Mr. Villain's Lovely Wife

Chapter 89

“You know...” Liam said as he helped Izzy put on her coat. “I haven't met anyone who worked this hard on their

birthday

Izzy said nothing as she fixed her hair, Liam had been like this all day, helping her with everything, including,

putting her coat on. At this point, she didn’t know if the man was treating hbetter because it was her birthday or

he was just this trying, to piss her off.

Her gaze landed on the last batch of documents she needed to check before leaving for the night.

Seeing this, Izzy's secretary, Anna, remained still as she carefully adjusted her position behind the desk. Her

hands were busy organizing the papers in front of her, her expression giving nothing away. She deliberately

avoided looking in Miss Rossi and Mr. Horvath’s direction, though the tension in the room was impossible to miss.

Mr. Horvath had been acting like this ever since he started working closely with Miss Rossi. The stolen glances,

the lingering touches under the guise of assisting her-anyone with eyes could see he was completely smitten.

His hand had lingered a fraction too long on Miss Rossi's shoulder earlier when he’d helped her into her coat, his

fingers brushing against her collarbone just slightly. It was subtle, but Anna noticed.

Miss Rossi, on the other hand, seemed determined to act as though she hadn't. Whether she truly didn’t notice

or was ignoring him was anyone’s guess. Her movements were brisk and efficient, but Anna couldn't help

noticing how her eyes darted toward Liam every so often, her gaze lingering just a beat longer than necessary

before she turned back to her work.

Liam, for his part, was shameless. When Miss Rossi stood by the window, brushing a stray hair from her face, his

gaze followed her every movement, his lips quirking in a barely-there smile that Anna was sure he thought no

one noticed. And when Miss Rossi handed him a document, his fingers grazed hers in what seemed like an

accidental touch-but the faint flush on Miss Rossi's cheeks suggested otherwise.

Anna sighed inwardly as she shuffled the last of the files. The way Mr. Horvath leaned casually against the edge

of Miss Rossi's desk, his posture relaxed but his focus entirely on her, spoke volumes. His confidence was

maddening, but what was more surprising was how Miss Rossi's usual sharpness around him seemed to falter

ever so slightly. She'd snap at him one moment, but the next, there'd be a fleeting softness in her eyes when she

thought no one was looking.

Anna decided to keep her head down and focus on her work. It wasn’t her place to interfere, but if this wasn’t the

start of something, then she didn’t know what was.

“Anna,” Izzy called, breaking the silence. “Where's the last file that needs my signature?”

Anna paused, her fingers brushing against the document in question. Without lifting her gaze, she handed the

file over, her eyes focused on the stack of papers she was sorting through. “Here it is,” she said.

Izzy nodded and scanned the file briefly before signing her name. She handed it back to Anna with a crisp

motion. “I'll review the rest in my hotel room tonight,” she stated. “You should go hnow.”

Anna hesitated, her gaze flickering toward Mr. Horvath for the briefest of moments before returning to the desk.

“Of course,” she replied, her voice steady, though her fingers fidgeted with the corner of the papers she held.

Izzy observed the exchange with an arched brow but chose not to comment. Instead, she turned her attention to

Liam. “You should take care of the other arrangements before tomorrow.”

Liam inclined his head slightly, his expression unreadable. “Understood.”

Anna gathered her things quickly, keeping her focus on her tasks. As she turned to leave, her eyes landed on Mr.

Horvath again. His nod toward her was polite, almost dismissive, which made her pause briefly before continuing

toward the door.

11:37 Tue, Jan 2

Chapter 89

Anna's fingers trembled slightly as she rearranged the files on her desk, her thoughts drifting back to her earlier

conversation with Mondo,

It had been right after she arrived at the building that morning. Mondo had approached her, his usually relaxed

demeanor

paste replaced with something Anna hadn’t seen in the

“May | know why you wanted to talk?” she They'd never talked about something in private like

Lasked. T two ha interacted in the past, but it was always about the project.

this.

Mondo had glanced around the empty corridor before responding. “Did you know it’s Miss Rossi's birthday

today?”

Anna had nodded. “She doesn’t like anything extravagant on her birthday,” she had replied. At that time, she

had wondered if Mr. Horvath wanted to surprise Miss Rossi. “She’s always been like that. She dislikes it when

people make a big deal out of it.” She’d been working for Miss Rossi for years. In the past, Miss Rossi never failed

to tell her to keep her birthday a secret.

Mondo had smiled faintly. “We're not planning a surprise or anything. Mr. Horvath just wants to ensure her day

goes. smoothly. No unnecessary stressors. You do understand what | mean by this, right?”

Anna’s eyes had widened at the implication. She knew exactly what he meant, and the first thought that cto

her mind was Calen Weiss. Inwardly, she had cringed at the memory of the fallout between Miss Rossi and Mr.

Weiss.

Anna had seen the images. She had seen her. The secretary. It wasn’t hard to piece together what had

happened. In fact, everyone in their office knew what Mr. Weiss did to Miss Rossi. And truthfully, she didn’t blame

Miss Rossi for leaving. How could she?

“Are you talking about Mr. Weiss?” she had asked cautiously.

Mondo had nodded once. “Mr. Horvath wants any communication from Weiss or his office blocked today. No

exceptions. We wanted to keep Miss Rossi's location a secret.”

Anna had hesitated. “It’s not that simple,” she had said. “How do we keep Miss Rossi's location a secret when

she’s working inside a building full of people?”

Mondo had smirked at her hesitation. “I'll handle the logistics. You just make sure she doesn’t have to deal with

any unnecessary calls or interruptions.”

Anna had met his gaze. She understood perfectly well what he was asking her to do. That meant screening every

call, monitoring every message, and keeping Miss Rossi completely insulated from the chaos that the Weiss

family might bring.

“How about Miss Rossi's family?” she had asked. She’d seen Amalia-Monica’s mother-before. That woman was

the embodiment of trouble.

“Including them.”

She had nodded after a long pause. “I'll take care of it,” she had said simply.

Now, sitting at her desk, Anna briefly clenched her hands before forcing them to relax. Her thoughts fingered on

how much Miss Rossi had poured into her work, all while trusting Calen Weiss and her cousin-two people who

had shattered that trust so completely. It had all been a cruel deception. The very least Miss Rossi deserved on

her birthday was a day of peace, free from the intrusion of that man and his relentless pestering.

She pushed the thoughts aside as she gathered her belongings. Throughout the day, she had meticulously

screened countless calls and messages, ensuring nothing slipped through the cracks. All she could do now was

hope that her efforts had given Miss Rossi the peaceful birthday she truly deserved.