Page 165 of My Husband’s New Fiancée

Sometimes what we refuse to see is right in front of us.

And my instinct tells me that the pregnancy will only make Bianca more dangerous.

41. Back to Work

Valeria

Same day

We return to the office in the January rain and cold.

To avoid drawing attention, Dante and I arrive separately.

Louane stops me as I pass her office.

“So, how were the holidays?”

I smile.

“Fantastic. And yours?”

“I didn’t go anywhere. I’ll take my vacation later. And that’s probably a good thing.”

Something in her tone catches my attention.

She steps aside slightly, silently inviting me into her office before closing the door behind us.

We sit on opposite sides of her desk.

“Bianca approached me several times over the holidays. She even came here on December twenty-eighth, late in the afternoon. Officially, she wanted to check that everything was running smoothly… but what she was really interested in was what you were working on.”

She pauses to study my reaction.

“I told her I had no idea and asked why she didn’t ask you directly. She said she would… but she was lying.”

From the searching look in her eyes, I realize she has already guessed part of the truth.

“You did the right thing.”

“I think so too,” she replies with a knowing smile. “I thought she was finished, but just before leaving, she asked me something rather surprising.”

“What?”

“Who we were negotiating a partnership with.”

My entire body goes still.

“I told her… that it was still confidential.”

“But tell me… are we actually negotiating a partnership?”

“Not yet… but it’s part of the plan.”

A wide smile spreads across her face.

“I want in.”

I return her smile before explaining our suspicions regarding the link between the cyberattacks, Bianca, Gaspard, and Wald, along with Dante’s plan to bring them down.