A Ring for Vincenzo's Heir(35)

He would have to have words with Julie, who was covering for his usual  PA, Fiona, while she was on maternity leave. But he knew he couldn't  blame the temp for the misunderstanding over inviting Marnie to the  staff party. He should have made sure that Julie understood that he  never mixed his public and private life-and his mistress belonged firmly  in the latter category.

He had made it clear to Marnie when they had met that all he wanted was a  no-strings affair. His suspicion that she was a virgin had been allayed  by her white-hot passion when they'd slept together for the first time.  It had blown his mind. But sex was all he wanted from her and the only  thing he could offer.

He had tried commitment once, and had his soul ripped out for his  efforts, Leandro thought grimly. His marriage had quickly become a farce  that had ultimately turned ugly, and he had no intention of repeating  the biggest mistake of his life, despite his father's nagging.

He'd had dinner with Silvestro Vialli while he'd been in New York and  the old man had gone on about him marrying again and, more importantly  as far as his father was concerned, producing an heir to secure the  future of Vialli Holdings. Leandro had learned early in life that  business was the only thing his father cared about.

Next time make sure you have a paternity test to prove the child is  yours as soon as it's born, so you avoid the disaster that happened last  time,' Silvestro had advised with typical bluntness.

But there wasn't going to be a next time. Nicole's deception had left  deep scars, and nothing would persuade Leandro to be metaphorically  manacled to a woman for the rest of his life. Memories of his parents'  volatile marriage and bitter divorce when he was seven reinforced his  belief that commitment was a mug's game. He wasn't interested in a  long-term relationship-which made the fact that Marnie had been his  mistress for a year all the more shocking.   





 

He couldn't comprehend how their affair had lasted for so long without  him noticing that she had stealthily infiltrated his life. It was  certainly not what he'd intended when he had made a spur-of-the-moment  decision to ask her to move in with him nearly a year ago. She had  needed somewhere to live, and he had assumed he would grow bored with  her in a matter of weeks and would find her another flat to move into.

He was unsettled by the realisation that he had not been tempted by another woman since he'd made Marnie his mistress.

A waiter offered him champagne and canapés. Leandro lifted a glass from  the tray and took a long sip, needing the hit of alcohol in his  bloodstream. His schedule in New York had been hellish, even by his  standards, but he always pushed himself to his limits. He was proud of  Vialli Entertainment, the business he had built without the support or  help of his father. Work was central to his existence and gave him a  sense of control that in the past few years had been missing from other  areas of his life.

After his marriage had failed he had focused on being a good father,  determined that Henry would not suffer from the divorce the way he had  done when he was a kid and his own parents had split up. But since he'd  received the devastating proof that Henry wasn't his son he had been  left with a void inside him where his heart had once been, and he had  vowed never to lay himself open to that level of pain ever again.

His father had spent his life avoiding making emotional attachments,  Leandro thought cynically. It was the only trait of Silvestro's that he  was determined to emulate. His mother, on the other hand, had fallen in  love dozens of times, with men who had broken her heart, but she hadn't  loved the one person who had adored her-her son.

Leandro forced his thoughts back to the present and Marnie's unexpected  behaviour. What the hell had got into her? He hadn't tried to stop her  from leaving the party because he'd been concerned that she would create  a scene in front of his staff. But that was shocking in itself, because  generally she was mild natured and until recently had seemed content to  take a backstage role in his life.

He frowned as he recalled that when he had phoned her from New York a  couple of days ago she had sounded odd, unlike her usual cheerful self.  He had almost been tempted to ask if something had upset her. But he  hadn't gone down that route, reminding himself that she was his mistress  and he neither sought nor offered to share personal confidences with  her.

It might be a good thing that she had demonstrated this volatile side to  her character, he brooded. He was frankly stunned that he had allowed  their affair to continue for a year, and if Marnie was going to start  making emotional demands on him it was time to think about replacing her  in his bed.

He was aware that several of his senior staff were trying to catch his  attention and told himself to forget about Marnie and enjoy the party.  But he had glimpsed the sparkle of tears in her eyes before she'd  hurried away from him and his conscience was pricked.

He guessed she would take a cab back to his house in Chelsea because she  had nowhere else to go. She had told him that her mother had died a few  months before they'd met and her only other relatives lived in Norfolk.

Leandro gulped down the rest of his champagne and swore beneath his  breath. Experience had taught him that women were nothing but trouble,  and he did not know why he was surprised that Marnie was no different  from all the rest. She wasn't his responsibility, but she was upset, and  he acknowledged that he was partly to blame.

He walked over to his deputy CEO and spoke to him briefly before he  phoned his chauffeur and requested to be collected from the party.



Marnie emerged from the air-conditioned restaurant into what felt like a  furnace. The summer heatwave had lasted for weeks, and London was  sweltering in unusually high temperatures. Even at eight o'clock in the  evening the sun was a burning golden disc in the sky, and she was  conscious of her dress sticking to her as she walked dispiritedly  towards the bus stop.

She couldn't believe she had stormed out of the party like that. Leandro  had looked shocked by her loss of temper and it was hardly surprising  that he had not followed her after she had yelled at him like a  fishwife.

More tears filled her eyes. What was wrong with her? She never cried.

Even when her brother Luke had been killed in a motorbike accident she  had bottled up her grief, and maybe that was why she still felt his loss  acutely, five years later. Growing up with her chronically depressed  mother had made her fearful of allowing herself to feel deep emotions.  She was scared that if she cried for Luke she might never be able to  stop. Besides, she'd had to stay strong for her other brother, Jake, who  had been devastated by his twin's death. And she had done her best to  take care of her mother, as she had done since she was eleven, when her  father had left home.   





 

She leaned against the bus shelter and gave a deep sigh. This past year  that she had lived with Leandro had been the happiest time she'd known  since she was a child, when her family had still been together. But even  back then there had been problems in her parents' marriage. Memories of  her parents' frequent rows, when her dad had accused her mum of  smothering him with her possessiveness, had taught Marnie that she must  give Leandro space.

She had certainly tried to do that. It occurred to her that she knew  barely any more about him now than when they had first met. He had never  introduced her to his friends or family, and the only pieces of  personal information he had revealed were that his father lived in New  York and his mother had been a famous musical theatre star who had died  ten years ago.

She did not know why it suddenly mattered that Leandro kept so much of  his private life secret from her. She'd been prone to odd mood swings  lately, and maybe that explained why she felt so hurt by his cavalier  treatment of her. But her forgiving nature was quick to point out that  he was a millionaire business tycoon who had a high-octane lifestyle and  he couldn't make her his top priority all the time.

She had been looking forward to his return from New York because she was  excited about telling him her amazing news. It was still hard to  believe that not only had she gained a first-class honours degree in  astrophysics, but had earned the highest exam marks in the country.  Leandro would certainly be surprised. She chewed on her lip. Maybe she  should have told him before now that for the past year she had worked  only one day a week as a waitress in the cocktail bar, and on the other  days had studied astronomy, space science and astrophysics at a top  London university.

Marnie heard her mother's voice in her mind. Why do you want to study  astronomy? What's the use in looking at stars and planets? You need to  train for a proper job instead of setting your sights on an impossible  dream.'

The teachers at the rough comprehensive school she'd attended had been  similarly dismissive of her chances of becoming an astronomer, but she  had worked hard at school and ignored the bullies who had called her a  geek because she'd enjoyed science lessons. Even though she had been  accepted at a top university back then she had lacked confidence in her  abilities, and she'd decided to wait to see if she passed her final  exams before she told Leandro about her dream of becoming an astronomer.