4

The vase crashed with a thud and broke into tiny pieces, spilling its guts on the marble floor. Throwing it didn’t lessen my anger. It only intensified it because, damn, I liked that vase with an intricate floral pattern along its neck.

I took pride in keeping a cool head in dire circumstances like this. But the mention of her name was my undoing. Isabela, my mother, didn’t know when to give up. If things were different, I’d have admired that quality. Only it wasn’t. The cold-hearted woman was out for our blood. Wasn’t what she did enough? The morning breakfast churned in my stomach.

“Brother, what’s going on?” Enrique entered my room just as I disconnected the call with our lawyer, Benjamin. “Is it true she’s back in Linnesse?” His gaze slowly slid to the broken vase.

Exhaling a tortured breath, I nodded. “Yes.”

“And you all didn’t bother to tell me this because…?” His face reddened as his hands fisted at his sides.

“Papa told me not to tell you.” It wasn’t a good excuse. We never kept things like this from each other. “Your big day is approaching, Enrique. This isn’t something you need right now.”

“I’m not a child anymore, Orlando. Stop treating me like one. I could handle this just fine.” His voice rose, vibrating across the silent walls of my room. “You didn’t have to wait until I got a call from that bitch.”

Bitch? He never called our mom that. “Who are you talking about?” The wheels spun in my head.

“Wait.” His brows creased as he inched forward. “Who are you talking about?” His index finger jabbed at my chest.

“Isabela.”

“She’s back?”

Ignoring his question, I turned away, hooking my phone to the charger. “Who called you, Enrique?”

“You remember the time Lexie came to my office last month? She said she’s moving on and wished me all the best for the wedding.” He ran his hands through his hair before planting them firmly on his hips. “She called this morning to remind me that she’s the one for me, and I’m making a terrible mistake by choosing someone else. I really don’t want this now.” He waved his hand with a shake of his head. “This has become a constant pain.”

“Did you tell Chiara about her visit?” My gaze fixed on the far wall as I thought about the problems she could create for us. Lexie Wellington was Enrique’s stalker ex, who, after several months of torturing, left him alone for good. Her sudden appearance didn’t sit well with me. Women like her were bad news.

“No.” A frown pulled the corners of his mouth. Now with disheveled hair and rumpled clothes, he didn’t look like a groom-to-be.

I shook my head, expressing my disapproval. “You should. Don’t keep things from your fiancée.” He had been at the receiving end for the past week for letting her into his office after everything that happened. Now he was making another mistake by hiding it from Chiara.

“Nothing happened last time, and I didn’t want Chiara to worry over this.”

“Chiara is an adult capable of handling this just fine.” Less than a few minutes ago, he chastised me for not telling him about our mother. “This is a mistake, Enrique. She accepted you for who you are, and she deserves the truth. Don’t hide anything from your future bride. You should tell her before Lexie tries something.”

“I know.” He exhaled before going to sit on the couch opposite the fireplace that was no longer being used. “You know how she feels about my exes. It’s not fair to her.”

“You should’ve thought about this before screwing those girls.”

“You act like I seduced and cheated on them. Chiara is the only girl I love. They knew I wouldn’t settle down with them.”

“Correction. You thought you were in love with this woman, Lexie. Did you forget how you almost popped the question before I stopped you in time?”

He grimaced at the reminder. Enrique was head over heels for the woman. He thought he was in love, but her eyes were on his wealth. His drinking habits and reckless behavior didn’t do him any favors.

When he showed up with the ring he bought for her, I knew he meant it. I persuaded him to test my theory. We made up a story of bankruptcy and made her believe that once the news broke, the Cortez empire would liquidate its assets. To his dismay, she showed her true colors and broke up with him, saying she wasn’t ready to shoulder his burden. While Enrique was still reeling from the betrayal, she had moved on to date another elite bachelor.

That was until she learned the truth. She had come back for him, crying she couldn’t forget him. By then Enrique had met Chiara, the woman who called him out on his whoring habits when he tried to work his charm on her. With time, my brother had fallen for the little spitfire who changed his life for good.

“Listen, Enrique, I may not have much experience with women. But trust me when I say this, never underestimate their love for you. Chiara is no fool. She’ll definitely see reason and will stand by your side.”

His eyes closed and shoulders sagged as he reclined on the couch. “I’ll tell her. I just don’t know how to start.”

