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“And you turned him down?” Gia’s voice rose.
“Shh...” Bianca glanced at the doorway to assure herself that they were still alone. “I don’t want anyone to know.”
“I wouldn’t want anyone to know you lost your mind either. I mean, it’s obvious by the look on your face when you mention Leo that you love him. And he’s a prince. What else do you need?”
“You don’t understand. What happens when the DNA test says I’m not a Bartolini?”
“You’re still you and he loves you.”
Bianca shook her head. “He loves the idea of me. But when I pointed out about the DNA tests and that I could be anyone’s daughter, including a criminal’s, he went silent.” It was only when her sister’s face paled that Bianca realized she’d said too much. “Gia, I didn’t mean that. I... I was just being thoughtless.”
“It’s okay.” The look on her face said it was anything but okay. “It’s the truth. We don’t know anything about the biological father.”
Not sure what to say, Bianca opted to distract her sister with her story about Leo. “Anyway, Leo didn’t say a word and then he walked away. That was all the answer I needed.”
Gia grabbed a tray of pastries and placed them in front of Bianca. “I think you’re going to need these.” When Bianca arched a questioning brow, Gia added, “You know, comfort food.”
Bianca’s gaze moved to the tray. “I’m going to need a lot more sweets than this. Do you have any chocolate?”
Before Gia could answer, sounds of a commotion came from the front of the villa. What was that all about? Some rowdy guests?
“I’ll be right back.” Gia rushed out of the room.
Bianca browsed the cabinets for some chocolate. The voices in the front room grew louder and she could hear Gia’s raised voice. Alarmed, Bianca pushed the cabinet door shut and rushed after her sister.
Bianca came to a halt when she spotted Leo.
Her heart leaped into her throat.
What was he doing here? Not that she should care. Whatever they’d shared was over.
* * *
“Go away.”
Leo braced himself for a prickly reception. He just hadn’t expected the hostility to come from Bianca’s sister. It didn’t surprise him. He’d handled things poorly with Bianca. He just needed a chance to make it up to her.
Luckily for him, the private jet had returned earlier than expected and he didn’t have time to wait until noon for the commercial flight. It was refueled and ready to go early that morning. Still, it had taken him longer to get to the Bartolini estate than he’d planned because he had to make an important detour. It was a crucial part of his plan to win Bianca back. He hoped it would prove to her once and for all how much he cared about her...if only he could get past her brother and sister.
“I’m not leaving until I speak to Bianca,” Leo said as Enzo continued to stand in front of him with his fists pressed into his sides.
“She doesn’t want to see you,” Enzo said while Gia agreed with him. “I don’t care if you are a prince, you can’t hurt my sister.”
“You don’t understand—”
“I understand that my sister was crying and that’s all I need to know.”
The fact he’d caused Bianca such pain weighed heavy on him. He had to make it up to her, if she’d let him. “I can fix this.”
Gia stepped between the two men. She leveled her shoulders and tilted her chin upward. “If you’ve come to tell my sister that she’s not good enough to be a royal, you can leave now.”
That’s what she thought? It couldn’t be further from the truth. But he didn’t want to explain himself to Bianca’s siblings. The person he needed to explain things to was Bianca—
“Leo, you shouldn’t be here.” Bianca stepped into the room.
“Don’t worry about him,” Enzo said. “He was just leaving.”
“No. I wasn’t.” Leo frowned at the man. And then he turned his attention to Bianca. “I need to speak with you. Alone.”
