I closed my eyes. My migraine pounded with increasing ferocity.
I’m not my family.
The man blackmailed you and threatened your brother’s life.
Say the word, and you’ll be free of the Laus forever.
I had to get rid of the blackmail. No matter my feelings for Vivian, it was my brother’s life on the line, and I couldn’t risk those photos leaking. Romano would skin him alive if he found out Luca had touched any woman in his family, much less his beloved niece.
If I destroyed the blackmail, there was nothing keeping me from taking vengeance on Francis. I could let bygones be bygones, but he didn’t deserve it.
“Next time you see your brother, you should tell him to be more careful.” Francis had the smile of a snake who’d just come across trapped prey. “I would hate for these photos to get into Romano’s hands.”
I didn’t touch the folder on my desk. I’d seen enough. I didn’t need to go through every fucking picture.
“Anyway, I’m sure you’re busy, so I won’t take up any more of your time.” Francis stood and smoothed a hand over his tie. “Think about what I said. A marriage with my daughter would be quite beneficial, especially for the…longevity of your family.” His smile widened, revealing sharp incisors. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
The memory dredged up every emotion from that meeting and poured them into the pit of my stomach.
The shock. The disbelief. The fuckingrageat both my brother and the bastard who’d had the balls to show up uninvited tomyoffice and blackmail me.
No, Francis Lau didn’t deserve any mercy from me.
I turned my back to the dining room. Cold finality settled in my chest as I made my decision.
“Take him down.”
After I hung up, I returned to dinner and tried my best to act normal. Vivian didn’t say anything at the restaurant, but when we returned to our hotel, she cast a concerned look at me.
“Is everything okay?” she asked. “You’ve been quiet since the call.”
“Everything’s fine.” I shrugged off my jacket and avoided her eyes. “Just annoyed it interrupted our dinner.”
“It was still a good dinner.” She sighed and sat on the bed with a dreamy smile. “I’ll dream of that dessert for the rest of my life.”
“The dessert and not me? I’m offended.”
Vivian rolled her eyes. “Not everything revolves around you, Dante.”
“It should.” I smiled at the way her nose scrunched even as my heart twisted.
On the surface, our banter was playful as always. But a clock ticked beneath the lightheartedness, audible only to me as it counted down our moments together.
I should tell her the truth. If not now, then when we landed in New York. She’d find out sooner or later, and I wanted her to hear it from me.
But the thought of telling her about the blackmail and shattering the last idealistic notions she had of her father, of confessing to what I’d authorized Christian to do…it tore at me like a knife in the chest.
These were our last moments together, and I was selfish enough to hoard them to myself.
Vivian let out a breathless laugh when I pushed her onto her back and straddled her, my movements gentle enough she landed with a soft thud rather than something more jarring.
She stared up at me, her earlier mock annoyance melting into a smile that made my heart ache.
“Last night in France.” I lowered my head so my lips grazed hers with each word. “I wonder how we should spend it…”
“Well, I’d originally planned to take a long bath, read, maybe put on that face mask you said makes me look like Jason fromFriday the 13th…” Vivian mused, her eyes glinting with laughter and banked heat. “But perhaps you have a better idea.”
“I might.” I placed a soft kiss on her mouth as I slowly unzipped her dress. The silky material slackened, and I gently lifted her so I could ease off the rest of her clothes.