All of it made coming to this ball to present some kind of united front a far more dangerous proposition than Ashley wanted it to be. And so, before she’d finally fallen asleep some time towards dawn, she’d decided she would treat Nico Galletti exactly as what he was, or at least what he was meant to be: a business associate and potential colleague, no more. She could not figure him out at all, and the best thing to do, she decided, was to stop trying.
She’d go to this event, present the united front he wanted and do whatever she could to save Infinite Innovations. And after that…? She’d try never to see him again, for the sake of her own sanity, because the last thing she wanted was to be in thrall to someone, to anyone.
When her father had gone to prison, she’d vowed that she would never let herself be controlled the way he had controlled her, with alternating flattery and abuse, so she’d never known what to expect or even who she was to him. For far too many years, she’d been confused and deeply unhappy and, worse, she’d had no sense of herself until she’d escaped his charismatic orbit at last. When she’d finally been free, she’d promised herself she’d never again let another person force her to fear, fawn, cringe or beg. Yet, if she wasn’t careful, Nico Galletti could have her do all the above.
She could not, Ashley reminded herself, let any man make her feel that way again…not even for a day or an hour. And Nico Galletti would not tonight.
Throwing back her shoulders, Ashley surveyed the ballroom and tried to ignore the anxiety gnawing at her insides. It had been a long time since she’d been at an event like this, trotted out like her father’s show pony and forced to do his bidding. Was Nico doing any different, asking her to present this united front so he didn’t have to suffer the bad press that had been headlining the business section of most newspapers that morning? She was doing it for the business, Ashley reminded herself, and for her employees. Not because she was afraid, but because she was determined. There was a difference. At least, she wanted there to be one.
‘Ashley, it’s so good to see you here. It’s been too long.’ A woman bedecked in diamonds and black satin came forward to kiss both her cheeks.
‘Valerie,’ Ashley greeted her, the name coming to her lips at the last second. She was the wife of one of her father’s golf buddies who Ashley had seen socially when she’d acted as her father’s hostess. ‘Likewise.’
‘How are you, my dear?’ Valerie stepped back to survey her in concern. ‘I read about the takeover. And just when you were starting to do so well after all that business…’
All that business. It was, Ashley reflected wryly, quite the euphemism for the complete and total destruction of her life—her father in prison, her house and every other trapping of her luxurious life sold or seized and almost everyone she knew turning their back on her because of the scandal.
Now she managed a shrug and a smile. ‘It happens. I’m very hopeful Galletti Finance will let Infinite Innovations continue to operate as normal. That’s why I’m here tonight.’ No reason not to fire the first shot across the bow, she decided. She wasn’t about to let Nico call themalltonight; she’d make sure there was something in this united front for her—and the company.
‘Oh?’ Valerie’s eyebrows rose. ‘Is that so? Because the media was painting a much bleaker picture, my dear.’
‘Yes, well, you know how they like to hype up the news. Anything to generate interest or outrage.’ It had been the same during her father’s trial. Her name and face had been splashed across the headlines more than once, with spurious speculation about her involvement in Woodward Investments, simply because she’d been so often by her father’s side.
Wasthatwhy Nico blamed her? Ashley wondered. Because, even though she’d had nothing to do with her father’s business dealings, she’d been seen with him? It seemed a flimsy reason, but she couldn’t think of any others.
As she faced Valerie, Ashley let her smile widen. ‘As it happens,’ she told her, ‘Galletti Finance is keen to be seen to promote Infinite Innovations, and in particular to show their ethical support of inventions that champion those who are differently abled, which I’m sure you’ll agree is a very worthy cause.’
‘Of course, of course. And especially considering your poor mother…’ Valerie dropped her voice. ‘Howisshe?’
Valerie and her mother had once played tennis together, Ashley recalled. But, like just about everyone else, she’d dropped her after her mother’s stroke. Her father had been embarrassed by his wife and had kept her hidden away, even after she’d recovered, at least as much as she ever would. Ashley was convinced that her mother’s recovery would have been aided by seeing people and getting out and about. Instead, she’d been imprisoned, like Rochester’s wife inJane Eyre, as if she were a shameful secret to be forgotten.
‘She’s doing well,’ she told Valerie firmly.
‘Well, I’m glad to hear it, of course,’ Valerie said quickly. ‘May I say, you do look lovely tonight.’
Ashley glanced down at the dress she’d pulled out of her wardrobe, the one evening dress she’d kept from her years as a socialite, and in truth she couldn’t have said why she’d kept it. When she’d been consigning all her clothes to charity, not wanting the reminders of a life she’d come to hate, this one dress had somehow spoken to her and made her think of a happier time, although she couldn’t remember ever wearing it. She’d forgotten she’d even kept it, but she hoped Nico would be happily surprised that she wasn’t coming to a black-tie event in the business-wear equivalent of a bin bag.
But why, Ashley wondered with a spike of frustration, did she care what Nico thought? It was such an easy and wearying habit to slip into, to want to appease and impress him the way she had her father. She would not let herself fall into that trap again.
‘Good to see you, Valerie,’ she murmured, and moved away.
Ashley continued through the ballroom, smiling and nodding at those she knew, and talking up Infinite Innovations every moment she could. She didn’t see Nico anywhere, but at this point she decided she didn’t need him. She was doing fine, talking up Galletti Finance and Infinite Innovation’s ‘amicable merger’ on her own.
He was going to have some trouble backing down from all the promises she’d made on his behalf, she thought with satisfaction. As she assured every guest and acquaintance she came across, not only was Galletti Finance going to keep all of the Infinite Innovations employees, but Nico himself was going to investigate championing some of the new inventions they’d been seeking to fund.
‘He feels very passionate about it,’ she told one potential investor as she sipped her flute of champagne. ‘Really, we couldn’t be more pleased to be working together.’
‘I have to say I’m surprised,’ the man replied. ‘The reports in the news…’
‘Oh, but you can’t believe everything you read,’ Ashley replied sweetly. ‘Best to get it directly from the horse’s mouth.’
‘Yes,’ the man replied with a rather knowing smirk, ‘But the filly or the stallion?’
Before Ashley could react to that particularly offensive statement, the man nodded to the doors of the ballroom. ‘Because your so-called business partner isn’t looking as thrilled as you’ve been making out right now.’
Ashley stiffened, then slowly turned, steeling herself to catch sight of Nico. She didn’t need to search the crowded room; he stood out like a dark beacon of power and authority, framed by the double doors, devastating in a dinner suit. Even from a distance, the sight of him was like a sucker punch to her gut, or really an entire body blow that she struggled not to reel back from… Because in an instant she rememberedexactlyhow his mouth had felt on hers, his hands moving so deftly and surely over her skin, fingers brushing, palms cupping…
For a second, she nearly swayed simply from the memory of her own desire.Howdid the man have such an effect on her, and from over a hundred feet away? Seeing him in formal wear only added to his appeal as well as his sense of power. The black fabric of his dinner jacket stretched across the breadth of his shoulders, the trousers showcasing his long, powerful legs. He stood half a head taller than any other man in the room, indifferent to the sycophants gathering around him in a fawning crowd.
