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‘I’m not some damsel in distress who needs your protection. Until this morning I was acting CEO of the company we share equal ownership of. I’ve been at the helm of Velamar for six months while I gave you the time you needed to recover.’
‘I don’t think you’re a damsel in distress. You are the strongest woman I’ve ever met. I just need you to trust me that we need to do this.’
‘It doesn’t make sense. I wouldn’t let Duarte make this choice for me if he were alive. And I won’t be accepting it from you, either.’
‘This isn’t about how capable you are. This is about your safety.’
Suddenly her anger fell away and she looked at him. Took in the tension around his mouth, the shadows in his eyes. She remembered his reaction when she’d told him that Duarte was soon to be declared legally dead. She had seen something entirely different then. He hadn’t just been angry... He’d been afraid. For her. And then her mind replayed the look on his face as he’d arrived just now with the three guards in tow, asking her if there was a problem.
‘Look...I haven’t been truthful about what I’ve been doing for the past six months. You thought I was in hiding while I recovered and I let you believe that because it’s partially true. I have been isolated and angry and dealing with...with what happened. Tristan Falco witnessed my own methods of dealing with it first-hand and gave me some good advice.’
‘No more lies and avoidance. Tell me the truth. Why do you need me to agree to this so badly?’ As she asked the question, her legs felt weak, and an odd twisting sensation started up in her stomach.
He smoothed a hand down his face, closing his eyes for a long moment as though fortifying himself.
‘Duarte knew that he was in danger when he went to Rio alone. He didn’t expect me to follow him. All I know is that he was being blackmailed. I couldn’t get a full picture of who was behind it or what had gone down before I arrived and everything went to hell, but I do know that he was trying to neutralise an imminent threat...to you both.’
Dani felt the breath completely leave her chest as she sat down on a nearby chair, looking up at him with disbelief. ‘If I’m in danger... If they’ve already got Duarte...’
‘Daniela, look at me.’ He knelt down, gripping her chin between his fingers and forcing her to meet his eyes. ‘I won’t let anyone hurt you. I’ve spent months trying to find another way to help because I knew you would hate this. The only
thing I’m sure of is that it has to do with part of your inheritance. The land and properties in Brazil.’
‘They can have it—I never wanted any of it.’ She breathed in, feeling her pulse careening out of control. This was insanity—utter madness. She’d give everything away...every single cent. Nothing was worth the loss she’d endured. Nothing.
‘I thought of that.’ Valerio spoke softly, as though he feared he had fully tipped her over the edge. ‘But it’s complicated. We’re talking about decades of your parents’ work in creating affordable housing there. Tens of thousands of innocent tenants who stand to be displaced. Acres of protected land being put at risk.’
Tens of thousands... Dani closed her eyes and felt a tremor within her.
Her father had been an only child, sole heir to the wealthiest, most corrupt landowner in Brazil. When his old man had died, her papai had been newly married to his very liberal-minded English wife. Together they had wasted no time in setting out on a crusade to turn the majority of their expensive, undeveloped inner-city land into rent-controlled housing initiatives for disadvantaged families. It had been revolutionary, and it had angered a lot of wealthy developers by the time they’d started on the city of Rio.
‘Dani...’ Valerio said. ‘As a married couple, we can create an iron-clad prenuptial agreement that ties all your assets to mine. We need to make them untouchable, so that there’s no valid reason for anyone to target you. My family name, the legal power it holds... It’s like a fortress. Duarte knew that. He’d planned for it if his efforts didn’t succeed.’
Dani shuddered, the reality of her situation settling like a frost on her skin. She and her brother had been targeted for something they had no control over. She had never asked to be born into this life... She hadn’t asked for her entire family to be taken away from her in a matter of years.
She felt her throat contract painfully as she tried to force breath in and out.
‘Do you understand now why it needs to be this way?’ he said softly, coming round to look into her eyes. ‘I need you to stop fighting me on this. I need you to put your trust in me and let me keep you safe.’
She couldn’t meet his eyes. This was all far too much to handle without the effect he had on her added to the mix too.
She simply nodded once. ‘I’ll do it.’
‘I’m sorry I couldn’t find another way.’
She tried not to wince at his words. Tried not to imagine his horror when he’d realised he was going to have to shackle himself in matrimony to a woman he could barely tolerate. A woman he seemed to actively avoid even though they’d been working for the same company for years.
‘You don’t need to pretend that this is what you want. It is what it is, Valerio.’ She stood up, smoothing down her dress in an effort to compose herself even as her voice shook. ‘We need to get back to the party or they’ll start talking about us... Although I suppose I’m going to have to get used to that if I’m about to marry you.’
Something glittered in his eyes as she said those words. Whether it was relief or dread, she didn’t take the time to find out. She needed to get away from the strange intimacy of being here in the darkness with him. Back to the safety of the party, to networking, putting on a show.
‘You will have to get used to a lot of things.’ His gaze drifted away, his jaw tightening. ‘We both will.’
Dani smiled tightly, turning and walking along the corridor, then up the stairs to the entertaining deck. She heard him following silently behind her, but didn’t pause until they were safely on the sidelines of the dance floor, where the music made it slightly harder to hear him without leaning in.
‘I’m making our announcement here...tonight.’
His voice travelled slowly across the din of music and voices, and Dani frowned, his meaning taking a moment to sink in. Her eyes widened as he moved to step away, and her fingers clutched at the sleeve of his jacket to stop him.
