‘Oh really? I thought you might have flown in on your broomstick,’ he muttered under his breath.
‘How original, Micha. Calling me a witch.’
Maria’s words lashed across his skin and he winced. He knew how often she was belittled by family members who were half outraged that she dared to be more than just a pretty face. And while she and he had a somewhat fractious—okay, downright toxic—relationship, he was nothing like those who called her names like the one he had just used.
‘You know I meant it differently,’ he growled.
And her lack of response told him that shedidknow it. Otherwise, she would have nailed his balls to the wall.
‘Where is your secretary?’ she asked and he looked up to find her standing behind the chair opposite his desk, her hands gripping onto the back.
‘Why? Afraid to be alone with me?’ he couldn’t help but taunt.
‘From what I remember, there is little to be afraid of,’ she bit back.
Ouch. How could he have forgotten that her tongue was quick and that her wit was harsh?
He locked his jaw before he could say anything that would take them further down a road neither of them wanted to travel. Frankly he didn’t have time for this, forher. While the rest of the Gallos were playing games he seemed to be the only person with sense trying to keep the ship afloat, rather than deciding—or caring—who steered her.
‘She’s at a training seminar,’ he said, lying about his secretary’s whereabouts. The poor woman had been driven to the edge by the hounding the various outliers of the Gallo family were giving her, so he had let her go home early. Not everyone was privy to the contents of the will and it was causing problems.
Not that Maria would have cared about that. Oh no. All she probably cared about was that she would finally get her hands on the company that she—in all honesty—deserved. And if she did? She’d probably sack him. Perhaps that’s why she was here. Perhaps—
That pulled him up short.
So much so that she caught him staring at her.
‘What?’ she asked.
Micha shook his head, not willing to put the idea in her head if it wasn’t already. Which he doubted. He cursed under his breath.
‘Out with it, Maria. I have things to do. Contracts to secure.’
She laughed, as if it were genuinely amusing to her that he actually worked here. He wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose, but that would give away his frustration. And it pleased him no end that it was her inability to ruffle him that caused her the greatest irritation.
‘Sure. Why not. The last act of a drowning man. Have at it, Rufina.’
He nodded, shooing her away with his hand, until he realised the subtext beneath her words.
Last act.
Why not.
Cristo, she was going to do it. She was going to marry Antonio to get her hands on the company.
His hands, fists, pressed into the table, concealing the white knuckles betraying his feelings, and for one single heartbeat—nothing but blind fury, masked, leashed and utterly denied by the next pump of blood around his body.
Slowly, he raised his gaze to hers, inch by inch, covering the cream shirt and trousers she wore, luxurious, rich, expensive. The pearls at her neck, the free-falling thick curls that dropped over one shoulder. She’d probably dressed just to remind him that he’d once been nothing more than a street urchin, while she’d always been an heiress.
By the time he’d reached her face, her expression told him that his guess had been true. The gleam of satisfaction shone like a north star that would never point to a home for him. He thought…minchia!He didn’t know what he thought.
Unlike the rest of the family, who had never even heard of Ivy McKellen, Micha knew all about the convenient marriage that took place six years ago between Ivy and Antonio, meant solely to circumvent the pressure piled on by Gio Gallo for Antonio to marry Maria. But their relationship was a lot more complicated than Maria knew.
Micha had met Ivy. He’d seen the grit and determination that drove her, even in her darkest hours. And more than that, Micha had liked her. Whether Antonio knew it or not, Ivy was a near perfect match for him andCristo, if he had even an ounce of intellect, he wouldn’t let her slip away. Certainly not for the sake of a damn company—no matter how many billions it was worth.
And it was most definitely worth billions.
‘What have you done,cara?’ he demanded, his voice low to his own ears with a warning that he knew she wouldn’t heed.
