The Italian Billionaire's Disgraced Fiancée (7 page)

Izzy put her mother’s letter back into the drawer and took out the one she had found in her father’s writing desk after his death, her own name written neatly on the envelope in his bold, artistic handwriting she knew so well.

Please forgive me for sending this letter
, her father had written,
but how could I possibly tell it to your face that your mother and I tossed a coin about who got which baby?

He went on to explain how Clarissa, the love of his life, had left him after he’d asked for a large amount of money. He needed it to pay for an operation for his critically ill cousin, but Clarissa hadn’t even asked for the reason. She had just run, and the next thing he’d heard about her was when a glossy magazine covered the news of her high profile engagement to Bill Hetherington. And then, eight months later, she suddenly stood on his doorstep, the two baby girls in her arms.

Believe me, Izzy. The day you came to stay with me was the luckiest day of my life, although at the same time I lost both your mother and your twin sister.

He had named her Clarissa after her mother, he wrote, and this, in combination with their close likeness made his heart ache for the lost love of his life every single day of his life.

Why, oh why had he not told her the truth about her mother, why had he pretended she’d died after giving birth to her? Had he assumed it was too painful for her to know that Clarissa had left them? And what had made him believe it was better for her never to meet her siblings, or even know about their existence?

All my life I have regretted that I never explained to your mother why I needed that money
.
Clarissa’s betrayal broke my heart. She had hurt my pride and not trusted me. In the end she died not knowing the truth. I beg of you, Izzy, never let you and the man you love come to the point where a simple explanation could sort out the problems you are facing, and both of you are too stubborn to speak. I have learned my lesson. Love and trust go hand in hand. If you are not prepared to jump over your own shadow, you will always lose, never gain.

Wiping the tears off her cheeks Izzy put the letters back into the secret compartment and closed the drawer. Her father’s advice was great, wonderful, but it was not as easy to follow as he seemed
to imagine. She had tried to tell Enzo the truth, again and again, but he wouldn’t listen. He had not wanted to hear Samuel Carson’s explanations either, and the letter she had written to him a couple of days later had been returned to sender. Had Enzo only spared two minutes of his time, he’d now know that Samuel was Bella’s godfather and her late mother’s good friend. By pure chance he had been in that nightclub where Bella partied in the early hours of her 21
st
birthday, when somebody had spiked her drink so that she’d gone all woozy. Samuel had rescued his goddaughter by bringing her to the safety of his flat - a good deed that had been totally misinterpreted by the paparazzi and vastly blown out of proportion. Samuel Carson had acted like a modern day knight in shining armour saving his godchild only to be slaughtered by the press as an aging playboy finding pleasure with yet another young lover between the silken sheets of his king-sized bed in his penthouse love nest.

Frowning Izzy drank a sip of her hot chocolate. How she hated all these lies.
Lovers who didn’t confide in each other. Readers who couldn’t trust what was written black on white in the papers. Children whose parents never dared to tell them the truth. Everything in Izzy’s mind screamed to perform better in her own life, to aim for the truth, to be outspoken and not fall into that terrible trap of not telling, not trusting. And still her parents’ history had repeated itself when Enzo had so willingly believed the worst of her and refused to give her a chance.

The problem was that you needed
two
people to talk and to trust. If one of them was not willing, the whole wonderful plan didn’t work out. It was all good and well to have one party wanting to explain. If the other part declined to
listen or read the other person’s letter, it was all to no avail. Enzo had cut her short when she had wanted to tell him what had happened. One needed two to tango, and he had refused to take the necessary steps. He had simply cut her out of his life.

Strangely enough, now Enzo acted as if
she
was the one with the mercenary heart, and he was the wounded party. In truth, it was the other way round. For a short moment, when he had suddenly stormed into that little café off Oxford Street where Samuel Carson had brought her to have lunch and calm down after learning that she had a twin sister, a half-brother and millions in the bank as well as a chain of luxury hotels in Italy, she had hoped that Enzo had changed his mind. That he believed her and wanted to apologise, but she had been mistaken. He had only followed her to claim his diamond ring back and had left as soon as she had handed it over. So much for the person with the mercenary heart.

