Page 271 of Modern Romance January 2025 5-8

He thought about the beautiful woman asleep in his bed. How long had it been since he had woken next to a warm body? Since Gia and Emilio’s betrayal, Enzo had tried to keep everyone at arm’s length. On the rare occasion that he had found the need for someone’s company overwhelming, he was always able to find a willing partner. And always just for the night. Always in secret, because he wanted to be seen with no one. It was a release for him, not a moment to share with the world.

With Celeste, it was all different.

Since the flight to Perlano it had been different. He had tried so hard to convince himself it was a bad idea to indulge in this maddening chemistry, but when he had seen her before the ball, he was lost. Lost to Celeste. Even creating some space at the ball had been a waste of time, because he felt pulled by her. Orbiting around her like she had become his sun. And seeing Charles Moreau’s hands on her, his whispers in her ear, seeing her smile at him had unleased a beast in his chest.

Enzo didn’t trust the man. If it was business he was after, he could go through the company. If it was Enzo’s knowledge of banking from his family’s long history of ownership, he could think again.

But it had been seeing Moreau with Celeste that had forced him to act, to claim her. To end the ridiculous charade of wanting to network when Enzo couldn’t give a damn about any person at that ball apart from her.

That kiss...he couldn’t stop thinking about it. And when she had confessed that she was a virgin... He was surprised by how much he liked the idea of her beinghisalone. Of never having to share her with anyone. It was irritatingly primitive, but he knew exactly what prompted it. Gia’s betrayal had changed a great many things.

Celeste was so different. There was nothing false about her reactions to him.

He wanted more of her. He would never love her. That was an absolute truth. If he’d had the capability once, then that was another thing Gia had destroyed. But he desired Celeste fiercely. A desire she reciprocated. So there was no harm in continuing what they’d started. It might not last for ever, but love didn’t last either. Love was fickle. Calling Celestehiswas a truth. Their chemistry was honest. Enzo saw no reason why they couldn’t enjoy the wonder of their physical connection.

Last night had been a wonder. After years of not really seeing Celeste, finally seeing her walls down had been a joy, and he wouldn’t let her hide again, not from him. Not when he needed to see who people really were. Not when he vowed he would never be fooled by anyone again.

Enzo had cut Gia out of his life entirely, and if Emilio wasn’t his brother and an irreplaceable part of the family business, he would have faced the same fate. He didn’t care what face Celeste wanted to show the world, but with him—now that he had seen the real her—that was all he would accept.

Sighing, Enzo sipped at the espresso he had ordered from room service. Rich, aromatic coffee burst on his tongue. It was arguably one of the best he had tasted but still didn’t feel as right as the cup he had every morning in his office. That cup Celeste made him. She was in his blood. Was she already too close? Recently he seemed to say more than he meant to around her. He didn’t trust her yet, so he didn’t understand why he had told her about Emilio and Gia. When she asked him that question—Why don’t you ever have anyone in your life?—his mind had automatically begun sorting the pieces of the story in a way that made sense. Before he knew it, he was telling her everything.

Why had he wanted to? Why did it make the weight of that betrayal easier to bear?

He hadn’t seen pity in her eyes. He had been so angry at himself for not having realised what had been going on under his nose, but she didn’t think less of him.

Draining his coffee, Enzo walked back to the window, depositing the cup on the nearest flat surface without a thought.

He should be in that bed. Not out here trying to sift through his thoughts. His body ached for Celeste, despite the fact that he had kept her awake long into the night, showing her pleasure until her voice had grown hoarse and her eyes heavy.

This attraction, this chemistry was so different from anything he had known before. The intensity of his release with Celeste was mind-blowing. He’d marked her as his. And he held on to what was his.

Raking his fingers through his hair, Enzo stepped in the direction of the bedroom when he heard his phone ring.

Rushing back to the bedroom where he had left it, he hurried to answer before it could wake Celeste. He grabbed the phone and hurried out into the lounge, then looked at the number. It wasn’t one he recognised, but the Australian code caught his attention. For a second he considered ignoring it and letting it go to voicemail, but an instinct he had always listened to told him to answer.

‘De Luca.’ His voice was still slightly rough given the early hour.

‘Enzo De Luca,’ said a sneering voice he did not recognise. A voice that knew his private number. Several alarm bells went off at once in his head.

‘You have three seconds to tell me who this is or I’m hanging up,’ Enzo demanded.

‘Gordon Kim.’

Enzo had heard the name before. Now the number that flashed across the screen made sense. But what on earth did the property developer want with him?

‘We haven’t met,’ Kim said, ‘but you have something of mine.’

The man was out of his mind. They’d never even met. But Enzo had been in business a long time. He knew when to give an inch and when to stand his ground. Right now, he would not give any indication that he had no idea what Kim was talking about.

‘If I have it, then it’s not really yours anymore, is it?’

‘Hand over my daughter, De Luca.’

Enzo was not prepared for that response. He looked towards the bedroom as if he could see through the wall at the sleeping form of Celeste. Celeste who wore drab clothes to work. Celeste who couldn’t afford their signature wine. Celeste who had cut off her family for forcing her into an arranged marriage.

There was no way in hell Kim was talking about her. Was there?

‘What makes you think Ihaveher?’ Enzo needed to know where he stood. He needed to figure out what was going on here. Men like Gordon Kim didn’t just call people up randomly. If he thought Enzo had his daughter, it meant she had left without telling her father. And whether or not the man had confused Celeste with his own flesh and blood, Enzo wouldn’t give up a woman to a situation she was trying to escape.