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Sucking in a breath, she took his proffered arm.
A few minutes later, they were stepping outside onto the wide terrace on the opposite side of where they’d dined last night. The early morning sunlight bathed the space and a smiling Lita was already seated at the table.
She waved Genie to a seat after accepting a kiss from her grandson. The conversation was light and general, a vast difference from last night, much to Genie’s relief. She helped herself to fruit, muesli and tea, then, at Lita’s nudging, a helping of warm, buttered bread baked fresh by Sofia. She was enjoying her second cup of tea when Lita glanced over at her.
‘You’re still so pale, child. Don’t worry. In no time at all, that pale skin will be glowing. The littleniñowill love it too, you’ll see.’
Genie’s reaction was visceral and immediate. ‘But I’m not staying.’
Lita’s eyes widened with confusion, then slowly darkened with distress. Her gaze shifted to her grandson. As did Genie’s.
His earlier congeniality was gone. He was watching Genie with a chilled message in his eyes.
Don’t upset her, it warned.
As recently as yesterday, she would’ve ignored him. Stated exactly what was on her mind. But Lita had welcomed her with nothing but warmth. It wasn’t her fault that her grandson was a Neanderthal who went around kidnapping women to his gorgeous South American estate.
Not women. Just you.
And it was probably in that moment, when outrage should’ve been her reigning emotion but instead there deigned to be a swelling for this special exclusivity, that Genie realised she was dangerously close to losing her way. To buckling under Seve Valente’s demands.
‘What does she mean?’ Lita asked her grandson.
Seve’s jaw gritted. ‘Nothing for you to worry about, Lita.’
The old woman glared at him. ‘I’ll be the judge of what I need to worry about,mijo.’ She turned to Genie, skewering her with a look so much like her grandson’s, Genie’s breath caught. ‘Are you planning to leave?’ There was mild accusation in her tone. And, absurdly, guilt stung Genie.
She glanced at Seve, but he wasn’t inclined to save her now she’d upset his precious grandmother and placed herself in the old woman’s crosshairs.
Genie licked her lips as he reached for the carafe of orange juice, poured her a glass and proceeded to pour himself some heavenly smelling coffee.
He took his time to sip it, his eyes mocking her over the top of the expensive china.
‘I had...have a project that I’m working on that I need to return to.’
‘Do you?’ Seve enquired with deceptive mildness.
‘Yes,’ she insisted, struggling not to scowl.
‘Perhaps you should double-check those plans before you make hasty decisions?’
A chill washed over her neck. ‘What are you talking about?’
He shrugged but before she could push for an answer, the butler stepped onto the terrace. ‘Señor, the doctor and his team are here.’
A different sort of tension swept over the table. The only one who looked excited was Lita. Seve pinned Genie with a look as he came around to grip the back of her chair. Under the guise of helping her up, he murmured in her ear, ‘We’ll pick this up later.’
‘We most certainly will.’
Their march back indoors was far more strained than when they’d come down half an hour ago. Genie kicked herself for feeling bereft for it. And even as she was introduced to the middle-aged female doctor with her all-female crew, something churned in her chest that closely resembled desolation.
The portable gurney set up in one of the smaller siting rooms was comfortable, yet Genie couldn’t bring herself to relax. The series of questions Dr Dominici asked her didn’t help, conscious as Genie was of Seve’s domineering presence beside her.
As one of the doctor’s team made notes on a tablet, Genie felt fingers caressing her temple. ‘Relax,pequeña. All this tension isn’t good for the baby.’
The words were low and evenly spoken against her ear, but they held the tiniest edge that did the opposite. Seve felt it, and she sensed his displeasure as he straightened again. But in the next moment, her belly was being exposed by Dr Dominici, and Seve’s fingers were wrapping around hers as the screen flickered to life.
And then an alarming thing happened.
