Seeing how much this kindly woman loved her daughters, Luca hated having to discredit her dead daughter, but until he knew otherwise, he had to stick to the physical evidence. ‘I know it’s what you believe, but Jane also told you Christiana was dead,’ he pointed out with an apologetic grimace.
‘I don’t understand it.’ Marjorie shook her head. ‘Janie had a hard time with the premature birth and she was very upset when your father sent Antonio to London on business almost the second she’d delivered. We got the first call from her telling us she’d had a daughter and that the baby needed special care because she was so premature. Janie was depressed about it because Christina—Christiana—was taken straight to the special care unit and they wouldn’t let her see her or try to feed her. She tried to call Antonio, but he’d already left for London and didn’t answer. Then, she rang us only a few hours later with the terrible news Christina had died.’ Tears formed in her eyes then spilled onto her cheeks. ‘It was all so sudden.’ She used the backs of her hands to wipe her tears away. ‘I should’ve gone to her. I should’ve borrowed the money for the airfare and gone to her when she went into hospital, but she’d told me Antonio would be right by her side.’
His muscles rigid with unease, Luca crouched down in front of Marjorie so he could look directly into her eyes. The more details he heard, the more disquieted he became. Things weren’t adding up and he knew better than anyone that his father would stoop to whatever means it took in the name of profit.
‘I’m very sorry for your loss,’ he said helplessly. ‘I had no idea of any of this until yesterday.’
She let out a long sigh. ‘I might’ve been able to prevent Janie’s death if she’d only known I was on my way to her. She was so far away. That first call, she was exhausted and happy but also worried because of the early delivery. I heard the distress in her voice when she said Antonio was going off to London, but she put on a brave face over the telephone … right until her last call …’
Searching her face, listening to her voice, Luca believed in Marjorie Temple. He was certain, at least, that she believed what she was telling him.
‘I know Janie believed her baby had died. I don’t know why she thought it, but I’m certain it’s why she was so hysterical the medical staff decided to sedate her. She believed her baby had died and felt Antonio had deserted her.’
One hand resumed threading the belt of her dressing gown through her fingers. ‘She was never a confident girl. She’d been through so much bullying at school, there was the abuse she suffered from her boyfriend straight out of school, then she found herself in hospital in a foreign country. She was flustered, miles away from family, and her Italian was limited to the most basic of greetings. Antonio seemed to have dropped her like a hot potato so she would’ve had nobody to speak to unless the staff spoke English. Then she received the news about her baby …’ Her voice caught and she raised a hand to wipe again at the tears in her eyes. ‘She couldn’t even tell me how Christiana had died. She just kept saying, “My baby is dead.”’
Merda! All his preconceptions about the type of woman Jane Temple had been were changing. Tension cemented itself into his shoulders. Olivia had behaved like an irrational maniac yesterday morning and he hadn’t wanted to credit her words as truth. But her mother was quite reasonable and rational.
What if Jane Temple had somehow been a victim in all this?
If it were true, he could hardly blame Olivia for harbouring such bitterness against Antonio, nor even for breaking down and attacking him physically, especially when she seemed to have loved her sister and played a protective role in her life.
‘I’ll look into this more closely when I return to Rome.’ Bank records could be checked. Antonio’s lawyer could be contacted to see if there’d been any conversation about filing for a divorce. If there was anything amiss, Luca would find it. He’d also confront Damiano.
‘I’m not blaming you,’ Marjorie said with a sniffle. ‘Attributing blame now will never bring Janie back to us. She was an idealist, a romantic. She believed love would conquer all.’
‘And Olivia?’
‘These days, Olivia’s far from being a romantic. She’s never recovered from her broken engagement.’
His question had been phrased badly. ‘What I meant was whether Olivia might get over attributing blame. She was extremely hostile yesterday, and that’s not helpful.’ It was what he’d intended to ask, yet now, for some unfathomable reason, he wanted to know the details of the broken engagement that’d stopped her being a romantic.
