A Deal To Carry The Italian's Heir / Christmas Contract For His Cinderella. Jane Porter

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СКАЧАТЬ only strange thing was Silvio Brunetti’s conspicuous absence from the celebrations, and Alessandra’s, too, who was close to Greta, even more than her own grandsons.

      A small dais had been raised at the center of the marquee where the matriarch, Greta, came onto the dais and delivered a speech in Italian that was too fast for her to follow. She invited her family to join her. Neha sat stunned when Leo walked up to her and reached out a hand to her.

      For a few seconds that felt like an eternity, she could feel every single gaze trained on her, the silence deafening. Yes, they were putting on a show for a variety of reasons. Neha had never expected to be counted as one of the Brunetti family.

      But even her hesitation hadn’t thrown off the resolute look in Leo’s eyes. Bending down from his great height, the broad sweep of his shoulders cutting off the entire world, his gorgeous, rugged face filled her vision. The focus of that gaze—all on her—was addictive. “I thought I had made this clear between us. Whatever happens in the future, or doesn’t happen—” a twinkle appeared in his eyes “—my child, and therefore you, will always be a part of this family.”

      “You don’t understand,” she’d whispered, putting her slim hand in his huge one. Shivering at the abrasive slide of his palm. “They’ll think it a declaration neither of us intends.”

      “I do not give a damn, as you say, bella.”

      After that, she hadn’t even cared how Mario was taking the whole thing.

      There was an exhilarating kind of freedom in letting Leonardo shoulder her burdens, at least for the evening. She danced with Massimo once and then twice with Leo, and tasted so many delicacies while laughing with Natalie.

      After a long stretch of loneliness, life felt good, real.

      Having just touched up her makeup, she walked out into the small sitting lounge with full-length mirrors and a soft white leather sofa when she realized she wasn’t alone.

      Everything in her braced to face the vitriolic attack that would come from Mario. Instead, her mum stood inside the room, her delicate face pinched with worry and distress. Dressed in a cream pantsuit that set off perfectly against her fair skin and pearls at her throat, she looked exquisitely lovely in a frail way. When she’d been a teenager, Neha had wished she’d been more like her mum with her petite, feminine frame, the silky dark hair, the delicate, sharply set features.

      But now... Neha was glad she’d inherited her dad’s build and his resilient nature.

      “Hello, Mum,” she said, leaning down and kissing Padma’s cheek. A subtle scent of roses filled her nose, instantly plunging her into that twisty, minefield she’d been navigating for too long. “I was hoping we could have a quick catch-up before you left. Especially since I hadn’t seen you in a while. Sorry, I didn’t come sit by you tonight.” She hated this, this distance that came between them, all because of Mario. “Leo had all these people he wanted to introduce me to, and Natalie dragged me into the photoshoot—”

      “I thought you were past this rebellious phase where you do things just to annoy your stepfather,” Padma said. Launching directly into attack.

      No question about why Neha hadn’t come to see her in two weeks. No question about the sudden change in her relationship with Leo. That cold knot in her chest squeezed painfully even as that wet, helpless feeling filled her throat. “Mum, what are you talking about?”

      “This...thing with that man.”

      “What about it?”

      “Leonardo Brunetti is your stepfather’s enemy. You know he causes all kinds of trouble for Mario. Of all the men in the world, Neha...have you no loyalty for Mario? After everything Mario’s done for us, after he made sure we didn’t wallow in poverty, after he built this empire with your face, after he’s treated you as if you were his own...” A long, rattling sigh shook her slender shoulders, and she reached for the wall behind her, her breathing shallow, her pretty face crumpled.

      Panic filled Neha’s limbs. “Mum, please don’t stress yourself like this. You know it’s not good for you. You’ll have an asthma attack and I—”

      Padma jerked away from her touch. “Then you should’ve thought of that before shacking up with a man Mario can’t stand.”

      “Mum, listen to me. It’s not what you think. I’d never do anything to hurt you. This is something I needed to do for myself...” Neha pushed her shaking fingers through her hair, fighting for composure. Fighting the anger and helplessness rising through her, the selfish need to demand her mum’s support when she was weak already. “To build the life I—”

      “You’ve chosen to go against the man who gave you everything. And when Mr. Brunetti breaks your heart, and Mario says he will, who do you think will pick you up again? Who do you think looks out for you in all this?

      “Your stepfather, that’s who.” Her mum took her face in one hand, fingers tracing her jaw tenderly, her gaze taking in everything. “Walk away from this man, Neha.” Tears made her mum’s words a soft, beseeching whisper. “Come home with us, now, tonight. Mario’s generous. He’ll forgive you the simple mistake of falling into Leonardo’s trap.”

      Of course he would. He’d riled up her mum to see only an enemy in Leonardo. A selfish woman in her own daughter, a naive fool who fell for a man’s sweet words. Still, Neha tried. “Mum, I haven’t done anything to be forgiven for. I’ve stayed all these years even though—”

      “No, stop.” Padma took a deep, shuddering breath, her mouth trembling. Ignoring what Neha was saying. “It pains me to see you at such cross-purposes with him, darling.”

      “Mum, I’m doing this for me. No one else. For my future.”

      “Please stop this before you hurt yourself and us, too.”

      “And if I don’t?”

      Padma stepped back from Neha, a resolute look in her eyes. “Then I know that Mario’s right that you’ve never accepted him. That you’ve never forgiven me for choosing to marry again when your papa passed away. That all these years, you’ve resented the place he’s taken in my life.”

      The dark midnight sky was a star-studded blanket as Leonardo made his way through the well-worn path to the greenhouse that had been abandoned for more than two decades.

      He had engaged a crew to renovate the greenhouse, but apart from stepping in there with the architect for a quick inspection, he hadn’t been here again. He wanted the renovated greenhouse, not a desolate, haunting monument with memories that could steal his sleep.

      Nothing but Massimo’s knock at his door, his face concerned, well past midnight, as he’d been getting ready for bed, could have brought Leo to this place. For years, he had ignored the presence of the abandoned structure, refusing to step foot even in its shadow.

      But he’d realized that it was silly to let a child’s confusion dictate the rest of his life. An utter waste of time and energy having something new designed when a perfectly old structure was sitting right in his backyard.

      He keyed in the security code that had been newly installed and pushed open the СКАЧАТЬ