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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkrGueM7LKO
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNbfwTG1cl
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQgNsHvUuzv
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSSmUd6pCa
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzu5m5n6bMH
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"Yes, she’s perfect," he thought.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcidkOYZI3l
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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.”42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡToJRYKWXXY
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCM5wrmJ2Wj
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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.”42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyrIFBk0Yg
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXKpvWkNS2
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYazTdQTSI
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrsTQ39yOFZ
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5DOayBXhiQ
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsMMuVwJZU
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlahwVZUoz
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsgp9TueKL
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrey6tMNxH
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“She’ll be your new bodyguard,” Mr. Romano said plainly, gesturing to Valentina with the hand that held his glass.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI33gwqtxDd
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDbab9rLHS
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUgIDv6EZV
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“Your name?” she asked, voice airy but firm.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNHCqMg2sY
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“Valentina. Valentina Smith,” came the reply, her voice low and slightly rough, betraying her tightly held control.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCG7zBzQxZ
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIgNVexhOpv
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8l08wouVFw
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELZTp3eJTX
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVXcdQ3xkw
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3OLOPi7DUP
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3Bo0kHLvl
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlunY6Z3AyV
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFchQRgJDoA
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTefdWZ6IL
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“She’s been trained,” Luiza murmured, not turning her head. “Was this one touched by Veronica yet?”42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡByQLW1Lz9p
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6benOPh7j5
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Luiza let out a small hum, somewhere between approval and intrigue. “She doesn’t look scared.”42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJmVbabyjd
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFXvaArPukH
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlxRxiyQcw
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuY65g7QrLb
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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?"42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBJxsJhbch
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBkWnY4MECH
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"Okay, Papa. Thanks," Luiza said with a sweet smile before shifting her full attention back to Valentina.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGB1S239TI5
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XV1bcgdoy
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8MGGq7QMYW
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnPErTGfLW
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrx9QO8XRiu
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTM0syWRv4
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzShCi7H3F
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Without hesitation, Valentina stepped closer and bent slightly. “Yes, Miss Romano,” she replied.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6QP4Msbko
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgREO4OM4Nm
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOXsCdT9mI
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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.”42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6lOq1IlRm
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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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9w89Ih3mQb
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRMSNRtMrf
She leaned her head gently against Valentina’s collarbone, her voice barely above a whisper. “You really are different…”42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE2aOkgE6tW
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94089myyv0
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLsnFYBvRJ
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