Page 72 of Brutal Heir

It was fine.

Everything was going to be fine.

I would take the website catalog job in Paris.

Sebastian would return to Italy, and the rumors would die down.

It would be like none of this ever happened.

All just a twisted fever dream.

Then that dream contorted back into a reality nightmare when Édouard appeared in the doorway.

His face looked pale, and his hands shook so badly he almost dropped his phone. “Sabrina. There has been a mistake.”

No. No. No. Please, no.

Édouard’s lips thinned. “I’m afraid there is no open stylist position for you here at Sauvage-Lafleur. You’re free to go.”

And there it was…

After exchanging a look with Yelena, I stepped forward. “Can you tell me what changed your mind?”

I didn’t even know why I was asking—twisting the knife, perhaps?

I already knew what, or rather who, had changed his mind.

He waved his hands in front of his face and left without a word of explanation.

I closed my eyes to absorb the news.

It didn’t matter how hard I fought—he always got what he wanted.

Sebastian Diamanti had just gotten me fired.

CHAPTER 19

SEBASTIAN

“It’s official. You’re fucked.”

Benedict Cavalieri tossed an intelligence file onto my desk before lowering his tall frame into one of the burgundy leather chairs opposite me. The leather creaked faintly under his weight.

We sat in the executive office of the Parisian flagship store of the House of Diamanti, a space reserved for my private use.

Watery sunlight filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, trying to break through the gray clouds, which hinted at an impending storm.

The grandeur and squalor of Paris sprawled beyond the glass.

Leaning forward, I spun the leather portfolio to face me and opened it.

“I didn’t know you were in Paris. Is Liliana with you?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral and perusing the documents.

Benedict’s lips curved slightly—not quite a smile, but close. “Matteo is looking after her and Ella while they meet with some gallery owners about lining up guest lectures for the Cavalieri School of Art and Music.”

The Cavalieri girls’ latest project involved turning a family home on the piazza into a school. Through donations, it would be tuition-free and include art and music programs for the entire village.

I admired their work and their close-knit family dynamic. There were times when I longed for a quieter life in the Italian countryside than the one I led in the harsh spotlight in Rome.