Page 57 of Forbidden Dark Vows

My brain is scrambled, my pulse racing as I relive the special moments from our trip again, only this time, putting the gold digger slant on them. How a different perspective can alter things! I imagine Ruby calculating the cost of the trip, watchingme, waiting for the right time to take things further, teasing me until she knew I was fit to burst.

She even made me believe that it was her first time.

Heat floods my face and cheeks. Did she really take me for a fool all along? Did she help me back onto my feet on the ice, thinking that I was a suitably gullible target?

Was that planned too? Ruby just happened to fix her laces as I was skating past—now it seems too much of a coincidence to be true.

My office door opens, and Lizzie’s face appears. “Harry, Carlos Russo is asking to see you. Shall I show him in?”

I inhale deeply. “Please do.”

“How are you feeling?” Carlos asks as he fills the space in my office with his booming voice and that huge Russo charm. “When did you get back?” He shakes my hand and pulls me into a warm bearhug.

“This morning.” It feels like it was an age ago.

“Where were you? You disappeared after the funeral. I’ve been worried about you.” He sits in the seat across my desk and folds one leg over the other, comfortable in his own skin.

It occurs to me then that my own father wasn’t worried about me, but here is Carlos Russo checking up on me when he is still grieving for his younger brother, and my heart reaches out to him.

“The UK. Scotland. I… It’s a long story.”

“Does it begin with a girl?” The smile is so wide that I can see a gold filling in one of his back teeth.

I can’t help returning the smile. “It does.”

I haven’t even told Ronnie that I’m engaged to be married to Ruby Jackson, but the urge to speak to someone who will be rooting for us right now is too strong to resist.

“I bought her a ring. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. She’s the one, Carlos. She’s the one.”

He is on his feet, marching around my desk and hugging me so tightly I fear for my ribs. “Congratulations, Harry. I am so happy for you. It is about time you found a good woman to complete your life.”

He sits back down, leaving me reeling and my ribs crushed by his exuberance. It is more than I could’ve hoped for after what he and his family have just been through.

“You will realize that your life is only just beginning and all this—” he waves a hand around my office “—is nothing without her. We are all simply playing along until we find our soulmates, do you know that?”

I nod, grinning, my earlier insecurities still nudging at the corners of my mind but suppressed for now. “Thank you, Carlos. It means the world to me.”

“Hey!” He narrows his eyes briefly. “I know what you are thinking, but you must not feel guilty for living your life. You are still here for a reason. Don’t ever forget it.” He pauses. “Who is she, this woman who has claimed your heart for her own? And why did you never mention her before?”

“Her name is Ruby Jackson. I-We met at the skating rink on Alessandro’s birthday.”

I swallow. Carlos thought that his little brother had met his match in Ruby, and I’ve realized too late that he might not be quite so free with his blessings when he discovers who my fiancée is.

“Ruby Jackson.” He rolls the name across his tongue with his soft lilting accent. Then understanding creeps in. “Did Alessandro have dinner with her the night before…?” His voice breaks, his emotions playing out behind his eyes.

“Yes.” I shouldn’t have mentioned it.

I had no idea that Alessandro had spoken to anyone about his date with Ruby—he hadn’t mentioned it to me, Ronnie, or the rest of our group. Again, I’m stabbed in the gut by my conscience. Alessandro seemed off the following morning, and I’d let it pass without trying to find out what was bothering him. If I’d only tried harder, he might still be here…

Carlos turns his attention to the window. “Alessandro came to my room after his date with Ruby.” He speaks slowly, without looking at me. “He… He was worried that he had crossed a line.”

“Crossed a line?”

Still, Carlos keeps his eyes fixated on the world outside the window. “He liked the girl. He thought she liked him too, but it seemed that he had misread the situation. Alessandro never struggled to find women. He must’ve assumed that Ruby was like all the others, looking for a good time, no strings attached.”

He turns to face me then, and he appears to have aged visibly since stepping into my office.

“It’s okay, Carlos. I don’t need to know what happened.” My fist is clenching and unclenching along with my heartbeat, trying to prevent an image of Alessandro ‘crossing a line’ with Ruby.

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