Izzy lifted the mug to her lips savouring the sweet comforting waft of the hot chocolate.
Keep calm
, she told herself.
Everything will be all right
. She would keep busy in the office and avoid her new boss as much as possible in her role as his personal assistant. The way he disliked her Enzo wasn’t interested in spending much time with her either, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to go their different ways until her twin sister had completed her mission - and then she would never have to see Enzo again. Izzy sighed.

Now the only one to be convinced of the brilliance of that plan was her heart.

CHAPTER EIGHT

After studying the report that Izzy had left on his desk, Enzo closed his eyes and leant back in his chair. She had done a good job, he had to admit. No wonder his brother sung her praises. With the information Izzy had collated for him up his sleeve he’d be more than well prepared for tomorrow’s meeting. There was no doubt that Izzy was highly professional, although he hadn’t made life easy for her today.

Which left only one problem.
Due to an unexpected emergency he had to return to Rome tomorrow right after the meeting. He certainly didn’t want to leave Izzy behind in London, just in case she suddenly decided to fly off to Vegas in chase of his brother. Too bad he didn’t need a personal assistant in Italy. Flavia, his PA in Rome, was a great asset to the company and she’d be shell-shocked if he turned up with an ‘assistant’ to help her carry out her duties. He wouldn’t be surprised, if she handed in her resignation over the matter. So he had to find another reason to lure Izzy into accompanying him to Rome.

It took ten minutes and a long stare across Green Park to figure out the best possible course of action. Enzo smiled as he thought of the new role he’d propose to her. She’d be the perfect candidate for the position unless she didn’t accept his offer, and then what? He didn’t know, but then again she probably wouldn’t refuse. Design had always been her passion, but he couldn’t run the risk to be fobbed off with her blunt refusal over the phone. He had to sell this to her face to face.

He pulled Izzy’s personal file out of his drawer to check her address. Their flight was scheduled for lunchtime tomorrow, so he needed to tell her tonight. He checked his watch. Shortly before ten. At this time she should still be awake.

Enzo frowned when his car came to a standstill in a parking bay opposite the elegant red brick apartment building. Had he got the address right? No way could a personal assistant afford a flat in a luxurious riverside development directly opposite the Tower of London, especially not the penthouse. He glanced all the way up to the roof. The light in the top floor apartment was switched on, so Izzy was definitely still awake. He headed towards the entrance.
Dio
, Luca didn’t pay for her flat, did he?

The
receptionist who should normally be sitting behind the desk in the generous entrance hall, was nowhere to be seen. Forcefully Enzo strolled past the reception counter towards the lift and pressed the top button. Within seconds the lift doors slid open and he was on his way up.

‘Come on, Izzy, open up,’ he mumbled after pressing the bell and waiting for a minute or two. What took her so long? Impatiently he pressed the bell again.

‘Relax, Nick,’ he heard Izzy’s voice behind the door before it swung open. ‘I was just about to go to bed. I had a challenging day at work today, so…oh!’

She looked beautiful in her cream silk pyjamas and sexy as hell. Instantly Enzo felt himself harden as if he’d never seen a woman in silk pyjamas before, but bloody hell,
she was hot. And she had been expecting Nick Hetherington!

A fierce stab of jealousy pierced though him. ‘I’m sorry to disturb your evening,’ he bit out. ‘You seem to be expecting someone else, but we have a change of plan tomorrow, and I need to discuss it with you.’

Her eyes narrowed. ‘What if I don’t want to talk about this now? It’s late and you can’t possibly think I’m happy to work 24/7.’

‘Nobody likes to work 24/7,’ Enzo admitted, ‘but this is some kind of emergency, so please hear me out. It won’t take more than a few minutes.’

She looked at him, her periwinkle-blue eyes wary. ‘Okay then, I’ll give you five minutes. Would you like to come in?’

‘Yes, please.’

He followed her into a vast living space with vaulted ceiling and exposed beams. It was beautiful and airy, the perfect mixture of clever architecture and stunning interior design. Enzo stared at it in disbelief. So this was Izzy’s home. Incredible.

