The head of the Romano family sat back in his leather chair, a gleam of satisfaction in his sharp, calculating eyes as he studied the woman standing before him. Valentina hadn’t flinched once since she stepped into the room.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7jKe6SV8m
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Her posture remained upright and disciplined, her face unreadable. Cold. Unmoved. But it wasn’t rudeness—it was control. The kind of control born from survival, not privilege. And that thrilled him.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdW36i0d3NH
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Most of the female bodyguards he had interviewed before tried too hard. They came in with polite smiles and carefully rehearsed greetings, trying to seem both capable and soft-spoken. Many had talent, but few had the kind of edge he needed, an edge sharpened by blood, hardship, and hard-earned experience. But Valentina? She was different. Very different.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJsh8hDldl
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There is no nervousness in her stance, no fake charm. She didn’t make small talk. She didn’t try to impress. She simply stood there, alert and ready. Her green eyes, sharp and steady, watched everything and calculated everything. They were the eyes of someone who had seen things—things that left a mark.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh92h9R2V8z
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And he saw it. The moment she looked at him, he felt it. The quiet, simmering danger just beneath her skin. This is a woman who could kill. Not out of rage, not out of panic, but out of necessity. And without regret. She didn’t need to prove it. He could feel it in the way she didn’t blink when he asked if she could take a life for his daughter.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7Y9GdGfnR
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"Yes, she’s perfect," he thought.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wWxctW6qJ
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“You really are something else,” he murmured aloud, leaning forward slightly, fingers drumming once on the polished desk. “No fear. No fuss. No wasted words. Just precision.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFipD6Jk8j
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Valentina didn’t respond. She didn’t smile, didn’t even blink. Her hands remained behind her back, her breathing slow and even. For a second, he almost laughed—not out of amusement, but admiration.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXSbLlw0Nb
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“I’ve seen a lot of people walk into this room trying to win a spot in this house,” he continued, pouring himself another drink but keeping his eyes on her. “Men and women both. Some looked the part. Some even acted it well enough. But very few have that look in their eyes.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROp5F9yVJi
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Not long after the conversation quieted, the door opened with a gentle click. A figure stepped through with the casual grace of someone utterly confident in their place in the world.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXQxqbAoij
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She's beautiful and striking in a way that seems almost unfair. She wore a flowing white babydoll dress, cinched lightly at the waist, with a loose, silken kimono draped over her shoulders.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIF06Xvb70u
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Her hair, long and curling like smoke, tumbled freely down her back, each wave catching the soft light of the chandelier. Her eyes, half-lidded and unreadable, carried a dreamy detachment that only heightened her allure.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AAbxateOx
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Valentina stood still, but inside, something shifted—something unexpected and immediate. Her breath caught in her throat before she could even make sense of it. Her pulse quickened, pounding against her ribs like it wanted out.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiBmsV1lp4
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She had been trained to read people, to react swiftly, and to stay grounded in high-pressure environments, yet now she found herself locked in place, unprepared for whatever this was. It isn't fear. It's something else. A pull. A spark that ran deep and low, blooming in a place within her she had never had reason to notice until now.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvjtC4QoNe
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The woman’s voice, when she spoke, was light and sweet, tinged with a playful undertone that didn’t match the gravity of her presence. “Yes, Papa?” she said softly, tilting her head as she addressed the man behind the desk.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4vPvRq2Hu
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Hendrix allowed himself the ghost of a smile. He didn’t miss the way Valentina’s jaw tightened or the slight tremor in her shoulders. He'd seen hardened soldiers freeze in battle, but this—this was a different kind of disarmament, and Luiza Romano, the youngest and most unpredictable of the Romano family, had done it with nothing more than a glance and a greeting.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmR5FLQ69fz
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“She’ll be your new bodyguard,” Mr. Romano said plainly, gesturing to Valentina with the hand that held his glass.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkSLxcAsTXn
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Luiza turned her head, eyes sweeping toward Valentina as if seeing her for the first time. Her gaze was slow and deliberate. She took in the dark uniform, the short military-style haircut, and those green eyes that looked far too clear to belong to someone who had survived war.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqcMcBRelH
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“Your name?” she asked, voice airy but firm.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1e1HMxrFE
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“Valentina. Valentina Smith,” came the reply, her voice low and slightly rough, betraying her tightly held control.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMwGnJx84z
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Luiza’s lips curled into an amused smile, her teeth catching her lower lip in a gesture that was both innocent and knowing. She took a step forward, and then another, closing the distance between them without hesitation.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2xsD60tgh
43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXqlm1PtoR
Her hand lifted, fingers brushing the edge of Valentina’s sleeve. The touch was light, but her intent was sharp. She traced the curve of a bicep through the fabric, her expression shifting to one of pleased curiosity.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPR5BP6GxIU
43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMD4ynoGE4
Then, slowly, her fingers slid lower, reaching the edge of Valentina’s shirt just above her waist. The air between them grew still. Luiza’s hand hovered, daring—testing—before gently pressing against the firm flatness of muscle beneath. Her touch isn’t indecent, but it's bold, the kind of gesture that leaves a person wondering who had the upper hand.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATCCu3R4hi
