“Nothing you need to be concerned with.”
Valentino’s gaze narrowed. “You know me better than that.”
Luca expelled an angry sigh. He did. He knew his grandfather would not leave until he had his answers—even if that meant speaking to Allegra. He wanted this dealt with before she appeared, and already he sensed he was living on borrowed time.
“It’s a matter from Allegra’s past. I have managed the situation.”
Valentino moved to one of the leather armchairs and sat in it with the agility of a man half his age. “Tell me.”
Luca stared towards the windows, and at the ocean beyond. “She was being blackmailed.”
“Because of her marriage to you?”
“No.”
“Something to do with her father?”
Luca ground his teeth. “It’s not your concern. Believe me when I tell you, I’ve dealt with it.”
“Luca,” Valentino sighed. “We should talk.”
Luca crossed the room on the pretence of pouring a coffee. He held a mug towards his grandfather, who shook his head. Luca stood, and watched.
“I know about your marriage.”
“What about it?” He was careful not to betray anything.
“I have a statement from one of the waitresses who was working, the night you met. You offered Allegra money, in exchange for her marrying you.”
Luca’s heart thumped hard into his ribs. Why hadn’t his investigator done that? Because he’d asked the man to look into Allegra, not the circumstances of their marriage. His throat felt dry suddenly, at the realisation that this had been his plan all along. Had Allegra told him then about her predicament?
No.
Even as he asked himself the question, he knew the answer. His grandfather had handed him the key that had unlocked his memories. Bit by bit, the night was coming back to him. He’d wanted her, but once they’d started talking, he’d had a sense that she could help him. He’d propositioned her almost by chance, but she’d agreed so quickly.
Now he understood why.
She’d been terrified, and he’d offered a chance at escape. That was why they’d married.
Fear.
She’d had her back against the wall, and he’d offered escape. It had never been about him, or an attraction to him.
He ground his teeth, his jaw set hard.
“Don’t you get it, Luca? I do not care that the marriage is fake. While it’s true that I’ve always wanted you to show me you could commit, that you were ready to settle down, there is more than one way to achieve that.”
Luca stayed very still.
“You, and you alone, did what was necessary to meet this requirement. You proved to me that you will do anything to make this company yours, to be a success.” Valentino’s eyes were shrewd. “The marriage, in the end, was immaterial.”
A muscle jerked in Luca’s jaw. He was the only one willing to go this far. To use a woman to get what he wanted. To lie to his family, and everyone who knew him. To up-end Allegra’s life, so that he could acquire what he’d always wanted.
A company she’d made him realise should be shared, not possessed solely by him.
Was she right?
Was there a path that involved Paolo and Dante? He’d never liked them. Nor trusted them. But how much of that was to do with Valentino’s obsessive need to let the best rise to the top?
