“A rebuttal is being drafted,” Guillermo said, ever the helicopter guardian, hovering and batting away threats to his charges.
“Why?” Luca asked. “Do you not think men should suffer the consequences of their actions?”
“Signor.” It was one of Guillermo’s scolds that backpedaled even as his haughty demeanor reinforced his position. Luca Albizzi was never allowed to be seen as anything but faultless.
You were so convinced of your own perfection you had to hire someone to make you look bad.
“Guillermo, will you leave us please?” Sofia said.
Luca brought his focus back to his sister as Guillermo slipped away.
“I regret nothing,” he said, which felt like a lie, but he still waved a dismissing hand at his tablet. “This will pass.”
“Luca, I know,” Sofia said in a voice that sent a chill of foreboding through him. “About the night Papa died. I made Vincenzo tell me everything.” Vincenzo was the head of the palace’s legal department.
Luca looked away, instantly thrown back to that grim night. “I was trying to spare you, not hide it from you.”
“I know.” She rose and came down the length of the table to stand behind him.
He tensed, not wanting comfort. He resisted her touch when her narrow hands settled on his shoulders and she squeezed his set muscles.
“I’m sorry you felt you couldn’t tell me. That you’ve had to carry it alone.”
“What was the point in forcing one more ugly memory onto you?”
“I know, but I needed to understand. Something changed in you after that night. At first, I thought it was the pressure of having to ascend. That you were angry the crown hadn’t come to me, but it was more than that. I saw it more clearly when you were with Amy. She makes you happy, Luca, but you’re fighting that every step of the way. Why?”
“Because look what happens when men in positions of power follow their base instincts!” He waved at the tablet where Amy’s words were imprinted for the world to see. “Do you think that would have happened to her if she hadn’t been tied to me?”
He would have risen to pace, but she didn’t let him shrug her off. Her hands pressed him to stay in the chair as if she could impress her views into him with the action.
“You saw how upset she was the day our affair was revealed.” He was still haunted by Amy’s bleak expression. “She threatened to burn down the palace because she was terrified of exactly this.”
“You didn’t know about it, Luca.”
“But I still wouldn’t have done anything differently if I had. That’s what makes me sick with myself. From the minute I saw her, I wanted her. I was attracted to her and yet I hired her anyway. I brought her here and gave in to what I felt. Pursuing what I wanted has destroyed her. So yes, she makes me happy. What the hell can I do about it when I’m a cancer that will only harm her?”
You made me fall in love with you.
He had to breathe through the pain every time he thought about her saying that. In the moment, he’d refused to let it in. His reflex had been to control the damage they faced, but while she’d been sleeping, her words had begun to penetrate and they’d replayed in his head continuously ever since, torturing him. Making him ache with what might have been.
“Do you know why I was away when Papa died?” Sofia asked.
“You were at a UN conference,” he recalled dimly.
“The conference was over. I was hiding in a hotel room, worried I was pregnant.”
Luca abruptly twisted in his chair to stare up at her.
“It was a false alarm,” she hurried to say.
“Who?” he demanded in astonishment.
“Someone who was not anticipating being a father, let alone a queen’s consort,” she said tartly. “What I’m saying is, you are not the only person who has moments of weakness and fallibility.” She cupped his cheek. “You’re not the only one who wants to find a life partner and feel loved.”
“I will stand behind you no matter what, Sofia. You know that.” He took her hand to impress the words into her with a squeeze of her fingers. “You could have told me. If anything like that ever happens again, you can tell me.”
“I know. And I stand behind you no matter what. Despite recent appearances,” she said with a quirk of her mouth. Then she waved at his tablet. “Look how strong she is, Luca. Do you really think she’s going to let any man destroy her? No. She has publicly declared she’s keeping the life she has made for herself, and good for her. She is exactly the sort of woman you should be pursuing. She’ll keep you honest.”
You said it was only going to be an affair and I believed you.
He had tried to believe it himself, but he’d known that every minute with her was more than some flickering memory. It had been a stone in the foundation of something bigger. Something he wanted to make permanent. He’d already been contemplating going to London so they could continue to see one another.
“Do you have any idea how annoying it is that the women in my life are smarter than I am?” He rose.
“At least you’re smart enough to realize that.”
“Be warned, Sofia. If I’m going after everything I want, for me and you and Amy and Vallia, blood may get spilled. I won’t always be nice about it.”
She smiled. “I’ve always known you would slay dragons if you were allowed to carry a sword and weren’t weighed down by a crown. You’ve made it possible for me to be who I need to be. I want you to be who you were meant to be.” She offered her cheek for a kiss. “I love you and trust you.”
“Ti amo, sorella. Don’t wait up. I’ll be gone as long as it takes to win her back.”
I was going to resign, but you’ll have to fire
