I scoff. “Yeah… I’m sure.”
He chuckles. “You really don’t see it, do you?”
“See what, Massimo?” I ask, exasperated with his vagueness.
He shakes his head, smiling like there’s a joke he said that went over my head.
“There’s only one woman I had eyes for back then, and there’s only one I have eyes for now.”
I narrow my gaze on him. “You realize this is a business arrangement, correct? You can quit this facade. You won. I’m agreeing to marry you.”
He shakes his head again. “My adoration for you has never been a facade, Liana. One day, you’ll see that.”
His gaze penetrates deep into my bones, causing a shiver to erupt across my body that I can’t hold back no matter how hard I try. I refuse to believe Massimo has a hint of humanity. If he did, we wouldn’t be having this meeting.
Shaking those feelings away, I direct my attention back to the paper. “So, we’ve gone over condition number one. Number two is that you’ll continue to let me run my business, not interfering withanypart of it. Understood?”
“I would never keep you from working, Liana.”
I’m shocked into silence, not expecting those words to come out of his mouth. I assumed based on his already controllingtendencies, he’d want to have a say in my day-to-day life. I’m not sure how to respond to him saying that’s not what he wants.
“I accept both conditions.”
“O-okay,” I say, diverting my gaze back down to the contract, surprised this is going as well as it is. “Condition number three… You willmakeTomasso allow his daughter to date Colton, and his father’s debt will be expunged.”
“Expunged?”
“That’s what I said.”
“You know I can’t just make a million-dollar debt disappear.”
“Oh, but you can, and if you want my hand in marriage,you will.”
Massimo chuckles again, and the sound is beginning to grate on my nerves. Does he not take me seriously?
“I’m impressed, Liana. Given what you do for a living, I knew you’d handle this contract like a business deal, but I didn’t anticipate you calling for some big…conditions.”
“What you’re asking of me is quite large, don’t you think?”
He gives me a reluctant nod.
“Then I deserve the same respect. Wipe Gregory Taylor’s debt and make sure Tomasso leaves his daughter and her boyfriend alone.”
“You know getting involved with a family’s personal affairs isn’t something we do.”
“Oh, but you had no issue doing it when it was my name on the line?”
Massimo is silent for a moment. “Touché. I accept condition number three.” He gestures for me to continue.
“Condition number four: No sex.”
Massimo scoffs out a laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I wasn’t done,” I say, raising a brow at him. “No sex. No kissing. No hugging. Basically, no touching.”
He lets out an exasperated sigh. “Come on, Liana. That is completely unreasonable.”
“I don’t think it is,” I say with a shrug.