“There’s nothing to start. Just tell her the truth, will you?”

“All right…” His eyes popped open, pinning me with his stare. “Why didn’t you tell me about Isabela?”

“I planned to tell you after the wedding.”

He reclined more and stretched his legs before setting them on the small coffee table. “What does she want now?”

“Nothing good,” I growled. Isabela, our mom, ran off with her lover, with whom she had an affair for years.

“What’s there to talk after the ruckus she created?”

I gave him a bitter smile. That woman ruined our childhood. Several years ago, their high profile divorce stunt became the talk of the town. When Papa threatened to file for divorce citing adultery, she broke into tears, claiming my father was abusive.

When she couldn’t prove it and realized she was losing the battle, she went on to spew shit about my father to the media. The heartless woman had claimed her sons were born out of wedlock and therefore they didn’t belong to the Cortezes. Fortunately, the paternity tests proved we both belonged to our dad.

Papa got full custody, and we moved on. He never dated again. Now, she was back with a document stating she had equal rights to the properties owned by our father. She had filed a petition in court saying it was a gift from my father, and she needed access to them.

“Papa bought her a mansion and a winery on the outskirts of Linnesse.” The former was his gift to her when I was born, and the latter was soon after they found she was pregnant with Enrique. Besides that, she owned a five percent share in the Cortez Group. “Papa doesn’t remember signing anything like that.” And he wasn’t the forgetting type. He would’ve known.

“Why wait all these years? That alone is fishy.”

“The court has already issued the order. She will now have access to all of his properties. No one can stop her until we prove otherwise.” This was an added headache, considering the wedding date was drawing closer. Also, with my upcoming business trip that couldn’t be rescheduled for later, this could drag on for months.

“Benji will find a way out. First, we need to make sure the document she has is legit.” Enrique ran his hand through his hair again.

Benji, a.k.a. Benjamin McCallister, not only went to school with Enrique and the gang, but also a close friend. He was one of the most sought-after attorneys in Linnesse. I nodded. “We’re working on it.” My gaze flicked to the clock above the fireplace. “Come on, it’s time for lunch.” My gaze swept across the floor, finding the remains of my favorite vase. I really need to work on my control more.

“Nothing makes me feel good like food. Chef Harrison’s food is to die for.” Enrique’s features relaxed considerably as he stood, rubbing his stomach in anticipation. His action drew a fond smile, and I couldn’t agree more. Chef Harrison was the best. When we made it to the dining room, my gaze did an involuntary sweep looking for her. I couldn’t help but wonder how she was feeling this morning.

“Where is Arianna?” Everyone present at the table cast me an incredulous look, and I ignored them, quickly schooling my features.

Mike chuckled beside me. Once again, the seat between us was empty as if he purposefully left it that way. He always sat next to me when he visited. “If you hadn’t noticed, cousin, Rosie is missing too.”

“Oh—” Before I could finish the sentence, Rosalinda arrived and pecked the lips of her beau and sat next to him. My gaze traveled to the door, looking expectantly for her to show up. Is she all right? What’s causing the delay? I held my tongue that wanted to fire so many questions at Rosie.

I looked down, focusing on my plate as lunch arrived. The soup was appetizing, but I was too distracted to savor the rich taste of the spicy and tangy broth packed with mushrooms and melting strands of cabbage. Where is she? The question almost slipped past my lips when her figure appeared in my peripheral vision.

The smile I sported when I greeted her was again an involuntary action. When she smiled back, giving me a nod, everything felt right, and my shoulders relaxed. I didn’t realize I was so tense.

“The wedding is barely a week away. Is everything set, Orlando?” Papa watched me intently as he waited for my response.

“Everything is arranged, Papa. I’ve also rented two luxury yachts to transport guests for the wedding.”

He turned to Enrique with a nod. “Is everything to your liking, son?” His features softened considerably, like they always did when he spoke to my younger brother.

“It is, Papa. Orlando and the wedding planner have done a great job. I can’t imagine anything more perfect than this.” Enrique smiled and squeezed Chiara’s hand.

“Good.”

“Where do the guests stay after the wedding?” Grandpapa Cortez spoke now.

“We’ve reserved rooms in one of our hotels in the city, Grandpapa. I’ve also hired an agency to supervise the security, so it’ll be strictly a family affair.”

