Ruthless Revenge: Priceless Proposal: The Sicilian's Surprise Wife / Secret Heiress, Secret Baby / Guardian to the Heiress. Margaret Way

enjoyed her real one with Jackson for three years, even though it was essentially the same kind of life—jet-setting, networking, showing off, making and breaking deals over dinner and drinks.

      The man at the center of it, however, made all the difference.

      Being around Stefan was like being caught in the orbit of a star—invigorating and exciting. And it made her never want to leave. Everywhere she went, she saw acquaintances—some she had known through Jackson—but it seemed like a foregone conclusion that, of course, Stefan was the victor in some fight against Jackson, and she the spoils.

      She knew she shouldn’t feel pleasure at that so much, but as Stefan had said, Clio was going to take every small victory. Because the one time they had run into Jackson, he hadn’t dared meet her eyes, much less utter a word.

      Only the price she paid for that felt increasingly high.

      The most luxurious and spacious suite in one of the finest hotels in New York wasn’t big enough for the both of them.

      She felt Stefan’s restlessness at being caged in the suite like a physical force, sensed a loneliness that had hardened into a shell around his emotions.

      The only time there were flashes of the old Stefan was when one of his three friends was present. It was the only time she saw genuine laughter in his face.

      And the more she saw of this new Stefan, the more she wanted to shatter that shell.

      Despite knowing that it was the last thing she should be doing, she couldn’t stop from trying. She had already contacted his parents, was counting the minutes to when they would arrive in New York.

      Was desperately praying that he wouldn’t throw her out of that suite the moment he saw them.

      * * *

      “Your wife is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen,” his fifty-seven-year-old accounts manager gushed and Stefan barely stifled the urge to punch the man’s ruddy face. The old lech had already pawed at Clio when Stefan had introduced her.

      Smiling at him, which took quite a considerable effect, he turned away from the man, leaving him midsentence.

      “Ready to go home?” he whispered, reaching Clio.

      Flinching at the palm resting against her lower back, Clio covered up the wariness in her eyes.

      Before she could reply, Stefan’s cell buzzed and he checked the identity of the caller.

      It was the hospital where his assistant, Marco, was still struggling for his life. His gaze fell on Jackson in the crowd just as he switched his phone on.

      Two minutes into the conversation, grief knocked the breath out of his throat. Turned his gut into an aching chasm.

      Not trusting his temper, he marched into the balcony and pushed his fist into the wall. Even the pain that radiated from his knuckles and up his arm was not enough to blunt the pain of losing Marco.

      “Stefan?”

      He heard more than saw Clio’s hurried steps in the darkness, felt her search for his hand. Distress filled her gaze as she pulled his arm to better see his knuckles.

      Her gasp resonated in the lush night. “I have a first-aid kit in the car. Let’s go.” He had a feeling she was barely keeping the tears away.

      “No,” Stefan roared, pulling his hand away from her. He had no idea what he would say or do to her. “Leave, Clio. Instruct the chauffeur to drive you home.”

      The stubborn woman stayed right where she was, a resolute tint to her chin. “I’m not going anywhere. Not until you tell me why you rammed your fist into the wall like a—” a catch in her throat “—Stefan, please. Tell me what’s going on.”

      “My executive assistant, a man who’s been there with me for ten years, through every up and down, he was swindled by Jackson.”

      He saw her disbelief in her stunned look. “This man...he was not just an employee?”

      Somehow, she had reached the crux of the matter. “No. Marco...he started out with me when I began investing in real estate. He was so loyal and caring that he became important to me, despite the bastard I became. Strange, huh?”

      A small smile curved her mouth. “Not really. How much can you deny your own nature, Stefan?” She looked away for a second. “What happened to Marco?”

      “He tried to kill himself and was hospitalized. Today, he died, leaving his little girl without a father. A little girl, bella...and that scum is still free to enjoy his caviar out there.”

      Instantly, she threw her arms around him. But Stefan saw how pale she had turned. Saw the flash of guilt in her eyes as if she was responsible for Jackson’s actions. Which was why he hadn’t told her so far.

      She had enough burden of her own to carry.

      “I’m so sorry, Stefan. I...don’t know what to say.”

      Untangling himself from her, Stefan looked away. “He did the same to me years ago, Clio.

      “It was a year after Serena left. I had struck gold with a few investment ventures and I realized the luxury real estate market was huge and I wanted a big chunk of it.

      “I did extensive research and acquired stock in a small trading company. For months, I slogged round the clock, put everything I had into this one venture.

      “In just a matter of minutes, the stock I purchased crashed, all the money I invested in it went down the drain. And I was back at square one.

      “It was the lowest point of my life. I had lost everything after Serena left, and to be knocked back like that...it made me question everything.

      “If it wasn’t for Rocco and Christian and Zayed anchoring me, if it wasn’t for the fact that my father had always taught me to stand up after one of life’s knocks, that would have been me.”

      “I’m so sorry for your friend, Stefan. But that would never be you. God, I can’t even bear the thought.”

      “I have to stop him, Clio.”

      Nodding, she wiped her cheeks roughly. “We will, Stefan. I promise.”

      Just as his arms relaxed around her, just as he found the knot in his gut loosening, she stepped away from him. “I’ll...I will leave you alone. See you later.”

      “Running away again, bella?” he asked with a mocking smile. “For days now, you have avoided meeting my gaze. You touch me, you smile at me, you kiss me when we are in public and the moment it’s just us, you...can’t wait to run away. How long are we going to continue like this, Clio?”

      Her steps faltered and she looked around.

      “I won’t let you turn sex into a transaction, Stefan. I won’t join the leagues of women who have slid into this slot you have for them. And you and me...”