had


    expected, and I made my way towards the kitchen slowly.


    I stood at the doorway and stared at Matilda who was the only upant of the kitchen at the moment.


    She was currently washing some kitchen utensils while rinsing the rest of the things in the sink and


    carefully stacking them into the dishwasher.


    I watched as she wetted a small cloth and carried a bowl of water in another hand before turning


    around and pausing in her tracks. A shocked sound slipped out of her mouth just as the things in her


    hands slipped out her cked grip and she proceeded to grab her chest, whine breathing deeply,


    heaving deep breaths in and out of her lungs.


    “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, Mr Ri, you scared me so much just now!” She cried out and I chuckled


    quietly before staring away from her, down to my feet. I was still standing at the kitchen’s entrance and


    was currently leaning into the wall beside the doorway.


    “I didn’t mean to, you shouldn’t be that jumpy because no one cane into the house once it’ste


    except me.” I finally said to her before ncing back up at her. She had picked up the empty bowl and


    wet towel and was cleaning up the spilled water when I finally replied to her and I watched as she


    paused in her tracks and nced up at me.


    “I didn’t think about that, I’m sorry.” She replied and I nodded my head as I started to slowly make my


    way into the kitchen. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” I answered her as I paused beside the counter.


    My gazended on the other side of the counter and noticed that it was still a bit dirty with little bits of


    food here and there, and a little spilled water on another part, I guess that''s what she had wanted to go


    clean up when she had sighted me.


    “I’m so sorry about this mess, I had meant to clean it immediately we had dinner.” She said as she


    started to mop the whole spot clean. Matilda and I hadn’t really gotten along the way Sarah and I did. It


    was probably because I’ve barely got any time on my hand for chit chats and she had only gotten here


    about two to three years ago,pared to Sarah who had been working here for over ten years.


    “It’s alright, you can clean up the kitchen whenever you want,” I said to her, because it was true. I’ve


    never had toin about her ever since she got employed, and I’ve never ever dictated when her


    chores were supposed to be done, that was none of my business and all that was supposed to matter


    to me was that she does her job well, which she has always done. It wasn’t like I also make use of the


    kitchen frequently.


    “You and who had dinner here?” I asked her as I headed towards the tap and picked up a cup from


    neatly stacked racks of cups before proceeding to fetch cool water from the kitchen’s tap.


    “Oh, Sarah, Sofi– I mean, Mrs Ri and I.” She replied and I didn’t miss the way her eyes had widened


    at the tiny slip she had made around Sofia’s name.


    My eyes narrowed at her immediately as my brain started to work. Were Sarah and Matilda


    disrespecting Sofia because she was so youngpared to them?


    That particr thought echoed in my head and I ced my half filled cup of water on the counter


    behind me before leaning against it and staring straight at her.


    “Have you been disrespecting my wife all these while… because she’s quite younger than you?”