‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so harsh.’ She breathed past the emotion in her throat, wishing she’d chosen her words more carefully. ‘But it doesn’t help that I don’t know anything about what happened other than—’
‘It doesn’t matter.’ He cut across her, pure steel in his voice. ‘I’ll be there at the meeting. I’ll say whatever you want me to say.’
‘You will?’ She paused, struggling to make sense of his sudden shift from outraged to passive. Yes, her words had been harsh, but...
‘I will come to Monte Carlo with you because it’s what Duarte would want.’ He took a step forward. ‘But in return I need you to do something for me.’
‘You’re giving me terms?’ She tilted her head. ‘I should have known there would be a catch.’
He folded his arms across his chest in a pose filled with dominance and attitude, but his voice quavered slightly as he spoke. ‘I have one condition, yes, and I need you to trust me that it’s necessary and non-negotiable.’
‘Is this a security thing?’ She took in the tension in his posture, the way his fists were pulled tight by his sides. ‘I have taken on board all the terms you laid down with that crazy security team before you disappeared. I never go anywhere without their protection.’
‘You think I haven’t been checking in over the past six months?’ He shook his head, his voice deepening with some unknown emotion. ‘I may not have been here, but I didn’t run away. I need you to understand that. There were things I had to do before I could...’ He frowned, turning slightly to look out across the murky water through the window. When he began speaking again, his voice was deeper. ‘When we realised things were going to end badly in Rio...I made a promise to him that if I survived I would keep you safe.’
Dani felt a lump in her throat, but pushed it away, reminding herself that getting emotional would only put her in a vulnerable position. He wanted her to trust him? Valerio hadn’t even tried to keep whatever promises he’d made—he had blocked her out and walked a
way at his earliest convenience, preferring to process his grief alone. Or more likely in the company of expensive whisky and a string of beautiful women across the globe.
She had learned the hard way that she could only rely on herself. Folding her arms tightly across her chest, she didn’t bother to hide the ice that crept into her voice. ‘Just outline your terms, Marchesi.’
His jaw flexed menacingly, and a hardness entered his gaze as they stood toe to toe in the darkness of the master cabin. When he finally spoke, the huskiness was gone from his voice and had been replaced by a hint of that sultry charm she remembered.
‘The board believe that Velamar is weakened because of my absence...that I am unreliable and unstable. If you want my presence to be of any benefit, then we need to show them a better angle. If I get off this yacht tomorrow, my only term is that you stay by my side. That we stand together as a couple.’
‘Of course. I’m the PR guru here. I can find a good spin for all this, if that’s what you’re worried about.’
She frowned at his use of the word ‘couple’—a strange expression for their partnership. Still, she forced a smile, hardly believing the upward turn this venture had taken. An hour ago she had been terrified of what he might do after her actions tonight. She had taken a risk, forcing his hand this way. For now, she was happy to have him firmly on the side of the company and getting his mind back into the game.
‘I presumed you would be more averse to the idea of us being together.’ Valerio raised one dark brow, shrugging a shoulder as he moved to open the door. ‘It’s settled, then. We will announce our engagement first thing in the morning.’
CHAPTER TWO
VALERIO MOVED AWAY from Daniela’s frozen form and walked quickly down the hallway. A part of him longed to turn around and reveal the full truth of their situation—the real reason he had promised to keep her safe, the truth behind his disappearance from society and the reason it needed to be this way. He had told himself he was biding his time, gathering all his facts. He hadn’t expected the imminent issue of Duarte’s death certificate to completely force his hand this way.
He focused on some deep and steady breaths as he emerged into the open-plan living space of the yacht’s accommodation deck.
He remembered attending the initial meetings for the Sirinetta II just before they’d left on their trip to South America. It had been one of Duarte’s most innovative design projects yet. His senses felt overloaded by the bright and airy interior, with its open-plan spaces and natural blond wood design. He knew from memory that the endless smooth surfaces were an illusion, and in fact filled with discreet touch cabinets and modern technological gadgets.
‘What did you just say?’
Daniela’s voice had risen an entire octave, and her flashing amber eyes filled with disbelief as he looked over his shoulder.
Her cheeks were flushed with the warmth of the force of her anger at his proposal. Well, technically he hadn’t proposed so much as declared their engagement... He winced inwardly. Probably not the best way he could have done things.
Turning away from her, he touched a panel and grabbed a bottle of water from one of the discreet built-in fridges that slid out from behind the wood. ‘We can make the announcement in the morning papers if you get on it now. You are the PR guru, as you said. I assume you have contacts who can word it to make it all appear as romantic as possible.’
‘Valerio, we are business partners—our alliance is solid enough without turning it into some kind of media circus.’
‘Did you or did you not say that rumours surrounding my disappearance from the public eye have cast doubt on my stability?’
‘I—I am experienced with appeasing doubt.’ She stammered a little over her words. ‘It’s been my job to control Velamar’s public image for the past seven years and I’m quite good at it without resorting to outright lies and...and pageantry!’
‘My terms are that we release the news that we are engaged. That is non-negotiable.’
He took a long drink of water, trying to shake off the feeling of adrenaline still running riot in his veins. He was always like this after a bad night—he felt on edge for days. But now, knowing that someone had pushed to have Duarte declared legally dead even when he had made every effort to hold it off... He had to act now. He had to be ready.
Dani was silent for a long time, a frown marring her brow as she shook her head slowly from side to side. ‘I don’t buy it. What aren’t you telling me?’