The Vows He Must Keep

She didn’t wait for his response before she walked away, not stopping to take a breath until she had her cabin door firmly closed between them and she was sure that he hadn’t followed her.

Then she closed her eyes tight and sank back against the door, allowing herself a single moment to feel the blinding pain of knowing how little Valerio Marchesi had ever cared about her.

‘I can’t believe you didn’t take a photograph. I’d pay good money to see either one of the Marchesi brothers all tied up.’ Hermione Hall waggled her brows seductively from across the terrace table of their favourite little Monte Carlo café.

Dani rolled her eyes, playing with the remains of her omelette as she struggled with the knot that had formed in her stomach and had refused to shift since the night before. Her best friend of eighteen years usually always knew just how to pull her out of a dark mood, but her night with Valerio had shattered all the careful control she had worked so hard to achieve over the past few months. She felt completely off balance.

Hermione was no stranger to difficult situations, being the child of an infamous Los Angeles talent agent who had stolen money from half of Hollywood. They’d met as teenagers, on their first day at boarding school in England, when Hermione had stepped in to defend Dani from a group of name-calling older girls. Together they’d become untouchable, unrepentant overachievers all the way through college, supporting one another through the loss of parents, bad relationships and sanity.

Now that Hermione was one of the most in-demand personal stylists in Europe, they didn’t get to see one another very often, but their emails were long and never short on salacious details.

Hermione called over a waiter and ordered a caramel-drizzled waffle from the extravagant dessert menu, declaring it a celebration after hearing Dani’s heavily edited version of the events of the night before.

Dani shook her head. ‘You’re completely overlooking the part where he just assumed he could announce our engagement. Along with the rest of his little speech about keeping me safe by marrying me. I mean...who even thinks like that? Apparently “safe” is just another word for “away from my own sources of power and independence.”’

‘I don’t know... Daniela Marchesi has got a nice ring to it.’ Hermione smirked.

‘You’re taking far too much enjoyment from my outrage.’

‘Sorry—a drop-dead gorgeous Italian, whom you used to have a gigantic crush on, is now back to run his own company, which might allow you to finally get back on track with starting your own PR firm.’ She took a sip of her tea, her tone dry. ‘Oh, and he apparently wants to marry you too. How utterly terrible all this is.’

Dani looked away from her friend, ignoring the tension in her body as she remembered that her own consulting work had come to a standstill since she’d taken the helm at Velamar. No one knew that she had signed a lease on an office in London just weeks before the awful news from Rio—that she’d finally been poised to quit her job at Velamar and launch her own firm.

But, truthfully, it had been easier to cancel all her plans and throw herself into the heavy workload that had come with being a stand-in CEO. There was less time to think, less time to feel...

Hermione continued to chatter, trying to lighten the mood in her usual way. ‘With those eyes and that insane body...I wouldn’t turn down any kind of dark and brooding proposal from Valerio Marchesi—that’s all I’m saying.’

‘I’m sorry that I don’t share your love of dramatic romance. And I get it that he’s a little paranoid since...since everything that happened in Rio. But I’m not in danger. This isn’t Regency England and I am not on the market for a protector.’

She frowned as her phone buzzed with an email notification from the head of the Velamar events team.

Subject: You might be interested in this.

The email showed the guest list for the modest cocktail party she had planned for some select guests to get a sneak preview of the Sirinetta II later that evening. Dani frowned, her eyes scanning down the list with increasing disbelief.

A shocked huff of laughter escaped her lips. It seemed that Mr Hotshot CEO had decided to dive right back into work.

The numbers for the ‘small and intimate’ gathering had now tripled, and contained the names of some of the wealthiest people in Monaco, including philanthropists, celebrities and even a few members of European royalty. It was no secret that the Marchesi family had connections, but seriously...

The arrogance of the man! For him to just march over and amend details of an event that she had planned and executed without even asking...

The curse words that escaped her lips were very unladylike, sending even wild-mannered Hermione’s eyebrows upwards.

‘He believes he can just reappear and completely railroad an event that I’ve been planning for weeks! I bet he doesn’t even think he’s done anything wrong.’

She stabbed her index finger at the phone screen, beginning to type an email to inform her team that she didn’t need to see the guest list, as she wouldn’t be attending. Let the returned ‘Playboy Pirate’ explain her absence to his guests—let him try to make the same kind of connections and collaborations that she did at such events. He thought he could just swoop in and do everything? She would leave him to it.

Hermione interrupted her thoughts, bending to look at the email over her shoulder and letting out a low whistle. ‘That’s a lot of prime potential new clientele. What are you going to wear?’

‘I won’t go.’ Dani bit her bottom lip. ‘If he refuses to treat me like an equal partner in this company, then I don’t see why I should jump to host this event by his side.’

‘Correction, you will go. Because you are an equal partner in the company and a professional one at that. You’ll go and you will tell him exactly where he can stick his proposal. Along with giving him a clear outline of the kind of treatment you will be expecting from now on.’ Hermione opened up her small tablet computer and began clicking rapidly. ‘I’ve got the perfect dress I’ve been saving for you—you just need to get the perfect date. And before you ask, I already have plans tonight.’

Dani knew her friend was right. The problem was that Valerio would also know that she couldn’t not attend, and that grated on her nerves. ‘If I do go, I won’t need a date. I was the one to plan the thing originally, so I’m technically the hostess.’

Hermione had a familiar glimmer of mischief in her eyes. ‘You don’t need one...but imagine what kind of statement it would make for you to walk into that party with the one man that Valerio Marchesi truly despises by your side.’

‘You don’t mean...?’ Dani felt her eyes widen as she let out a puff of shocked laughter. ‘I couldn’t bring him. It would cause a riot. Besides, it’s pretty late notice...’