ALSO BY RUTH CARDELLO
Up for Heir
In the Heir
Royal Heir
Hollywood Heir
Runaway Heir
LONE STAR BURN
Taken, Not Spurred
Tycoon Takedown
Taken Home
Taking Charge
THE LEGACY COLLECTION
Maid for the Billionaire
For Love or Legacy
Bedding the Billionaire
Saving the Sheikh
Rise of the Billionaire
Breaching the Billionaire: Alethea’s Redemption
A Corisi Christmas (Holiday Novella)
THE ANDRADES
Recipe for Love (Holiday Novella)
Come Away with Me
Home to Me
Maximum Risk
Somewhere Along the Way
Loving Gigi
THE BARRINGTONS
Always Mine
Stolen Kisses
Trade It All
A Billionaire for Lexi
Let It Burn
More Than Love
Forever Now
TRILLIONAIRES
Taken by a Trillionaire
Virgin for a Trillionaire
TEMPTATION SERIES
Twelve Days of Temptation
Be My Temptation
BACHELOR TOWER SERIES
Insatiable Bachelor
Impossible Bachelor
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Text copyright © 2019 by Ruth Cardello
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Montlake Romance, Seattle
www.apub.com
Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Montlake Romance are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.
ISBN-13: 9781542009706
ISBN-10: 1542009707
Cover design by Eileen Carey
This book is dedicated to everyone who helped my daughter find her stuffed wolf when we lost him. We posted him on all of my social media accounts and the outpouring of support from friends as well as strangers was heartwarming. A week after losing him, he was back in my daughter’s arms and all was well in our household again.
To learn more about the true story of Wolfie,
visit www.ruthcardello.com.
CONTENTS
START READING
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
EPILOGUE
MEANWHILE . . .
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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CHAPTER ONE
* * *
JUDY
Barefoot and dressed in white, fluffy, hooded unicorn onesie pajamas, Judy Corisi spun in the high-backed leather chair behind her father’s desk. He didn’t like her in his office, but she remained secure in the knowledge that there was no bite behind his growl.
And she had an important reason to be there.
After one final spin, she pulled the chair closer to the desk, opened her school folder, and took out a piece of paper. Even though it was a first draft, she’d put a significant amount of time into it. She’d hoped to get a quick okay from her teacher so she could move on to the next step. Instead, her teacher had met with her and asked for a major overhaul of the assignment.
Frustrating.
I worked hard on this.
Harder than normal, because I wanted to make Dad smile. Usually her father loved hearing about school. He often came home late from work, but always made time for her. They’d curl up on the couch, read together, and she’d tell him about her day. Over the years, she’d gone from reading to him to reading next to him. No matter how busy he was, he was hers for that window of time. Her life was full with friends, soccer practice, and schoolwork, but time with her father was something special.
Not that time with her mother wasn’t. According to her friends, Judy had the sweetest, most attentive mother ever. She attended all of Judy’s games, volunteered in the school, and made Judy’s friends feel special whenever they visited. Perfect was how everyone described Abby Corisi—which often made it hard to live up to her expectations.
I have too much of Dad in me to always follow the rules.
Dominic Corisi—his name alone commanded attention. Her mother joked that he’d been a rascal before they’d met. Judy never did get what that meant, but Uncle Jake said her father had as many enemies as he had friends.
And he certainly had a lot of friends.
Judy looked around her father’s office. The mahogany shelves that lined the walls were full of photos and every award Judy had received since preschool. She couldn’t imagine anyone not liking her father. He didn’t even have a temper.
Which was why she had been shaken by his reaction when she’d said her teacher had asked everyone to make a family tree.
He’d been angry.
And something else.
When she’d asked him why, he’d said he was tired.
Her father didn’t get tired.
When she’d pushed for him to explain, he’d gotten a haunted look in his eyes and walked away. She’d chased after him, but he’d brushed her off and closed himself in this very office.
When asked about his response, all her mother had said was that she would talk to him. About what? Judy didn’t know. Whatever their talk had involved, it hadn’t changed her father’s feelings toward the project. She’d made the additional mistake of asking him about his own father the next day. She’d never forget the look on his face. So much pain it had sent a flash of panic through her.
Her father had always been invincible. Nothing could hurt him—no one could scare him. Yet Judy had glimpsed a dark memory in his eyes and knew that someone had.
Imagining anyone hurting him brought out a protectiveness in Judy. More than anything, she wanted the smile back in his eyes. A full family tree, one that included all the people who loved him, had felt like the perfect way to do it.