‘Wait here,’ she said gesturing towards the white sofas. ‘I’ll quickly get changed. I’ll be back in a second.’

So the sexy silk pyjamas were for the benefit of Nick Hetherington, not for him to enjoy. Damn her. Alone the thought of the man touching her made Enzo’s stomach clench. Carson, Hetherington, his brother…all welcome to slide their hands under the silk of her pyjama top to fondle her breasts and touch the delicate, pointed nipples
he
had once caressed under a starry sky on the beach. Izzy had seemed so utterly innocent then, so sweet and trusting and just perfect, as if all his dreams had come true, and he had swallowed her lies like the fool in love he’d been.
A virgin!
How damn stupid could a man be?

Clenching his fists he stepped out onto the roof terrace. Once more he was shocked by the beauty of the place. The view onto the lit Tower of London and Tower Bridge was absolutely breath taking, and the sleek loungers surrounded by potted trees and a few well-placed fairy lights invited to relax on a warm summer evening. It was an oasis of calm above the roofs of London and totally unaffordable for the likes of Miss Jones from Suffolk. So who the hell paid for this luxury? Carson?
Hetherington? Luca?

Not his brother, he decided. Luca would have told him about this and anyway, Izzy had already given this address when she had applied for the job. Carson was out of the picture by now, Enzo guessed, which left Hetherington. Another red hot wave of jealousy swept over him. Taking a deep breath he held on to the railing and looked down to the river.

Calm down
, he urged himself.
Relax.
The girl was not worth his emotions. All he needed was putting up with her for another fortnight or so, until Luca had fallen for someone else.

‘So you’ve discovered my roof terrace,’ he heard Izzy’s soft voice from behind.

Enzo turned round.

He had imagined she’d put on a bath robe to cover her pyjamas, but instead she had changed into jeans and a simple cream blouse. Instantly his fingers itched to touch the soft material and feel the warmth of her skin underneath.
Enough
. No way, he’d fall under her spell again. His mission was to keep Izzy away from Luca until it was safe enough to let her out of his sight. So what if she was like a drug in his blood? He knew he must spend a night with her to get her out of his system, it was inevitable, but this would be on his own conditions. Not heated by jealousy and certainly not here, in the flat Hetherington was paying for.

‘Nice view,’ he said shifting back to business. ‘Shall we go inside to discuss things?’

She nodded. ‘Okay. Would you like a drink?’

‘No thanks.’ He followed her back into the living room. ‘It’s getting late. Better I let you know about your new assignment straight away.’

Her eyes grew wide. ‘What new assignment?’

‘You’ll be flying to Italy with me tomorrow,’ he informed her. ‘Not as my personal assistant but in your capacity as a designer. It’s basically the same kind of work you did for Hetherington in Clarissa’s team. I’d like you to improve the interior of our Italian hotels, starting with the flagship hotel in Rome.’

A little smile danced around her lips, and he could have sworn that her eyes lit up for a second, but then she lowered her lids so he couldn’t be sure what she thought of his proposal.

‘A big task,’ she finally said. ‘So what makes you think I’m up to this? There is no Clarissa at my side this time to help me plan this through.’

His eyes glanced around the room. ‘You designed this?’

She nodded. ‘The basic structure was already in place, of course,’ she answered. ‘But yes, the rest is my work.’

‘That’s enough reference for me,’ he let her know. ‘Something along these lines is exactly what I have in mind for the hotels. Comfortable but elegant at the same time; interior spaces that instantly appeal to the eye. My guests should feel at home the moment they step over the threshold. Do you get what I mean?’

‘I do.’ She leaned back against the wall. ‘So what is this job offer?
A permanent affair or just something for the next couple of weeks until I’ve come up with my ideas for the new design?’

Enzo shrugged his shoulders. ‘Depends what you make of it. For the time being you’re my personal assistant with a background in design - and that’s where I want to tap into right now. Are you okay with that, with leaving tomorrow?’

She seemed not sure, the way she bit her lower lip with perfect white teeth. Probably she was pondering if it was a good idea to follow him abroad after Hetherington had seen them kissing. He could understand her concern. It would be foolish to anger the cow she was milking.

