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His eyes glinted with a mixture of mockery and begrudging...respect? When the latter eased a touch of that hollowness, Giada suspected that her brain and body were playing tricks on her.
Because that would mean...
She jerked away from the table, and when his eyes narrowed, she picked up her half-finished plate and headed for the sink.
‘What are you doing?’ he growled behind her.
‘I’ve finished eating. And as you dismissed your butler for the night, I’m clearing up.’ She shrugged, not turning around in case he read her befuddled feelings in her expression.
For several seconds, silence reigned behind her, then she heard the distinct sound of his chair scraping back.
Giada’s skin tightened as he strolled closer. As his scent hit her nostrils. As he paused behind her before stepping next to her, his plate in hand.
As she felt the singe of his regard before he drawled, ‘I’m reluctant to admit you’ve done the impossible, Gigi. You’ve surprised me. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, I’m yet to make up my mind. Perhaps having another day I don’t want freed up in my schedule may not be a bad thing after all.’
CHAPTER FIVE
HISWORDSMADEher nervous, Alessio could tell.
For some reason he welcomed it. Relished it in fact because it eased some of the unsettled feelings rushing freely through him. And while he wanted to blame Massimo and his infuriating avoidance antics for those emotions, Alessio knew most of it stemmed from this woman.
Diu, his confession was ringing in his ears and hestillcouldn’t believe he’d given his potential adversary an insight into his thoughts.
And she was an adversary. Just because she didn’t seem like the entitled princess he’d initially written her off to be didn’t mean he could lower his guard.
She was still withholding his property from him, after all.
But even her nervousness was a surprise.
The Gigi he’d encountered before didn’t have a nervous bone in her body. She’d been the typical brazen, party-addicted socialite chasing her next adventure, not this seemingly conscientious individual who baulked at drinking wine and tidied up after herself without whining about the absence of servants.
She’s playing a part...
The realisation sent a bolt of ire—and alarming disappointment—through his gut.
He watched her closely, saw her visibly relax her shoulders and breathe out, while avoiding his gaze and throwing open cabinets until she found what she was looking for—the dishwasher.
With a touch of that bewilderment that irritated him, he watched her place her dish and cutlery within, before pointedly looking at his. When he didn’t move, her gaze flicked up. The hint of nerves and spark of fire within stoked his own.
A little bemused by the whole situation, Alessio—who couldn’t remember the last time he’d stacked a dishwasher—stepped forward and slotted in his used plate and cutlery.
Then straightened, his hands propped on his hips.
Your move.
She licked her lower lip, then bit the inside of it as her eyes darted once more around the kitchen, avoiding his. When she spun away from him and hurried back to the stool, he couldn’t help but stare at her lush behind, a groan rising forcefully in his throat before he swallowed it back down.
‘I’ve had an idea about your problem.’
‘You mean your problem, don’t you?’ he countered, striding after her with a compulsion he couldn’t stop.
She shrugged, and while she dragged her wine glass towards her, she made no move to drink, contenting herself with running a slim finger along the edge. ‘I guess. Okay, here’s my idea. Since it’s a subsidiary, would your client be prepared to sell it off quickly? Get rid of it so it’s no longer part of the whole? Surely the new buyers would agree to take the other thriving businesses at a renegotiated deal than saddle themselves with the problematic subsidiary?’
‘They probably would, if the problem wasn’t being kept under strict wraps. This subsidiary forms part of the deal. Suddenly selling it off would raise more questions and invite more scrutiny. And you also forget the issue of the fifteen per cent in the control of others. That isn’t a problem that can be wrapped up as neatly as everyone would want.’
‘Why not? Who are these people?’ she asked, her eyes wide with curiosity and speculation. ‘You mentioned they were unsavoury. Just how...umm...unsavoury?’
Alessio’s jaw tightened. ‘They’re the kind of vicious leeches who target and prey on weak individuals. The kind who shouldn’t be allowed to get within a mile of someone like my client’s brother, and yet it’s inevitable that he’d fall within their clutches.’