Her first draft had been time consuming, but exciting once she’d started it. On the trunk of
her family tree, she’d written her grandmother’s name in an apple, then her parents’ above in a box, with herself represented as a leaf. A long Andrade branch wove around one side of the tree with all their children and grandchildren. Smaller branches balanced the other side, representing her mother’s family as well as offshooting branches for the Katers, the Borrettos, the royal Hantan family. In the middle, two branches wove both sides together, a beautiful tangle of love. It was a first draft, but one that she’d been excited to share. This was the family her father had built. She’d planned to transfer the information onto a canvas and give it to him for his birthday—until she’d shown it to her teacher.
Apparently her diagram needed to be pruned. She hadn’t followed the directions carefully enough. It wasn’t that Judy had misunderstood the assignment; it was that her definition of family didn’t match her teacher’s.
Revision was normally something Judy was okay with.
Uncle Jake says the secret to true genius cannot occur until one is willing to acknowledge that very little that is accepted as known actually is.
Mistakes often lead to incredible discoveries.
She ran a hand over her diagram.
I don’t see how my teacher’s version could be incredible. Less is not better.
Despite how full the paper was, only a small number of names listed were circled with a yellow highlighter. Mrs. Chase had been very clear that every name not circled had to be removed.
Judy texted a request for her aunt to come to the office and looked over her paper again while waiting. Every single person she’d listed felt like family—how could they not be? More than that, the trimmed tree wouldn’t have the effect Judy was looking for. Rather than cheer her father, it would look small and limited.
Not what I want to give my father.
“Are you supposed to be in here?” a female voice asked from the door.
Judy turned her paper over. “Thank you for meeting with me.”
“Not a hardship since I’m technically babysitting you.” Dressed in a casual but chic pantsuit, Alethea floated across the room. Her red hair was tied back in a sophisticated, loose bun. She could have been a model. Everyone said so, but instead she ran a security company with her husband, Marc Stone. Safety was serious stuff.
Being born to a family of wealth came with perks, but Judy had learned early that it also had a cost. Her father was internationally well known and, by default, so was Judy. She didn’t know what it was like to go to a playdate without a security detail. She’d never gone for a walk without the same.
Marc and Alethea made sure Judy was safe, and she couldn’t remember a time when they hadn’t been part of her life.
According to Mrs. Chase, that doesn’t make them tree-worthy.
Alethea took a seat in the chair in front of the desk, crossing one leg gracefully over the other. “What can I do for you?”
Tapping her fingertips lightly on the desk, Judy leaned forward. “I’d like to hire you for a project, but absolute discretion is imperative.”
“Absolute discretion.” Looking as if she were holding back a smile, Alethea nodded. “Of course.”
“I’m serious.” Loving Alethea as she did didn’t mean she was blind to her aunt’s reckless history. “I can’t get grounded again—not right before summer vacation.”
With one eyebrow arched, Alethea asked, “Grounded? I don’t know what you’re planning, but it already sounds like I won’t be able to help you. I would never go against your parents’ wishes.”
Judy rolled her eyes skyward. “Oh, please. Trouble is your middle name.”
Looking unfazed, Alethea shook her head. “Perhaps once, but not anymore. Ask your uncle Marc. I’m rather boring lately—just a happily married woman who spends most of her time in an office.”
That was true and had been the topic of more than one conversation Judy had pretended not to overhear. It was time to lay that card on the table; a new challenge was just what Alethea needed. If riding lessons had taught Judy anything, it was that falling off didn’t define a rider, but getting back on or not did. “Auntie Lil says you haven’t been yourself since you botched a job for Delinda Westerly.”
Alethea frowned. “Really? I wasn’t aware she felt that way.”
Whoops. “She didn’t say botched. I’m summarizing.”
Her aunt pursed her lips. “I appreciate the clarification.”
This wasn’t going how Judy had imagined. Time to refocus. “If you’re too scared to help me, I’ll ask Uncle Jeremy. Or maybe Auntie Zhang.”
Alethea’s eyes narrowed. “Aren’t you a little young to already sound like your father?”
Judy sat up straighter. “Age is a number.”
“You’re nine.”
“Will you help me or not?”
After a quiet moment, Alethea uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. “What do you need?”
“First you have to promise to keep this between you and me.”
“Keep what?”
“First promise.”
Concern filled Alethea’s eyes. “If someone at school is bothering you—”
“It’s not that.”
