Roger stepped out of the shower, a towel draped around his shoulders as he ran another end of it through his damp hair. Just as he reached for his phone on the nightstand, it buzzed, the screen flashing with an unfamiliar number.
Frowning, he picked it up and answered, bringing the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Lucius gave your number. This is Varya."
Roger froze, caught off guard. For a brief mont, his mind went completely blank.
"Hello?" Varya’s voice ca again, a hint of amusent laced in her tone. "Can you hear , Roger?"
"Ah, yes," Roger finally replied, shaking off his montary surprise. "Varya, I can hear you. Are you in Italy already?"
"Yes, I am," she confird. "I’ve already checked into the hotel." There was a brief pause before she added, "Can you et this evening?"
Roger glanced at the clock, running a hand through his damp hair. "Yes, I can," he answered without hesitation. "Where are you staying?" Roger asked, leaning back against the headboard.
"It’s Castello Di Rosa. Room number 1703," Varya replied smoothly.
"Alright. I’ll see you in the evening," he assured her.
Before he could say anything else, the call ended abruptly. Roger stared at the phone for a mont before chuckling.
"Seems like she didn’t want to et ," he mused. "But Boss sohow made it happen."
Shaking his head, he sat down on the mattress and scrolled through his phone. His eyes flicked over several notifications before landing on a ssage from Sylvia—sent a few days ago.
He saw his ssage but didn’t reply her. Placing the phone on the mattress, he went to the cupboard and took out a black turtle-neck sweater. He put it on and lay on the bed, blankly staring at the ceiling.
"Boss has left for Switzerland with Layla. I hope they have a lot of fun ti there. About ... I’m still unsure. If Varya stays here for more than a week, I may have to change her heart regarding dating. But will it be possible?" Roger murmured and sighed deeply.
He recalled how Lucius told her that Varya and Matteo were secretly in a relationship, which made him wonder if Varya would even consider opening her heart for him.
Shaking his head, he finally sat up and went to the kitchen to have a light breakfast.
~~~~
"Rick, how is your relationship with Ivy going?" Alekis asked, setting his empty teacup onto the saucer with a soft clink. He removed his glasses and carefully placed them in their case, his sharp gaze shifting back to Roderick.
"It’s going well," Roderick replied nonchalantly.
"How well?" Alekis pressed, narrowing his eyes. "You’re not playing with Ivy’s heart, are you?"
Roderick shook his head, feeling a flicker of embarrassnt. "No, Grandpa," he said firmly.
Alekis leaned back slightly. "Her parents want her to settle down soon. I think it’s ti you two start considering it as well."
Before Roderick could respond, a maid entered the room, silently collecting the teacup and saucer before retreating to the kitchen, leaving them alone once more.
"We only started dating recently. I think we should give each other more ti," Roderick asserted.
Alekis studied his grandson’s face for a mont, searching his eyes. After a brief silence, he gave a slow nod. "Sure."
Roderick exhaled subtly, relieved. "Thanks, Grandpa," he said with a small smile.
"Don’t fool like the last ti," Alekis pronounced. "You and Orabela played a ga with both the families. I was hurt that ti. It was difficult to believe that my grandson cheated on so woman. I know you later regretted losing Layla," he opined.
"Grandpa, I don’t know why I did that. I feel I’m not good enough for anyone," Roderick said, lowering his eyes in sha.
Alekis observed his grandson carefully, his expression unreadable. "Reflect on what you’ve done. Treat your current girl well. Be a gentleman. I know you were insecure in the past regarding the company, but the way you went about things was wrong. You hurt Layla. But perhaps... she wasn’t ant to be your destiny," he said, his words deliberate, as if trying to draw out the truth still buried within Roderick.
Roderick let out a slow breath, his hands curling into fists on his lap. "Grandpa, back then, I had only one goal—to beco the chairman. I was so obsessed with it that I saw nothing else. Everyone around seed insignificant, even those who truly cared for . I took Layla’s kindness and loyalty for granted."
"She was everything I dread of in a woman," he admitted, a bitter chuckle escaping him. "But instead of embracing her for who she was, I let my arrogance win. I was afraid her illegitimate status would bring sha to , to the company. I lost sight of what was right and wrong... and I welcod Orabela’s advances without thinking of the consequences."
Roderick clenched his jaw. "I regret it every single day," he confessed. "That’s why I still feel like I shouldn’t marry anyone. How could I, when I destroyed sothing so pure? I did wrong."
He looked down, exposing the depths of his remorse to his grandfather.
"Layla has moved on from you," Alekis continued, causing Roderick to look up at him. "But the fact that you’ve realized your mistakes ans you still have a chance—to live, to change, to do better. You can’t erase the past, Rick, but you can decide what kind of man you want to be moving forward."
Roderick swallowed the lump that had been ford in his throat.
"Just try to be a good human first," Alekis advised. "You made a horrible mistake, but don’t let it consu you. Don’t let it define the rest of your life. Ivy is your chance. Look forward to your relationship with her," he added.
Roderick humd as he nodded his head silently. ’Ivy doesn’t want a jerk like . I don’t want her to beco my wife. She’s a nice woman, who deserves a better man in her life. Not , at least.’
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