To Wear His Ring Again. Chantelle Shaw

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      She hadn’t wanted expensive gifts. What she had wanted he had been unable or unwilling to give her—love, his heart in exchange for hers, a marriage that was a true partnership. Did such a thing even exist? She’d seen little evidence of it in her parents’ marriage, Isobel thought wryly. Perhaps her father had been right during one of their many rows about her doing homework rather than writing songs, when he had accused her of wasting her time chasing rainbows. Maybe happy-ever-after only happened in fairy tales.

      Of their own volition her eyes fixed on Constantin’s face as she committed his sculpted features to her memory. The faintly cynical curve of his lips evoked a visceral ache in her belly.

      She had to get out of the house now, before her wafer-thin composure cracked. Never had she been more thankful for the illusion of supreme confidence that performing with the band had given her. She walked unhurriedly across the room and glanced back at Constantin from the doorway. ‘I’ll instruct my lawyer to reject any financial offer from you.’

      ‘Per l’amor di Dio!’ He swore beneath his breath as he crossed the room with long strides. ‘Dammit, Isobel, you are entitled to receive a settlement from me. The music industry can be fickle, and, although the band is riding high at the moment, no one can say what the future holds.’

      Wasn’t that the truth? Isobel thought emotively as the image of her tiny baby daughter flashed into her mind. Coming back to the house where she had dreamed of living as a happy family with Constantin and their child, she felt as though a protective layer had been scraped away from the scar tissue surrounding her heart.

      ‘There’s no reason any more for you to feel responsible for me,’ she said tautly.

      Her eyes clashed with his, and something in his brilliant blue gaze sent a warning signal to her brain. She sensed that he was mentally stripping her naked, and she was furious with her treacherous body as heat stole through her veins. He had always had the ability to decimate her equilibrium with one killer glance.

      The sound of her phone ringing from the depths of her handbag was a welcome distraction. She retrieved the phone and glanced at the caller display before shooting an apologetic glance at Constantin. ‘Do you mind if I answer this? It’s Carly, probably calling to remind me that we’d arranged a shopping trip this afternoon.’

      Her friend’s cheerful voice greeted her. ‘The photographer from Rock Style magazine wants to do the shoot tomorrow instead of midweek. Does that suit you? Okay, I’ll let him know,’ Carly said when Isobel confirmed she was free the next day. She cut the call and was about to drop her phone into her bag when it rang again. Assuming it was Carly with a second message, she lifted the phone to her ear and her heart jumped when a frighteningly familiar voice spoke.

      ‘Hello, Izzy. It’s David, your darling. Remember you wrote “To my darling David” when you gave me your autograph? I know you are in London and I hoped we could have dinner together.’

      ‘How did you get my mobile number?’ The instant Isobel blurted out the question she cursed herself. The police had advised her to stay calm and not reveal any emotion or engage in conversation with the man who had been stalking her for the past two months, but hearing David’s voice filled her with panic. Her eyes jerked to the window and she scanned the pavement outside. Did he know her exact location in London? Her common sense told her it was unlikely that he had followed her here. But how on earth had he got hold of her mobile-phone number?

      Without saying another word she cut the call and then checked the number of the last caller. The number had been withheld. She switched off her phone and dropped it into her handbag as if she feared it were an explosive device.

      ‘What was that about?’

      She met Constantin’s curious gaze, unaware of the unease reflected in her eyes.

      ‘Nothing.’ Her response was automatic. There was no reason to involve Constantin. She would make a note of the call and file it with the other nuisance calls she had received from David as the police had advised her to do. More importantly, she would contact her network provider and change her mobile-phone number.

      Constantin frowned. ‘Your reaction suggested it was more than nothing. When you answered the call, you looked worried.’ He placed his hand on Isobel’s arm to prevent her from sidling out of the door. ‘Do you have a problem with whoever called you?’

      ‘No—it was just someone playing a joke.’ She quickly thought up the excuse. Her problem right now was the way her body was reacting to Constantin’s nearness. Her heart was racing and she could feel the pulse at the base of her throat beating erratically. She fought a crazy temptation to tell him about David—a fan who had developed an unhealthy obsession with her. The police were aware of the situation and everything was under control, she reassured herself. There was no point in involving her soon-to-be ex-husband.

      In a matter of weeks she and Constantin would be divorced and it was likely that she would never see him again. The knowledge felt like a knife-blade through her heart. She pulled her arm free and stumbled into the hall. Her stiletto heels sounded like staccato gunfire on the marble floor as she half ran towards the front door.

      ‘Goodbye, Constantin.’ She could not resist one final glance over her shoulder at him. ‘I hope one day you’ll meet someone who can give you whatever it is you’re looking for.’

      * * *

      ‘The role of Chairman of DSE has historically always passed to the eldest son of the next generation of the family. It is my birthright, dammit!’

      Constantin paced around his uncle’s office at the Rome headquarters of DSE, his body taut with suppressed fury like a caged tiger enraged by its captivity. His eyes glittered as he stared at Alonso sitting calmly behind his desk. ‘If I had been a year older when my father died I would have become Chairman a decade ago, but because I was seventeen, company rules dictated that the chairmanship must go to the next De Severino male who was of age—in this case, you, my father’s brother. But now you wish to retire, and the chairmanship should revert to me. I intend to combine the role of Chairman with that of CEO, as my father did.’

      Alonso cleared his throat. ‘It is the belief among many members of the board that the two roles should be separated. An independent board chairman can better protect shareholder interests, leaving the CEO free to concentrate on running the business—which you do extremely well, Constantin.’

      ‘Profits have risen year on year since I became CEO, but many times I have felt that I am working against the board rather than with their backing.’ Constantin could barely contain his frustration. ‘It is crucial for our continuing success that DSE takes advantage of emerging markets in Asia and South America. The board are slow to embrace change, but we must move fast to keep ahead of our competitors.’

      ‘There is a concern that in your rush to take the company forwards, you have forgotten the standards and moral ethics of DSE that have been the backbone of the company since it was established by your great-grandfather nearly a century ago.’

      Constantin slammed his hands down on his uncle’s desk. ‘I have forgotten nothing. I have lived and breathed DSE since I was a small boy, in the expectation that I would one day be fully responsible for the company. In what way have I forgotten the company’s moral ethics?’

      Instead of replying, Alonso looked pointedly at a copy of a popular gossip magazine lying on his desk. The front cover carried a photo of his nephew and an Italian glamour model, Lia Gerodi, emerging from a СКАЧАТЬ