Page 275 of Modern Romance January 2025 5-8

‘Yes.’

‘Why were you being forced to marry Grant, and what does this have to do with me?’

Charlotte felt nauseated by what she had to say next. ‘Grant had been in the picture for a while—I mean years, Enzo,’ she said, trying to get him to understand her horror. ‘He had his eye on me, and then when it suited him revealed to my father the extent of his influence. Grant’s condition for the deal was that my father hand me over. He coveted me as a possession. I was twenty when this happened, and by twenty-one I was forced to become engaged to him. It was insurance that I would be his. He would tell me that once we were married, I would remain at home. I wouldn’t need to work. It would be my job to see to his needs alone.’ She fought the shudder that passed through her body and could see the simmering anger in Enzo’s eyes reignite.

‘If you were removed from play, would the deal fall through?’

‘Yes. It would be proof that my father couldn’t follow through on his word. Couldn’t do whatever was necessary.’ The tears that Charlotte had managed to control fell once more. ‘I pleaded with my father, Enzo. I begged him for years to get me out of this situation. He refused. When they set the wedding date, it was the final straw. I couldn’t... I asked my father then if Grant was more important than me and he saidyes.’ Her voice broke just as her heart had then and as it had every time she replayed the words in her head. ‘I had to leave. I knew he would never pick me over Grant. Money would always come first to him. I would be alone in a loveless marriage, treated as nothing more than an object. I couldn’t do it. I worked hard in my studies. I had my own ambitions, and it all meant nothing.’ Charlotte dashed the tears away with the back of her hand and noticed Enzo’s twitch towards her, but he held back.

‘So you left.’

Charlotte nodded. ‘I pretended that I was coming around to the idea of marrying Grant. My father bought the act and was pleased. When I told them that I was going to check out a place for the very specific décor I had in mind, it just looked like I was getting caught up in the excitement of the wedding. The ceremony was a means to an end, so no one else really cared about the details. I packed one bag and fled. I left my engagement ring behind in a drawer. It was a shackle. I wasn’t asked. I hadn’t saidyes.’

‘Where did you go?’ Enzo asked in a voice that was no more than a growl. She could tell he was still angry, but there was a shift in it, and she didn’t know what that meant. Was he still angry at her? Where would she be at the end of this conversation?

‘Straight to the airport. I had planned my escape. I knew how much time I would have to empty my accounts. I dumped my car and bought a cash ticket to Sydney and started over. I invented Celeste as a secret identity so my father wouldn’t find me. I had to split the money I brought with me into so many different accounts so that no one account had an amount worth noticing.’ Charlotte stood and dashed to the lounge where she retrieved her purse from the night before. She pulled out her wallet, opened it and held it out to Enzo, showing him all the bank cards. It was like showing him all the fractured pieces of her she had to hide. Had to be constantly aware of. Showing him what her life had become.

Enzo flipped through the various bank cards. Each with a different name.

‘How did you manage to fake your identity with the banks?’ He had been so angry at Celeste—Charlotte—after the call, but now he felt only sympathy. Anger still swirled within him, but it was only for what she had to endure. She was brave beyond measure, despite how scared she looked right now. That fear only made him angrier. Her tear-stained cheeks. Wide eyes. The nervous way she fidgeted with her robe. Nervous, he realised, not just because of what she was running from and what she was revealing, but unnerved by him. He had scared her. The way she’d backed away from him until she met the wall, the look on her face—it was like a deer being hunted. Enzo had done that to her, and he had never felt such disgust at himself. But he could make it right. He had to. He would make Charlotte understand that she was in no danger from him. That he wanted to help her. He had always wanted to help her; that was why he’d pushed for her to attend the ball. The very reason they were in this predicament now.

But he preferred this. No matter how hard it was, the truth was always preferable to any lie.

‘Let’s just say a very substantial chunk of money disappeared on the way,’ Charlotte said. Enzo slipped the cards back into her wallet as he listened to her talk. ‘I don’t go out. I don’t have friends. I can’t risk anyone taking a picture of me or recognising me, but a quiet, lonely life is better than the alternative.’

Was it?

The life she lived wasn’t a life at all. Marriage or not, Charlotte had lost the ability to live the moment her father had traded her for business.

Enzo could understand her reasoning. He had chosen a lonely path too. One without anyone he could trust. Relying on himself was always the smartest play, but it was hard. But at least he didn’t have to hide.

Charlotte’s reluctance to go to the ball made so much more sense now. Her concern was warranted because her fatherhadseen her, despite the measures Enzo had taken to protect her. But Enzo knew hecouldprotect her; he just hadn’t known what he was facing—what she was facing—but now that he did, he could make sure she remained safe. Help her untangle her life so she didn’t need to hide pieces of it.

Pushing to his feet, Enzo swore under his breath.

He knew of Grant Campbell. The name had come up once when De Luca and Co. had been looking for land to erect a satellite office, but Enzo hadn’t trusted the man and opted to do business with someone else. Grant was nearly forty. The thought made his skin crawl.

Enzo heard Charlotte speak behind him as he went to the dresser, retrieving a pack of antacids.

‘I can’t go back, Enzo. Even if I’m costing my father money. I just can’t.’

He crossed back to her, handing over the box. A momentary look of confusion flashed on her face before she pushed out a tablet from the blister pack and popped it into her mouth.

‘When you told me you were meant to take over, you were talking about inheriting your father’s empire, weren’t you?’

‘Yes,’ Charlotte said, toying with the box in her hands. ‘With my half sister.’

‘And whichever way this works out for you now, she gets the company, I take it.’

Charlotte nodded.

‘Which is why she never bothered to help you.’

‘Yes.’

The flash of anger in his veins at that small affirmation was so intense that his vision blurred with it.

‘I wasn’t aiming to involve you, Enzo. I just saw a job I wanted. A place I could use my education. Somewhere that would make me fulfilled. Plus you’re known for keeping your private life private, so I jumped at the chance. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.’ Charlotte fiddled with the box in her hands. ‘I was convinced that it wasn’t really a lie to be someone else. I thought I would only ever be Celeste to you. To everyone. I was trying tobecomeher, because being Charlotte wasn’t safe. Celeste would have allowed me to have a life on my own terms. Safety. I could lie to everyone else, but it was hard to lie to you, Enzo. I wanted to tell you every day. I wanted you to call me Charlotte. I wanted it so much that you’re the only person I slipped up with. Only you.’