Page 17 of The Sicilian Billionaire's Disposable Wife

Not just yet.

“GOOD MORNING, MRS.La Rocca.”

“Good morning, Bonnie.” The brunette was in her late forties and had a smile that was as bright as the sun and rosy plump cheeks that made her look so much younger.

“You have a lot on your plate today,” Bonnie commented.

“I know.” Kendra smiled ruefully. “And sadly, that means the same for you, too.”

It still took getting used to, having her own bodyguard follow her around, and so Kendra had settled for a compromise by insisting that Bonnie walk beside her for as long as it was safe. This way, the older woman—who had been working for the La Roccas since her late teens—was more like her friend than security.

Unfortunately, however...

“You remember what we practiced, Mrs. La Rocca?”

Today wouldn’t be one of those days. The museum where she was having her next meeting was a lot more crowded than Bonnie expected. The older woman had stopped smiling, and it was like someone flipping a switch. One moment, Bonnie was beaming like she was the light of the world. The next moment, she was the Grim Reaper herself, and Kendra knew better than to make light of the situation.

“I remember.” They had safe words and code words foreverything.It was just one of the many “precautions” that had become a part of her life, and while others might think of it as bothersome, for Kendra it was the opposite.

Because these precautions meant she was cherished.

Bonnie stood behind Kendra’s seat throughout the day and another precaution was for them to take toilet breaks at the same time. Thankfully, the other women making up the board were used to the presence of personal security since they, too, had their own bodyguards.

“Don’t you live outside the city?” Shayla Kontides asked in a whisper while their board went on a ten-minute recess. “It’s fine if you’d like to leave early. It’s already getting late.”

“I’m good,” Kendra assured her friend. “Dario says we’ll be staying at the penthouse tonight.”

Shayla relaxed. “That’s good to know.”

It was close to midnight when the meeting finally ended, and Shayla tried her best not to laugh at how the younger woman could no longer keep herself from yawning.

“Go home,” she urged Kendra with a smile. “You look like you’re about to drop dead at any moment.”

Kendra usually chatted with Bonnie while in the car, but as soon as she was in the backseat, she only had to close her eyes, and she was fast asleep in a second. She had mistakenly thought that the wives of billionaires spent their time leisurely, but that wasn’t true at all. Every woman was different, and she was so grateful that because of Dario’s partnership with Adriano Kontides, Kendra had ended up being friends with someone likeShayla, who not only practiced law but also headed her own foundation.

When they got to the penthouse, Kendra put her foot down for the first time when Bonnie was about to join her in the elevator.

“Go home, Bonnie,” she said with a smile. “It’s been a long day for us both.”

The penthouse was dark when she arrived, and while that in itself was unusual...

There was something else that made the hairs at the back of her neck rise.

Something else that made her feel like she had something stuck in her throat.

No. No. No.

Why did all of this feel so terribly and painfully familiar?

She couldn’t even make herself blink. She didn’t want to risk closing her eyes because the moment she did, she was scared she would end up remembering that night.

No.

Please, God.

Please don’t let it be happening again.

Chapter Five