Page 87 of The Rebel Billionaire

It’s good to see you, he says.

“Quanto tempo! Sono felice di rivederti.”

Long time, I’m happy to see you again, I reply, dragging out my rusty Italian.

Tomasso turns to the ladies, holding out a hand, his weathered face alight with pleasure.

“Elise, it’s lovely to see you again,” he says, shaking her hand, before turning to Brooke.

“And who is this beautiful young woman?”

His sparkling eyes meet mine. I can see his unspoken question, and I stifle a groan.

“I’m Brooke, Alessandro’s PA. It’s lovely to finally meet you, Mr Esposito,” she says, holding out her hand.

His smile widens. “Tomasso, please. Ah, you are Brooke. Lovely to be able to put such a beautiful face to your name.” He turns to me. “She’s efficient, this one, no?”

“She is,” I say, really wishing we could move on.

Giovanni and Marco, Tomasso’s sons, come out of a side office to join us. He makes the relevant introductions.

“Marco, why don’t you take Alessandro and Brooke into the office and go through the figures?”

I bristle. Marco’s eyes have been trained on Brooke since he arrived.

“Brooke is going with Elise,” I say. “I want her to have a chance to see the fabric and sourcing, as well as carry out the audits we need.”

Marco’s shoulders droop at my words.

Brooke remains straight-faced. Is she totally oblivious to the male attention she attracts everywhere she goes? I’m glad Elise had the foresight to brief Brooke on the audit and quality standard assessments we’ll need to carry out while we’re here, taking on what would have been Nolan’s role.

Tomasso leads the women away. Marco’s eyes follow them like a lovesick puppy.

“Come on. Your papà has told me you’re now in charge of capacity planning as well as negotiations.”

Marco turns his attention to me. He’s about ten years younger than me, much closer to Brooke in age.

“My master’s in business has paid off,” he says with a grin. “Thanks for the advice.”

“I’m glad, and you’re welcome, although maybe I won’t be when we’re negotiating terms.”

“Come on,” he says. “Let’s get some proper coffee and talk business.”

* * *

Four hours later, I catch up with Elise in the raw material storage room. She has some of next summer’s designs out on the table and is deep in discussion with both Tomasso and Giovanni.

“How about this? Is this what you’re looking for?” Brooke appears from deep within the racks.

Elise looks up. “Oh, my goodness, it’s perfect.” Her eyes move to Giovanni. “What do you think?”

“I think we’re onto something. It’s also available in multiple shades.”

Brooke grins, her cheeks glowing. She looks to be in her element.

“How’s it going?” I say, stepping into the room.

“Good. I think we’ve sourced the fabrics for next summer’s collection,” Elise replies.