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  I bit my knuckles hard to keep from crying out with laughter. William was mortified. “Mom, sit down,” he snapped.

  She closed her phone and her eyes narrowed. “There’s no need to take that tone with me.”

  “Yes, there is,” he said, suddenly looking quite serious. “What’s this I hear about Dad selling Luke’s shares?”

  My face burned as his mother scowled at him, casting me an irritated glance. “Will, you know we don’t talk about this sort of thing in front of—”

  “I don’t care, Mom. Anything we need to talk about, you can say it in front of Natalie. She already knows everything anyway.”

  I grimaced at Will’s mother, who was staring at me like I had suddenly grown two heads.

  “You’ll have to talk to your father about it,” she said in a final tone. “No, William. Your dad doesn’t want me talking about it to anyone. Not even you.”

  “Oh, come on!” He pounded his fist on the table.

  “Tell me how you met your new girlfriend.” She smiled innocently.

  Will looked pissed at her deflection. “We’re dating, Mom. And we met at a party.”

  Under the kitchen table, my fingernails ground into my palms. It was so awkward. I did not want to be there. I could see her sizing me up, appraising my wardrobe and probably making searing judgments in her head. She pressed her lips into a firm line.

  “I guess I’ll never get grandchildren from my youngest.”

  My stomach dropped.

  “Jesus!” Will got up from the table. “Fu—I can’t—”

  And he stormed from the kitchen, leaving me there alone. His mother turned on the spot with a smirk not unlike her son’s and zeroed in on me. My jaw dropped. She needled him on purpose to get him out of the room.

  Will, you bastard! Don’t leave me here alone!

  “Don’t look so scared,” she said in an even voice as she sat down across from me. “You don’t have anything to hide, do you?”

  “No, no. I’m just not used to all this.”

  “What do your parents do?”

  Ah, so the interrogation begins. “My parents are dentists. I’m a graphic designer.”

  “Oh, where do you work?”

  My face burned. “Actually, I’m unemployed, but Will offered me a contract to design logos for Luke’s campaign.”

  I was clearly going from bad to worse. Her lips whitened.

  “And I suppose you thought my son would be a great career booster?”

  “No!” A sickening feeling spread through my stomach when she smiled. “No, I swear to God, he contacted my agency and set up a meeting without me knowing. I never asked him for anything. He can tell you that himself.”

  “Hmm,” was all she said. “Perhaps my son needs someone like you to keep him grounded. Someone unassuming. Humble.”

  It sounded like an insult as much as a compliment. “Thanks. I didn’t even want to date him, at first.”

  Why the hell did you say that?

  I cringed as his mother gave me an extremely offended look. “What’s wrong with my son?”

  “Well,” I began, almost laughing out of nerves. “You know, his issues.” My voice drifted into a squeak.

  “No, I’m sorry. I don’t know.”

  My blood churned. “His panic attacks.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  She had no idea what I was talking about. My mouth trembled. He never told his parents. No one knew anything. Jesus Christ. I was treading on very dangerous ground. Will probably wouldn’t appreciate me telling his mother about his emotional issues.

  “Never mind. I shouldn’t talk about it.” But my insides rebelled. Shouldn’t I tell his mother? Didn’t he need help? Stay out of it.

  “If my son is in trouble, I deserve to know about it.”

  “It’s really none of my business, but I think if Will wanted you to know, he would tell you. He’s just having a hard time coping with the accident.”

  I swallowed hard at the venomous look on her face.

  “Natalie, you seem like a nice girl, so I’ll return the favor and tell you this nicely. We don’t ever discuss or mention that incident in this house. Ever.”

  A chill froze my lungs. It was clear that I wasn’t going to get her on my side if I ever wanted Will to get help. The whole family ignored it. No wonder he felt so alone. I looked squarely into her eyes, angry with her for ignoring his pain.

  “He had a panic attack while he was driving. We could have died. He needs help and ignoring the problem won’t make it go away.”

