The Vows He Must Keep

Seeing his brother’s name show up on the display, he cursed aloud and jammed his finger on the screen to block the call. Ramming one hand through his hair, he closed his eyes and huffed out a loud breath filled with frustration.

‘Is there a problem?’ his fiancée enquired with a raised brow.

For a moment he considered not answering her question at all. But then he remembered the promise he’d made to himself as they’d driven in silence to the airport—to at least try not to be so closed off and abrasive with her. She was going to be his wife... They were going to be sharing a lot more time together. He needed to put some effort in to his behaviour.

Reluctantly, he sat down across from her and met her eyes. ‘You saw that I got a call from my brother earlier today, followed quickly by one from my mother? We haven’t been on the best terms since I came back from Brazil. I’ve been distant, and now they’ve found out about our engagement through the media... Needless to say, my family are not happy about our elopement plans.’

Dani frowned. ‘Of course they’re not. I never even thought of how they might see this. Do they know all the details?’

He frowned. ‘My brother knows a bit, but I’ve told him not to tell our parents the full truth. I can’t tell them about the danger, not when my mother is such a worrier. They think it’s a real marriage.’

He thought back to the sound of worry in his brother’s voice on the phone. Rigo Marchesi had never been one to give his little brother an easy time, but after the display Valerio had put on at that christening dinner... Well, he couldn’t remember all the details, but he was pretty sure that he deserved the scorn in his brother’s voice. His entire family had believed him dead for two weeks and had been overjoyed at his return—only to be shut out and ignored for months on end.

They didn’t realise that it was better this way.

‘I won’t pretend to understand what you’ve been working through these past months, fratello,’ Rigo had said, ‘but this seems quite sudden. I’ve been around you and Dani many times. She hates your guts and she is possibly the only woman I’ve ever witnessed being utterly immune to your charms.’

‘No one is immune to my charms.’ Valerio had answered easily. ‘It’s not like that. It’s more like a business arrangement between us.’

‘Now, where have I heard that before...?’ Rigo had laughed out loud.

Rigo and his wife, Nicole, had married years before, as the result of a media scandal. Rigo had sworn his marriage was in name only, and yet now they were the picture of married bliss, with two small daughters and another on the way.

Across from him, Dani cleared her throat, pulling him back to the present. ‘Valerio, if this is causing problems for your family, we should find another way. We can find someone with similar financial power and influence that we can trust.’

‘Someone like Tristan Falco?’ The venom-filled words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

‘I wasn’t thinking of Tristan, but now that you say it, he might be a good fit.’

Valerio tensed. Over his dead body.

‘I wouldn’t trust anyone else—and neither should you. My family will get over it.’

He stood up, stretching his lower back muscles and pouring himself a glass of cold water to try to calm his nerves.

He had to admit that not once had he thought of his parents’ reaction to his sudden nuptials. Amerigo and Renata Marchesi were not fiercely traditional, and they had always pushed their sons to choose their own path in life. But his mother was understandably hurt.

Once again he was a disappointment. Even when for once he was being selfless in his actions. He had nothing to gain from shackling himself in marriage other than protecting Daniela from harm and fulfilling his promise to her brother.

A small part of him spoke up, pointing out that so far he seemed to have been a lot more preoccupied with their living situation and ensuring she was by his side. He should have been working more on investigating possible perpetrators—like Fiero.

He leaned down, pinching the bridge of his nose sharply. ‘Dio, why is everything so damn complicated?’

Truthfully, he’d been relieved to talk things through with his older brother earlier. Rigo had been by his side at every important moment in his life—the day he’d dropped out of college, the day he’d told his father that he didn’t want to be a part of the family business, and the day he’d cut the ribbon on the first company premises. Rigo had always offered impartial advice and support. He had always been a rock no matter how heavy the storm.

But his father was another story. Amerigo Marchesi had always hoped his two sons would run the family business together, but Valerio had never coped well behind a desk. He had been a wild teenager and an even wilder adult, taking on whatever ridiculous challenges life threw at him. He had once thrived on adrenaline and risk—now he spent his days obsessing over one woman’s safety. The irony was not lost on him...

When Dani suggested they talk through some of the details of the new base they were going to visit in St Lucia, he jumped at the chance to shut his brain off by listening to the progress she’d made on the project. It was impressive—more impressive than anything he and Duarte could have planned. She was a marvel at organising, and seeing details no one else did.

When she finally yawned, and said she was going to try to sleep for the rest of the flight, he almost asked her to stay and tell him more. Something about her presence soothed him and made him feel less adrift. But in the end he let her go with a single nod.

Once he was alone he felt a familiar restlessness settling into his bones. The last time he’d been in St Lucia had been a few days before the accident with Duarte. They had been finalising the purchase of their new premises there when Duarte had told him that he needed to go to Brazil for a couple of days to sort out some business. At the last minute Valerio had decided to follow him as a surprise, so they could celebrate their expansion plans.

Valerio tried in vain to shut himself off to the memory...tried to block out the anger and regret. He’d spent months torturing himself for not realising that something was up with his best friend, that the man had been preoccupied and taking mysterious phone calls in the middle of important meetings. He’d clearly been under some unseen pressure, but Valerio had believed his excuse that he was just ‘in a situation’ with a woman.

Duarte had been an intense guy at the best of times—it had been easier for Valerio to look away and focus on growing their empire.

Regret washed over him, and once again he fought the urge to ask his fiancée to come back and discuss more business plans. She would likely jump at the chance. She loved to talk about work, and he could simply lose himself in her soothing presence.