Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 51733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
Whatever he needed, she would make it happen, and with Giancarlo's fall from a cliff leaving him severely injured and comatose—-
"I'd like to speak to Sheikh Nassif Al-Mansouri, please. I'd like to collect a debt on my friend's behalf."
JUSTINA REALIZED SHE had lost herself in the past once more and forced her thoughts back to the present with some effort. Giancarlo was the one talking this time, his voice stiff, his accent stronger than usual.
As expected, Justina thought, since Giancarlo was now explaining to his former fiancée the reason behind their marriage.
"Justina's network of contacts will never work with me in uncovering who was pulling Viktor's strings from the shadows. All of them were too well aware of my reputation. They would never trust me even if I were to tell them I was willing to break the rules to get what I wanted. But if, on the other hand, the two of us were to marry..."
"She would become famiglia," Sarica finished for him in a strained voice. "And of course everyone knows the lengths you would go to protect the people you consider your responsibility."
"Yes."
Sarica gnawed on her lip. "May I ask one more thing?"
Giancarlo nodded.
"How bad were your injuries?"
Sarica's question was all Justina had to hear to know the truth between the two. Sarica's mind had to be reeling from the extent to which Giancarlo had deceived her. But instead of lashing out...all the girl cared about was Giancarlo's injuries.
It almost made Justina feel bad about what she intended to do next.
"Sarica?"
Almost being the operative word, but because Justina no longer had any softness left inside of her—-
"May I have a moment with my husband?" She waited until Sarica turned to her before placing her hand over Giancarlo's in a casual claim of possession.
"O-Of c-course."
Sarica's stammer had Giancarlo stiffening next to Justina, and she squeezed his hand in warning.
Let this play out.
She turned to him, her gaze meeting his unflinchingly.
Or I'm going to make you regret it.
Sarica was now on her feet, but she was unable to look at either of them as she spoke in a rush. "I should...I, um, I actually have somewhere to go. And I t-think we discussed everything we had to."
Justina waited for Sarica to turn away before speaking again.
"I don't understand, Giancarlo."
And of course, she made sure that Sarica was still near enough to hear her every word.
"Why did you make it sound like nothing happened between us?"
Giancarlo's chest tightened at the way Justina's words made Sarica stumble. While he knew it could only be a good thing for Sarica to have more reasons to hate and forget him—-
He waited until Sarica was completely out of sight before turning to Justina. "What do you think you're doing?" It was one thing for him to hurt Sarica for her sake, but he had never asked Justina to do the same.
"You told me before you didn't want to be a brick around their neck and would never go back after it. Has that changed?"
A muscle started ticking in his jaw, but Giancarlo could not make himself deny the truth. "No."
"Then don't you think I've acted as you needed me to?" Justina asked with a shrug. "And besides, don't forget you have another mystery to solve. Or should I say who?"
Justina saw the shift in his expression, the way his jaw tightened at the reminder. Her next words came out more soberly: "I tried looking for information about Tueur, too, but he's like a ghost." Her fingers drummed against the table, a rare display of frustration. "I can't even figure out how Sarica got to know someone like him...unless, of course, it's the other way around."
Giancarlo knew what Justina was suggesting in not so many words, and as much as he despised acknowledging such a possibility—-
Of course it was possible that Dauphin Teuer had been the one to approach Sarica first.
Of course it was possible for another man to fall in love with Sarica...and be as obsessed with her as Giancarlo still was.
But regardless of who approached whom first—-
"Tueur has nothing to do with either of us," Giancarlo said flatly, "and as long as he doesn't do anything to hurt Sarica or my famiglia, it's a waste of time to even think—-"
The buzz of his phone inside his pocket interrupted him, and Giancarlo answered the call when he saw Nassif's name on the screen.
"Your target has taken the bait. He'll be flying in tomorrow." A pause. "Maybe this time, my new vest will be of some help."
"I doubt it." Kivr's airport was recently declared a no-firearms zone and employed a comprehensive security system to ensure the rule applied to everyone flying in and out of their territory.
"One can always hope," Nassif murmured.
"Your concern for my well-being is unmatched."
"Just making the most out of a situation, my friend."