Both men bristled in front of me, but neither one of them was brave enough to say anything.
“Rumor has it that she —“ I waggled my eyebrows. “Well, I don’twant to speak badly of the lady, but a woman who isn’t a virgin can’t be my wife. I have a reputation to uphold.”
“She is—“
“No, she isn’t.” I smiled cruelly because a plan was forming in my brain. A cruel plan that would finally bring their family to its knees.
“But I will take Gio’s friendship and his offer of his sister’s company.”
“Gio will be pleased. He has always thought of you like a brother.”
“You misunderstand me. I’ll help Gio, but I won’t marry his sister. I’ll take her as my mistress, though.”
Their startled intake of breath was everything. It was such an insult to their family, just like I knew it would be.
“We will have to speak to Don Bianchi.”
“You do that.” I shrugged. Gio would go for it because he was desperate. But would Sophia?
No, she hated me enough to leave me once. She would never willingly come back to me.
Closing my fist around the decanter, I threw it against the wall the second the door closed.
“Fuck.” Dropping my head into my hands, I stared down at the photos on my desk. Each one of them was of her smiling, beautiful face. A dozen ghosts that had come back to haunt me.
“What do you want me to do, Matteo?” Marco asked quietly.
I sucked in a deep breath and then another one. One finger dragged over her gorgeous face.
Why did she still have to be so beautiful?
It hid all of her sins.
Slowly, I lifted my head. “Arrange for the plane. We are going to England.”
“Would you like me to arrange a meeting with Gio?”
I shrugged. “I don’t care if he is there or not, but yes. I just want to lay eyes on Sophia.”
I wanted to see her happy and smiling for myself, and then I would crush every ounce of happiness from her.
Chapter Three
Sophia
A meeting. That’s all Matteo was requesting. Or so my brother said. One simple face-to-face meeting. So why wasn’t I convinced?
Maybe because I knew Matteo, and I knew that nothing was ever simple. I knew my brother as well. Something was going on that he wasn’t telling me, and I had to prepare for that.
“So I’ll see you tomorrow?” Hovering at the front door, Gio paused, almost like he didn’t know whether he should embrace me or not.
Back before all of this had happened and our family had been ripped apart, he wouldn’t have even hesitated. We had always been close.
Me, Gio, and Matteo.
The thought made my stomach clench in a knot of pain I hadn’t felt in years. I shoved it down, and reaching up on my tiptoes, pressed my lips to his stubbly cheek.
“It’s been good to see you again, Gio,” I said in a hushed voice. “I’ve missed you.”
