Unable to help himself, he caught her to him and kissed her soft, tempting mouth. She yielded to the kiss for a single moment before she wrenched herself away.
‘Amante—’
‘I have to go.’
Before he could say another word she snatched her bag from the counter and walked out of the door.
Narciso stood frozen, unable to believe what had happened. By the time he forced himself to move, Ruby was gone.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
RUBY ENTERED THE upscale restaurant at the stroke of six and gave her name.
A waiter ushered her to a window seat. It took seconds to recognise the man at the table. Shock held her rigid as she stared at him.
Without his mask, Giacomo Valentino bore a striking resemblance to his son. Except his eyes were dull with age and his mouth cruel with entrenched bitterness.
‘I knew I recognised you from somewhere, Ruby Trevelli,’ Giacomo Valentino said the moment she sat down. ‘The wonders of modern technology never cease to amaze me. A few clicks and I had everything I needed to know about you and your parents.’
She tensed. ‘What do you want?’
‘A way to bring my son down. And you will help me.’
She rushed to her feet. ‘You’re out of your mind.’
‘I met with your loan shark today,’ he continued conversationally. ‘As of three hours ago, I own twenty-five per cent of your yet-to-be-built restaurant. If you walk out of here, I’ll call in the debt immediately.’
Heart in her throat, she slowly sank back into her seat. ‘Why are you doing this?’
His face hardened. ‘You saw how he humiliated me in Macau.’
‘Yes, and since then I’ve also heard what you did to him. And I know you met with Maria yesterday.’
A flash of fear crossed his face but it was quickly smothered. ‘So Narciso knows?’
‘Yes.’
The old man visibly paled.
‘Give it up, Giacomo. You’re out of options because there’s no way I’ll help you further your vendetta against your own flesh and blood.’
The flash came again, and this time she saw what it was. Deep, dark, twisted pain. ‘He’s a part of me that should never have come into being.’
She shook her head. ‘How can you say that?’
‘He took away from me the one thing I treasured most in this world. And he struts around like the world owes him a living.’
Ruby heard the black pain behind his words and finally understood. Deep down, Giacomo Valentino was completely and utterly heartbroken over losing his wife.
A part of her felt sympathy for him. But she could tell Giacomo was too set in his thinking to alter his feelings towards his son.
Narciso, on the other hand, wasn’t. Ruby had seen gentleness in him. She’d seen compassion, consideration, even affection towards Paolina, the grandmother of the woman who’d betrayed him. He had the capacity to love, if only he’d step back from the brink of the abyss of revenge he was poised on.
And will you be the one to save him?
Why not? He’d helped her come to terms with her own relationship with her parents. She’d called her mother this afternoon, and, sure enough, her father had strayed again. But this time, Ruby had offered her mother a shoulder to cry on. They’d spoken for over an hour. Tears had been shed on both sides. An hour later, she’d received a text from her mother to say she’d contacted an attorney and filed for a divorce from her husband.
Ruby knew the strength it’d taken for her mother to break free. Taking a deep breath, she looked Giacomo in the eye. ‘You probably don’t want my advice but I’ll give it anyway. You and Narciso both lost someone dear to you. You were lucky enough to know her. Have you spared a thought for the child who never knew his mother?’
‘Ascolta—!’
‘No, you listen. Punishing a baby for its mother’s death went out with the Dark Ages. Do you have any idea how much he’s hurting?’
Pale silver eyes narrowed. ‘You’re in love with my son.’
Her heart lurched, then hammered as if fighting to get away from the truth staring her in the face. Her fingers tightened on her bag. ‘I won’t be a party to whatever you’re cooking up.’
‘You disappoint me, Miss Trevelli. Before you go, I should tell you that your loan shark provided me with an extensive file on you, which details, among other things, a building on Third and Lexington.’
Panic flared high. ‘My parents’ restaurant?’
Giacomo gave a careless nod.
‘I swear, if you dare harm them I’ll—’
Giacomo put a hand on her arm. ‘My request is simple.’