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Why had he gone there?
The lump in my throat was clogging my breath. I swallowed painfully. I looked away from him to the window, trying to blink back my tears. But one silly one had already escaped and was rolling to my lips.
Dammit.
I didn’t want to cry in front of this man.
“Buon giorno miei cari.”
His eyes flicked to his brother, face tightening. Annoyance sparked off his shoulders. I didn’t care. This was just what we needed. A third party and a second for me to recollect myself.
Angelo swooped into the chair next to him and broke out in a torrent of Italian, indicating to Antonio and his chair with his hands. That’s right. This was very unusual for him. He never sat down in the morning. He grabbed his espresso and moved on. Whatever Antonio’s long explanation was, it made his brother happy. He clapped him on his shoulder, hugged him, and looked at me, grinning. “La mia bellissima cognata.”
“You do know I don’t speak Italian, right?” Sometimes, it was like the entire household thought I had suddenly sparked up my Italian in my sleep.
Antonio whipped up, grabbing his brother by his collar. Angelo was not a small man, but somehow, he made it look so effortless.
“It’s for your own good. Some of his words are not meant for your pretty ears, signorina,” he said, pushing Angelo in front of him and walking out of the living room.
I watched them go, both of similar height. Angelo’s long curly hair, next to his brother's thick brown and grey, whispering in Italian about whatever was not meant for my pretty ears.
I should look it up. Whatever he had said. But honestly, I wouldn’t even know how to type it out, and Rosa’s English was average on her best day. Beautiful something.
Crap.
I rushed to do damage control as Cora gargled out her milk all over herself. At least this time, it wasn’t on me.
ANTONIO
A few weeks had passed by since I had this brilliant idea. It came to me first when I watched Divya trying to get Cora to roll over for me. Standing in the nursery, watching her on her knees bribing Cora with all kinds of silly toys and smiles. It occurred to me then that I would never find anyone on short notice who would be so good with Cora as she was. To think of it, I had rejected every other nanny who turned up on my doorstep except for this delicious one.
A few days later, when I came across her in the hallway, skipping along with Cora in her arms, barefoot as usual, I thought of it again. I felt comfortable having her around in my home, where few were welcomed.
When I was away, I thought of it again. Thoughts of her crawled all over my head. When I was fucking Sonia, I imagined I was inside Miss Praan.
I didn’t have to go to Portsmouth. But when I was in London, I suddenly found myself taking the two-hour drive and walking past her childhood home. It occurred to me then why I would make the effort.
My idea evolved when I saw her in my swimming pool right beneath my bedroom window. While the water trickled to her white slip, the details began clicking.
I voiced it first to Angelo. It was already fixed the moment I spoke of it, but really it only occurred to me that my decision was made the moment I heard Angelo call her “la mia bellissima cognata.”
Yes. She would be a beautiful sister-in-law to Angelo. Honestly, the only family I gave a fuck about. The perfect granddaughter figure to Rosa. While not her mother, she would give Cora a good upbringing. For me, she would be the perfect wife. I didn’t need to marry her to fuck her. And fuck her, I must do. But this was a two birds, one stone kind of idea. It was a convenience.
This was no doubt why I had gone to Portsmouth. Why else would I go all the way there other than to check the background of the woman I was going to marry?
CHAPTER NINE
DIVYA
He had asked that I come to his office. Antonio never asked. He demanded. Although Armando never said it like that, I knew I had no other option than to obey rather than creep into bed with my interesting novel, as I had originally planned to do. No. When the master summoned, everyone obeyed.
Now, back in that room where I first met the man, I felt as unnerved as I did that first time, under his dark look. My safe haven was too far away to reach.
He looked especially intimidating today. Standing next to me with his hip leaning on his desk and his arms casually resting on his thighs, he gave the aura of nonchalance when his razor-focused eyes on me implied the opposite. Perhaps it was because he was in black and white today. He looked like the devil himself, ready to strike a deal. I had the sudden urge to get up and run in the opposite direction. I wanted no part of this.
“There’s a problem, Divya.”
My head shot up from where my eyes had been. I hadn’t realised it, but my eyes had somehow settled on his groin area.
