Authors: Melita Joy
“I thought maybe there were no tickets left in first class,” she felt foolish believing there would be any reason for him to be on that plane other than as an end to his needs. The one thing she knew with assurance is that Renato could be ruthless. If he wanted something, then he would find a way at all costs to get it, even if that meant flying cattle class with the likes of her.
Camilla took her leave, confident that she’d hit her mark. “I think I’ll let you deal with the wedding planner this afternoon. After all, she is paid to take care of all the details that you’d prefer to not notice.” With that last not so cryptic jibe she left, and Leilani sat on the edge of her bed replaying the confrontation. She still didn’t understand why Vittorio would have sent Renato to marry her. She decided that she had enough time to talk Vittorio before the wedding planner arrived. Hopefully, he was home.
Knocking, she waited impatiently to be let in. With quick pleasantries dispensed of she demanded to know, “Vittorio, I simply want the truth. Is it true that you sent Renato to Australia to make me his bride? If so, I need to know why, am I just a pawn in some game to all of you?” she was so frustrated she started to tear up.
“Take a seat and calm yourself. Yes, it’s true that I sent Renato to Australia. You are my daughter, and it’s time you were here where you belong. I built the Favalli Empire from nothing. The result of years of sacrifice and hard work. Renato has been a good son and has helped the business to grow further, however; he is not of my blood. You are my blood, and I wish to pass my legacy to you. Hopefully, you will have some sons Renato can groom into the business, and the generations to come will have what’s rightfully theirs,” he stated. “Surely you would not begrudge your father this right.
She sat fuming silently. Truly she was nothing more than a pawn for this outdated hypocrite. “You talk to me about entitlement yet you afford me none,” it was too late to put a lid on her emotions they were steaming out and all self-control was gone. “Where were you?” she raised her voice. “I needed what I should have been entitled to, a warm, loving father who cared about me and took an interest. It should have been you but instead you shipped my mother and me off to Australia as far away as possible,” she burst.
“I sent you away, but I did not want you to go to Australia. That was your mother’s choice. Rosa insisted and with circumstances the way they were I had little choice,” he stated.
“There is always a choice; you chose to abandon your only heir only to think that you could just pluck me out of oblivion when you felt like it,” she half sobbed. “I still don’t understand. I was looking for you; this is all too coincidental.”
“I can’t change the damage of the past and I make no apologies for decisions that I believed to be good at the time. I always supported you even if I did not publicly acknowledge you. Now you are grown up, and it’s time to step up as a Favalli. No heir of mine would be a snivelling mess like this.”
“How can you be so cold? If I’m a snivelling mess then surely I have some right given the way my world has been tipped upside down?” she argued.
“If you prefer to wallow in self-pity then I suggest you take your leave. I have neither time for it nor the inclination to hear your babblings. If you wish to lay claim to what belongs to you, then I suggest you grow a backbone. I would hope that your genes are more mine than your mothers,” he quipped.
Vittorio knew his words were harsh but if it got him his intended outcome than he had no qualms in nudging his daughter in this way. Rosa had apparently raised her without spirit. The little she’d shown today was not enough to impress him which is why he needed her married to Renato. He would need to set the succession of his company up in a way that left Renato in charge of all decisions. To entrust his emotional daughter would be business suicide.
He would urge his son to take better control of his fiancée. She was a loose cannon and if she didn’t marry Renato not only would the business be passed down to strangers but he would lose the potential of this upcoming acquisition. The Empire had the opportunity to add significantly to its already global presence, but it was already clear that the conservative seller wanted only to sell to a business of repute that included the reputation of its owners. If this situation became news fodder than the entire deal would blow up in their faces.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Renato fumed, the last thing he needed was Vittorio feeling that he had to intervene with his marriage. He knew what needed to be done. He left the office early and decided to arrange a bit of alone time with Leilani. They were to be married this weekend, and he needed to ensure that she didn’t change her mind.
“Get dressed I’ll be home shortly to pick you up,” he stated without preamble.
“To be honest I don’t feel like going out at the moment.”
She sounded flat which was not a good sign. “All the more reason to get you out of the apartment,” when she didn’t reply he added, “I promise you that you will enjoy yourself. So do me a favour hmm, find a cute dress and sandals, your sunnies and a hat and put them on .I’ll be home in fifteen minutes or so.
He could insist and manipulate her further into this marriage, or he could try sweetening the deal for her. Renato would show her a good time, wine and dine her and bed her in that order. He’d noticed the change in her over the past couple of days. The tell-tale signs, a furtive glance when she didn’t think he was watching. Flushing cheeks when he touched her and most importantly the hitching of her breath when he leant in to kiss her and the shine in her eyes that couldn’t mask her emerging feelings.
