Sandra’s POVThe more I think about it, the more I regret leaving Valentino.Back then, even though Valentino was also wealthy, I chose to leave him for money because I was young and eager to win.I always wanted to outdo Valentino, always challenging him.But now that I'm older, I miss Valentino more and more, the comforting presence he brought.It feels like everything was stable and worry-free when he was around.As I drive, I remember the past. It’s a long journey, but it feels like it’s going by quickly. Memories make time seem to fly.The car pulls up to the gate of Valentino’s old house.This place, which Valentino brought me to many times, looks the same after all these years. Not much has changed.My heart aches.If I hadn't left back then, this could have been my home, and these people could have been my family.But I left.It doesn’t matter. I’m coming back. This place is still mine. Everything here will come back to me.I ring the doorbell.The housekeeper opens the door.
Sandra’s POVWhen I saw the critical picture in the video, everyone in the Rex family looked worried."How’s Valentino?" Margaret asked anxiously."I haven’t seen him yet, so I don’t know how he’s doing. But the Internet says his injury isn’t too serious," I said.Margaret glanced at me, then picked up her coat and said, "I’m going to see Valentino."Uncle Alfred also stood up.Seeing the whole family’s worried reaction made me feel elated. If they’re worried, they might be angry, and that would make Sasha’s situation worse."If Valentino hadn’t moved quickly, he could have been killed. Sasha is disgusting. She caused the car accident!" I sneered and said, "If it weren’t for her, Valentino wouldn’t have been hurt at all. I don’t know how many times she’s hurt him."Uncle Alfred shot me a cold look. "You have no right to say that. Aren’t you the one who hurt Valentino the most?""I know I hurt him, but I never did it intentionally. I’m apologizing now, and he has forgiven me," I explai
Valentino's POV Once my family was gone, I went back to the ward.Inside, Sasha was still asleep, unaware of what had happened outside.Her pale face had a scratch on it, which was heartbreaking to see.I gently touched her cheek and murmured, "Are you really jealous?"I frowned, confused. Isn't she just a contract with me? Why do I care so much about her?I even seem to hate Sandra because of her.Sandra was the woman I always loved, wasn’t she?I couldn’t understand why I seemed to be falling for Sasha but had no feelings for Sandra anymore.Sasha used to be just a substitute for Sandra.Looking at Sasha’s injured form on the hospital bed, I felt an intense ache in my heart.Just as I was lost in thought, Sasha on the bed stirred slightly.I watched her closely, hoping she was waking up."Sasha, are you awake?"Sasha’s eyelids fluttered open, and she looked at me with surprise.She seemed to be in pain and couldn’t remember what happened.She stared at me blankly for a while befor
Sasha's POV"Was that really Valentino? Did I really scold him? Is he jealous?" Emilia asked, unsure."I don’t know either," I admitted. "But Emilia, why did you scold him? You know we’re just contractually involved, not really connected. It’s good that he’s taking care of me and brought me to the hospital. He doesn’t have to do anything more."That day, Emilia stayed in the hospital to take care of me.I told Emilia everything about my accident."Someone really tried to hurt you?" Emilia’s eyes narrowed as she listened. "Who would do such a thing? How dare they!""I don’t know. It feels like someone is trying to kill me," I said, shivering a bit.The feeling of being vulnerable while not knowing who the enemy is, is really unsettling."Could it be Sandra?" Emilia wondered aloud. "Doesn’t she hate you?"…"No, I don’t think it’s her. She wanted to hurt me before, but she’s already done that. Besides, I’m covering for her and Valentino. She doesn’t need to hurt me again," I said, shak
Sasha's POV "Friends." I answered Valentino’s question quietly."It doesn’t seem like just friends," he said, frowning, jealousy clear in his eyes and voice."Good friend, good guy," I said after thinking about it, trying to explain."Stay away from him. I don’t like him," Valentino said firmly.He hated that guy. He was too close to me, and it bothered him how we joked around. I could tell he was jealous. I didn’t act this way with him, and that upset him."If you don’t like him, that’s your problem. He’s my friend," I said, feeling irritated at his sudden anger.Just because he didn’t like someone, did that mean I had to stop being friends with them?I didn’t have many friends to begin with, and I wasn’t going to cut ties with someone I got along with.Valentino stared at me with angry, intense eyes. "I said no. You’re my wife now, you can’t hang around other men."Wife... sure, I was his wife. But by that logic, should I stop talking to any man? And yet, he could see Sandra?I was
Sasha's POV "You can't stand up. The doctor said your legs still need time to heal. If you push yourself too hard, you’ll have problems with your legs later," Fred said, clearly against the idea."It's fine," I shook my head. "I know my limits. I can stand for a little while.""No, if I say no, then it's a no." Fred’s voice was firm. He turned to the director. "Director, I don’t agree with this. If you make Sasha stand to shoot, I’ll quit.""Fred, come on..." The director looked helpless. We could manage without most people, but not without the lead actor.If the lead walked off, how could we finish this film?Kourtney, seeing Fred stand up for me, got even angrier.The director looked over at her. "Kourtney, just work with Sasha on this. She’s hurt, after all. I’m not saying you have to do it, but if you help, we can finish this scene faster. You’re the lead actress here. You want the project to go well, right?"After hearing the director’s reasoning, Kourtney reluctantly agreed to
