‘Smile through it,’ he advised, squeezing her hand as they began to walk towards the doors. Questions were flung at him as they went, in Italian, so she could only pick out certain words. Corporate. Purchase. Record-breaking. Scandal. Tradition. Outcry.
It was enough to draw her gaze to his face once more, but he was implacable, as though he hadn’t heard a single question.
They moved through the doors, into a restaurant that was far more charming than Olivia had expected. The tables and chairs she imagined usually filled the restaurant had been removed, leaving only a tiled floor covered in the expensive shoes of Italy’s wealthiest personalities. She recognised very few of those in attendance and was glad—there were none of the nerves one might have felt when rubbing shoulders with celebrities you knew and admired.
‘The usual.’ But his voice was gruff, sparking questions inside her.
‘Is there a scandal because you’ve bought the bank?’
‘They are alluding to the scandal of my past.’
‘Your father’s scandal?’
‘Italian society has a long memory,’ he said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. ‘Let us find you a drink.’
The first hour passed in a whir of introductions, and, despite the fact Luca insisted on speaking English for Olivia’s benefit, conversation switched back and forth, from Italian to English, at breakneck speed, so she found it almost impossible to keep up. He didn’t leave her side, nor did he drop her hand, so despite the fact she felt completely off the deep end, she was also enjoying herself, the spectacle, the vibe, the noise, the joy of life. It was the sort of event she’d never attended—something she’d read about online or seen in movies, but to actually attend, and with the star of the show, was actually surprisingly fun. When the room was so full she could barely move, he turned to her.
‘I have to make a speech.’ He pressed a kiss to the soft flesh just beneath her ear, sending a thousand sparks into her bloodstream. ‘It will be in Italian, but you’ll get the gist. Excuse me.’
Olivia watched as he made his way through the crowd, his dark head inches above most, his shoulders broad, his stride somehow cutting through the gathering of people with ease.
At the front of the restaurant, a microphone had been set up, and even before Luca approached it, the crowd grew quiet.
When he spoke, it was as though Olivia were being pressed back against a wall. She saw him as he appeared to the rest of the world, as he’d appeared to her, the first time they’d met. He was no longer Luca, the man she’d come to know so well, but a powerful, self-made tycoon with more strength, arrogance and ambition than anyone that had ever lived. The crowd was completely captivated by him, the effect of his words inspiring laughter, then nods of agreement.
She was in awe.
‘You are here with Luca?’ The question was unwelcome, an intrusion on a private moment between Olivia and Luca—despite the fact hundreds of people surrounded them. She blinked away from him, annoyed, meeting the eyes of a beautiful dark-haired woman.
‘Yes.’ She smiled crisply then turned back to her husband.
‘I wondered why I had not heard from him. Have you been together long?’
‘Only a couple of weeks,’ Olivia said, before remembering they were supposed to be playing the part of a happily married couple.
‘Then I’m sure it’s almost at an end. He never strays for long.’
Hairs on the back of Olivia’s neck stood on end. ‘Oh?’ The other woman smiled banally, but her claws were out. Olivia felt them trying to find purchase in her back.
‘He will get bored of you soon enough, and then he’ll be back in my bed.’
Olivia’s heart slammed into her ribs. This vile, beautiful woman was right. When their marriage ended, Luca would return to his normal life, and resume his normal activities, which, Olivia gathered, included this woman. It was the expectation Olivia had come into this marriage with, and nothing had changed to affect that. So why did her throat now feel filled with sawdust?
‘Perhaps.’ Olivia tilted her head to the side, affecting a look of nonchalance. If there was one thing she was glad of, it was that her upbringing had equipped her with all the skills to hide how she was feeling. To an onlooker, she appeared as zen as one could get. ‘That’s really up to Luca.’
The reply surprised the other woman, taking the wind out of her sails completely. She left without another word. But all of the enjoyment of the night had faded for Olivia, and she couldn’t say precisely why. After all, nothing had changed. She’d married Luca knowing it was fake, and temporary. They had agreed to sleep together on the basis that sex wouldn’t change the cold terms of their marriage. He would go back to his life, as it had been before her, and that shouldn’t bother her. So why did it? Why did Olivia suddenly feel as though she were falling into the depths of the ocean? Why did it feel as though she were drowning?
‘You are very quiet.’
Olivia blinked up at Luca, annoyed at herself for not having been able to fool him into thinking everything was fine. After all, it was fine, wasn’t it?
‘Perhaps I’m tired,’ she offered.
Luca’s eyes skimmed the room. The crowd had thinned a little, but, at almost midnight, the party was still in full swing, the voices growing louder as the alcohol intake grew.
‘We’ll leave.’
‘We don’t have to,’ she demurred with a shake of her head.
He leaned closer, breathing into her ear. ‘I want to. We’ve stayed far longer than I intended. Let’s go home.’
It was such a simple, oft-repeated phrase. It meant nothing. But when Luca referred to ‘home’, a hole formed right in the middle of Olivia’s heart, because his wonderful property in the heart of Rome was not, and never would be, her home. That was in England, the dreaded Hughenwood House, and soon Olivia would have to return there. Not for long, but initially, to sort out their business affairs and launch herself into a new life. Uncertainty made her stomach off-kilter. It was the future she’d longed for, the future she’d fought damned hard for, even marrying a total stranger to achieve, so why did it stand before her like a pit of lava she was now obliged to cross?