The Assistant

The Other Woman

Roman expected Valencia to voice her regrets, quit on the spot, run out of the office, and never see her again. Instead, she stared blankly at Roman briefly, then furrowed her brows. Her eyes narrowed, and her lips puckered as if contemplating saying something, but ultimately, she decided to keep it to herself. After studying Roman a moment longer, Valencia shifted in her seat, prompting Roman to speak. Just as he opened his mouth, she raised a hand, stopping him.

"I don't understand why that would make you so angry, Mr-Roman. In my opinion, a child, whether with someone you love, a casual lay, or a one-night stand, should be celebrated. It should be an overjoyed experience, shouldn't it?" Valencia leaned forward, peering into his eyes as if they held answers.

Roman's eyes had gone wide at the realization. "Oh, of course, I'm-elated." He stood, pinched the bridge of his nose, walked over to the chair across from her, and leaned against it. "I'm sorry, I should have been more clear. I'm not upset about the pregnancy; honestly, I haven't had much time to process the matter. Again, that is solely my fault. What angered me was the way Magdalena was toying with me on the phone. It sounded like she was trying to extort me because she found out who I was. Magdalena hadn't mentioned she was with child until the very end, after she had riled me up, taunted me enough to feed into whatever sick game she was playing," he waved a frustrated hand in the air, in circles, as if it would help make sense to what had happened.

Valencia sat quietly, listening. Interlacing her fingers, and her face relaxed as he continued to speak.

"If Magdalena is indeed pregnant, then of course, I'll be there for her until the child is born, but I won't be able to rejoice until I'm one hundred percent sure that the child is, in fact, my heir." Roman began to pace around the room. "It sounds harsh, I know, but that is why I tried so hard to keep my personal life as private as possible. People tend to use you for their own gains when you have money and power. They don't care if they end up hurting you in the process; people only care how they benefit from it. There is no lie too great or too hurtful. All they see is an ATM or a means to fame," Roman's jaw ticked in frustration; he closed his eyes tightly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Her motives did not seem genuine. That's all," he shrugged, trying to seem indifferent, but Valencia could see the confusion and hurt in his eyes.

Valencia sat back against the sofa and crossed her legs and arms. Subconsciously, she twirled the strands of hair that hung loosely over her shoulder, lightly nibbling at the corner of her lip. Her eyes narrowed slightly and fluttered as she contemplated what he had told her. Roman didn't dare to interrupt her, not yet. Instead, he walked to the chair and sat in it again, watching her-admiring her. After a moment more, Valencia leaned forward again, her elbows resting on her knees and her wrists crossing.

"Roman, how did you come to meet Magdalena? What happened the last time you met with her?"

"Oh, uhm, I met her at the New Year's Eve party. It was being held by one of the most prestigious. As per usual, I had gone under the guise of Alejandro Ruiz. These parties were usually more business than pleasure, although the line would blur after their third mimosa. It was easier to convince those with power to join your business when they were a bit more inebriated.

"Throughout the night, Magdalena had approached me several times, her intentions clear, but early on, I was more interested in swaying minds than entertaining. I guess that should have been my first red flag about the woman, but she was beautiful, and I was weak." The end of his lip twitched upward in a half smile.

"Noted," Valencia replied a bit more snidely than she intended.

Roman let out a cough, hoping it would hide the laugh that had escaped him, but by the look on her face, he knew it didn't. "Anyway," he continued, "as the night went on, one thing led to another, and she invited me to her place. We got intimate, and the moment she fell asleep, I left. It wasn't supposed to be more than just a one-night stand, but I was impressed by her-flexibility, and she was more than willing. We slept together a few more times before February. When she started trying to make plans for the both of us on Valentine's Day, I knew I had to end it. From the beginning, I was clear on what I expected of her, and at first, she agreed, but when I broke things off and reiterated my intentions-well, let's just say she wasn't too happy about it," he shrugged.