Sasha’s POVI was eating, but my thoughts drifted. Sooner or later, I’ll have to leave Valentino. He’ll end up with Sandra, not me. Suddenly, I can’t eat much anymore.I don’t really want him to leave.I’ve gotten a little attached to him, too.The more I rely on him, the more I realize he’s always there, solving everything for me.But I’m only here because I’m a substitute.Suddenly, my heart aches. I’ve gotten too used to Valentino’s care. I’ve come to expect it without even thinking.I’ve been enjoying how responsible he is for me.I put down my chopsticks. I can’t eat anymore.“What’s wrong?” Valentino looks surprised. I usually eat a lot, but today I’ve barely touched my food. I’ve eaten less than a third and already stopped.“Oh, I’m full,” I say.“Full?” His face twists in confusion. How could I be full after eating so little?“Yeah, I’m full. It was really good.” I smile, but it feels forced.“You didn’t eat enough. You haven’t even had a third of your usual. What’s wrong?” Va
Sasha's POV"Ma’am, you can’t go up like that!" "Yes, it's too dangerous, let me help you!" "Or, ma'am, I’m pretty strong. Should I carry you upstairs?"The maids all panicked when they saw I was trying to go up by myself. What if I fell? They knew Valentino would blame them if I hurt myself. After all, the doctor said my leg wasn’t ready for stairs."No, no, I’ll go up on my own. You all go on with your work." I smiled at them, took a deep breath, and started climbing the stairs.The first step was the hardest. As soon as I put my foot up, it felt like my leg might snap. I bit my lip, sweat already forming on my forehead. I couldn’t put too much weight on my leg, so I relied on my arms. But even that hurt so much that I felt like I was losing my mind.I finally managed to get the other foot on the step. I took a deep breath. I had only taken one step, but I was already tired and out of breath."Are you okay, ma'am?" one of the maids asked, clearly worried."I’m fine, really," I sai
Valentino’s POV I promised if I found Sasha, I was going to make her my wife. This time for real and no longer would she be a placeholder. “Arrgh,” I screamed as Jared let me in on Sasha being kidnapped by that fool, Dave Martin. I had beaten him to a bulb and had him leave her alone. After all these years, all these moments, he had been lurking, laying siege to Sasha, and I..I foolishly let her leave into harm’s way. Sasha was a beautiful bird and a lot of predators were circling her, trying to take advantage of her. “Get me Dave on the line, Jared,” my voice hurried as I threw my fists in the air. “Dave Partner boss?” Jared questioned. I didn’t know if to smack his face or to laugh this over with but there were no jokes tonight. Only thing on my mind was getting Sasha back, here with me, whole and as my real wife. “Fuck it Jared, I’m talking about Dave Martin, get him on the line now. Didn’t you just tell me he’s the one who’s got Sasha and you're talking some gibberish.”
Sasha’s POV “Let me go…please..let..me..g…” I had a wood plank on my head and I lost consciousness. It was at this moment I wished I had not run away from Valentino. Problems seemed to follow me each time I was away from him. He was a refuge and a strong fortress for me and this time, more than ever, I hoped he’d found me. I felt a weight over my body as I slowly gained consciousness. Studying the environment, I opened my right eye slowly, as it hurt so much, and my head hurt so much to open even my very own eyes. I was tied up in a chair and I couldn’t tell where exactly I was but it didn’t seem like a warehouse. I could tell this was someone’s house but couldn’t tell who exactly it was. “I am blindfolded so how do I even know where this is,” I uttered under my breath. Maybe I should scream and some passer-by could come to my rescue or call the police and I could get out of here. I didn’t want any of those men who must have brought me here to find me here. They were damn mea
Sasha’s POV “What was that?” I yelled, my voice shaking with frustration. I couldn’t believe Emilia had let me down like this. She was the only one I had trusted with my secret, the only person who knew exactly where I was. I had begged her not to tell anyone until I was far away, safe in Spain. And now, it felt like everything was crashing down around me. I felt this deep pain in my chest like someone was pressing down on me with the weight of a thousand boulders. Everything I loved had been ripped away from me. My family was gone, my company had been stolen from me, and even Valentino—my Valentino—was no longer by my side. There was nothing left for me here. Nothing. But when I heard Valentino’s voice over the phone, it did something to me. It was like a tiny spark in a room full of darkness. My heart, which had felt so cold and broken, suddenly stirred with the smallest flicker of life. “I can’t do this anymore,” I whispered, talking to no one but myself. “I can’t stay here.
