The Medici Mistress: Nothing and no one would stop him from having her. Read Online Free PDF

“I had no idea.” His smile was distracted.
    “My mother is an amazing woman. She never let me feel less of a man, no matter what anyone said. She pushed me from a young age, to ignore those who would criticize and doubt. I knew I needed to achieve in spite of what they said. Or, perhaps, because of it.”
    “I just don’t understand how someone goes from a life of poverty to being on the Forbes rich list.”
    “Determination,” he responded instantly. “I wanted everyone who had made my mother hurt, with their words and judgmental actions, regret their actions.” His grin was predatory and filled with resentment. “My mother is now extremely wealthy. I have provided her with more money than she will ever be able to spend; and the biggest mansion in our village. Nobody dares criticize her these days.”
    A shiver ran down Annie’s spine. “Your revenge must have felt good.”
    “Revenge? I suppose it was.” He pierced her with his dark eyes. “And you, cara? ”
    She let go of his hand, lifting the wine to her lips and sipping the buttery liquid gratefully.
    “This is nice,” she remarked.
    “Do you like wine?”
    She shrugged. “I don’t mind it. I just don’t know much about it. My parents don’t really drink, and until I started working at Amicus, my budget didn’t stretch to much beyond Tescos finest…”
    He was amused. “It’s your turn. I want to hear about your childhood.”
    “Rather a dull story, compared to yours,” she said self-consciously. “I grew up in Harrow. My mother is a dental hygienist. My father a conveyancer. My brother is a reasonably well known DJ.” She shrugged. “I had a very normal, very happy childhood. So happy it makes me feel infinitely sad for you.”
    “Don’t pity me, cara . I might have been lacking in material possessions, but I never lacked love or security.”
    She could see that. He was so confident; the kind of confidence only borne of knowing himself to be special to someone. “So how did you end up here? I mean it. It’s not easy to amass the kind of fortune I presume you have.”
    Something strange lodged in his chest cavity. “Do you care that I have money?”
    “Care? I don’t understand…”
    “Does it change how you feel about me?”
    Her eyes narrowed. “Are you asking if I’m here because of what you have, rather than who you are?”
    For the first time in a relationship, he felt insecure. “ Si .”
    “I don’t care if you have two euro or two billion.”She smiled at him, and in her smile, he saw all of the emotions he needed. He visibly relaxed. “It’s stupid, to feel this way about you. I mean, we’ve just met. But… well… believe me, Giac. This is all about you.”
    He nodded. “I do believe you.”
    “So?”
    He shrugged. “It was a mix of luck and opportunity.”
    “I don’t believe in luck,” she said truthfully.
    “No, nor do I, generally. Though meeting you was lucky.” He fixed her with a direct stare. “I wasn’t supposed to be handling the business at Amicus. But my assistant came down with the chicken pox, and I had to come myself.”
    “The chicken pox? Is your assistant six years old?”
    He grinned. “One of the few people who didn’t manage to catch it as a child. I have thought about that often, since meeting you. What are the chances? That Alessandro would develop a serious illness, forcing me to travel in his stead? That meeting you might not have happened…”
    She shuddered. “But it did.”
    “And that was luck.”
    “Yes, perhaps.” Fate felt like a more appropriate word.
    “In business, I worked hard to create opportunities. I was blessed with making good investments at certain times. The market fluctuated in my favor.”
    She watched the way his strong features moved as he spoke, and felt her heart clench with need, and love. For she knew that she loved him. It was ridiculous, given that she’d known him such a short while, but it was fact.
    Their dinner went largely untouched.