جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

Elena Rossi heard her own name before she reached the door."Julian, Bianca's back. So what happens with Elena?"She stopped in the hallway.Downstairs, the Costa family's spring dinner was still going. Half the old mafia families in Miami were in the ballroom of the Miramar Club. The lounge door was open a few inches."What do you mean, what happens?" Julian's voice was cool."You've been with her three years. Now Bianca's home. So who do you pick?"Through the gap, Elena could see him. Julian sat in the leather armchair at the head of the room in a black suit, collar open, a glass of bourbon going warm in his hand. "I don't want to hurt Elena," he said at last. "But Bianca just got back. She doesn't have anybody in Miami anymore. I can't leave her on her own.""She was your first love." Nate Lombardo stretched out on the couch. "You two were the real thing. Nobody gets over that.""Come on." That was Leo Ferraro. "Elena's put in three years with you. She's gorgeous. And you still h

Julian pulled his arm free of the woman beside him before he'd even thought about it.Her hand dropped. For half a second, her smile went stiff."Paige is my friend too," Elena said. "Is it strange that I came to her birthday?""No. I just thought you hated these things. That's why I didn't mention it."Elena smiled a little. Because she hated these things? Or because he'd planned on bringing someone else?Julian's eyes swept the room, cold. Who invited her?Paige suddenly found something very interesting at the bottom of her glass.The woman stepped forward and held out her hand."You must be Elena. I'm Bianca Sloane. I'm sure Julian's told you about me."So this was Bianca.Elena's chest went tight. But she kept her face pleasant and shook the hand."Bianca. I've heard so much about you."Bianca tilted her head and studied her. "You know, people keep telling me we look alike."Julian's face darkened."I can see it," Bianca went on, all sugar. "In the face, a little. Style's another s

Elena turned around.In the half second it took her to turn, Julian let go of Bianca's hand.Bianca's eyes went cold for an instant. Then the smile was back on her face.Elena wasn't surprised to see them together. She'd stopped being surprised two nights ago."Trying on a ring," she said.Julian came up to the counter. His eyes dropped to her hand, and his whole face changed.He'd thought she was sensible. He'd thought she understood. And here she was, reaching for something that was never going to be hers. A Don's wife needed a family behind her, and Elena had none. Coming here alone to try on engagement rings was nothing but a way to push him.Bianca was looking at the ring too.Five carats, easily. Blue. A halo of pink diamonds, then white. Bianca had spent enough hours in places like this to know what she was looking at. A blue diamond that size didn't go for under ten million. It wasn't even the kind of ring you could buy off a tray. You had to order it, and you had to wait.And

Julian's mouth twisted."Your fiancé," he said. "Wow. You'll really say anything to get me to marry you, won't you?" He let out a short laugh. "So what's the deal? I agree to marry you, I become your fiancé, and then I get the watch and you forgive me? Is that how this works?"Elena stopped folding.How did a man get this sure of himself? Did he honestly believe she couldn't live without him?Julian shook his head slowly. He looked at her with something close to pity."I thought you understood," he said. "I thought you knew there was a line between us that doesn't move. I thought you were smarter than this. But you keep pushing and pushing for a ring. I'm honestly disappointed in you, Elena."He walked out. The bedroom door slammed hard enough to rattle the mirror.Elena stood there with a pair of scrubs in her hands.She'd meant to do it properly today. Sit him down. Tell him it was over. Tell him who her father was, and that she was going home to marry Dante Valenti. She'd owed him t

Bianca looked up from the bottom of the stairs, all wide eyes. "Did I do what?""My doll." Elena came down two steps. "It's in pieces on my floor.""Oh. That." Bianca put a hand on her chest. "That was an accident. The guys were hanging the new curtains in your room, and I went up to check on them, and I must have bumped it. I feel terrible." She tipped her head. "I was trying to do something nice, actually. I picked out a color I thought you'd like."Elena came the rest of the way down, took Bianca by the arm, and pulled her up the stairs."Hey! Let go of me!"Elena didn't let go. She walked Bianca into the bedroom and let go of her arm so hard that Bianca stumbled."My doll was on the dresser." Elena pointed. "The curtains are over there, across the room. How do you hang curtains and knock something off a dresser ten feet away?""I told you, I don't know, I bumped...""And the dome." Elena pointed at the bed. The glass dome sat there in the middle of the comforter, without a mark on