Valentino's POV I grab Emilia’s phone and frantically try to call Sasha, but I can’t get through. Frustrated, I look at Emilia coldly and ask, "Do you know where she is? What do you know about her?" "I... I don’t know," Emilia says, frowning. "Sasha is being super careful this time. She didn’t tell me where she’s staying. She said you might come looking for her through me, so she didn’t want to risk it because she thinks I can't keep a secret." Emilia pouts, looking all upset. "But it's late. Maybe she's already asleep, so not picking up isn’t that weird." Jared turns to me. "What about tomorrow?" I frown, thinking it over for a second. "Track her number. Find out where Sasha is," I say, determined. "Alright, I’ll get someone to track her phone and find her," Jared replies, nodding. Emilia just watches us, looking a little confused. She pouts again, like she’s thinking something over, but doesn’t say anything after a while. Finally, she shrugs. "You guys do your thing. I’m
Sasha's POV Fred and I are really funny after we drink too much. We keep guessing things and playing games, and we hold each other a lot.Gabriel looks annoyed as he tries to separate us, not wanting us to keep holding on to each other."Enough already! Stop it!" Gabriel frowns and says, "You’re both drunk.""We're not drunk!""Yeah, you’re the one who's drunk!" We both stare at him for a moment and then start laughing.Gabriel looks frustrated as he watches us, knowing he can’t change our minds.Luckily, Fred and I pass out after drinking. That gives Gabriel some time to clean up after us.Over the next two days, I talked with Gabriel and Fred about starting a film company in the United States.In the end, Gabriel agrees that Fred and I can work together to plan this film company.…Valentino's POV I keep searching for Sasha, but with Gabriel and Sandra causing problems for me, I haven’t heard from her at all.Jared comes to my house and tells me what he’s found during his search.
Valentino's POV Sasha disappeared, and for two days, I, Valentino, searched for her, but I couldn’t find her anywhere.Jared was looking everywhere too. He tried all kinds of things, but it felt like someone was always getting in the way. Many surveillance cameras had been hacked, and some videos were missing, so he couldn’t find Sasha directly.I was left with no choice but to use the simplest method: sending a lot of people to ask about Sasha’s whereabouts.All over the city, people were taking photos of Sasha, trying to find out where she was.But no one knew where she had gone.It was like she had vanished completely.I was losing my mind. I couldn’t believe Sasha had disappeared from my life, and I just couldn’t accept it.“It’s time for you to eat, sir,” one of the maids said, sounding worried about me. I had lost a lot of weight in just two days. “Even if you don’t eat, your wife might not show up. You should have a good meal. I don’t think she would want to see you like this.
Sasha's POV I looked at Gabriel like he was an idiot. "If I went to be a cook with this kind of skill, I'd probably get myself killed..."Seriously, who doesn’t know how to make hot pot? It’s just tossing everything into a pot to cook. When I was studying abroad and craved hot pot, I used to make it in my dorm all the time."Really? It all looks so delicious. You seem pretty talented. How could you get yourself killed? If anyone dares to mess with you, I'll take care of them first," Gabriel said, grabbing his chopsticks to sneak a taste.Once I finished setting the table, I told him, "Sit down and eat.""Alright," he replied.But just as Gabriel was about to sit, the doorbell rang."Who is it?" I asked, looking at him."I'll go check. Maybe it's some big star!" Gabriel joked as he ran to the door, chatting briefly with whoever was outside.From the sound of it, it seemed like more than one person had shown up. A little curious, I peeked out and saw a familiar face.Why is he here?I
Sasha's POV The maid stopped me as I was leaving and asked, "Where are you going, ma'am?"It seemed like she was confused about why I was leaving. Everyone always thought my husband and I were close, so this sudden departure must've seemed strange. Maybe they thought Sandra had some evil plan to push me out.The maids didn’t trust Sandra. They knew she wasn’t a good person, and it seemed like they wanted me to stay.I smiled at the maid and said, "I'm leaving. I'll see you later."I tried to walk out with my head held high, pretending everything was okay. But inside, I was breaking. I was sad, hurt, and didn’t want to leave at all.As I walked out, I could feel Sandra’s eyes on me. I knew she was smiling, satisfied with herself. With me gone, she probably thought she could hide better and make Valentino forget about me.The maids were glaring at Sandra, clearly not happy with her. But she didn’t care. She knew she would be the lady of the house soon and could treat them however she l
Valentino's POV I came back home, but I couldn’t sleep all night.Early the next morning, my phone rang. It was my grandfather telling me to come back to the old house.“I got it. I’ll be there soon,” I replied before hanging up.After changing into a fresh set of clothes, I went to Sasha’s room. She drank too much last night and stayed up late, so she was still fast asleep. Her sleeping posture was a bit messy, almost childlike, but she looked so cute.I tucked her in before heading downstairs.“My wife is still sleeping. When she wakes up, make sure to prepare some breakfast and soup to help with the hangover. If she’s not feeling well, call a doctor to check on her. I’m heading out.”“Yes, sir.”I drove off, leaving the maids to continue their work. I overheard them talking about yesterday and how drunk my wife had gotten.But one thing was clear—they knew I cared about her. They’d make sure she was well taken care of.I pulled up in front of the old house in my car. As I stepped