‘Of course not. I stand on my own two feet.’
‘This one defamatory article will keep your retreat running for how long?’ His stare pierced her. Cesar’s mind was already made up. She was guilty as charged.
‘You don’t know me, yet you set yourself up as my judge and jury and, if you had your way, executioner.’
Cesar’s expression turned as black as thunder. ‘And you only know what you’ve read about me,’ he fired back.
She couldn’t deny it.
‘Gutter journalism,’ he derided. ‘Aren’t you ashamed, coming from a family as proud and as upstanding as yours’?’
Cesar was viciously opposed to everything she stood for. She had to keep her nerve. She could so easily make things worse with careless words, and that would mean losing that closeness with her brothers for ever.
‘I imagine you made a pretty penny out of the rubbish that was printed.’
‘It wasn’t my rubbish. It was heavily edited—’
‘Rubbish,’ Cesar supplied. ‘It’s easy to deny you had any part in it now.’
‘Believe me or not, that’s your prerogative. I had no say in the finished article, and every penny I was paid went to support my retreat.’
Disbelief was written all over Cesar’s face. ‘I’m giving you a chance to clear your name,’ he stated harshly. ‘This may be your only chance. I suggest you think hard and long before you walk away from me tonight.’
‘I don’t think anything I say will make you change your mind, so I see no point in staying.’
‘I’m sure not,’ he agreed.
His short laugh chilled her. She glanced at the door. ‘I should be getting back.’
‘We both should. I will escort you. Far be it from me to see harm come to any woman, even you. I can only think you’re a cuckoo in the family. Regardless of what you’ve done to them, I know your brothers would do anything to protect you, and I respect their wishes.’
A now familiar blaze of shame burned through Sofia’s veins. But one thing was nagging. There had been detail in that finished article that even she hadn’t known. So who had? She would have to find out to stand a chance of making peace with her brothers and Cesar.
‘I thought you might have more pride,’ Cesar remarked as they walked side by side through the gardens to the palace. He made it sound as if she’d disappointed him.
‘I have no pride,’ she said honestly. ‘If I have to wash dishes to keep my retreat going, then that’s what I’ll do.’
‘In between selling more stories on those you profess to help?’ he bit out.
The calm she was fighting so hard to maintain was shattered. Trust was perhaps the most vital element in a sanctuary where people came to recover and rebuild their lives. The thought of disclosing even the smallest detail she’d been told by one of the guests was as shocking to Sofia as seeing her brothers and Cesar damned in print.
‘At least you have the good sense to appear ashamed of your actions,’ he commented as they slowed on their approach to the open doors to the banqueting hall.
Shame was the least of it. This was the first time that she had been faced by the fact that Howard Blake might target her retreat. He must be stopped, but to do that she’d need help. Powerful men like Cesar and her brothers were the only individuals she knew with sufficient clout to curb Blake’s bullying, but the truth would have to come out.
Cesar gave her a brief sideways glance. ‘You appear confused.’
‘Not confused,’ she assured him. Suddenly everything was crystal clear. ‘I need your help,’ she admitted.
‘So you’re every bit as self-seeking and as selfish as I thought? You cause the damage, and now you need help?’
She was determined not to show her feelings. Hiding how stung she felt had been second nature growing up. She’d soon learned not to blub in front of her brothers.
‘I made a mistake,’ she confessed. ‘And now I want the chance to make things right.’
‘Why don’t you take some well-earned respite at your retreat?’ he demanded sarcastically. Whirling on his heel, Cesar made to peel away. ‘You can find your own way from here.’
She caught hold of his arm. ‘Cesar, please...’