He arrived at the apartment and surprisingly Leilani was ready and waiting for him. He marveled at the difference in her appearance from a week ago. Renato complimented her as she got in and buckled her seatbelt, “that dress was made for you,” he wanted to say more but since this afternoon was about wooing her, he held back. If they’d already consummated the relationship, he wouldn’t have bothered taking her out, but instead he would have hauled her straight up to his room or any private area he could find. The dress was modest in cut, just above the knee, tempting his hands to slide beneath the silky folds and explore, those thighs and higher. He cut off his thoughts, he would drive himself crazy, and there were several hours to go until he would reach that goal.
“How was your day,” he asked smiling at her. He would allow her to bring up Vittorio. She was already mistrustful enough if he broached the subject she would think they were conspiring further against her.
“It was okay.”
He could see that he was going to need a bucket load of patience. “Did you decide on a dress?”
Leilani could see that he was trying, and if she were to marry him, she would need to get to know him better. She was still smarting from her conversation with Vittorio and what she craved was time out to figure out what to do. Both men were so powerful that the reality was she knew she had no choice but she still needed a tactic. It was important that she figure out how to guard her heart against getting trampled further than it already was. Right now it was in pieces at her feet completely unrecognizable. Picking up the pieces, what a lovely cliché, but how did she start when she didn’t know which part to begin with, and Renato’s presence just confused her further.
The war in her mind quietened down, and Leilani opted for politeness, “yes actually I found a lovely dress.”
“That’s great. Look Leilani I know that your head is probably spinning right now with so many things happening,” he moved his eyes off the road and glanced at her. She was looking straight ahead, her profile stiff. “I want things to work between us regardless of our forced union. I think the two of us could end up being a great couple,” he cajoled and this time when he glanced at her she faced him and he could see her eyes welling up.
“How would you know that? You know nothing about me, Renato. We are to wed in a few days and what do you know about me? Not a thing. Do you know what I even do for work, my favourite colour, interests, music I like? I could continue and rattle a list off a mile long, and you would be lucky to guess one or two things about me. How will we make it work under these circumstances? All I feel is mistrust and suspicion and can you blame me after the way you have underhandedly brought this marriage about?” tears had started to fall in earnest, and he pulled the car over.
He felt an unfamiliar twitch in his heart, her pain undeniable and he knew that he played a part in it. He didn’t regret his actions; he did what was necessary, and self-doubt would not serve any purpose. He could, however, find a way to soften the blow. Parked he reached over and stroked back a few strands of her hair that had fallen out of the knot she’d twisted and pinned up. “You are right, I don’t know you, yet the little I’ve seen entices me. We both know this marriage is going to take place. Personally I think we’ll both find it easier if we accept this and do our best to work with one another.”
Leilani was looking up into his eyes the uncertainty still there, “There is not a great deal of time left to take it slowly but what if we did just that for the remainder of the day? Let’s date,” he proclaimed.
His enthusiasm must have rung true for a semblance of a smile came through, “Do you think that is possible?”
“Why not?” he stated, “we are both adults, and we can choose to have this day or we can choose to resist. The latter will only tire us out, so I’m willing to make a go of it if you are?”
“It sounds good in theory but to make a go of it I’m going to want answers, to ask you questions. Will you agree to that? If you do, and I see any hint of dishonesty, well I doubt I’ll trust you again for the entirety of our marriage. If I have no faith in you then I can assure you I will be spending my days finding a way to release myself from our vows,” she was emphatic, and it lifted his spirit.
Maybe his piccola farfallina was still transforming. He didn’t need a subdued wife in fact he had been happy with his life as it was. Since there was no choice, his preference would be a woman that complimented his lifestyle and didn’t need to his attention twenty-four seven. “At this point I could make promises but since we barely know one another they would be wasted on you. Let’s enjoy the day and see how we feel afterwards.” He raised her hand to his lips kissing her soft, creamy skin, held her eyes captive and breathed in deeply stirring himself on her sensual scent.
He slowly pulled away once again admonishing himself. He was reacting too easily to her, and she was nowhere near ready for it. A challenge he was confident he could conquer, but he would need the full evening to do so. “What do you say, are you willing?” he was already half turning to the ignition, sure of her response.
Her skin felt scorched where his lips had trailed. She was a closet romance buff, not that she’d tell anyone. Her love life had been dismal she’d never had an affair of the heart to write home about, nothing compared to fiction books she’d read. Maybe she was just starved for attention, how pitiful that a kiss on the wrist could flip her mind. Romance aside she knew her answer was yes. If he was willing to put aside the horrendous start to this relationship then so could, she and it was her opportunity to find out more about her past. If anyone could give her answers it would be Renato and Vittorio, so it made sense to keep both men on her side for now.
“So I guess you haven’t done all that much sight-seeing yet?” he asked knowing full well her only free time had been spent searching for her father.
“Ah no, I haven’t seen anything of the city yet. Are we going sight-seeing?”
“What better way to relax and get to know one another. Learning about my country is an excellent way to understand me. Wouldn’t you agree?” he smiled. It was disarming. “Come on relax, let’s go enjoy ourselves.”