Even while he told himself it had no bearing on his dealings with her, Marjorie’s next words made his curiosity grow.
‘Janie’s death changed Olivia. She’s never admitted it, but Olivia blamed herself for having been away at university enjoying her life, unaware Jane had become involved in an unhealthy relationship. She wanted Jane to wait to travel to Europe, but Harold and I had hoped it would be good for Jane to have the independence.
‘Olivia went from being a relatively happy person to becoming withdrawn after Jane’s death. Although she tried to hide it from me, I could see she was bitter and angry. You see, she wasn’t just hit hard by the deaths of Jane and Harold. Jane’s death set off a domino reaction in Olivia’s life and as one domino fell, it pushed another down.’
‘How so?’
Marjorie sighed. ‘We were strapped financially, but the main reason I didn’t fly to Italy to be with Jane when she gave birth was because Olivia needed me as well. She was supposed to be married the following week. It was cancelled, of course.’
Incomprehensibly the news almost knocked him off his haunches. A broken engagement was one thing. Having a wedding cancelled a week before it was to have taken place would surely be worse.
‘Why cancelled and not postponed?’
She shook her head. ‘It’s a whole different story. I only mention it because Olivia took one major emotional hit after another over those few weeks, both personally and professionally. She’s never truly recovered.’
Personally and professionally?
There was so much more he wanted to ask, so much he needed to know if he was to truly understand Olivia and ensure her intention of being involved in Christiana’s life wouldn’t harm his niece.
‘Your brother cheated on his wife.’ Marjorie’s words broke into the thoughts crowding his brain. ‘He was weak and incapable of standing up to your father. I don’t think he was a man truly worthy of Janie’s love.’
Luca stiffened. Antonio was weak and had proved himself incapable of standing up to their father time and time again. But, Luca wasn’t about to speak ill of his brother. ‘I’ve heard a completely different version of events of Jane’s involvement with my brother.’
Marjorie raised her eyebrows then nodded sagely without commenting on his words. ‘I want to meet my granddaughter, Luca. Olivia told me she didn’t believe you’d allow the meeting unless we held back our consent for a test of our bone marrow. I don’t want to play games with you. It’s a waste of precious time for Christiana and for us.’
He nodded, amazed at her ability to speak so directly to him and to cut to the chase. Only his two closest friends, Max and Nick, would argue with him the way the Temple women had done—in a way that commanded his respect. ‘You’re a strong woman.’
‘No.’ She held up a hand in protest. ‘I’ve been a very weak woman trapped in my own grief when Olivia needed me. She’s the one with the strength.’
Once again, he pictured the manic woman who’d attacked him. Now he understood the reason for her cold reception of him and for her need to unleash her grief when she’d thought he was Antonio, he wanted to get to know if she had a more rational side to her nature.
‘Neither Olivia nor I would withhold bone marrow from Christiana if it could save her. Our consciences would never allow it.’ She looked him directly in the eye and spoke sternly. ‘I believe strongly in doing the right thing. I hope I can count on you to search your own cons
cience and do what is morally right.’
He shifted uneasily before reaching into his pocket to produce the photograph of Christiana. As he passed it to her he took a very uncharacteristic and giant leap of faith to trust. ‘Do you have a current passport, Marjorie?’
Chapter 5
It was like reliving her worst nightmare. Dark memories Olivia had tried desperately to forget came crashing back. They dominated her thoughts as the aircraft pushed back from the terminal building at Sydney’s Mascot airport.
Trying to detach herself from those depressing recollections, she leaned forward in the luxury leather seat and gazed through the aircraft window. Catering trucks and refuelling tanks journeyed purposefully on the apron and luggage handlers worked to load cargo into the hold of a nearby Boeing aircraft.
The ground staff had wished her a pleasant flight and a large part of her was excited to be on her way to meet her niece, but bleak memories cast a damp blanket on those happy thoughts, and Luca’s presence made it impossible to relax.
