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‘It does. Like strawberries and cream at Wimbledon.’
Another burst of laughter escaped her but there was anger underlying it. ‘I’m glad. Your family don’t deserve anything after the way they treated you.’
‘If they had treated me better, do you think they would have deserved something then?’ he asked.
‘That’s not what I meant,’ she protested. ‘Your money is yours. You earned it, you’re the only one with a right to it. If you choose to share it with anyone then it’s that—a choice, not an obligation.’
‘You don’t think you’re entitled to a share of it as my wife?’
‘Of course not.’
His eyes burned intensely. ‘But say we were to go our separate ways, would you not be tempted to sue for a large share of it?’
‘No. And if I know you at all I would gamble my own money that you made me sign a prenup.’
For a brief moment his lips pulled together and his jaw tightened but then his features relaxed. ‘We married too quickly for that.’
‘So I’m not the only one who lost their marbles, then?’
That made her stomach settle a bit, knowing whatever madness had caught them in its grip to compel them to marry had been mutual. She’d always known Stefano had worked like a lion to build his fortune and enjoyed the fruits of his spoils like a sultan. Until that moment she’d thought she’d understood it but she’d underestimated him. The fight and grit it must have taken for him to build what he had was mind-blowing and her respect for him only grew.
Stefano finished his drink and smiled tightly. ‘I think we both went a little mad that day.’
It was an insanity he would never allow himself to fall into again.
Anna put her empty glass on the coffee table. ‘Has getting your revenge helped?’
‘Naturalmente.’
‘But has it helped you emotionally? You had such a lot to deal with...’
‘It’s over,’ he interrupted with a shrug. ‘I dealt with it at the time and moved on.’
‘That’s a lot to deal with and you were so young.’ Her pretty eyebrows rose disbelievingly. ‘I thought I’d been dealt a crummy hand but at least I’ve always had Melissa.’
Stefano flexed his fingers. He didn’t want her sympathy or attempts to delve into his mind.
Anna’s actions had hit him in a place his family had never reached.
‘We make our own luck and fortune, bellissima. The past stays where it is.’
‘I’m not so stupid that I don’t know my dad’s death and my mum’s desertion affected me,’ she said stubbornly.
‘Are you calling me stupid?’
‘Of course not. I’m just saying that I don’t see how your revenge could have been enough...’
‘It was more than enough.’ He could feel his ire rising. Anna was the only person who dared speak back to him. They could argue and shout at each other like a pair of wildcats.
Those arguments had always made him feel so alive even before the days when they’d settle cross words in bed.
‘We’ve had a long flight and you’re exhausted. Rest for a few hours and then I’ll order some food.’
She got to her feet and folded her arms across her chest. ‘Do you always brush me off like this now I’m your wife?’
‘I’m not brushing you off; it’s just not a subject worth wasting my breath on.’
Seeing her face turn mutinous, he forced a more conciliatory tone of voice. ‘Let’s not have an argument when we’ve only just arrived. Come, I’ll show you the rest of the house.’