Maybe he wasn’t two dimensional after all. “Where were you thinking?”
“The Colosseum, Forum, Pantheon and Vatican could be a good start?” he glanced for her reaction.
“You remembered all the places I told you when we first met?”
He chuckled, “well it wasn’t all that long ago and yes of course I remember. To be honest even though I live here it’s been a long while since I’ve visited most of these places. It might be nice for both of us to play tourist.”
“You don’t fit the bill for a regular tourist though?” she stated doubtfully.
“What, even in my jeans?” she glanced down as he had intended. Indian blue denim with subtle smoky lines fitted him well. Even seated she could see that there was just enough room to accommodate his taut thighs before snugging higher emphasising his masculine bulge. With predictability she blushed, “you’ll do,” she muttered.
He laughed naturally delighted at her response; as if he needed any further boost to his ego. He was obviously well aware of his physical attributes. She highly doubted that he’d had a mediocre love life, experienced to the hilt would be closer to the truth. “I just can’t imagine you lining up for hours with the everyday folk, from what I understand our recent economy flight was a one off?”
“Yes you are right and I see no issue with that. If given a choice who would want to wait in lines or travel cramped up when a better alternative was available to them? If you think that makes me a snob, then so be it. You want to know why I was on that plane with you; that’s what your real question is, isn’t it?”
It was true she did want to know, and she wanted him to be forthright. She didn’t mean to interrogate the man she just wanted him to give her the answers she was looking for, offer her some much-needed reassurance. “Yes, it is.”
“Fine, I came to Australia with one purpose that was to find you and marry you.”
Leilani took a breath. She already knew this was the case, but there had still been a miniscule hope that she wasn't manipulated so easily.
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but the reality is that for all of Vittorio’s faults he still holds certain values. The succession, passing down his business it’s not an easy thing to even think about for him. I can guarantee you this though, in Vittorio’s mind the only thing that makes sense it to pass it to a blood relative,” he explained.
“If that is the case why did he wait so long to acknowledge me?” she inquired.
“Illness and age would be his current motivators. Up until recently I would hazard a guess that Vittorio didn’t contemplate his mortality. His drive is still very strong as you can see by his recent interactions with him; he is a man who even at his age demands to be in control.”
“Yes, even I can see that. In fact, a conversation I had with him recently left me feeling a little shocked. He is so outdated it isn’t funny,” she scowled.
Renato laughed, “Welcome to the world of Vittorio. I bet you feel as though you’ve stepped back fifty years. On one hand I agree he has old values yet on the other hand he is still an astute business man. Even with my extensive professional experience Vittorio is possibly one of the only men that I would rather not battle. He is a fighter and wins at all cost,” he declared.
“Somehow I’m not feeling all that reassured,” she stated.
“I could give you empty words of his attributes but if you want reality as you’ve asked then this is it. He’s a hard man but also fair. In his mind what he is doing is the right thing, he wants to pass you down your rightful inheritance but he would also doubt any possibility of you managing that business. Hence, he wants us married, so he has the person of his choosing at the helm. It will, of course, be expected that we produce heirs. Preferably sons to ensure the business continues to pass into the hands of Favalli men.”
“It’s as though he thinks he is royalty. Surely to have kept up in the business world he would by now know that a woman can excel just as well as a man?” While she wasn’t even interested or admittedly competent to run a business empire the size of Favalli’s she still felt put out by Vittorio’s obvious discrimination. Surely he didn’t expect her just to sit at home breeding for a succession line. It was a ludicrous thought.
“Vittorio has only ever tolerated women in business. Unfortunately, his archaic ideas are ingrained and no matter how outraged we both are he will not change,” from what she had seen she would have to agree.
“Fair enough. The puzzling thing is that I came looking for Vittorio. So, how is it that he had sent you to find me at the same time as I decided to find him?” she asked.
She waited for Renato’s response, “I don’t know. I do agree with you though that it was too much of a coincidence.”
Renato gave the question further thought, figuring that this could be the inroad he was needed. A chance to let her believe they were conspiring together and build a little trust. He asked her questions about what she thought the possibilities were and drew her in. “You realise that if we ask him directly he will not tell us any more than he wants us to know?”
“Yes, I had gathered that. I’ve already mentioned it to him, and he effectively skirted the subject,” she admitted.
“That sounds about right; the man is a true tactician. I’m sure that the two of us can figure it out,” attempting to build the comradery, “Firstly I will call Savino and have him look into it. Vittorio and I share some of the same security and investigation staff which are led by Sav; I’ll let you know how I go,” he got his first semblance of a real smile.
“Thank you I would appreciate that,” she paused and must have decided that it was safe enough to confide, “You can’t know how unsettling the past few weeks have been. I feel as though I have a million pieces to a puzzle, and I have no idea that piece to reach for first. I just want my life to make sense,” she beseeched him.