Catharina Maura

From the author of The Wrong Bride and Forever After All comes an angsty and steamy marriage of convenience romance featuring a billionaire boss and his secretary. When Luca Windsor's secretary suddenly quits her job shortly after his family forces him into an unwanted engagement, he sets out to solve both problems. ... by secretly marrying his secretary, Valentina, instead. The rules are simple: Don't fall in love Keep their marriage a secret at work Share a bed every night It was meant to be a straightforward and mutually beneficial deal, but with each day that passes, it becomes clearer to Luca that the one thing Valentina wants is the only thing he can never do: Letting her go. Publisher's Note: Each book in the Windsors series features a different Windsor sibling, and as such, each book can be read as a standalone. The Temporary Wife contains a guaranteed happily-ever-after and no cheating.

The Temporary Wife

raia – inactive

 “You were always my queen. Everyone knew it but you.”

And this man had the audacity to repeat 500 times he's in love with Hannah and not Raven🙄

Sophia

I take a sip of my wine, my eyes settling on my older brother, Ares. At this loud table, he and I are the only ones who are quiet tonight. I follow his gaze to find him staring at Raven. She’s laughing at something Valentina said, and he can’t seem to tear his eyes off her.

I didn’t think he’d have anything left to say, but he leans against the doorway and looks into my eyes, his gaze unfocused.

“You were never a pawn,” he says, his voice soft. “You were always my queen. Everyone knew it but you.”

Luca’s hand threads through my hair, and he grips tightly.

“Hate me as much as you want, baby. Resent me. Despise me for shackling you to me when I should’ve offered you unconditional help. Torment me for using you, Valentina, but don’t you fucking leave me.”

Oh yeah right because she's special🙄 That doesn't make me like him more it just shows he was an asshole before lmao

I can’t remember the last time I cared more about a woman’s pleasure than my own.

I glance at Ares for support, but he just shrugs his shoulders, unfazed. “Leave them be,” he tells me. “Just wait until it’s their turn. Karma is a bitch.”

Lexington pulls a face. “I will never become a fool over a woman.”

Ares and I exchange a look before both smiling knowingly. “Right,” we both say, in unison. 

Lexington is our youngest brother, and out of all of us, he’s the most sensitive. He’ll fall the hardest, and it’ll be so fucking amusing to witness.

Valentina laughs then, and it’s the first time I’ve heard her laugh since we got the news. I stare at my wife in awe as she watches the video, and I silently thank Abuela for returning her smile when I couldn’t.

“It indeed looks like there’s been a misunderstanding of some sort,” I tell him, my voice soft despite my anger. “It appears you think Valentina is merely a secretary. You’re mistaken. She is the one person I trust above anyone else, my right hand, my de facto co-CEO. If she didn’t grant you a meeting, it would be for a reason. I don’t need to know why, and quite frankly, I don’t give a fuck. If she says no, it means no. I respect her opinion above all else, and I strongly suggest that you do the same.”

She’ll never know, but she’s the reason our entire company now gets free catered lunch in the cafeteria. It’s something I implemented when I realized she was eating cup noodles every single day, despite the salary I paid her.

My wife’s eyes widen a fraction, and she smiles broadly as she poses for me. For a moment, I just stare at her, frozen in place.

I snap out of it and take a couple of photos, my heart racing. She’s so beautiful, it’s unreal.

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