She wished she were more on more solid moral ground, so she could properly refute that. “You think I’ve only married him for material reasons?”
“I know you barely know him.”
She laughed then, shaking her head. The ground felt a little more solid. “Believe me, that’s not true. You can ask me anything you’d like about him…”
“Which proves you’re smart and you’ve studied. True knowledge comes over time. True love, too.”
She agreed with him, in her heart, but she couldn’t admit that. Not without weakening her position. “Fortunately, what you think is irrelevant.”
“But my grandfather must believe you.”
“And you think he doesn’t?”
“He’s a shrewd old bastard. I highly doubt even Luca can fool him.”
“Then it’s just as well we’re not looking to fool anyone,” she lied, but her voice trembled a little. “Excuse me.”
She turned to leave but Paolo reached out, wrapping his hand around her wrist. “I’m trying to help you,” he said, urgently. “You should leave, while you can.”
She shook her head. “Let go of me.”
“I’m serious. He’s wrong for you.”
“You make it sound like this is a kidnapping.”
“Isn’t it?”
Her lips parted. How could she tell Paolo that in Vegas, she’d been threatened with an actual kidnapping, and that for all his faults, Luca had been her saviour?
“I don’t want to talk about this.” She jerked on her arm. Perhaps he would have let go then. She would never know for sure, because at that moment, with a face like a thunderclap, Luca stepped onto the terrace and almost flew towards them.
“Let her go!” he shouted and then a fast string of Italian flew from his lips, followed by Paolo’s response in kind. He dropped her hand, or perhaps it was Luca pulling her away that had Paolo dropping it. Luca’s eyes fell to her face, his expression truly terrifying.
“Are you okay,cara?”
She worried at her lower lip, nodding quickly.
“Go inside,” he said. “We’ll be leaving soon. Grab your things.”
She looked from brother to brother, their stances, and held her ground. She could recognise a fight brewing when she saw it.
“No. We’ll go together.” Her voice shook a little though. Paolo had upset her—had frightened her, too—but Luca’s response was doing its own bit to throw her emotions into disarray. He looked as though he was ready to tear his brother limb from limb.
“Leave us,” he said to Ally, firmly.
“No.” Her tone matched his. She glanced at Paolo. The same tension was radiating from him. She realised this was not new for them. They hated each other and they had no idea how to express that.
“Luca,” she reached up and touched his cheek, somehow just knowing he needed that. She reached for his fingers and squeezed them. “Please, let’s go together.”
A muscle jerked in his jaw, tension in every line of his body. He was clearly fighting a war inside, but he nodded once. Without taking his eyes off Allegra, he said, “Do not ever touch her again.”
They left before Paolo could express a reply.
The plan had formed swiftlyfor Luca. He didn’t want to leave his grandfather’s island and be back at the villa, surrounded bystaff loyal to his family, within hours. He wanted to be alone. Away from the version of him they expected, the version of himself he turned into, whenever they were together.
He wanted to decompress and strategise.
For all the weekend had done what it was supposed to, it was obvious that Valentino had no intention of making this easy. He and Allegra would need to pull out the big guns to convince him that Luca was a changed man, now settled and ready to be in a serious relationship. Ready to commit, and let go completely, of his harmful past. To trust and be trusted: one of Valentino’s biggest prerequisites in life, and business.