  Her eyes suddenly filled with tears and I stood up from the table, walking away and never feeling so uncomfortable. Jessica had been here with Luke, and she told me that being there was one of the most uncomfortable experiences in her life. Now, I knew why.

  I nearly ran into Will as I turned into the foyer. The dark look on his face told me that he heard everything.

  Oh, shit.

  “Come,” he said, gripping my wrist.

  I followed him upstairs wordlessly as he led me into one of the guest rooms with our luggage already inside.

  “Will,” I said, already falling apart at the grim look on his face. “I’m sorry. I was just angry—”

  “I don’t know whether I should be impressed that you stood up to my mother or pissed that you told her something that was none of her business.”

  I stared at his crossed arms and laughed. “Oh, come on. She’s your mother; of course it’s her business. You’re a family.”

  “Natalie, not all of us feel that our parents are entitled to every detail of our personal lives.”

  That stung. “Meaning what? That I’m a slave to my parents?”

  He shrugged and smiled at me, too polite to agree with what I said. “Look, I understand why you did it. Just let me handle this my way, okay? I will tell them.”

  “Fine.” I told him. “Um—I need to call my mom.”

  Will chuckled and laid on the bed. “I’ll be quiet.”

  I inhaled a deep breath to try and quiet the storm building in my head. It was always nerve wracking to call my parents. I dialed the number and turned my back firmly on Will.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Mom. How are you?”

  “Natalie! Finally! We’ve been waiting for your call. How’s Europe?”

  “It was great, actually. I’m in Chicago right now with Will.”

  “Chicago? What for?”

  I continued on without thinking. “He needed to see his parents.”

  “Oh, so they get to meet you before we get to meet your new boyfriend?”

  Shit. “No, Mom. It’s not like that.”

  “What’s their house like? Are they filthy rich? What kind of cars do they have?”

  My dad’s voice suddenly entered the conversation. I pressed the phone against my face, hoping that William couldn’t hear a word.

  “Tom!”

  “It’s a big brick mansion,” I said, ignoring their gasps. “Listen, I’ll be home soon, I think.”

  “Thanksgiving is in a few weeks. We want you to bring Will over!”

  “No, Mom. We’ve only been dating for a few weeks.”

  “If you don’t bring him, we’ll ask Ben to come over. He’s visited us twice, Natalie. Asking where you are—what your boyfriend is like—”

  “What?” I shrieked. “Do not invite my ex for Thanksgiving! I don’t want to see him!”

  What the fuck is wrong with them both?

  “Then bring Will over. Okay, we’ll see you soon!”

  Click. I stared at the phone in stunned disbelief. All they talked about during the whole conversation was Will. His family and their wealth fascinated them. They didn’t even ask me how I was doing. They didn’t care about the designs I made on the trip.

  “Are you okay?”

  I faced Will, who was sitting up on the bed and looking at me with concern. I clenched my phone and was seized with a desire to hurl it across the room. “I can’t believe
this. They’re going to invite Ben for Thanksgiving if you don’t come with me.”

  “So don’t go.”

  My heart hammered. “I can’t just not go—I’d never hear the end of it. She would call me ten times a day to bitch at me. Please, please, Will.”

  A small sob shook my throat and he slid off the bed, looking frustrated with me but gathering me in his arms.

  “I’ve never asked you for anything. Please come over on Thanksgiving, and they’ll shut up about you. They just want to fawn over you.”

  “I don’t mind meeting them, Natalie. The only thing that bothers me is the reason why you want me there.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You only want me there to appease your parents.”

  I pulled away from him. “That’s not true!”

  “Then why the reluctance?”

  “Because you’ll hate it. They’ll suck up to you because you’re rich. I don’t want you to think badly of them.”

  He rolled his eyes at me. “Is that all? I’m used to that. Don’t worry, I’ll be there.”

