Scandal and the Runaway Bride (Heirs to an Empire 1)

Stephen ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell me this?”

“I was afraid. And at the time I was really focusing on Baresi and doing what I had to in order for us to weather my father’s illness.”

When he said nothing, she spoke again. “Our motivations were the same, weren’t they? You’d had your heart broken, too. You wanted to put your mother’s mind at ease. Give her something positive after your father’s death. I don’t blame you for that.”

His gaze sharpened. “But you do blame me for something, don’t you?”

Heat rushed to her face. “What good does blame do? You have every right to be angry with me. In the end I couldn’t go through with it, and I ran. I panicked. I caused a great deal of...inconvenience. And I’m sorry for that. I truly am.”

“You’re sorry.”

“Yes! And wanted to tell you that in person.”

Stephen was quiet for several moments. He picked up his glass and drank again, then wandered around the room, glancing at shelves, making Gabi more nervous by the second. What was he thinking? Why wasn’t he saying anything?

When she was ready to burst, he turned back to her. “But that’s not why I’m here, is it? For apologies?”

She bit down on her lip, considering her response. “I know you were hurt before, and I’m sorry that I added to it by my actions.”

His nostrils flared, the only outward sign that her words had hit some sort of sore spot. “Don’t worry, Gabriella. We both know this wasn’t going to be a real marriage, with love and hearts and flowers. You didn’t hurt me.”

Maybe not. But she’d caused him great embarrassment, and she sensed that was almost as bad. Maybe worse. Feelings you could hide away from the world. Public humiliation was out there for all to see. And, in his case, comment on incessantly.

He stepped closer. “So I’ll ask you again, Gabi. Why am I really here? It’s not to make amends. I know that. Particularly since it wasn’t you who invited me. It was Will.”

Her annoyance came bubbling up and she spoke before she could think better of it. “Would you have taken my call?”

“Probably not. Will seems to think that Aurora should still invest in Baresi. I disagree.”

Cold ran down her body. She hadn’t thought this would be an easy meeting, but she hadn’t expected a downright refusal. “Please,” she whispered, “don’t punish my father because of what I did.”

“I like your father. But this is business, cara.”

The way he said the endearment made her want to slap his face. “This is not business. This is taking it out on me. Punishing me.”

He shrugged and her temper flared again. “A shrug? That’s your answer? Doing business with Baresi is good for Aurora and you know it! Making a deal wouldn’t have been any sacrifice on your part, just the opposite. But you tacked on the condition of marriage as a way of ‘helping each other.’ That isn’t business. That’s personal. And you’re making it personal again now.”

He was silent again. How could he do that? How could he stay so calm and implacable?

“Well,” he finally said, drawing out the word for emphasis, “I’m the head of acquisitions. So it doesn’t matter if it’s personal or not. I still have to sign off on it. Our contract with Baresi remains the same, don’t worry. I’m not canceling it. I’m just not furthering our investments.”

For a moment, it felt to Gabi as if her heart stopped. Baresi was struggling; not in danger of closing its doors—yet—but the last few years had been difficult. No one knew the business better than her father. But his surgery, recovery and then rounds of chemotherapy

meant he’d be out of the office for months. They couldn’t afford a further decline. And Gabi would do her level best, but if anything happened to Baresi Textiles, how would her parents live? Papa wasn’t old, but he wasn’t a young man, either. He and Mama needed to be thinking about working less and enjoying each other more.

The cold knot settled in her gut. “So that’s it, then,” she said, taking a step back. “I’ve ruined everything.” She was angrier than she could ever remember being in her life. “Because I couldn’t go through with a sham marriage. I thought we were friends. I see how wrong I was.”

She turned to walk away, and had almost reached the door when he called out, “What are you going to tell your parents?”

“I don’t know. I’m not going to cause Papa any more worry today, not when he has surgery tomorrow. But don’t worry, Stephen, I’ll figure it out. I’ll figure it all out.”

She swept out of the room, biting her lip so hard she thought it might bleed. Then she went straight for the stairs. She couldn’t talk to her parents like this. She had to get herself together. And William needed to speak to Stephen, too.

Will’s door was shut and she knocked quietly. There were footsteps, then he opened the door and his face blanked with shock. “What the hell did he say? You look ready to commit murder.”

“I need to calm down and I don’t want to rant at you because he’s your brother and you love him. So please, go speak to him about whatever you need to and leave me here to calm down.”

“You asked him about the deal and he said no, didn’t he?”