Five years ago she’d made her grief-stricken journey to Rome crammed in economy class—surrounded by people, yet completely isolated. On the return journey she’d been all too aware her younger sister’s coffin was stowed in the cargo hold.
This time she was travelling with her mother and Luca Borghetti in his private jet, but even accompanied by her mother, Olivia felt emotionally isolated. Luca had won her mother’s trust, respect and admiration. No matter how hard Olivia tried to caution her mum against trusting him, Marjorie wouldn’t hear a word against him.
Leaning back into the seat, Olivia pressed down the urge to scream in frustration.
She was afraid to hope too hard for things to go smoothly as she got to know Jane’s daughter. It all depended on Luca. He might still deny them access to Christiana if their bone marrow wasn’t a match. If he did, it would catapult her mother into depression.
The pilots of the aircraft had their checklists, a flight plan to follow, and a high-tech radar system to warn them of turbulent storm cells, but the path of Olivia’s journey was unclear. It was dotted with many worrying unknowns and she was frightened she was heading for the most turbulent ride of her life.
‘The view’s much better from up front.’ Luca re-entered the cabin from the flight deck. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to join your mother there for take-off?’
Olivia tensed, daunted by his dynamic presence. Over the last week, whenever he’d come to the house to have them complete documentation or update them on the latest development in their travel plans, she’d made herself as scarce as possible. Antonio’s brother was way too intimidating.
‘I’m fine where I am, thank you,’ she half-muttered, avoiding his gaze and reaching for a magazine. The opulently appointed cabin seemed to shrink with his presence, and she resented the way she couldn’t think clearly when he was around. ‘Please don’t stay back here on my account when you could be enjoying the view from the flight deck.’ She tried to make her tone neutral, but she couldn’t hide the underlying acerbity of her words.
‘The take-off from Sydney is spectacular, and we will be tracking over the harbour. Any other time, I would be on the flight deck. Today, I choose to be here with you.’ He shrugged, and the slight movement drew her attention to the width of his shoulders. The slight pull of the fabric of his shirt across his broad chest made her heartbeat accelerate in response.
Angry with herself for her physical awareness of him, she slapped the magazine onto her lap.
‘Why bother?’ Craning her neck up to look at him, she raised one eyebrow in cynical disdain, deliberately trying to pick a fight with him to prevent the cosy little tête-á-tête he seemed to have in mind. ‘Don’t pretend you enjoy my company. We both know you’ve been forced into taking Mum and me to Rome and that you’re far from happy with the situation.’
Past experience taught her she couldn’t trust his family. She had to remember he was her enemy.
A slight narrowing of his eyes was the only indication her barb had pierced his tough skin. The rest of his features were a blank mask as he continued to subject her to his steady, assessing regard.
‘You’re very tense. Are you afraid of flying?’
Clutching the magazine, she sent him a look of disbelief. ‘Please, Mr Borghetti, don’t insult my intelligence by pretending you care.’
‘Luca,’ he corrected, but didn’t refute her accusation.
He sat down opposite her and stretched his long legs out in an action of indolent arrogance—completely at ease with himself and his surroundings.
Irritation pricked all over her stiff back. The contrast between his manner and her own nervous tension couldn’t have been more marked if it was up in flashing neon lights.
To make matters worse, she found it increasingly difficult to look at him without admiring the swarthiness of skin stretched over his very masculine bone structure. Several times she’d found herself thinking how his appearance would’ve been too severe, too savage, if not for his sensually sculptured mouth and the thick, dark eyelashes which framed his eyes.
He was devilishly good-looking.
Devil being the operative word her inner voice of caution warned.
It was no wonder Jane had fallen for Antonio. Most women would melt into a pool at the feet of any man who looked this good. But, Olivia wasn’t most women. She knew first-hand how callous and unfeeling the Borghetti men were, and her teeth clenched hard at the memories.
‘So, you’re not nervous, you’re angry,’ he remarked as casually as if he was commenting on the weather.
