Seven Countess of Carlades
Javier’s POV
“Did you find her?” I asked, my voice sharp, cutting through the silence of my office. Six months–half a goddamn year- since Catalina ran off with her lover.
Catalina, if I ever find you, you’ll regret leaving me for another man.
Leonardo, my right–hand man, stood before me, his head hanging low. “No, Don. We’ve tried everything for six months, but… she’s nowhere to be found.”
The rage surged inside me like a wildfire. My teeth clenched as I barked, “Don‘ t stop looking for her until I say so. I don’t care how long it takes–you‘ ll bring her back to me! Now get out!”
Leonardo nodded and left, his footsteps fading into the distance. I grabbed the glass of whiskey from my desk and hurled it
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against the wall, watching it shatter into a million pieces.
“Catalina! You fucking whore!” I snarled, my voice filled with venom. The thought of her running away with another man gnawed at my sanity.
I’ll make you watch as I kill your lover right before your eyes, no matter how much you beg. You’ll pay for making me a fool and destroying my reputation in the underground.
I sank into my chair, my fingers digging into the armrests as I stared at the shards
of glass scattered across the floor. I closed my eyes, but her laughter echoed in my mind, tormenting me. Her smile, her sweet words… all lies. For eight years, she‘ d played me, and now all I had left were memories and unread messages.
I couldn’t even reach her. She‘ d
vanished, like she never existed.
Was it that easy for her to choose another
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man? To throw everything we had away
like it was nothing?
“You promised you’d stay by my side. until the very end,” I muttered bitterly, my fists tightening. For six months, the betrayal had consumed me, a constant weight pressing down on my chest. I hadn’t had a single moment of peace since the day she left.
“Javier, babe,” a soft, sweet voice pulled me from my thoughts. I looked up to see Sophia standing in the doorway, her hands resting on the slight curve of her stomach.
She’d been living here for six months, her father under the impression she was on an extended vacation away from Italy. Once the baby was born, this arrangement would no longer be necessary, and I’d be free of this particular burden.
“Yes, babe?” I asked, rising to my feet and walking over to her. My hand gently rested on her arm. “Are you feeling unwell?”
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She nodded, her face pale.
“You need to rest. It’s not good for the baby,” I said, my voice laced with
concern.
Her son–my heir. The one thing Catalina. could never give me. The doctors had confirmed we were both healthy, but Catalina… she‘ d never wanted a child. She’d probably been too busy sneaking around with her lover behind my back.
“I can’t rest. Can you come with me?” Sophia asked softly, her voice tinged with a plea.
I sighed, nodding as I placed a hand on her lower back to guide her out of my office. But just as we were about to leave, Lexus, my advisor, stepped in.
“Don, I’ve secured the invitation you requested,” he said, bowing slightly as he handed me a sleek black envelope with the embossed words Lux and Von Ball.
I took it, my gaze flickering over the
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familiar lettering. Lux and Von was a prestigious hotel, a place I’d frequented with Catalina’s help to attend the elite. gatherings of society. But ever since she left, my access to those circles had dwindled, as though her absence had diminished the Alarcon name.
“Good,” I said shortly. “You may go.
and
The Grand Ball was a biannual event,
tonight, I stood alone at one of the tables, nursing a glass of champagne. People greeted me briefly, their conversations polite but distant. I could feel the shift, the way they regarded me differently now.
Rumors buzzed around the room. “The Princess of Monaco is attending,” someone whispered.
I paid it little mind, my focus solely on Senator Maxwell. But even he, a man who’d once sought my company, was
avoiding me now. He sat surrounded by his entourage, barely sparing me a glance.
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I downed the rest of my champagne and decided to approach him.
“Mr. Maxwell, we need-” I started, but faltered when he walked right past me.
“Mr. Maxwell, could you spare a moment?” I called after him, my voice tight with frustration.
He ignored me, stopping instead by the red carpet. I turned to see what had caught his attention, my gaze shifting to the entrance.
The doors swung open, and two men in royal blue tuxedos stepped inside, their presence commanding the room. Behind them was a woman, and the moment I saw her, my breath hitched.
“Let’s welcome the Countess of
Carladès, Carina De Verus, and the Marquis of Baux, Hendrick De Verus of Monaco,” the announcer declared.
My eyes locked on her–the woman in the silver gown, her smile radiant and hauntingly familiar.
