Page 3 of His Unexpected Heir

Damn, he was proud of her.

A snort beside him interrupted his contemplation of the gorgeous, if exhausted, woman.

“You’re hooked, aren’t you?” Rami grinned at him.

Antonio didn’t bother to answer since the man’s assistant appeared by his side at that moment. Speaking of being “hooked”, Antonio thought as the man leaned in, listening to what his assistant had to say. Antonio noticed that the sheik even put a hand on the lovely woman’s shoulder. And in response, the lady’s cheeks turned an attractive shade of pink.

Interesting, he thought. Maybe, after he’d finished fixing the damn mess that his father had left him, Antonio might head over to Ditar, just to see how Rami handled the young beauty. It was always interesting to see how the mighty fall. And Rami was definitely about to fall, even if the man didn’t realize it. Which only made the situation more interesting.

Turning away from the intriguing tableau, Antonio scanned the room, once again finding Astra. She was pointing towards a doorway, giving instructions to the waiter who was nodding.

The waiter moved away and Astra pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her, give her a bit of his strength. Antonio wanted to infuse her with his energy. Infierno, he wanted to make love to her and worship every inch of her body. He wanted to hold her close and whisper in her ear that she was magnificent!

But this was not the time. Astra had a job to finish. He stepped out into the dark courtyard. Finding a bench, he sat down, then shifted so that he could continue to watch “his woman”.

Desafortunadamente, Antonio knew that he couldn’t claim her. Not yet. There were still too many problems to fix back home.

“You’re bowing out?” a deep voice asked from the darkness.

Antonio turned and saw Levi and Sean. They wandered over, with glasses of scotch in their hands.

“Where are your wives?” he asked, scooting over so the pair could settle onto the bench beside him.

“They went to bed,” Sean replied. “It’s been a long day.”

Levi grunted and took a sip of his scotch. “How’s the cleanup going?”

Antonio sighed, draping an arm along the back of the bench. “My father was an idiot. It’s taken me months to clean up the illegal activities he sponsored and resuscitate the businesses.”

Sean grunted. “I saw the new marketing campaign for your textile factory. It’s good.”

Antonio nodded. “Si, it’s finally ready.”

“To sell?” Levi clarified.

“Si. The factories are back to processing linens and cotton blends instead of drugs.”

“And you don’t want to keep the factories? You’ve already sold off the rest of the businesses.”

Antonio stared down into the glass, swirling the liquid thoughtfully. “My father was a miserable businessman. The only way he knew to generate revenue was to sell drugs or launder money.” Antonio shook his head and looked at the good men he’d met through his brother, Matteo. These men were his friends now and he appreciated their support. “I’ve weeded the criminal element out of the businesses and gotten them running smoothly, but I don’t want to keep them.”

“You prefer investing?”

Antonio smiled, nodding with satisfaction. “Si. I enjoy the challenge of discovering viable businesses before other investors realize the hidden value. Besides, I prefer investing in a business over managing the day to day minutiae.”

Sean chuckled, his Irish accent coming out now that he was among friends. “Ye tend to create waves each time ye shift money, my friend.”

Antonio waved a dismissive hand. “That’s not my problem, it’s theirs,” he replied, but smiled with intense satisfaction.

Levi chuckled. “You saw the potential in that mining company. It was a good tip. Thank you.”

Antonio nodded. “It was a good partnership,” he replied, thinking about how he and Levi had combined their efforts. Levi’s guidance had turned the mining company around and Antonio had done the “whisper campaign” to get buyers involved. The mining company had become a massive success with skyrocketing profits, half of which were paid out to the employees, creating intense loyalty and more determination by even the lowest staff member to increase the company’s success.

“You came up with a good strategy. I wish I’d thought of it,” Sean replied.

Antonio’s pride was silent this time. “I enjoy the efforts.”

“But you’re still going to sell off your father’s businesses?”

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