An Italian's Conceited King (IRS Book 3)

Chapter 16

Valentina Point of View

Life... is like a two sided sword. You go against its principles, you suffer; you go along with its flow, you still suffer.

Such an irony!

It is same for me in this case. The plan I made to keep Pig away from me seems to be backfiring on me.

No, it is not Demetri but it's me who is stopping me from carrying forth this plan any further. If I carry on being sweet with Demetri or with any other men, although I would succeed in getting rid of the Pig once and for all; it still..

It hurts.

It feels as if I'm doing something that is against my principles, mostly against my heart. The feeling of something akin to guilt which I shouldn't be feeling - not in the case of Pig at least - is terrifying.

I don't know if I'm going this to keep him away from me or keep his attention on me. For once I realized how deeply he can affect me with his mere presence.

Two years without him, I lived well. It was hard, it was painful, it was heartbreaking but still I lived well with my son – for my son. But one coincidental appearance from him has changed the seasons of my state.

"You look lost. Are you alright there?" Demetri asked giving me a glass of wine. With a short nod and a small smile I assured him of my state without any words but the understanding in his eyes assured me instead.

"Did you really think your association with another man would keep your ex away from you? That was kind of silly, you know." He spoke after a while.

We were standing near the resting tables, looking around the buzzling and energetic environment in the room. Everyone present here are good in acting out their expected roles. The smiles on their faces are hundred percent fake and the spark of glee in their eyes is purely business.

And this is the environment I was born and raised in. I had a designated role to play every now and then and I was trained to play them perfectly.

But the difference was, the time when I was still his wife and I had to play the role of his Queen, I was happy to do so because he was beside me, with me.

And I loved him.

That made everything different. I did not feel this exhausted at that time because I knew the day would with him comforting me in his arms with soothing words and yes, some sarcastic comments too.

"Am I wrong to think so? He never loved me and we are already divorced. Any ideas of playing with me again can be cut down by showing him the limitations between us." I replied with a wry chuckle.

I should've been under the possession of Devil to fall in love with him years ago. It must be the influence of Satan, definitely.

"I was hurt when he said the dance was just a business. It shouldn't have but it still pierced my heart." I told him taking him as a friend whom I need right that moment.

He knew why I asked him to be my date for the party and he readily agreed because of the friendship he values with me. After high school, when it was clarified to him that I cannot belong to him, he was good enough to take it in a friendly way and continued to be my friend.

Although we did not contact each other frequently, we still had it; the friendship.

"Then hurt him back." His suggestion received a chuckle from me.

Spoken like a criminal lawyer. I'm impressed.

"And for that I have to keep on encountering him what I don't want to."