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His words returned to her, impacting deeper than she wanted them to. Had he been referring to his parents? She wanted to ask but wasn’t she the one reinforcing the wall between them? What right did she have to personal details?
The plane banked slightly and again sunlight glinted off her rings. She stared down at her finger, wondering for the second time in a very short time if this was some sort of message. She wasn’t one for flights of fancy, but since Rocco seemed intent on renegotiating their deal, was she foolish to dismiss it out of hand? Again she looked up at him, watched his eyes travel from her face to the rings and back again.
‘Something on your mind?’ he rasped.
She opened her mouth to say no but the word stuck in her throat.
What was she doing? She’d been married barely a day and already she was doubting herself? She pushed her thoughts away and glanced down at the report.
‘The land is a little more waterlogged than I anticipated. You’ll need more substantial reinforcement of the foundation to support the building. And the soil is also porous, so you’ll require specially treated steel. I’ll be able to give you a better assessment once we’re onsite,’ she said, striving for a no-nonsense tone.
A flash of disappointment crossed his face.
Had he been hoping that she would delve into the personal? With everything still so strained between them?
His expression neutralised, the moment passing. They discussed the Macau project in further detail, then moved to other projects he was working on around the world. Each one was a stunning work of art and she eagerly absorbed every detail.
Oh, how she had missed this. As much as she loved being a mother to Gianni, her work life had sustained her spirit, her contribution to transforming Rocco’s vision from mere steel and bricks and mortar into beautiful works of art fulfilling in the extreme.
She barely felt time speed by but five hours later, when they reluctantly broke for lunch, Rocco tossed her an amused half-smile. ‘You’re enjoying yourself,’ he observed, his gaze raking her face.
She shrugged. ‘I can’t deny that I’ve missed this.’
‘Working with me?’
‘Working at all. But since you’re the only one I’ve really worked for, yes.’
Slowly, the amusement drained from his eyes. ‘Then why did you do it?’
Mia stared back at him, praying he would read the truth in her words. ‘I didn’t.’
For what felt like a lifetime he simply stared at her.
‘Do you believe me?’ she pushed.
‘Is it important to you that I do?’ he parried, his voice thick with emotion she couldn’t quite name.
She wanted to toss out a flippant answer to show she didn’t care one way or another. But she did care. Perhaps much more than was wise. ‘Yes, it is.’
‘Then I will,’ he stated equally simply. Starkly.
Her breath caught. ‘Just like that?’
‘The stalking case against you is fraudulent by all indication. It’s reasonable to assume whoever went to the trouble set you up for the blueprints too. I don’t need hard facts to tell me that. And in the grand scheme of things, no harm was caused by my opponents getting hold of those blueprints. They didn’t have the expertise to pull out such a structure in a desert environment like Abu Dhabi. And once it became known that they were trying to pass off my work as their own, their reputation took an irreparable dent. If you want me to believe that you didn’t betray me, then I will be prepared to put it behind us.’
A lump rose in her throat, despite the fact that he hadn’t given her the ringing endorsement of belief she’d sought. He was merely giving her the benefit of the doubt.
‘What about Alessandro?’ she blurted.
His features closed up, not before she spotted a shadow of doubt flash across his face. ‘I will not rush to judgement until I have irrefutable evidence before me.’
She shouldn’t have been hurt, of course. Still, her heart squeezed painfully. ‘Very well.’ She pushed her plate away, her appetite gone.
About to reach for the tablet to resume reading the reports on his various projects, she stopped when he brushed his fingers across her knuckles. ‘It’s time to take a break. If we don’t want to battle jet lag when we land it might be a good idea to catch a few hours of sleep.’
Immediately her pulse leapt, her blood heating as memories from last night flooded her. ‘I...okay, but not just yet. I want to finish this.’ She indicated the report.
He stayed seated for a beat, then nodded. ‘Bene.’
