The Italian Billionaire's Disgraced Fiancée

by Betsy Swann

  She turned back to him to ask when the plane was due to leave, but he’d closed his eyes again, his head resting against the comfortable leather seat back of the limousine. Again it struck her how beautiful he was, like some ancient Roman god fallen from the skies. She took her time to admire the pure male perfection of his finely chiselled features, but there was something else shadowing his face. Something soft and vulnerable that flitted across the corners of his mouth, almost like pain. Like a little lost boy looking for love. Strange that she’d never noticed that before.

  ‘Having a good look?’

  Izzy blushed. She’d been so entranced by the curve of his lips that she hadn’t even noticed that he’d opened his eyes and caught her staring. ‘Um…yes,’ she admitted. ‘I was.’

  ‘And, how do I compare with Luca?’

  She pressed her lips together. ‘Trust me, you wouldn’t want to know.’

  He laughed. ‘That bad? I should have guessed that a…’

  ‘…mercenary scheming slut can’t possibly see anything good in you?’

  Enzo leaned forward, his blue eyes piercing into hers. ‘So now who is the one breaking the truce?’

  Izzy blushed. His scolding was deserved.

  ‘I’m sorry, that has been uncalled for.’ She managed a weak smile. ‘I’m afraid we’re one as bad as each other. If you want honesty, I’ve been thinking that you looked like a lost boy searching for love. One of those who fell out of their pram in Kensington Gardens. You do know the book, don’t you?’

  ‘Peter Pan,’ he answered curtly, a more than frosty atmosphere suddenly emanating from him.

  Izzy frowned. What had she done now to receive that reaction? She had no idea how her innocent comment could possibly have upset Enzo, who broodily stared out of the window, his back rigid, and his mouth set to a thin line. She sighed. It seemed she did everything wrong, where he was concerned.

  ‘So you know that I was found in the Villa Borghese Gardens in Rome,’ he finally bit out. ‘I assume Luca told you about my humble origins.’

  Izzy stared at him with her mouth open. ‘He didn’t. I mean… What the hell do you mean, you were found?’

  ‘I’m adopted, of course,’ he said. ‘Straight from an Italian orphanage for lost boys. Now do me the favour not to pretend you didn’t know about this. And as for your so called truce, your Peter Pan comment was indication enough for your desire to put salt into my wounds.’

  Izzy had to swallow hard. He was adopted. He’d been found in a park, something he was clearly not happy about. Her heart went out to the little lost boy in that orphanage.

  Why on earth had he never told her? They’d been engaged to be married and madly in love. Or had it always just been her, who’d been in love, never him? Was it lack of love why he had never shared this information with her, or had they simply not known each other long enough to talk about all the important details of their lives? So much to say, so little time…

  The car halted in front of the terminal building.

  ‘We’re here,’ she said, well knowing that she was babbling, but he’d already opened the door and stepped out, leaving her behind with the cold-as-ice feeling that had gripped hold of her heart.

  ‘You own a private jet?’ Izzy gasped in disbelief as they walked across the airfield towards the sleek bird of steel carrying the ‘Vallorini’ logo. Probably she should have guessed, wealthy as he was.

  ‘It’s not my plane,’ Enzo informed her, still an unforgiving expression stamped on his face. ‘It belongs to Vallorini International, which not only includes Luca and my hotels but also the construction and property development company run and owned by my cousins. We and our managers use the plane on a shared basis, but we also allow different charities to take advantage of it for delivering care parcels or free passenger transport, if needed.’

  Izzy looked at him in surprise. ‘I’ve heard about you and your family’s generous donations to charity, but I hadn’t been aware that this extends to letting them use your company plane. This is a very gracious offer.’

  He shrugged his shoulders as if this was nothing special. ‘Why sit on your assets, when they can be used to do so much good in the world?’

  This was all he seemed to be willing to say about the topic, and as soon as they had stepped into the plane he disappeared to talk to the pilot while leaving her to her own devices.

