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It was more than just a thought, it was more certain and real than anything he had felt in his life.
All that he had for more than two years denied and resisted flew into him now. He turned and faced the board and offered his response.
‘I’m not going to discuss our relationship with you.’
‘Relationship?’ Luigi thundered. ‘Since when did you do relationships?’
But Dante refused to clarify. ‘I give enough of myself to the company without having to explain my personal life.’ But this time he did not give his usual rant about being single and sleeping with whoever he chose. ‘I will tell you only this: nothing took place while my father was alive, and it is my belief that I would have his full support.’
Dante turned in surprise as his mother then spoke. ‘You would have Rafael’s support, Dante.’
His mother could be difficult and self-serving at times, but she had his back now and he was grateful for that. ‘Thank you,’ Dante said. ‘Do I have the board’s support?’
‘You have mine,’ Ariana said.
‘Thank you.’
‘You always have mine,’ Stefano replied, and Dante thanked him too.
There was silence from everyone else.
‘Feel free to walk,’ Dante offered, though of course no one did. Instead, they sighed their passive-aggressive sighs and nodded their judgmental heads because the fact was they needed him, far more than he needed them, and they knew it.
‘Then that’s that,’ Dante said. ‘And from now on, if you can’t be nice to Mia, you will be polite or God help you when you have to answer to me.
‘Now,’ Dante said, ‘if you’ll excuse me, there is somewhere else I need to be.’
And that somewhere wasn’t his office, though of course he headed there first. ‘What did they say?’ Mia asked the second he came through the door.
‘The usual,’ Dante said. ‘Come on, I need some air. We can leave by a side exit if you prefer not to be seen with me.’
‘I already told you, I’m not going to hide.’
‘Good,’ Dante said as he guided her out.
‘Have you been fired?’ Mia asked as they took the lift down.
‘Fired!’ Dante gave a wry laugh. ‘They can’t fire me. They could ask me to step down, but of course they won’t. No, I will still be ensuring their pockets are lined for years to come...’
‘Do you hate your work?’ Mia asked as they headed through the foyer.
‘No, I love my work,’ Dante contradicted her. ‘It’s just a pain at times that I work with family members who think they have a say in every aspect of my life, when they don’t. Anyway, enough about work. I have given myself the rest of the day off.’
‘Where are we going?’ Mia frowned, for they stepped out to bright blue skies and fresh spring air and Dante said a few choice words to the reporters all waiting to hear how the meeting had gone.
He seemed buoyant, yet tense, and she trotted to keep up with him, her stilettos sinking into the grass, as he walked with purpose through the stunning Giardino delle Cascate—the Garden of the Waterfalls.
They were exquisitely beautiful, a lush green haven in the business end of the city, with a cascade of waterfalls and arches of water. It was such a tranquil oasis that Mia stopped trying to keep up with Dante for a moment in order to drink in the spectacular sights and sounds.
And Dante stopped too.
‘Amazing, isn’t it?’ he said. ‘I come here sometimes to kick a stone and scream.’
‘Really?’ Mia said, smiling at the very thought.
‘But not today.’
‘Dante, what happened in there?’
