~Riccardo's POV~
It was difficult to work, especially when Anne was less than ten strides away. For some weird reason I hadn't been able to get her out of my mind, and I didn't know if that was a good thing or not. She felt different, like a breath of fresh air from the type of ladies I was used to. She didn't actively throw herself at me, hell it didn't even look like she was remotely interested in me the first time we met. That wasn't the case with most ladies I'd met before.
Now, every time she walked past my office, I found myself glancing up, just to catch a glimpse of her.
Speaking of the devil, a message soon came through the intercom. It was Anne.
"Mr. Antonelli, you have a visitor waiting at reception."
I frowned and checked the time. Right. The business deal with Vance Holdings was supposed to happen this afternoon.
"Let them in," I replied quickly, setting my phone aside and straightening the papers in front of me.
The door opened a few moments later, and I immediately began to regret not asking who it was before giving out my order.
"Clara..." I called out in a rather cold tone, but she didn't seem to care about the sudden change in my demeanor. Her smile didn't falter, nor did the bravado she carried.
"Riccardo," she purred, her bright smile spreading further across her face as she stepped in. Before I could even stand, she closed the distance between us and pressed a lingering kiss to my cheek.
I stiffened.
It had been weeks since I'd seen Clara Forrest, and with the way things had gone that faithful day, I didn't expect her to be anywhere around me willingly, at least not this soon..
I took a step back, creating space between us. "What are you doing here?" I asked, my tone firm but controlled.
Her smile didn't falter, though I caught the flicker of amusement in her eyes. "Is that any way to greet an old flame?"
I flinched at those words, surprised at how audacious she was. Clara and I hadn't been lovers, in fact we were far from being friends even. She was Lisa's best friend, and had grown a bit close to me through my sister. As a friend of my sister's, I had been nice to her. I smiled back when she smiled at me, laughed at her unfunny jokes, and had taken her out to shop just out of courtsey.
Clara had misread my good deed for affection, and ever since then she hadn't let me breath. It didn't help that Lisa thought we would be good together. She always supported Clara's shameless advances.
One day I had lost it and snapped, immediately putting Clara in her place. In retaliation, she had slapped me and stormed out of my house that night.
That was two weeks ago. I hadn't seen nor heard from her ever since then. Lisa had been mad at me too, but I didn't really care. Clara was a lot to handle, and she simply wasnt the type of woman I'd want to build a relationship with.
"You shouldn't be here, Clara. You know how I feel about unannounced visits."
She tilted her head, unbothered. "Oh, come on, Riccardo. I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd surprise you." Her gaze swept around the office, taking in every detail before settling back on me.
I sighed quietly, slipping my hands into my pockets to stop myself from showing the irritation that was building inside. "You shouldn't have bothered," I said flatly.
Because the last thing I needed right now was her. Especially not with Anne just outside that door.
"Don't be like that now." She returned sharply, her smile faltering for a second. "I know things ended badly between us, but I still care about you."
"That's nice of you, Clara," I said, my tone cold, but she refused to take a hint. She only saw what she wanted, and my patience was slowly wearing thin. "But you need to leave. I'm expecting visitors any minute now, and I don't have time for this."
Her expression faltered, but that didn't stop her, it didn't even slow her down a bit. "Oh, come on, Riccardo. Don't chase me out so soon," she said, taking a step closer.
"Clara—" I began, but before I could finish, she placed a hand on my chest, her fingers curling around the lapel of my jacket.
"Just five minutes," she pleaded softly, her voice dropping an octave. "You don't even have to talk, I'll do the talking."
I was done with playing nice with her, however before I could react to her the door suddenly creaked open. It was Anne.
She froze the second her eyes landed on us. For a split second, confusion flickered across her face, followed swiftly by embarrassment.
"I—oh, I'm sorry," she said quickly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't mean to interrupt." She took a half step back toward the door, clearly intent on leaving.
"Anne," I called, tearing myself away from Clara's hold. "It's fine. You're not interrupting. Clara was just leaving."
Anne lingered by the doorway, avoiding both our gazes, I could tell she was confused, but at the same time she wasn't exactly surprised. I knew what she was thinking, and that alone made me hate Clara more.
"I just wanted to let you know the representatives from Vance Holdings have arrived," she said, her tone formal. "I thought it would be better to tell you in person since it seemed urgent."
I nodded, my attention fixed solely on her now. "Thank you, Anne. I'll be right there."
She gave a polite nod and turned to leave, but not before casting one last, brief glance in Clara's direction.
I turned back to Clara, my voice low and sharp. "You heard her. I have a meeting to attend. Get out."
For once, Clara didn't argue. She just stared at me, her eyes dark with resentment. "Who's your new secretary?" She asked, but I wasn't answering her question or letting her get to me anymore.
Without talking, I moved past her, grabbed my blazer and left her alone in the office. If she wasn't going to leave, then I'd just leave her to be by herself. I had a meeting to attend, and I wasn't about to lose out on a good business deal because of Clara.