  I stammered thanks as he grabbed my waist and I hotly remembered the time alone with him in Cinque Terre. He kissed me and warmth spread to my toes; his tongue flicked inside my mouth and I felt my muscles unknotting.

  His hands wandered down my jeans and I kissed him more urgently as desire shot upwards the more he touched me. He slipped under my jeans and played with my panties, squeezing my bare flesh. I heard myself moan and I knew he was remembering that night, too.

  “William!”

  We sprang apart as his mother called for him outside the door. He grimaced and tried to shift his pants so that his erection wasn’t so obvious.

  “Yes?”

  “Your father is here.”

  “Okay, I’ll be down there soon.”

  We heard her walk away.

  “He has the worst timing.” Will slid his arm around my waist and planted a kiss on my neck. “I’ve got to talk to him and you have got to come with me.”

  “What?” I yelped. “No way.” For some reason I found the idea of meeting his father, much, much worse.

  “He knows you’re here. C’mon.”

  He slapped my ass and grinned as I scowled at him. The door flew open and he tugged me forward, even though I wanted to dig in my heels.

  A lightning bolt seared up my spine as I heard him downstairs, talking in a low voice. William laughed at me as I stopped on the staircase.

  “Keep going, doll. Or I’ll keep squeezing your ass.”

  Doll?

  A ruthless pinch made me start forward. I ignored William’s deep laughs as I descended the staircase. We passed the marble foyer and entered a living room, which contained a white grand piano and a gold painting ceiling; we crossed over and entered the next room, which was a richly dark-brown study. I stopped at the threshold, but William continued inside.

  Domenico Pardini, CEO of Pardini Worldwide, sat behind a mahogany desk with a phone to his ear. William stopped in front of the desk and crossed his arms, waiting patiently for his father to get off the phone.

  He was a thin reed of a man, with a wiry mustache and angry, dark eyes. He still wore a business suit and looked utterly terrifying, because his face was devoid of any joy. He stood up from the desk, revealing a lean, skinny waist.

  “Goodbye.”

  Will’s father hung up the phone and glared at his son.

  “You are not supposed to be here, William.”

  I knew what he meant. We came back early from the campaign because William felt that he had to return to Chicago immediately. I was hoping to slink out of the room, unnoticed.

  “Thanks, Dad. Hello to you, too.”

  “Who is that?”

  At that unfortunate moment, Mr. Pardini chose to acknowledge my presence. I stepped into the room awkwardly, my legs trembling.

  William looked surprised to see me standing all the way in the back. He waved me over impatiently. “This is Natalie. She’s the graphic designer for the campaign.”

  Oh, Jesus. Will, I’m going to kill you.

  Mr. Pardini was clearly looking for something polite to say. “I see. And—er—you decided to bring her here because?”

  “I’m also dating her.”

  I wanted to die. Please someone just shoot me. Mr. Pardini opened his mouth angrily, but William interrupted.

  “Dad, I’m here because I found out that you’re in a lawsuit with Luke. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Mr. Pardini stepped around the desk. For a moment, I thought that he was going to hit his son. “It was none of your concern. I wanted you to focus on the campaign, which, apparently you’ve decided to just drop.”

  “Is it true? Are you trying to stiff him out of his shares?”

  Mr. Pardini’s hot glare flashed in my direction and I took a step backwards. It was clear that he didn’t want me there. He grabbed the half-empty glass of amber liquid on his desk and took a small sip.

  “Yes, it’s true. Giacomo and I were planning to do this with all of you. It’s time to break up the empire.”

  A heavy silence followed his words, with only the sounds of Domenico calmly sipping his drink and my pounding heart filling my head.

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  “Lots of family members want out. They want their money, now. Breaking up the empire was something Giacomo and I had been talking about for years. It’s time and both of us realized that our sons were incapable of managing an empire.”

  “You’re going to butcher the empire our family has spent generations building?”