43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LXkQZPiYz
Valentina can feel her breath hitch and her heart skip a beat. She can feel something building between her legs, and for the first time in her life, she feels something. The urge to own the woman is clear; she wants that woman to writhe under her mercy and beg her for whatever she's going to do to her.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0TKczmsDZ
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The bodyguard didn’t move. She isn’t sure she could. Behind them, Hendrix looked toward the window, fighting the urge to smirk. He had seen this play out before. Most new bodyguards didn’t last past the first hour with Luiza Romano. They either fell too easily or recoiled too soon.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0lRFreYzw
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“She’s been trained,” Luiza murmured, not turning her head. “Was this one touched by Veronica yet?”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtxxWAlM5G
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“She was,” Hendrix said quietly, his voice coated with dry amusement. “And she passed. Still standing. Still breathing.” In less than twenty-four hours, Valentina Smith has managed to get the attention of two of the scariest women in the history of Romano.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzaaqL5mK7
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Luiza let out a small hum, somewhere between approval and intrigue. “She doesn’t look scared.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2wJDZ3Obl
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“She’s not. Just surprised.” Hendrix replied, amused. The room remained heavy with unspoken tension, the kind that made even the silence feel charged.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zMSNYuC1o
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Luiza leaned in, her breath warm and sweet against Valentina’s cheek, close enough to stir the fine strands of hair at her temple. For a moment, Valentina forgot to breathe. The world seemed to narrow down to the space between them, to the flicker of heat dancing across her skin.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRvFgYfzQ5
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Then, just as quickly, Luiza pulled back, her lips curling into a half-smile. “We’ll see how long she lasts,” she said, voice light but edged with mischief, like a challenge wrapped in silk.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKOeo98PHl
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Valentina didn’t flinch. She held her gaze, expression unreadable, but inside, everything was loud and fast and new. "Can she start tonight?" Luiza asked, turning toward her father as though Valentina wasn’t still standing behind her, trying to keep her pulse in check. "She’ll be my private bodyguard, right? Twenty-four-seven?"43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9vP8xigQUu
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"If needed, yes," the elder Romano replied, his tone casual, but there was something sharp behind his eyes—watchful and weighing.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnfCgz1SKjc
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"Okay, Papa. Thanks," Luiza said with a sweet smile before shifting her full attention back to Valentina.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8pFJNojdZ
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The moment their eyes met again, something unspoken passed between them. Valentina felt it like a wave, a pull she didn’t know how to fight. Luiza’s gaze dropped for just a second, as if overwhelmed, and her fingers reached out to touch Valentina’s arm.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MSMmvkBs0
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It was a light touch, but it wasn’t steady. There was a faint tremor in her grip, and Valentina, without thinking, stepped closer to support her. The confident woman in silk had suddenly become softer, her posture loosening like she was trying to hide the fact that her knees were growing weak.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBIyX6cqKc
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“Come with me, Valentina,” she said quietly, almost breathless. Valentina gave a single, silent nod to Hendrix and the head of the family. She didn’t need a second signal. Her job had already begun.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKzHNnttaM
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Luiza led her through the hallway, the marble floors gleaming beneath their steps. Chandeliers swayed lightly overhead, catching the light and scattering it across the carved wood and velvet wallpaper. Even in the silence, Valentina could feel the weight of centuries built into the walls of the Romano estate.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3yokJckNW
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They reached the wide staircase, and Luiza stopped, one hand pressing against the mahogany banister. “Can you take me to my room?” she asked softly, without turning to look back. Her voice was light but laced with exhaustion. Or perhaps something else. Her body shifted, just slightly, unsteady on her feet.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOXyZgeZmf
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Without hesitation, Valentina stepped closer and bent slightly. “Yes, Miss Romano,” she replied.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8htRtkEb2
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And then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, Valentina scooped her up into her arms. Luiza let out a soft gasp, her fingers instinctively curling into Valentina’s jacket.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLKpVnSMS2
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“Where’s your room, miss?” Valentina asked, her tone steady and calm, as if carrying beautiful, unpredictable heiresses is something she did every day.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCfdVr7dHZK
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Luiza looked up at her, cheeks flushed, lips parted, then slowly nodded toward the west wing. “End of the corridor, second door on the left.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy7OzBKXGpZ
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Valentina started walking, steady as a rock, her steps smooth and measured. Luiza said nothing at first, her arms still wrapped lightly around Valentina’s neck. She wasn’t used to this—not being the one in control. And yet, she didn’t resist.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsbUGYjy6X
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She leaned her head gently against Valentina’s collarbone, her voice barely above a whisper. “You really are different…”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxz4rYarym
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Valentina didn’t respond. She didn’t need to. The silence between them spoke enough. And somewhere in the echo of their footsteps down the long hallway, something unspoken began to take root—something electric, fragile, and dangerous all at once.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFThW29Qp3
Penana
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