Tension gripped the atmosphere in its tight fist when I mentioned that it’d be a family affair. Papa’s features hardened, and my jaw clenched. I’d never allow her or anyone to ruin my brother’s big day.

It was around two-thirty in the afternoon when Enrique announced they were going to the beach. They headed down the narrow path that led to the seashore while I went to change. I was in no mood for a swim, but her presence there was urging me to go.

I couldn’t help the naughty feeling that crept into me when I slipped into my swimming trunks. I remembered how she looked at me last night. Barking orders at the staff, I went to see her. When I made it to the beach, I saw the girls surrounding her.

“Enrique said you guys wanted to ride the Jet Ski.” Their faces lit up with excitement. I had banned my brother from riding the Jet Ski, since the last time he almost killed himself. Well, that extended to his friends, and I knew they were dying to be on one.

“Yeah!” Their chorus was filled with contagious excitement.

“There are four, and my yacht is docked at Northwest. I’ve arranged dinner and a cocktail party for you guys in honor of the bride and groom,” I informed them.

“Cool!” Jeff appeared genuinely excited. For a newbie in our group, he got along well with the other guys very quickly.

“Since you all decided to hang out at the beach, I’ve arranged refreshments. The Jet Skis are there if you want to ride one now. Don’t forget to wear a life jacket, and I stationed guards around the area in case you need help.”

“We’ll swim and hang out for now,” Mike piped up. “What about you guys?”

They turned to each other, discussing what they wanted to do first, and Rosie’s head rose to announce, “We’re in.”

“Who’s going to join me?” Enrique called as he ran toward the water.

Rosie murmured something in Arianna’s ear and nudged her before racing after the others toward the sea. I noticed the color rising on her cheeks when her gaze fell on me again. She wasn’t following.

“Aren’t you going with them?”

“Um…no.” Her fingers pushed the loose strands of her sable hair behind her ear.

Then I noticed her skin slowly growing rosy. “Your skin is pink.” I traced her shoulder, feeling the heat beating down on her. Her skin had already turned a light shade of red. “Come. There’s sunscreen here.” I led her to one of the beach chairs and handed her the lotion.

“Thanks.”

She poured a generous amount of the lotion on her hand and started applying it over her arms and face. When she turned around and took off her loose sleeveless top, I stopped breathing. For a moment, my eyes fixated on the peach-colored bikini top that was tied to her back with a few knots. Her supple breasts spilled out, fuller and rounder than before.

The view teased, urging me to run my hands over her skin I knew felt like silk. I took the bottle from her hand and squirted some lotion into my palm. I noticed her breath hitch when I applied it on her back.

“So, what did Rosie say before she took off?” I asked, distracting myself from the tantalizing view.

“To live at the moment.”

A small gasp reached my ears, and I realized I’d been inappropriately close to her bottom. My hands retracted with no warning when I realized how near I’d come to losing my control with her. I shouldn’t be doing this. Not when I wasn’t ready to offer more than a few peptalks. Touching her was a mistake. A mistake I would repeat in a heartbeat. Fuck. This isn’t good.

“I thought you didn’t allow others to use your Jet Ski.” Her tone was casual, yet I felt like it held a slight tremor. Her tongue darted out, wetting her soft, pink lips bare of lipstick.

“That was because Enrique had an accident two years ago. He was drunk at the time, and we almost lost him.”

“Oh. Where’s the yacht? I don’t see one.”

“It’s on the other side.” Her groomed brows knotted. “Do you want to swim?” I asked, wondering why she suddenly looked nervous.

“No. I’ll just hang out here.”

A frown tugged at the corner of my lips as eyes trailed down her body, admiring something that didn’t belong to me. Guilt gripped my heart. She was Mike’s best friend, and I promised him I wouldn’t hurt her. The heart knew no bounds. It wanted to get lost in her smile and a sweet voice that made us forget our past. The hope that bloomed from within scared me to no limits.

“Okay.”

I should have stayed home. The more I saw her, the more I wanted to spend my time with her. She is here for the wedding. Once this was over, she’d be on her way, and I’d be on mine. There was no point in starting something that would ruin what we had now. She is offlimits.

My legs protested as I walked away from her. I could feel her eyes on me and wanted to turn around, stay a little longer. No. That was dangerous. To both of us. There was no way I could allow another woman into my messy life, especially her.