  “I have no choice. Did you really think Luke was the only lawsuit I’m dealing with?” Will gaped at him as he walked across and studied a painting. “Most of the family’s money is in corporations owned by trusts. Slowly, I’m going to sell all the companies we own and liquidate Pardini holdings.”

  “Dad, you can’t—”

  “I am the sole trustee for the family. I can do whatever I wish. I am selling Luke’s shares and I am giving him an appropriate amount for the deals he has made for the company. I will do the same with everyone else.”

  Will gave a frustrated sigh. “Just give him the money, Dad. He’s already been screwed over by his father.”

  Mr. Pardini wheeled on his son. “You think that just because you’re a Pardini, you’re entitled to be wealthy? The trusts were meant to meet your reasonable needs, that’s it. They were designed to enhance the family’s position through donations and investments. They were not meant to make individual billionaires!”

  His voice rang in the small room, echoing in my ears painfully.

  “I am old and tired, son. And I’m being hounded by my nephew, cousins, and every member of the family with a trust. They want out and I am tired of dealing with this. If your grandfather knew what had happened to this family, he would be spinning in his grave.”

  He almost seemed to limp back to his chair behind the desk. He looked tired and emotionally sick.

  “I’m sorry that you had to witness this,” he said, addressing me suddenly.

  I forgot my own presence. “Oh, uh—it’s fine.”

  We started chatting a bit; he asked me the same sort of questions his wife had, but William said nothing. He leaned against the wall with his arms folded, looking disturbed.

  What am I going to tell Jessica?

  Mr. Pardini wasn’t selling the shares out of greed, as I previously assumed. He was following a principle that they were only entitled to the amount of money and work they had put into the family’s advancement. And frankly, it seemed fair. Then I thought of Luke, who had been disappointed by his father’s will—and now his uncle was, in his eyes, giving him a meager amount for his shares.

  “Well, it was nice meeting you, Natalie.”

  “Yes, Mr. Pardini.” I leaned forward and shook his hand, Will watching me out of the corner of his eyes.

  That was my cue to leave. I walked out of his office and wiped
my hands on my jeans.

  “That wasn’t so bad.”

  Will scoffed as we ascended the staircase back to the room. He opened the door for me and I walked in, startled by the violent look on his face.

  “What the hell am I going to tell my cousin?” he yelled when the door was closed.

  I lifted my shoulders helplessly. “Honestly, what can you do? Your dad has all the power and his argument made a lot of sense.”

  He paced the room like a caged animal. “I should be able to do more. He’s one of us. He deserves what’s owed to him. God, this family is so fucked. This is going to ruin us.” Will sank to the bed and stared at the floor.

  An odd feeling swept through me. Why was he so upset over this? Was this really about Luke anymore? “When I first met you, you were thrilled that Luke’s dad was dead because he was out of the running for CEO. Now, you’re getting upset because he’s not inheriting his millions?”

  A pained look crossed over his face. “I feel guilty about it. He’s getting completely screwed over.”

  I bent down until he was forced to meet my gaze. “You can’t control your dad’s actions anymore than you could control the accident.”

  William’s eyes were livid. “Please, don’t.”

  His hands gripped the edge of the bed, whitened with panic, and I dropped my gaze.

  Chapter 9

  I swear to God, if you ignore another one of my emails, I will start calling you. You’re really acting like a bitch. I’ve been nothing but nice to you. I don’t deserve to be treated like garbage—

  I deleted the email before I finished it, my heart pounding with poison. It coursed through my veins, spreading a sick feeling. The phone trembled against my ear.

  “I’m starting to get really freaked out by Ben’s emails. He has never called me names like this.”

  Jessica sighed on the other line. “I think it’s best you ignore them, like Will said.” She paused for a moment. “He’s been over here a couple times, looking for you. He still has a key, you know.”

  “What? He went into our apartment?”

  Will’s head jerked up from his arms and looked at me, fury etched all over his olive-skinned face. I waved him away.