Page 78 of The Strength Of A Woman

“My father is in the hospital.”

“Oh, no. I’m so sorry. What happened?”

“He’s fine. He fell off the horse. He’s a little bruised, his ego even more than his body,” she chuckles. “But he’ll be fine. He just needs me for a couple of days to help him manage his business.”

“Okay.”

“I saw your man this morning. He’s intense,” she says with a smile.

“My man?”

I grin from ear to ear.

“Yeah, yeah. There was a bit of a standoff situation by the pool. I don’t know what he told your grandparents, but they surely didn’t like the news. I’m glad you’re under his protection.”

“Me too,” I say melancholically.

A few moments pass, with some noise at the other end of the line as she probably slides into a seat.

“What happened to Julian?” she asks. “They were talking about him, too.”

“Who did?”

“The staff was whispering this morning.”

“Fuck.”

“Is it bad?”

“Sort of.”

“And then they mentioned his name at the table outside. And then I saw the guy. Man, was he scared or what? He made a U-turn, and then Giorgio sent his men after him. I don’t know what happened next. I was getting out of the house, but I heard Nona say that he had gotten what he had deserved.”

Cheeks aflame with embarrassment, I try to move away from the topic.My ass still hurts, but what hurts the most is my pride.

The fact that he used me for his bizarre sexual fantasies pains me even more.

“Okay,” she says. “I gotta go. My father’s calling. I have to take this.”

“Sure, we’ll talk.”

“Absolutely. Let me know how it goes.”

“I will.”

We end the call, and I remain sunk in thought for a while.

I completely forgot about Julian and everything I told Callum.If he can still look at me in the way he looked, despite knowing what he does, he must be braver than I thought.

All the men I heard talk about women in my circle have always made a point of how pure they want them to be, yet they trip over each other in their quest to make them as broken as possible.

Pushing that thought back, I dig deep into the suitcase and pull out a couple of dresses.

One has a fitted top and a long full skirt.

The other features an A-line cut, a sleeveless design, a wide neckband, and a flowing shape, with the hemline touching the floor.

The fabric is soft and silky, and the folds created when I walk highlight my body.