A Ring for Vincenzo's Heir

She stumbled back from him. He was on her in seconds, grabbing her wrist.

“Don’t touch me!” she cried.

His grip tightened, his eyes like black fire. “You stole from me.”

“I paid all your money back—with interest!” She glanced back desperately toward the guarded gate, but it was too far. Johan would never see her. And how could one security guard take on Vin Borgia and at least three of his men?

“I wasn’t just talking about the money.”

She put her free hand protectively over her belly. “You’re not my baby’s father. I—I lied!”

“I think you’re lying now.”

Scarlett tried to pull her wrist from his grip. “Leave me alone!”

“I do not understand your behavior.” He wrenched her closer. “Most women would find it fortunate to be pregnant by a billionaire.”

“A billionaire who destroys people?” She shook her head. “You don’t just take companies—you ruthlessly crush and annihilate your rivals. Their marriages, their families, their very lives!”

Silence fell in the Swiss forest. The only sound was the call of birds.

Then he spoke, his voice low and flat. “So you did some digging on the internet, did you?”

“Why do you think I never tried to contact you after our night together?” She took a deep breath. “I had a good reason to leave you that first morning. A nurse called and I was needed at the Falkner mansion. I hoped to see you again. Until I looked you up online.” She glared at him. “If you think I’m going to let my precious baby be raised by a man who takes pleasure in other people’s pain—”

His lip twisted contemptuously. “If you think I’m such a bastard, why did you ask for my help?”

“I was terrified of Blaise.”

“And now you’re terrified of me?”

“After I interrupted your wedding, I thought maybe I should give you a chance. My own father wasn’t perfect, but I loved him.” She narrowed her eyes. “Then you made your intentions clear.”

“What are you talking about? My intention to take responsibility, marry you and be a good father?”

“If I honestly believed we could be a family, and love and trust each other, I’d marry you in a second. But I’d rather raise my baby alone than with a man who might hurt me!”

“Hurt you?” he said incredulously. “I’ve never hurt a woman in my life!”

“With your cold heart? I bet you’ve hurt plenty.”

He relaxed. “Oh. You mean emotionally.”

“Yes, emotionally,” she retorted. “You don’t think that counts?”

“Not really, no.”

“And that’s why I don’t want to marry you.”

He abruptly released her wrist, his eyes strangely alight. “I’ve never killed anyone, no matter what the rumors say. I never poisoned someone or sabotaged an engine. Nor did I hire someone else to do it. A reporter just happened to notice that during some points in my business career, some men have coincidentally had problems.”

“You expect me to believe that? It was pure coincidence?”

“It’s the truth. A man was discovered in an affair while doing business with me. It was hardly my fault his wife took offense and dumped poison in his morning whiskey. Another man had a heart attack from stress during my hostile takeover. He could have walked away at any time but chose to fight and take the risk. Another man chose to start a feud with his sister when she sold her shares to me. Their family was ripped apart, yes—but again, not my fault.”

“Then why was Blaise so afraid of you? And you expected him to be!”

“I know the rumors about me. They’re not true, but people believe them. I’d be a fool not to take advantage of it.”

“And you’re no fool.”

“No.” His jaw tightened. “So I don’t appreciate that you’ve made me look like one. Twice.”

She turned her head back again toward the distant gate of the chalet. She wished she could run. But she’d become so heavily pregnant and slow—

“I want a paternity test,” Vin said coldly. “You have an appointment today with a doctor in Geneva.”