Olivia glared at him. ‘It surprises you?’
He made a non-committal gesture with his hands.
‘How would you feel if you learned the niece you thought had died at birth was alive?’ she attacked. ‘What sort of people deny a child’s family access to her? Mum and I have missed out on five years of her life and Christiana has no idea who her real mother was.’
His full lips compressed for a moment. ‘I understand your anger but I’ve already explained. I only became Christiana’s guardian two years ago. I understood your sister was paid to have Antonio’s child. In my mind she gave up any rights over, or any interest in, Christiana. With this belief, I didn’t entertain the notion of finding whether Christiana had any biological relatives.’
‘Until her life depended on those biological relatives.’ Olivia leaned forward aggressively then immediately regretted the action because it brought her closer to this man—close enough to breathe in the divine masculine scent of his aftershave.
Geez.
Fight him, Olivia her inner voice urged. Keep summoning up your anger and remember what he stands for.
‘We’re destined to stay at odds,’ she declared with finality. ‘You know I believe Christiana was taken from Jane without her consent.’
‘Yet, the money was accepted.’
‘So you say. Where’s your proof?’
‘I don’t know,’ he admitted, opening his large hands, palms up. ‘But I have someone working to give us the answer.’
Olivia sank back into the chair and gave a dismissive toss of her head. Fixing her attention on a commercial aircraft on another taxiway she said, ‘You’re so sure of yourself, so arrogant and you judge my sister in the worst possible light even though you didn’t know her.’
‘You believe in your sister. We at least share a common positive belief in our siblings,’ he conceded.
‘Don’t even begin to compare us,’ she snapped with indignation as she turned back to glare at him. ‘We’re nothing alike.’
His features remained unmoved.
‘You look down your nose at me as if I would be a bad influence on Christiana,’ she said with disdain. ‘I love children and I grew up being both big sister and, at times, mother to Jane.’
‘How did you expect me to react to your demand?’ His accent became more pronounced as frustration crept into his voice, and Olivia felt a slight degree of satisfacti
on to have finally broken through his cool. ‘I’d only just met you—I knew nothing of you or your mother.’
‘You seem to have been at our house every time I turn around in the past few days but—’
‘There have been many details to organise.’
‘—you still don’t know us,’ she asserted.
‘Which is why I choose to be here with you rather than on the flight deck for take-off,’ he vented with impatience. ‘You’ve been avoiding me. Now there’s nowhere you can disappear to, no errands for you to run the instant I arrive at your home. I’ve been trying to get to know you while you’ve been running in the opposite direction. Why avoid me if you have nothing to hide?’
She shifted in her seat. It was annoying he’d seen beneath her anger and knew she was ill-at-ease with him. There was nothing she could say to rebut his accusation that she was doing nothing to ease the situation. She could hardly tell him she was heeding every instinct warning her to be on her guard with him.
‘I don’t like you,’ she admitted bluntly.
‘You don’t know me and you’re not trying to get to know me.’
‘Is your goal to keep your friends close and enemies closer?’ she queried.
Drawing his frame more upright, he leaned towards her very slowly. He closed what little distance there was between them like a sleek, black panther cornering its weaker prey and her pulse began to beat frenetically at the base of her throat.
The intensity from his dark eyes had her pushing back into her seat, trying in vain to increase the distance between them. Nervous adrenaline surged through her. He was too close. Again she could smell the fresh, tangy fragrance of his aftershave and this time she had to fight the urge to breathe deeper.
The aircraft came to a stop, presumably at the threshold of the runway. Time may as well have stopped inside the cabin. There were only the two of them and tension pulsed between them, making her throat dry.
Damn it all! He was far more attractive than any other man she’d met—sexier than any male model she’d admired on the glossy pages of magazines. This man did amazing things to her heartbeat merely by being in the same room. Even Carl, the man she’d planned to spend the rest of her life with, had never affected her like this and it had to stop.
Seduced by the Enemy Page 5
