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“I don’t like this talk,” Rocco said brusquely. “Don’t tell me you’ve done something stupid like falling in love with him.”
Scarlett spun around to confront her father. “I could do worse,” she said. “I could have fallen for a man like you. One without scruples, or any regard for human life.”
Rocco paled and reeled back slightly, grasping the chair for support. “What did you say?” he asked weakly.
“I know all about you.” Scarlett sneered. “I know what you did to Carter, and to his brother-in-law. You may not have done the actual killing, but you’re just as guilty.”
“It was business,” Rocco asserted, fumbling a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his sweaty brow. “They refused to sell me that goddamn chip. My company was floundering, and our lives would have been ruined. We would have lost everything.”
“Our lifestyle wasn’t worth murdering for,” Scarlett retorted. “You had a man killed, and another was scarred for life, for the sake of your comfort. I’m ashamed that I share your genes. I’m ashamed to be a Terini, and I wish there was some way that I could magically undo being your daughter.”
“You ungrateful little bitch.” Rocco balled up his fist. “I’ve done everything for you and your sisters, and this is the gratitude I receive? You embrace my enemy and sell out your own flesh.”
“Your actions weren’t prompted from concern for us. You did what you did for your own selfish reasons.”
Rocco’s expression changed, his eyes narrowed, and lines bracketed his mouth. “Did he get his money’s worth?” he asked in a chilling voice.
Scarlett’s mouth closed, and her last thought flew from her head. “What?”
“Did Braxton enjoy you? Did he get the full value the money he paid for your virginity?”
She snorted. “I know all about your offer, Father. Carter told me about it long before we began any relationship. I also know he didn’t pay you a dime, or you wouldn’t have been selling Chrys to the highest bidder.”
“He did pay me,” Rocco insisted. “He told me he was anxious to ruin the daughter of his greatest enemy, and it was worth paying for.”
Scarlett shrugged, schooling her face into a bland expression. “You’re a liar,” she said firmly, knowing that Carter had not paid for her virginity. If he’d done so, he wouldn’t have waited so long to claim his prize. “I do love him,” she freely admitted, “And I support him completely. If he wants to destroy you, I’ll be standing by, applauding.” She left him in the sitting room, passing Darren on her way upstairs.
Carter
“What’s this all about?” Rocco demanded entering his study. He had sent Darren to retrieve him and now he stood by the door as a precaution. “I don’t appreciate being summoned from my home to waste more than two hours in a car just to meet with you.”
“It will be worth your time,” Carter said blandly, barely restraining his anger.
“How so?” Rocco asked, his interest peaked.
Carter leaned back in his chair, bracing his feet on the desk. “Your daughter came to my home today, begging for protection from you. Scarlett was upset and worried about her sister, so she came to me. I don’t like it when Scarlett is upset.”
“Why’s that?” Rocco asked calmly.
“Let’s just say I’ve developed a fondness for Scarlett. I couldn’t allow you to manipulate her sister into a marriage against her will. Scarlett would be upset and might never forgive me.” He grinned at Darren, enjoying himself.
“What does this all have to do with me?”
“I’m getting to that,” Carter said coolly. “I’ve spoken with Chrys and realized that she is too young and immature to marry anyone, especially a man thirty years her senior. I was shocked that you would so casually offer her to the wolves to save your own hide once again. I knew you were a ruthless bastard, but I thought even you would have limits.”
Rocco exploded from his seat. “I didn’t come here to be insulted.”
“You came here at my request, and you’ll stay until I allow you to leave,” Carter said in a very soft voice. “You’ll take whatever I give you, and you’ll keep your damn mouth shut.”
“What are you going to do to me?”
Sighing, Carter swung his legs from the desk, ignoring the pain in his hip, and leaned forward. “Nothing,” he said after a long pause. “I’ve decided to return the deed to your house.”
“So you’ve had a change of heart?” The sneer playing on his lips told Carter than this is exactly what Rocco had hoped for. He hated the way it made him feel. But Scarlett was far more important.
Carter smiled, a cold, predatory smile. “No, I’ve decided Scarlett’s happiness is more important than your ruination. I can’t bear to see her unhappy, and I’m willing to give up my torture of you for her. I figure you’ll lose the house within two years to taxes anyway.”
Pulling open a drawer, Carter extracted the file containing the deed to Terini Manor and scrawled his signature across it. The experience hurt less than he’d expected, and he felt surprisingly free as he watched Rocco sign the papers. He could finally leave Terini in the past and concentrate on his future, a future that included Scarlett.
