Stooping to snatch up the bag she had left by a chair—she had remained standing throughout their meeting—Kerry stalked forward to angrily reclaim the file that contained her business plan. ‘You needn’t think that you’re getting the chance to steal my ideas!’ she told him.
For the first time since he had emerged from that court room, Luciano had an urge to laugh out loud with genuine appreciation. Really laugh, as opposed to making a polite pretence. But the possessive pride with which she clutched the same file that had sent Costanza into whoops stopped him from laughing. He remembered how often her father had scorned her best efforts at Linwoods. He remembered that she had taken it on the chin and just tried harder.
But Kerry’s next words killed that more generous thought-train stone dead.
‘I’d have had more respect for you if you’d just admitted what you did with my stepsister!’ Kerry bit out fierily as she yanked open his office door.
Brilliant golden eyes cold as ice, lean, bronzed features hard, Luciano shot her a look that chilled her to the marrow. ‘I suggest you go home and start packing.’
The instant Kerry departed, he reached for the phone and called Rochelle.
Having failed to move Luciano an inch from his purpose, Kerry was in a daze as she travelled to the airport to catch her rearranged flight home. She had been full of hope, foolish hope, she conceded numbly. There was no escaping the suspicion that from her grandparents’ point of view she had been the worst possible go-between. It might have been more sensible to lie about why she had ended their engagement. Her need to finally confront Luciano about Rochelle had overruled her common sense. Antagonising him had been a mistake.
Somewhere deep down inside herself, she discovered that she had expected Luciano to agree to some kind of compromise over the castle. Why that should be she had no very clear idea. Had he ever cared about her at all? Even a little bit? Had his interest in her then been as solely mercenary as Rochelle had insisted it was? After all, Luciano had never said he loved her and he had winced when she asked if he did. In fact he had shown her more emotion in their two recent meetings than he had ever shown in the past. Anger, derision…dislike. In fact dislike was too mild a description for the cold hostility she had sensed. She shivered. Why would Luciano feel that amount of animosity towards her? Unless in every way possible she had been guilty of misjudging him?
Miles had promised to meet her for a late lunch at the airport. ‘You look like a ghost,’ he told her, walking her into the nearest bar. ‘I gather it went badly with da Valenza.’
Too worked up to trust herself to speak, Kerry jerked her chin in affirmation.
‘I wish you’d waited up for me last night. I’ve hardly seen you,’ her stepbrother complained. ‘I’ve the feeling that you’ve been holding out on me.’
Painfully aware of just how much she was holding back, Kerry was momentarily tempted to go right back to the beginning and tell him everything that troubled her. Miles was the brother that she had never had and she knew that he was fond of her. But Rochelle was Miles’s real sister and he was loyal to his sibling. Confiding that, five years ago, Rochelle had claimed to have slept with Luciano again would embarrass Miles and strain their friendship.
‘Luciano said no. He wouldn’t even discuss the possibility of any other arrangement.’
‘You’re dealing with the contemporary equivalent of a gangster, not Mr Nice Guy,’ Miles contended. ‘I hate to say it, but what did you expect?’
‘I can’t believe that you’re still harping on about his Sicilian ancestors,’ Kerry sighed.
Miles settled bloodshot blue eyes on her. ‘I’m serious. When that money went missing from Linwoods, why do you think the police arrested him so fast? They checked out his background, came up with his mafia grandfather and they knew that they had their man!’
Uneasy though she was with his prejudice, Kerry just felt too stressed to argue with him. In any case, she knew why Miles had always had a blind spot of dislike where Luciano was concerned. Her father had had to promise Luciano a totally free hand at Linwoods before he could persuade the younger man to mount a rescue bid on his loss-making wine-store chain. Luciano’s arrival had stripped Miles of his executive authority. Being hauled over the coals for his business expenses had set the seal on her stepbrother’s resentment.
Miles gave her a pained look. ‘You’re still carrying a torch for da Valenza the size of an Olympic flame…’
Disconcerted, Kerry flushed. ‘Of course I’m not!’
‘If I say a word against him, you try to make excuses for him—’
‘I always see both points of view. I’m like that with everybody,’ she argued. ‘It doesn’t mean anything. I hate Luciano now.’
‘I’m glad to hear that because…’ her stepbrother grimaced ‘…on my way here Rochelle rang me, and guess what? Not content with making an ass of herself outside that court room on da Valenza’s behalf, she’s now dancing with delight because he’s asked her out tonight!’
The blood drained from Kerry’s shaken face. Although she told herself that that news should mean nothing to her, it was as though Miles had stuck a knife in her chest. She jerked a thin shoulder and dropped it again. ‘S-so?’
‘I just thought you ought to know.’ Meeting her stricken gaze before she could veil it, her stepbrother averted his attention to his menu. ‘He’s a real slick womaniser but she’s better equipped to handle him than you ever were—’
‘Maybe they were always meant to be together…and I just got in the way.’ Pride made Kerry force out those words, for her imagination was already tormenting her with an image of Luciano and Rochelle emerging from a church to a shower of confetti and good wishes.
‘What a horrible thought!’ Miles laughed out loud. ‘If it got serious, I’d have to start pretending that I too believed that he had suffered a miscarriage of justice. I mean, let’s face it, with the millions da Valenza’s got now, we really would have to swallow our pride and throw down the welcome mat!’
Kerry occupied herself ordering a meal that she had no appetite to eat. ‘Rochelle went to see him in prison…didn’t she?’
‘The experience gave her no end of a thrill. But, considering that my sister originally gave evidence against him, I was amazed that he was willing to see her,’ Miles continued chattily. ‘But then I suppose he can hardly blame us for his imprisonment, can he?’
Making an effort to concentrate, Kerry glanced up and muttered, ‘Actually he seems to think that the Linwoods somehow framed him…but evidently, Rochelle doesn’t suffer from that same stigma.’
‘Framed…him?’ Her stepbrother raised startled brows in concert. ‘Good grief! On what does our Luciano base that extraordinary suspicion?’