  Interested, Izzy looked around starting at the back of the plane where she discovered a toilet with wash basin and WC as well as a separate bathroom. In the main seating area several very comfortable looking leather chairs stood opposite each other along the windows, and she guessed that they could be joined together to provide proper beds. Next to each chair was a large foldable working station holding a TV and several electrical sockets, and a bit further along the corridor were two three seater sofas covered in the same cream leather as the chairs.

  So far Enzo hadn’t returned from his chat with the pilot, so Izzy was spoiled for choice. Even better, she wasn’t faced with the decision whether she should sit close to where he was sitting or rather as far away as possible. Ignoring the sofas, she settled on one of the comfortable leather chairs and placed her laptop onto the table. Her plan was to use the two-hour flight to check out Enzo’s Italian flagship hotel online, the one whose design he wished to tackle first.

  She had never been to one of the Vallorini hotels in Italy - only to her own chain of Italian hotels when she’d gone to breathe new life into them the previous year in order to make them more appealing for customers and potential buyers alike. Ever since she had inherited the ten hotels Izzy had felt overwhelmed by the possession and the commitment that came with it. Being a designer she knew nothing about how to run a top class hotel or ten. Nick had talked her into taking a one-year business course, and she had passed the degree with distinction, but her decision was made. The hotels had to go. No way could she handle the responsibility while enjoying a successful career as a designer at the same time.

  Even better, the sale would free the necessary funds she needed to further ‘My Greatest Wish’ and make so many more dreams come true. She certainly didn’t need the money for herself and neither did her siblings, both multimillionaires themselves.

  To her surprise Enzo chose the chair closest to her, and he even smiled at her briefly when he handed her a glossy brochure. Much relieved Izzy returned his smile. Obviously he had decided to forget their little hiccup in the car.

  ‘I thought you might want to have a first impression of the hotel before we arrive,’ he said. ‘Or have you been before?’

  She shook her head. ‘I’ve visited Rome, only last year actually, but I don’t know the ‘Vallorini’. Is there any part of its interior design you’d like me to focus on in particular?’

  ‘No, just look around and tell me what you think, so we can discuss it before you draw up any plans. I’ve worked with designers before and have always given them some kind of free range, but this time I’d like to be a bit more involved.’

  ‘You weren’t happy with their suggestions?’

  He curled his mouth. ‘The suggestions were fine, and we implemented them in the end, but somehow it all came to pass without me quite understanding the reason for the changes they requested.’

  She laughed. ‘Why didn’t you ask? I’m sure each one of them would have been more than happy to explain.’ She opened the brochure and flicked through it. ‘Quite beautiful, all of this. I wonder why you want to change anything at all.’

  ‘Trust me, it’s necessary,’ he said and leaned back in his chair closing his eyes, and with a vengeance she realised that she did.

  She trusted him, no matter what.

  ***

  ‘See what I mean?’ Enzo said as they stepped into the marble-clad reception hall of the hotel a few hours later. ‘First impressions count, and since we needed to substantially reduce the size of this room in order to enlarge our kitchens, it always feels kind of poky in here.’

  ‘You ca
ll that poky?’ Izzy rolled her eyes at him. ‘There’s nothing poky about this room, but I can see where you’re coming from, if it was double the size before.’

  All in all the hotel reception was a vision of elegance. The light coloured marble slabs reflected the light to great effect giving a feeling of light and space, and a gilded antique sideboard graced the far wall complete with a stunning arrangement of fresh flowers and a Venetian mirror hanging above. Two groups of sofas stood to the right, flanking the high double doors leading to a further hall, which seemed to be much larger and housed an opulently carved and gilded grand staircase and a row of lifts. The actual reception desk stood to the left of the entrance.

  At a glance Izzy noticed that the two male receptionists behind sported the same beaming smile as the receptionists in London. Was this smile part of the uniform, she wondered, or were Enzo’s employees truly happy to work for him?

  She observed him behind her lashes, while he checked them in and discussed something with the two men in fast Italian while quickly glancing at an incoming message on his mobile phone. Once again she regretted not to speak this beautiful language. Ever since she’d learned that her mother was half Italian, Izzy had planned to learn the language, but with her business degree and her work schedule keeping her busy she hadn’t managed to join a language class yet.

