Cesare made some sort of sound, but Isabel said something in the background over the top of it, and it was hard to tell what reaction his father had given.
Then, “What are you going to do, Alex?”
Alex’s hand tightened around the telephone. “The one thing I won’t be doing is giving her up,” he said in a warning voice.
“That sounds like an ultimatum to me.”
“You should know. You’re an expert at them.”
There was a heavy pause. “What do you want me to say, Alex?”
“Nothing, Dad. There’s nothing you can say that will change a damn thing.” Alex gave a short pause. “The only reason I’m telling you this is because we need to look at what the media will do next. They’re bound to be calling you for comment or coming to the office.”
“Maledizione,” his father cursed. “I’ve got better things to do than let them waste my time.”
“I agree, but we have to think about Olivia,” he reminded his father. “I don’t want anyone talking to them about her. She’s going through enough as it is.”
“Look, come and see me. We need to talk.”
Alex’s throat tightened with emotion. “I will, but don’t think I’ll be changing my mind.”
“Don’t jump the gun, figlio mio.”
Alex ignored his father’s further lapse into Italian. He’d go but he already knew talking would be a waste of time. And right now he really didn’t give a damn what Cesare Valente had to say.
Half an hour later Olivia had showered and dressed and, with a heavy heart, she went down to the study. Alex was sitting at the desk going through some paperwork. He looked up when she entered the room.
Her heart constricted. Dear God, she was breaking up inside, but she had to go through with this. She had to set him free so that he could make a life for himself with someone else, someone who didn’t cause havoc in his life, no matter how inadvertently.
“Did you tell your father?” she asked, watching his face, trying to see how it had gone.
“Yes.” His expression gave nothing away. “About half an hour ago.”
“What did he say?”
“Not much. He was still trying to wake up.”
She could imagine that Cesare Valente wouldn’t be pleased. He’d seemed to like her but now that she was stopping him—no, stopping his son—from carrying on the Valente name, things would change. It wouldn’t matter that Nick and Matt would undoubtedly have children of their own. Cesare was old-school and he would want his eldest son to have the first grandchild.
“I have an important meeting this morning, but my mother said she’ll call you later. She doesn’t want you to be alone. She wants to come over and spend some time with you.”
“There’s no need.” She didn’t plan on being here anyway.
“Yes, there is.”
“Alex, I’m okay. I don’t need Isabel to come over and stay with me.” She swallowed past her dry throat, steeling herself to tell him why. “Alex, I—”
The telephone rang, cutting her off.
He sat there, his stare drilling into her, as if he suspected she was about to say something important.
It rang again and she nodded her head at it. “You’d better answer that.”
His eyes narrowed. “It can wait.”
She’d lost her momentum now. How could she say what she had to say with a ringing telephone in the background?#p#分页标题#e#
“Alex, we can talk later. You should answer the phone.”
Frustration crossing his face, he grabbed the receiver and barked into it. Olivia dropped down on the couch, needing something to sit on while she gathered her strength again. As soon as he hung up she would have to speak up. There was no getting around it. Alex deserved better than—
All at once she noticed he’d turned pale with what looked like shock. Oh heavens, not more of this media crap? Didn’t they ever—
“I’ll be right there,” he muttered, then put the phone back in its cradle.
She pushed herself to her feet. “What’s the matter?”
He didn’t answer, just sat staring at the phone.
“Alex?”
He blinked, seeming to come from a long way off. “Um…it’s my father. They think he’s had a heart attack. The housekeeper just called to say my mother’s gone with Dad in the ambulance.”
Olivia gasped. “Oh my God!”
He stood up and started toward the door, pale but focused now. “I have to go.”
She put her hand on his forearm as he passed, stopping him. “Alex, I’ll come with you.”