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‘I could have phrased that better,’ he admitted, but that was clearly as much as he was prepared to admit.
‘It’s always nice to be good at something. I could put it on my next CV. Good with children and great at meaningless sex...’
He didn’t smile, but then she didn’t smile either; it had been a very bad joke.
The look in his eyes was really worrying her—he’d probably reject her concern, but what the hell? ‘What’s wrong?’
She didn’t really expect a response to her blunt question, not one so unambiguous, or immediate, or sad.
‘It would have been my brother’s twenty-ninth birthday today.’
The last vestiges of her animosity and resentment shrivelled away and her tender heart ached with empathy for the pain etched on his face.
‘Hearing people here talk about him, he sounded as if he was a good person.’
He nodded. ‘He would have been a wonderful father and I think he would think you are acting like a wonderful mother—’
Was this his subtle way of saying she had overstepped her authority?
‘I know I’m not Mattio’s mother.’
‘You’re more of a mother to him than the one he’s had,’ he pushed out in a bitter voice. ‘I’ve never previously thought that a mother figure was essential for a child’s well-being and development, but I think I was wrong.’
‘You’re not going to give him back to Violetta!’ she cried in horror. ‘I know that legally she is his mother but—’
‘No, I’m not letting him go back to Violetta,’ he promised, the metallic glint in his eyes as hard as his voice.
Some of the tension left her shoulders but Maya, who had surged to her feet, stayed standing. Samuele moved around the desk and sat on the edge facing her, now at eye level, his long legs stretched out in front of him.
‘And apparently, we are to expect a wedding invitation from her soon.’
‘So what does that mean? Do you think that she’ll try to take Mattio back?’
‘I would say that’s inevitable.’
‘But she doesn’t love him!’
‘You know how convincing she can be, Maya.’
Her eyes fell as she remembered how easily her half-sister had fooled her. ‘Oh, God! But this Charlie she’s marrying...didn’t you say he doesn’t want children?’ she cried, clinging to this straw of hope, not wanting to contemplate Mattio being caught up in a toxic tug of war.
‘I have no doubt that before long Charlie will do anything she asks just to keep her happy. It’s what Cristiano did.’
‘But she’ll abandon Mattio again! And this time, you might not find him.’ Her face creased in anguish at the thought. ‘Youcan’tlet her do that to him,’ she declared fiercely.
‘I have no intention of allowing her to do that. I intend to make a full custody claim. In the meantime I will keep paying up just to keep her quiet. It’s better for now if she thinks she is winning.’
‘Paying up?’ Comprehension hit her. ‘She isblackmailingyou?’
He shrugged and gave a dry smile. ‘Very carefully worded blackmail, but essentially yes.’
‘But isn’t her Charlie disgustingly rich...?’
‘It’s not about the money for Violetta—this is about her wreaking revenge on me for thwarting her claim to half the Agosti estate. And it’s about power. Remember, she does hold a trump card, actually more than one. You said it to me yourself back at your flat, didn’t you? Any court will initially favour a mother over other family members, and Mattio needs a mother in his life at least for the early years.’
She fixed him with an unwavering gaze and wondered at what age he imagined that youstoppedneeding your mother.
‘The obvious solution is for me to marry.’