  Enzo turned and crossed the hall to where she was waiting.

  ‘Let’s go,’ he said. ‘We’re on the top floor.’

  His right hand slightly touching the small of her back he guided her to the lifts. Instantly a colossal swarm of butterflies started to flutter about in her stomach. Nervously Izzy took a deep breath.

  Relax, she ordered herself. Enzo is polite, nothing more. Don’t even think of hoping that he might like you again.

  But how could she not think about it when the thought was already in her head? By the time they stepped into the lift, Izzy felt thoroughly uneasy. Even worse, they were alone in the confined space, and Enzo chose the opportunity to lean against the opposite wall and study her with a mocking glint in his eyes.

  ‘Nervous, all alone with me?’ he said, his hands shooting forwards to enclose her fingers. ‘Your hands are shaking.’

  Hastily Izzy pulled her hands out of his grip. ‘You’re mistaken. I’m just a bit cold. The air conditioning, I guess.’

  Enzo gave her a lazy grin, leaving her in no doubt that he didn’t believe a word she was saying. ‘In that case I must remember to tell the caretaker to turn it up a few degrees.’

  The ‘ping’ of the lift announced that they had arrived at the top floor. Seconds later the doors slid open.

  ‘But that’s the penthouse,’ Izzy uttered when she realised that Enzo was not merely accompanying her to her own room somewhere along the same corridor of the hotel. This could only mean that she’d be sharing his private suite with him. ‘We can’t possibly…’

  ‘Of course we can,’ he interrupted. ‘Relax. It’s not as if we’d be sleeping in the same bed, if that’s what you’re worried about. Unless of course, you want to share my bed.’

  ‘I don’t,’ Izzy said glowering at him, although she had daydreamed about spending the night with him, if only for a split second. ‘How can you even suggest something like that, while I’m madly in love with your brother? You can’t possibly think that I’ve already put Luca behind me just because he and I had a little misunderstanding.’

  ‘Maybe it’s the other way round,’ he replied striding towards one of the doors leading off the hallway. ‘Maybe Luca has already found someone else to replace you.’

  He opened the door to a light and spacious room decorated in a barely there shade of blue. ‘This is your bedroom. I suggest you make yourself at home, freshen up a little bit, if you wish, and then join me downstairs in the entrance hall at…,’ he quickly glanced at his watch. ‘Five o’clock?’

  She nodded, still shell-shocked about his previous words. Had he received any news from Luca about a new woman in his life? What, if that woman wasn’t her sister, and how should she continue acting out this farce once her pretend lover had fallen into the arms of someone else?

  Breathing heavily she closed the door behind him, grabbed her phone and let herself sink on the silken bedspread covering the fabulous four-poster bed that dominated the room.

  No wonder she hadn’t had any news from Bella, she realised glancing at the display. She’d forgotten to switch the phone back on after the flight. She scanned her inbox and found a message from her sister telling her to keep acting. Things with Luca were difficult, it seemed, and no mention of the L-word on his part yet, but Bella had not given up hope and appeared in good spirits.

  ‘I knew the paparazzi would do a good job,’ she wrote. ‘Just check out the lovely picture that turned up on one of the online gossip sites.’

  Izzy opened the attachment and looked at a beautiful couple who were visibly in love. Bella’s eyes weren’t covered by sleek designer sunglasses this time, because the photo had obviously been taken at night, but due to cleverly applied eye make-up and her new dark hairstyle she was virtually unrecognisable. The pair just left a sumptuously lit restaurant, and judging by the look in the young man’s eyes he was head over heels in love.

  So this was Luca. He had dark hair like Enzo and was just as tall and broad-shouldered, but that was as far as the similarities went, Izzy mused. No wonder when they were not blood-related at all. Whenever Bella had been gushing about Luca, Izzy had imagined him as being some kind of younger version of his elder brother. Well, she hadn’t known then that Enzo was adopted.

  A short knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She glanced up.

