"Ah." He nodded. "We are very lucky. But just because we're rich, it doesn't mean that we do not have the same desires in a marriage as everyone else. With Alessio's mother, for example, we entered into a union much like the two of you." His mouth twisted as his mind was cast back to the past. "On my wedding day, I had this romantic fantasy of the two of us making a real go at our marriage and possibly falling in love." His eyes lit up in amusement. "Boy, was I wrong."
My brow furrowed as confusion set in. "I'm sorry, Cesare, but I'm afraid you've lost me."
He hummed, his aged fingers tapping along the upholstery. "I love my son, Millie. Despite what he may think, he's my pride and joy. So when I see him hurt, it hurts me too. Especially when he refuses to give me the time of day outside of discussing business."
I sat up straight, my teacup clattering noisily as I placed it back onto the saucer. "Alessio is hurt? What's happened? Is-is it work? Are things not going well?"
He shook his head, his gaze thoughtful on me. "Millie. Not to be blunt, but Alessio doesn't give two shits about work right now."
My mouth dropped open at his bluntness.
"I know he's in a quarrel with you. He gets like this anytime trouble pops up in your marriage. He's moody and depressed. He works his staff ten times harder." He gestured wildly, concern clearly etched on his face. "His personal secretary has been threatening to quit, and just today I caught him drinking on the job."
He shot me a sharp look that surely wasn't meant to be accusatory but felt heaped in judgement. "Alessioneverdrinks on the job. He has a fully stocked bar for his business associates, which is the only time he indulges while at his office. So tell me why I just caught him knocking back two shots of whisky at midday."
I spluttered. "I…well, maybe he's had a rough day—"
"We went through a gruelling takeover last year. We were in a bidding war, and it came right down to the wire. We could have lost millions of dollars, but Alessio kept a cool head the whole time." He paused, letting his words wash over me. “But I have a feeling that Alessio wouldn't be so level-headed if he lost you."
My throat bobbed, and I stared at my almost-empty cup, suddenly wishing for something stronger. "Forgive my candour, but you are a romantic old fool."
He took no offence, grinning widely. "Perhaps!"
But then he quickly sobered as his features darkened in pain. "I blame myself for Alessio and me not being close. I didn't make the wisest choices when it came to my love life. I fell in love quickly and married just as fast. He went through a lot of stepmothers, and nearly all of them were cold, including his own."
He hesitated before he spoke on. "I worry that you do not reciprocate Alessio's affection. If that is the case, I would prefer you put him out of his misery and divorce him. All of this." He pointed to his surroundings. “It's not important when it comes to my son's happiness."
I stared at him in shock, my hand gripping the handle of my teacup so tightly I thought it might break. If he hadn't been looking so pensive, I would think he was joking. Hollow laughter broke out of me, pulling me from my stupor.
"I'm afraid you've got the wrong end of the stick. It's Alessio who doesn't return my affection." I shook my head at such an outrageous statement from him. And if I sounded a little bitter…well, who could blame me?
With a dismissive grunt, Cesare slashed the air with his hand. "What nonsense is that?"
"Alessio…" I swallowed hard, not believing that I was discussing such matters with his father. "Alessio has mistresses."
He shot me a surprised look. "You are sure?"
"I will always be discreet."
"Oh, I'm sure," I muttered.
He threaded his fingers together on his stomach, his expression thoughtful. "And this is a deal breaker to you?"
The question wasn't offensive. As much as Cesare professed his love for his previous wives, I was sure he hadn't been faithfulto them. After all, love didn't equal faithfulness in a world full of excess wealth, power, and beautiful temptation.
But as uncomfortable as this conversation made me, I couldn't stop myself from confiding in him. Alessio and I had been married for over two years now, yet I knew practically nothing substantial about his life outside our marriage. Cesare was revealing more to me in the span of forty minutes than I'd ever gotten out of my husband.
"Not at first. Not when we first married. He was open with me that he would have lovers outside our marriage. We weren't in love, and I had no delusions that we were anything more than just a merger of two powerful families." My breath escaped me, low and exhausted. "But eventually…" I shook my head, the truth dying on my lips.
"Eventually, you fell in love with my son."
Red scored my cheeks, and I glanced anywhere but at him. "But he doesn't love me." I was sure about that. "And I don't think what we currently have now…is going to work for me anymore."
Cesare snorted, leaning forward in his seat. "What nonsense is this? Not love you?" He threw his hands in the air in dramatic fashion, shaking his head. "He's practically giving tortured poets a run for their money by all the wallowing he's doing! Not love you? He keeps your photo on his desk alongside a scraggly-looking gorilla toy, which he said you got him. When he talks about you, he gets this sappy look in his eyes. I only recognise it because I probably look the same way when I talk about my Katherine."
His outraged gaze met my wild-eyed stare, and his look softened at the genuine confusion he saw there. "Look, I'm telling you this in the strictest of confidence."
His eyes danced to the empty doorway, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. "Alessio did not need to go throughwith this marriage. I felt guilty about potentially sending him into an unhappy union when he already half despised me. Your father and I discussed it, and he agreed to a higher buy price in exchange for your nuptials to be called off. I guess he got an attack of the conscience, too, and didn't want the same fate for his daughter."
