When curiosity gets the best of me, I creep into the hall where I can hear the conversation in the foyer, but still remain out of sight.
As I inch closer, the voices become less garbled.
“I’m sorry,senhor, but as I said a moment ago,SenhoraDaniela is not seeing anyone until thecustomarycalling hour.”
Isabel’s voice has an edge. She’s a stickler for protocol, and he must be giving her a hard time.Good luck, Antonio.
“The customary calling hour?” he hisses.
He won’t make a problem in your father’s house.File it under famous last words.
“Yes,senhor. Visitors are free to drop by to pay their condolences, but not until the appointed time, as hasalwaysbeen the custom.”
Oh Isabel, teaching a lesson in manners is not the way to deal with the likes of him.
“I’m a busy man. I don’t have the time or the patience for arbitrary customs. Tell Daniela I need to speak to her. I won’t ask politely a second time.”
A second time? You didn’t ask politely the first time.Good Lord, he’s even more full of himself than I remember.
I’ve heard enough. I might not fare any better, but it’s not right to leave her to deal with him.
I take a deep breath and force myself from the safety of the shadows.
7
Daniela
“Good morning,SenhorHuntsman,” I greet him as I enter the sunny foyer. Even though my stomach is somersaulting, my voice is steady and clear.
Antonio gazes over Isabel’s shoulder, but doesn’t say a word as I approach. Probably because he’s too busy raking over my form-fitting riding clothes like he can see right through them. It’s openly lewd and entirely unrushed, as though he doesn’t give a damn if anyone catches him looking.
“Bom dia,” he drawls in a buttery timbre, when I stop beside Isabel.
Although I feel my cheeks warming, I lift my chin and force a smile. There is no way I’m going to let this jerk see that he’s embarrassed me in my own house.
“I realize this isn’t an ideal hour to pay a visit.” Antonio peers into my eyes, holding my gaze steady. “But I won’t take up too much of your time.”
I don’t shy away but I take a quiet breath, replaying his words in my head one by one, looking for something resembling an apology. All I find is arrogance. But unlike Isabel, I don’t bother to waste my breath teaching manners.
“Why don’t we talk in my father’s office.”
Not that we need to talk. I know exactly why he’s here. He wants the grapes—or more likely, the entire estate. He owns plenty of premium real estate throughout the valley, but men like him aren’t satisfied until they have everything. Although it’s not just that.Quinta Rosa do Vale,mylegacy, is the ultimate jewel for his kingdom. It will put all the power in one man’s hands, cementinghislegacy forever—even I know this.
But nothing is forever, Antonio. If that’s what you believe, you’re a fool.
When you’re powerful, they stand in line to knock you down. That’s why my father always had so much security around us. Not that it saved my mother.
Antonio follows me down the hall without a word, staying a few steps behind, even when I slow my gait. It’s not an act of deference. He’s not a deferential man. He’s a pig.
When I peek over my shoulder, his eyes are glued to my skin-tight breeches. I don’t have the self-assuredness to sway my hips in an exaggerated manner that lets him knowI knowhe’s looking, or the pluck to flip him off. My experience in dealing with men like him is virtually nonexistent. So instead, I pick up my pace to get to the destination as quickly as possible.
Isabel follows, too, and I’m sure I’ll hear about what aporcohe is later.
When we’re just inside the office, Antonio turns to her. “I need a word withMeninaDaniela,” he says, referring to me in the way someone might refer to a younger girl, and dismissing Isabel as though it’s his damn house and he’s the king.
With one simple sentence—that’s all it takes—he seizes the power in the room.
I glare at him for a second or two—not more. I’m not sure what I expect to accomplish with a mean look, but it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t even notice.