  ‘Come in.’

  The door opened and Enzo stepped inside, carrying her suitcase. ‘Your luggage has arrived,’ he said and heaved it on the stand at the bottom end of the bed. ‘I guess you’re happy to unpack yourself, or should I rather call for one of the maids to do it for you?’

  ‘I’m fine,’ she replied, suddenly more than aware of the fact that she was lying on the bed and him staring down at her. Her mouth went dry, and she could feel hot desire shiver down her lower belly and pool in the delicate area between her legs.

  Hastily she glanced away, hoping that he hadn’t realised what kind of physical reaction he provoked in her. But luck was not on her side.

  ‘What is it?’ he asked. ‘You look kind of flustered.’

  Dear God, he had noticed… In total embarrassment she buried her face in her hands.

  In an instant he was by her side and sat down at the edge of the bed. ‘So that’s why you’re so agitated. You’ve discovered that picture.’

  When she carefully dared to peep through her fingers, she found him glancing at the picture on her phone, the one of Luca and Bella leaving the restaurant, so clearly smitten with each other.

  ‘I…um…,’ she mumbled, much relieved that he hadn’t spotted her stupid desire for him after all. ‘Did you know about this? Is that why you asked, if I’d ever thought of the possibility that Luca might turn to someone else while he is in Las Vegas?’

  He nodded. ‘I was made aware of that picture when we arrived at the hotel,’ he admitted. ‘One of my cousins sent it. Seems he found it posted online on some gossip news site.’

  ‘And you didn’t feel the urge to throw it right into my face?’ She snatched the phone out of his hand and closed it before he accidentally stumbled over Bella’s message. ‘Don’t tell me you’ve turned into Sir Chivalrous now.’

  ‘Give me a chance, Izzy.’ With a pained expression Enzo stroke his thumb across the bridge of his nose. ‘We have a truce, remember? I try to be civil, although I must admit for a moment I did have the urge to rub it in that Luca is already canoodling with someone else.’

  ‘And now, where do we go from here now you’ve reached your goal, and your brother has dropped me? Do you expect me to leave, or what is the plan?’

  His eyes narrowed, scanning her face.

  ‘You’re not goi
ng anywhere,’ he bid out. ‘The re-design of my hotels is important to me, and you’ve agreed to do the job. There’s no way I’ll allow you to get out of your commitment now and, let’s face it, I still don’t trust you. Who can guarantee me you don’t take the next flight to Vegas to chase Luca until he is stupid enough to put a ring on your finger?’

  She sighed. ‘I could guarantee it, but you wouldn’t believe me, I guess.’

  ‘Quite right, I wouldn’t, and I never will. Not after the way you betrayed me.’ He raised himself off the bed and strode towards the door. ‘You can’t blame me for that, can you?’

  ‘You’re mistaken,’ she said. ‘I can and I do, because you are the one who was the traitor, not me.’

  Putting his hand on the door handle he glanced back at her. ‘I don’t have the time nor the patience to discuss this now, but if you insist on a good fight at some later stage I’m more than happy to oblige; just not as long as you work for me. And now excuse me, please. I have business to attend to.’

  Shaken to the core, Izzy grabbed her washing bag from her suitcase and went into the bathroom to have a shower. Since they had left England, Enzo was visibly trying to stick to his end of the deal and keep a truce, and so far he had fared much better with fulfilling the task than she had. She couldn’t believe how difficult it was to keep her feelings in check. One second she was so angry with him that her whole body shivered from head to toe, and in the next she wanted to fly into his arms and forget the world. Why on earth couldn’t she stop herself from making pointed remarks although he gave his best to be friendly for a change?

  Unfinished business, she reminded herself. That’s what it was, and she had no clue how it could possibly ever be finished. Not with him hating her and believing her to be a slut. And not with her dreaming of him day and night and constantly saying the wrong thing or turning into a nervous wreck whenever he came close.

  It was hopeless. He’d never love and trust her again, he’d said so often enough. The sooner she managed to finish his design brief, the sooner she could finally get out of here and start the rest of her life.