RODRIGO’S POVI grinned at the shocked expression on Tanya's face as I drew out the seat and sat by the dinner table. It had been a while since I'd had dinner with her, mainly because I didn't know what she thought of me. And today, as I decided to brave up and eat with her, she was looking at me like I was a ghost like she hadn't spoken with me a few hours ago before she went out."What, am I not allowed to have dinner at my table anymore?" I asked, beckoning Maria. She hadn't even served any food on my side. It turns out she was used to me staying away, too."No, of course, you can," Tanya said hurriedly and immediately started coughing.My eyes widened, and I pushed a water bottle closer to her. I watched her drink and then set the water down. She looked away from me, and I found that very amusing.She looked like she'd rather be anywhere but here, and seeing the way she seemed to be avoiding me lately, I sensed that she didn't like me jumping up on her tonight."Why are you so une

TANYA’S POVI scrambled back from the bed as he fell upon it. "What the hell is going on?" I shouted, terrified.Why was he in my room by this time? If he tried to make any move on me, I was ready to break his fingers. After blowing me off, he just burst into my room like he owned the place... which he technically did, but still, he needed my permission before coming in.Permission that I definitely didn't give. Not with how he's been treating me..."This place is so comfortable," he drawled.I frowned. This didn't sound like the Rodrigo I knew. Are you making a random comment like this? No."Well, the bed is really soft," I ventured.He shook his head and stopped suddenly, wincing like it hurt him a lot. "Not the bed. You. You make it comfortable."I blinked, unsure of what to say to that. I sat up to get a good look at him as if that would tell me what he was thinking."Are you okay?" I asked tentatively.He reached a hand out to mine, and I snatched my hand away. No, I wasn't going

TANYA’S POV I watched the smug look spread across Rodrigo's face with a frown. Usually, I wouldn't mind him getting the title he'd always wanted, which got me in this position in the first place. But it was getting more challenging to feel happy about anything he did lately. With his behavior and all, I was starting to hate him. I felt like the morning after he told me about his mother didn't have a good closure, and he didn't even attempt to speak to me after that. Back to our usual routine of only speaking when it was necessary. I was tired of this routine. How could he go back to ignoring me after telling me something so personal? Was he that cold? I watched as he moved away from Fabio to mount the podium. Fabio was an entirely different case. He had a bitter look, and then he glanced at me. I quickly looked away, not wanting him to know I was staring. I couldn't decide how I felt towards him after our last meeting. I always thought he was the more excellent version of

RODRIGO’S POVI walked between the men arranged in rows before me, nodding at the uniform formation. They were trained always to be alert, just like they were when I stepped into this room. They had assembled quickly, no slackers at all. With this kind of team, I was sure that the new goals I was putting forward would actually be possible. "My father was unable to get the complete payment of the loan we gave to the Albans." I continued with a frown on my face. Everyone knew the story of the Albans, a company that was trying to regain lost ground after a legal tussle. They needed capital, and my father provided that for them, and he kept doing so till the money piled up much more than they could repay at the arranged time. I didn't know for sure the reason why my father didn't put much heart into getting that money back from them, but I had a feeling it had to do with the Albans' first daughter and my father's own emotions. Things I didn't particularly appreciate because they made h

RODRIGO’S POV Her eyes widened, and I felt my frown go deeper. Further confirmation that there was something she was hiding. On my way out with Antonio, I changed my mind and returned to speak to Tanya. It had been a while since I did that, and I was not too fond of it. Thinking of how I spoke to her the last time we said it didn't make me that happy. Sure, I didn't know she was supposed to talk to me much, for my good and hers, but I didn't want her to wallow in self-loathing either. I was trying not to get too comfortable around her, but I didn't want to hurt her either. I was already at the end of this hallway, about to ask some servants if they had seen her, when I saw her walking out. She looked troubled, not to mention the fact that she was coming from the direction of where I was addressing my men. I will see to that later. For now, I just wanted to know what put such a desperate look on her face. I was the only one allowed to do that, so seeing that someone el