‘You seem to be worried about your lover’s reaction. Hetherington might think…,’ he began, but she swiftly interrupted.

‘You’re mistaken,’ she said. ‘Nick and I don’t have this kind of relationship, and I’m not worried about anything. On the contrary, it’ll be fun to indulge in a bit of design again for a while.’

Enzo didn’t believe for one second that she didn’t care about Hetherington’s reaction. Probably she planned to keep him sweet with a tissue of lies and the prospect of hours of incredible sex after her return.

‘I’d need tomorrow morning off to pack, if that’s okay with you.’

He nodded. ‘No problem, that’s settled then. Make sure you pack summery clothes. Rome is very hot at this time of year.’ Enzo was just about to turn and leave, when his eyes fell on a framed picture of Nick Hetherington on a sideboard. Within seconds the green-eyed monster hit again.

‘So
he
’s the one paying for this penthouse, or you wouldn’t feel obliged to prop up his picture as if he was one of your nearest and dearest.’ He swung back to her. ‘So tell me, Izzy, how long did it take you to get him eating out of your hand? How often did you need to spread your legs for him and whisper sweet little lies into his ear?’

Her eyes narrowed, turning almost green in anger. ‘Bastard,’ she hissed. ‘Don’t you dare speak to me like this, as if I were a
whore.’

Within mere seconds he had closed the distance between them and grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him, his other hand pressing into her hip.

‘And what are you then if not a whore?’ he whispered, his mouth only a breath away from her trembling lips. ‘A temptress…an angel…a sex goddess? Tell me what you are, Izzy, I long to know.’

She tried to push him away, but the moment her fingers touched the broad expanse of his chest just where his heart was beating heavily against his rib cage he pressed his firm lips on hers and felt her giving up all resistance. Soft like a flower her mouth opened under the onslaught of his lips. His tongue caressed the welcoming inside of her mouth, cherishing her sweet reply while his mind grew wings in the complete bliss of that kiss. Enzo forgot everything around him, everything that was ever important, the kiss consuming his mind. The lemony scent of her hair engulfed him, a smell he remembered so well. With a sigh he let his hands slide across her back over the soft fabric of her blouse and down to her jeans clad bottom, bringing her even closer to him. He heard her breathing accelerate as she felt his heavy erection against her stomach, her shaky fingers fumbling with the buttons of his shirt. He wanted her.
Dio
. Had she any idea how much he wanted her, how much she had gotten under his skin? He had to get her out of his system. He just
had
to, otherwise…

The thought brought him back to his senses. They were in Hetherington’s flat, and no way would he take her in another man’s bed. Breathing heavily he pushed Izzy away from him.

‘What’s the matter?’ she asked with an anxious expression in her eyes. ‘Did I do something wrong?’

Something wrong
? An experienced woman like her certainly knew that there was absolutely nothing
wrong
with that kiss. Quite the contrary, it had been too good to be true. The kiss of a siren.

‘I guess I’ve proved my point,’ he snarled. ‘A few more minutes, and you’d have spread your legs for me as well. You’re nothing but a whore, Izzy.
Just like I said.’

She went as white as a sheet. ‘You swine, you miserable…’

He laughed. ‘No need to start swearing, princess. I already know what you think of me, and I can assure you that I have exactly the same opinion of you. But that little truth aside, we are still stuck with each other for the next couple of weeks, so for business’ sake let’s get over our misgivings and start afresh.’ He held out his right hand to her. ‘Truce?’

Izzy looked at his hand as if it was a snake. ‘You must be joking.’

‘No joke,’ he said, his eyes serious. ‘I’m even willing to forget this kiss and pretend it never happened.’

She didn’t seem to understand. ‘Why would you want to do that?’

He smiled. ‘My little brother seems to be quite…fond of you. So let’s say, I don’t want to spoil his feelings. You
do
like him too, don’t you?’

‘Like him?’ For a second she seemed confused as if she had completely forgotten that Luca even existed. Then she lifted her chin and looked right into his eyes. ‘Of course I like him…
I love him
, actually. Not that you’d know anything about being in love.’