Chapter 56: I need to work

That doesn’t mean I’ll let her threaten me.

"What’s your name?"

She hesitates and I think she might refuse to answer me.

Then she lowers her eyes.

"Lucia."

Lucia.

I let the name settle in my mind then take a slow breath.

"Lucia."

She looks up at me.

"Now I know you’re hurting."

Her expression shifts slightly.

"And I’m truly sorry for your loss."

Her eyebrows pull together.

"I lost my dad too, you know."

Her eyes widen a little when I look back at her.

I don’t tell her everything, I don’t tell her about the years of nightmares, the memories I couldn’t piece together, the questions that never got answers and the hatred I carried for the person I believed responsible.

She doesn’t need to know all that.

"So I understand what grief feels like."

My voice softens.

"Not exactly what you’re feeling because everyone loses people differently. But I understand what it’s like to wake up one day and realize someone you love isn’t coming back."

Lucia’s eyes become glassy.

I swallow.

"Truly, I’m sorry."

For a moment, she says nothing then she nods.

"Thank you."

Her voice is quiet now.

"I’ll be on my way now, Mrs. Sanchez."

She turns to leave and I almost stop her.

I want to tell her to call me Luciano at least.

Something about hearing Mrs. Sanchez from her mouth makes everything feel painfully real.

But sadly, I can’t.

This is my reality now. I’m Mrs. Sanchez.

She walks out and shortly after I hear footsteps.

When I turn.

Lysander walks into the kitchen.

His face is unreadable but I know by the look on his face he heard us.

Probably all of it.

He walks toward the counter, his eyes briefly following the direction Lucia disappeared in.

"I’ll have her fired."

I blink.

"What?"

"I’ll have her fired."

His tone is calm. He reaches for the glass sitting on the counter and takes a drink.

I stare at him.

He’s not even pretending he didn’t eavesdrop.

"Why do you care?"

His eyes move toward me.

"Because whether I like it or not, you’re under my protection now."

He sets the glass down.

"And I won’t have someone threaten you under my roof."

I roll my eyes.

"No. You will not fire her."

His brow furrows.

"She just threatened you."

"I know. I was there, Lysander."

His jaw tightens.

"I’ll deal with it."

"No, you won’t."

His eyes narrow.

"You’re not having her fired."

"Why?"

"Because someone isn’t going to lose their livelihood because of me."

"She threatened you."

"And apologized."

"That doesn’t change what she did."

I sigh.

"Lysander."

"No."

I cross my arms.

"You’re not firing her."

"But I’ll..."

"I need a job."

He chokes.

Actually chokes on the drink in his hand.

I stare at him.

For a second, I wonder if he’s going to spit it all over the counter as he coughs into his fist.

I try very hard not to laugh.

Good for him.

Who even drinks this early in the morning anyway?

I look at him properly now, that’s when I notice it.

The dark circles underneath his eyes, they’re faint, but they’re there. His face looks more tired than usual, he looks stressed.

Did he even sleep last night?

I almost ask.

Almost.

But then I remember who I’m talking to.

"Good for you."

He gives me a look.

"What?"

"I need to work."

He looks genuinely confused.

"Why?"

I gesture around the kitchen.

"Because I can’t just stay home all day."

I look at him.

"I need to keep busy."

His expression changes slightly.

"You want a job?"

"Yes."

"Here?"

"Obviously here."

"You’ve been in Spain for less than a day."

"Exactly. So I should start figuring out what I’m going to do."

He stares at me like I’ve just asked him to hand me the keys to his entire empire.

"Why do you look like I’ve just asked you for your kidney?"

"You just might have."

I laugh.

"Oh, come on."

I lean against the counter.

"I’m not trophy wife material."

His eyebrows rise.

"I can see that."

"I mean it."

I point toward myself.

"I can’t be a stay-at-home wife, Lysander. I need to keep busy. I need to have a career."

His eyes narrow.

"You think this is funny?"

"A little."

"Nerissa."

"I’m being serious too."

I cross my arms.

"You can’t expect me to sit in this giant house all day and wait for you to come home."

"I don’t expect you to do anything."

"Good."

"Except stay alive."

I stare at him.

He looks completely serious now.

"You do know that you’re on Sanchez ground and currently the most hated person here, right?"

I blink.

"Oh, come on. There is no way people hate me more than they hate you."

He stares at me and I gesture toward his face.

"Have they seen you?"

He raises an eyebrow.

"You definitely win that contest."

I swear I see the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth but it disappears quickly I wonder if I imagined it.

"I’m being serious, Nerissa."

"So am I."

"You can’t just be out there."

"Why?"

"Because it puts a target on your back."

His voice is quieter now.

"Especially with how new this whole agreement is."

I know he’s talking about more than just my job.

The marriage is new and the truce is fragile.

I’m a Luciano in the middle of Sanchez territory and if someone wanted to hurt the Sanchez family, using me would be an obvious way to do it.

Which would cause another war.

But still.

"But I’ll..."

"Okay."

I stop.

Lysander looks at his watch

"Knowing you, this will go on forever."

I glare at him at he picks up his glass.

"And I have somewhere to be."

He checks his watch again.

"Like right now."

He starts walking toward the door then pausing he looks back at me.

"So how about you think this through?"

I blink.

"What?"

"You want to work."

"Yes."

"Fine."

He gestures vaguely between us.

"Think about what you want to work on."

I stare at him.

"And?"

"I’ll do the same."

"So you’re actually considering it?"

"I said I’ll think about it."

"That sounds suspiciously close to a yes."

"It isn’t."

I smile.

"But it isn’t a no either."

He gives me a look and I grin.

"We have a deal."

His eyes remain on me for a moment then he nods.

"Good."

And just like that, he walks out.

No goodbye or Nothing...Just gone.

What an incredibly rude man.

At least I have a starting point though. I need to figure out exactly what I want to do.

Because if Lysander thinks I’m going to sit around this house and become some pretty little Sanchez wife, he clearly hasn’t been paying attention.