AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Obeid raised the wing of a midnight-black eyebrow in surprise. ‘That is either incompetent or inept.’
Alessandro kept his mouth shut, refusing to dignify her statement with a response.
‘I heard you were hours away from signing,’ she pressed again.
‘We were,’ he admitted. ‘But I’m not the only one at this table who has backed out of their obligations at the last minute,’ he said, his tone cracked like a whip, lashing out at yet another betrayal.
Obeid simply held his gaze. A lesser person might have flinched. Instead, what he read in Sofia’s blue-black eyes was only impatience. As if she’d been surprised it had taken them this long to get to this part of the conversation.
‘Good. We are done playing polite, then?’ she asked, her cut-glass tone unflinching.
In the corner of his eye, he saw that Amelia looked away from the table.
‘I don’t believe you would have ever approached me unless you had absolutely no other option.’
‘This is true,’ he replied, his tone level now that hostilities were almost open on the table. ‘But that doesn’t mean I don’t have a choice.’
‘Explain.’
His stomach ground down at the thought of it, but he knew that Gianni would agree with him. They had lived too long with someone else’s foot on their necks to ever allow themselves, or Rossi Industries, to be in that same position again.
‘My choice. Partner with you, or drop the project altogether.’
But they would lose millions, a voice screamed in Amelia’s head.Not to mention the damage done to their reputation.
No, no, no, no, no.Her pulse fluttered at a frantic speed and she looked to Sofia, who was considering Alessandro’s words.
‘And the money you have already invested in the project? Not to mention the irrevocable damage to your illustrious reputation?’
‘Are nothing in comparison to our integrity,’ Alessandro replied resolutely. Something twisted in her heart. This was the Alessandro that she had been with in Hong Kong. Integrity, loyalty, pride. She’d been confused by it, torn between the belief that he was corrupt and the instinctive knowledge that he wasn’t. Amelia drew in a shaky breath and held it, appreciating the significance his words would have for Sofia.
‘I know something of that, Mr Rossi,’ Sofia replied. ‘Some reputations are earned, some are not. Some are fabricated by bitterness, jealousy and lies and some are simply misunderstandings. If you want to move ahead as partners, I would like that.’ She caught a flash of surprise in the tightening across Alessandro’s shoulders, but his face betrayed nothing. ‘My assistant has sent Ms Seymore several direct references of previous partnerships who are happy to speak to you plainly and truthfully about their experience working with my company.’
Sofia rose from the table, and though Alessandro rose to bid her farewell, he stayed at the table as Amelia walked her from the villa.
It was just the shade of the interior that broke a cool sweat between her shoulder blades, Amelia told herself. The meeting was a success, she had to hold onto that.
Sofia turned just before reaching the front door. ‘He knows,’ the other woman warned her.
Amelia nodded. ‘I know,’ she replied, heart see-sawing painfully. She’d known the risk before arranging the meeting. ‘He’s not stupid.’
Something close to sympathy shone in Sofia’s gaze. ‘This is a dangerous game, Lia. I hope you know what you’re doing.’
Amelia nodded, the warning an echo of the one Alessandro had given her only days earlier. But neither had recognised that the game had already been played and lost, she and Alessandro just hadn’t admitted it yet.
She closed the door behind a woman who had once been her closest school friend ten years ago, and turned to find Alessandro staring at her from the end of the hallway, anger, bitterness and something else in his gaze that was quickly eaten up by the darkness.
‘You are right about one thing. I’m not stupid,’ he said, before turning on his heel and disappearing. And her heart dropped.
Despite that, she raced after him, desperate to explain before any more damage could be done. She reached the courtyard to find him pacing back and forth, all of the emotions he’d kept contained during the meeting finally unleashed in movement that reminded her of a caged panther.
‘Alessandro—’
‘But I am though, aren’t I?’ he demanded, his nostrils flaring at deep, quick breaths heaving his chest.
‘Are what?’
‘A fool!’ he roared. ‘A fool you have played not once, but twice.Cristo.’ He cradled his head in his hands. ‘How could I have ever trusted you?’