“Honey, you know I can’t promise to keep anything from your parents.” One hand went to her temple in what looked like an attempt to massage away the start of a headache. Her other went protectively to her stomach.
Her stomach. “Are you pregnant, Auntie Alethea?”
“Why do you ask that?” Alethea’s hand fell to her lap, and her face went white. For a long moment she looked more uncertain than Judy had ever imagined her supersleuth aunt could.
“You’re married. That’s when people start having babies. Unless they don’t know about condoms, then babies just happen.”
Shaking her head, Alethea said, “Judy, I’m not ready for you to grow up yet. Where did you learn about babies?”
“School and the internet.”
Rubbing her hands over her temples again, Alethea took a deep breath. “You know you can ask me anything. Even about . . . sex.”
Judy shook her head vigorously. “Ew. No. Sex sounds gross. No. Stop. It’s not about that.”
Looking relieved, Alethea lightly slapped her own cheeks twice, then crossed her legs again. “Well, then, let’s talk about this job you want to hire me for.”
According to her father, the art of negotiation involved standing firm, because nine times out of ten the other person would cave in the face of unwavering confidence. Back straight, shoulders squared, she looked across her father’s desk and calmly held her aunt’s gaze. She already knows my condition—all I have to do is wait.
“You’re good,” Alethea said with a chuckle of resignation. “I promise I won’t tell anyone unless I feel that you’re in danger.”
“Okay.” Judy nodded and turned back over her school assignment, then leaned over her desk toward her aunt. “My teacher asked my class to make a family tree. I have to redo mine.”
Alethea stood and moved beside Judy so she could see the paper. Her expression revealed her displeasure as she looked it over. “What did your teacher say when she circled some of the names?”
Judy lowered her gaze. She didn’t want to say it, because she didn’t want to hurt Alethea’s feelings, but the truth was there for her to see. “Mrs. Chase said my family tree should only include people who are biologically related to me.” An emotional lump clogged Judy’s throat. “No Andrades, no Katers . . . no Stones.”
“What a bitch,” Alethea growled. “I’m sure she’ll explain family to you differently after I speak with her—if she’s even employed at your school when I’m done. Your family tree is perfect just the way it is.”
Judy rose to her feet. “You can’t have Mrs. Chase fired.”
Fire spit from Alethea’s eyes, but she smiled. “I believe I can.”
Judy knew that look. She put her hands on her hips. “Auntie Alethea, you promised.”
Alethea held her gaze for a moment, then sighed. �
�Did I?”
“Yes, you did. And Mrs. Chase is a very good teacher.”
“That’s a point we’ll have to agree to disagree on.”
Maybe this was a bad idea. Judy sat back down. She looked down at the highlighted names again. “This isn’t about my teacher; it’s about Dad. Ever since I told him about the project, he’s been different.”
“Different?”
“He looks—sad. I asked him to help me with it, and he said no. He never says no. Look at the circled names—just me, Mom and Dad, Nona, Auntie Nicole and Auntie Lil, their husbands and kids. That’s not a lot. I can keep Uncle Stephan because he’s married to Nicole, but not his father—Uncle Alessandro . . .” Judy stopped herself. “Should I just call him Alessandro? He’s not actually my uncle, is he?”
Alethea’s hand tightened on her shoulder. “He is in every way that matters.”
“I know.” She looked down at the diagram again. “But Dad’s biological family can’t end with his sister and his mother. He has to have more family out there. So I was thinking . . . what if I find them and surprise him with a family tree that has more of his relatives on it? One of my friends has a new half brother because her father had a DNA test done.”
Her aunt’s eyebrows rose and fell. “How did your friend’s mother take the news?”
Judy frowned. “She was happy, I think.”
“I’ll take your word for that.” Leaning forward, Alethea said, “Let’s focus on your family. If your father wanted to find someone, they would already be found.”
Judy shook her head as she remembered her father’s expression. “I don’t think so. I think he wants a big family like Uncle Alessandro has, but he’s afraid.”
“Your father? Afraid?”
Remembering the look in her father’s eyes confirmed Judy’s resolve. After scanning the room again, she said, “I’m going to do this with or without you.”
“Have you run your idea by your mother?” Alethea sat on the corner of the desk.
Judy shrugged. No reason to ask when one already knew the answer. “Her favorite word is no.”
“That’s true.” Alethea laid a hand on her stomach again. “Judy, there was a time when I would have been all over this. I thought the truth mattered more than how anyone felt about it. I hurt a lot of people with that philosophy.”
The Broken One Page 1
