CHAPTER 71: – WHO IS HE? –

Sabrina, who sat in the café, took a soft breath at the taste of the coffee. She looked at Viviana, who sat opposite her, half smiling, and narrowed her eyes.

"What...?" Viviana asked, blinking in confusion.

Sabrina trailed her gaze down to her earlobe. There was a bite mark there. And even though she’d done well to wear a long-neck shirt, she could still see the hickeys peeking out just slightly.

Her brow cocked and she let out a knowing huff under her breath.

"What are you looking at me like that for, Sabrina?" Viviana asked, frowning.

"And what are you getting so defensive about, huh?" Sabrina smirked, raising her brows at the purple one sticking out. "You got real rough last night, didn’t you?"

"W-what is that supposed to mean?"

Her grin grew. "I mean, that’s one deep-looking hickey you have there."

Viviana quickly slapped her hands over her neck and glared at her. "It’s not what you think!"

"Is that so? Because I think it’s what I really think it is."

"Sabrina!"

Sabrina burst into laughter, throwing her head back in pure amusement. "Look at your face. You’re so red."

"Sabrina, that’s enough!" Viviana’s face grew cold.

Sabrina waved her fingers at her. "It’s okay, it’s okay. That man is hot, it’s understandable. Had it been me, we would have been at it since day one. I mean, did you see the wild comments under that article that had him in it? It was–"

"That’s my husband, Sabrina."

Viviana’s face darkened.

"He’s mine."

Sabrina rapidly blinked. "Oh..." She seemed confused. "Wait, you don’t actually like that man, do you?"

"I don’t know," Viviana replied. "And what does that have to do with anything? Whether or not I like him, does it change the fact he belongs to me?"

Sabrina eyed her from head to toe, trying to understand if this really was her best friend. Of course Viviana had never really dated any man before. But there was a man she once loved, the man who abandoned her before they could even get to be rebellious and date each other. But even then, Viviana hadn’t been this way.

This was the first time she’d ever seen her like this.

"You’re very possessive of this man, Viviana."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Viviana questioned, eyes hard as if she was being accused.

Sabrina tilted her head. She squinted her eyes in thought and slowly shook her head. "Nothing."

She digressed, "I saw the news. Did Fernando really collapse?"

"He did."

"I wish I was there," she complained, grunting under her breath. "That was a moment worth witnessing. I can’t imagine how he feels now." A chuckle bubbled out of her. She asked, "How did you manage to do it, though? I heard that Bastiani was there, and he’s the reason Aceto had canceled the deal with Fernando."

Viviana was quiet.

Sabrian raised a brow at her. "Viviana?"

"That’s the thing," Viviana said. "I’m confused as well."

"What do you mean?"

Viviana shifted closer, shaking her head. "It wasn’t me who’d pulled that off."

"Huh? Who then?"

"Nikolas."

"What?"

Viviana swallowed. "Once back, uh, we’d been talking, and he asked me what I’d wanted the most. I told him that I didn’t want Fernando to succeed with the contract. He said he would see that my wish came through. Naturally I took it as a joke. I mean... this is Fernando Stolov we’re talking about. He has nothing on him, so what could he do?"

Her teeth dug into her lip.

"At the event, I’d been sure that things wouldn’t go through. He’d asked me to watch and see for myself. It was all as if he knew that Bastiani would be there and that Aceto wouldn’t move forward with the finalization. I tried asking how he could have known, what had made him so sure, but he wouldn’t tell me. How did he meet Bastiani? What had happened? How did he make Aceto drop... I’m confused, Sabrina."

Sabrina, who’d been listening attentively, bit into her finger. "Your husband is hiding something from you. Viviana, he’s not just a simple man, and there is a secret about him he’s not telling you."

"What do you mean?" Viviana inquired.

Sabrina folded her arms with a challenging smirk. "C’mon, Viviana, you’re a smart one. I’m sure you’ve figured it out. If your husband isn’t the real Nikolas Bastiani, then he’s someone who’s above even Bastiani and Aceto themselves. Someone who could tell them what to do and kick Fernando down as if he were a toothpick."

"I thought of that, but it made no sense." Viviana shook her head. "Who could he be? And if he really is someone that powerful, why is he hiding it from me? Why would he need to pretend? I don’t get it."

"Well, that’s something you’re going to have to find out. But first." Sabrina grinned. "We’re going to figure out who your husband really is. What’s his true identity? And how powerful of a man is he. After that, you go ahead and question why he’d lie to you, alright?"

Viviana slowly nodded, eyes drooping. She balled her fist and drew a deep breath.

’Who are you really, Nikolas? What are you hiding from me?’

Rising from her seat, she turned to step out of her chair, however, she ended up bumping hard into a solid chest that had her almost falling into the table.

"Viviana!" Sabrina snapped her eyes up to the man who’d been quick enough to catch her. "You..." Her lashes flickered.

Viviana lifted her gaze, and in the arms of the man, she froze, the colors on her face draining instantly.

"You..." she stuttered out.

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Dear Readers, I apologize for the late upload. There was an issue with my network and I have been dealing with college too, hence I missed and did not have enough time to upload yesterday! I hope you all have been well! Thank you for your support!