7-Fake.

POV - Eleonora Vitale.

It had been a while since Viktor had disappeared and I was starting to get worried.

So I decide to go after him. I go to the elevator and think about where he might be going. "It would be the top floor!" I press the button and the doors close.

A few seconds pass and I'm finally on the top floor. Some of the lights are off and it's only after I've entered the room that I realize there's a light coming from a gap in his office door, which is ajar at the end of the corridor. I approached and heard voices:

"I know you had your reasons for creating the show downstairs, but I'm here, ready to go back and pick up where we left off," Vittoria says. Oh my God! "Continue? With what? Because you've destroyed everything and there's nothing left of what we had." Viktor says, and for the first time, I can see something in his voice...

Sadness? I deny it frantically because it was almost impossible. Viktor has been cold since the day we met.

"Don't do that..." His voice comes out almost inaudible and wondering what she could be doing, I try to avoid hearing anything embarrassing and move backward until I hit my back on something and a noise echoes down the corridor. My mind alerts me and I run towards the elevator, pressing the buttons in a hurry, fortunately, the doors close before anyone can see me.

Back downstairs, I walk to the buffet without even hiding how nervous I am, my heart is racing and my mind only tells me one thing: Dumb.

"Hello!" I turn towards the voice and see a brunette woman. "Eleonora, right?" I agree. "Nice to meet you, my name is Alice Mitchell." She holds out her hand to me. " You probably don't remember me, I'm a receptionist.

"Ah, now I remember. Nice to meet you!" I shake her hand and smile.

I see Viktor and Vittoria leave the elevator together and I start to get more nervous, but I try my best to focus on Alice. "So, have you been working here long?" I ask. "Yes, for three years." She says and smiles. "And I can tell..." He comes closer and whispers: "I know a lot of gossip..." His words make me laugh until I feel a hand encircle my waist.

"What were they talking about? I'd like to laugh too!" Viktor asks and Alice looks at me for help.

"Nothing!" I disguise it.

"Viktor Sorrentino, we finally had a chance to talk." A voice comes out before we can say anything else. We turned in the same direction, meeting the same gentleman who was standing next to Vittoria.

"Great Alfred Steven, it's an honor to share this moment with you." Viktor approaches him and extends his hand, and they greet each other warmly. That's when the man's eyes meet mine and he's surprised. "Oh, and that girl?" He asks Viktor.

"That's Eleonora Vitale, my fiancée." Viktor holds me by the waist.

"Vitale...?" He asks thoughtfully. "Nice to meet you, may I call you Eleonora?" I agree and he smiles, holding out his hand to me. "Then you can just call me Alfred."

"Nice to meet you, Alfred." I smile for the fiftieth time.

"Alfred!" Renzo suddenly appears, walking over to the gentleman and giving him a hug followed by a pat on the back.

"Renzo boy." He steps back and looks at him. "Look at you, you're getting more and more handsome!" He comments, making us laugh. "How are your girlfriends?" He asks and, strangely, Renzo's eyes search for me. Viktor's grip on my waist intensifies.

"You're squeezing too hard, don't you think?" I whisper to him, but he just clenches his jaw.

"Well, how about we all sit down together?" I swallow dry at Alfred's invitation.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, he came up with one of these. And for free!

So we all go to our seats, Viktor sits next to me, while Vittoria is on his left and Renzo sits next to me and smiles when I look at him. Alice, on the other hand, is lucky enough to be sitting next to Mr. Cheerful, who doesn't seem to be the shrew's father.

"You look beautiful." Renzo's voice makes me nervous. And before I could reply, Viktor stepped forward.

"Let's change places." He stands up and makes me sigh.

"Good," I whisper as I look at Vittoria.

"You're engaged, but at no time did I see you exchanging caresses." The witch says venomously.

"We don't need to cuddle to show that we love each other, do we?" I say, plucking up the courage to run my hand through Viktor's beard, who looks at me attentively but doesn't complain about my touch.

"Of course, darling, we preserve our intimacy. And we only show it in each other's company." Viktor asks as he puts his hand on my shoulder and smiles at me.

How fake.

"Exactly, what nobody knows, nobody spoils," I say in total defiance.

Dinner goes smoothly, but now and then Vittoria and I exchange barbs. Fortunately, the place empties out and now it's just us, who say goodbye and head for the parking lot.

Viktor and I hadn't exchanged a word and I was honestly praying that it would stay that way because I didn't feel like talking about anything that had happened inside.

I just want to forget the day ever happened! We got into the car, I put on my seat and turned towards the glass of the door to look at the large buildings stretching out along the road.

"Do you want to say something?" Viktor asks and I answer without looking at him:

"No. I want to go home, can you take me?"

"I thought we were going..."

"What were we going to do?" I ask wryly. "The celebration is over and as far as I know, I'm under no obligation to stay at your house." I raise my voice, causing him to arch his eyebrow.

"What's wrong with you?" He asks and I end up laughing sarcastically.

"Nothing, I have absolutely nothing. I'm perfectly fine, don't you see?" I cross my arms. "Now, please take me home."

"No, you're coming with me!" He says between his teeth.

"I'm no longer obliged to stay by your side!" I almost shout, which causes him to break the car abruptly. He grabs me by the face and pulls me closer to him.

"You're mine and you belong to me alone. And that's why..." He takes my left hand, showing me my ring finger with the ring he had put there earlier.

He kissed my hand with a strange tenderness, but his eyes were like rocks of ice that clung to mine and showed all the coldness that always made me shiver.