Page 43 of The Forbidden Husband

He would know. When his uncle dropped dead, he would be able to put the pieces together, and it would destroy him. His mother had betrayed his father just as I was about to betray him. The only redeeming factor was that he didn’t love me. Not the way he said his father had loved his mother.

“What do you want to talk about?”

He took a long swig of a dark liquor before swirling the last sip in the glass and nodding in approval. “How much do you know about Brandy?”

I ran my tongue over my teeth. “I know of a few different brands, but my knowledge is limited.”

“I know a good attorney when I walk into their office and see a pricey Brandy on a cocktail table,” he said, running a hand over one of his crystal bottles that read: “Hine Antique.”

The amber bottle looked old, and the half-drained contents told me it was one of his favorites. But it wasn’tthefavorite.

“This one is one of the best Cognacs in the world. It is my personal preference with the spicy cinnamon undertone.”

I nodded and leaned into the table slightly as I inspected his lineup. “It’s not your favorite, though.”

His eyes danced with amusement. “Why don’t you pour me a glass of the one you think is my favorite, and if it’s the right one, you can have it.”

My eyes drifted to a decorative bottle that hadn’t been opened, but the scratches on the table indicated that the liquor in this spot had been moved and likely replaced the most often. On the neck of the bottle sat a label that read Louis XIII Remy Martin.

“I don’t drink Brandy,” I told him, meeting his eyes again.

“But you’re going to be an attorney, so you need to build your collection.”

He walked away as if his words hadn’t been like a cold glass of water shoved in my face.

“I never took the bar exam,” I told him, but he only gave me a small smile over his shoulder as he moved toward his desk.

This was the opportunity I needed. I knew it was, and it sickened me as Enzo turned his back on me too, following his uncle across the room as if he already knew what was to come in this conversation.

I untwisted the cap in my pocket and poured the fluid into an empty glass without giving myself a second thought. I watched the clear liquid slosh around the bottom of the glass as I blocked the sight of it with my hand and reached for the bottle I had already analyzed. The glass pear-shaped jar held a smooth, amber liquid that poured like a dream.

I turned toward where Giovanni stood, arms crossed.

“Do you want to take the bar exam, Aria?”

“I… I don’t know.”

His mouth turned hard, and for the first time, he didn’t look like a kind and caring old man. That look revealed the man behind all this wealth and power. The boss of the Italian mafia. Therightfulcapo dei capi.

“You are no longer with your family, and we have no problem funding and supporting a woman in ours. If you are no longer interested in law, that’s fine. But if you want to practice, I will arrange for you to have a seat in the bar exam whenever you are ready.”

“What’s in it for you?” I found myself asking, twisting the glass in my hand.

He tipped his head back, and even Enzo chuckled.

“My nephew’s wife doing what she has worked hard for. And an ally in the world of legalities. I have seen the quick wit in your eyes, Aria. People are like books. The gist of what’s inside canalwaysbe found on the covers. Maybe not all the details, but the general story. I can see that you’d make a good attorney, and I need one of those working for me. I need one who knows all about my businesses.”

A sense of excitement filled me. I had never been acknowledged, praised, or seen by anyone in my life. Only Enzo had spoken kind words to me like this.

Giovanni didn’t deserve my father’s wrath.

Giovanni deserved to be in charge of everyone.

“But let me see the Brandy you’ve chosen for me. I have a feeling your observation skills are going to be as impressive as expected.”

This wasn’t just a fun game. It was a test. Giovanni wanted to see if I could read people and situations as well as an attorney should. He had intentionally misled me to believe the other Brandy was his favorite, and he had replaced the bottle of his true favorite.

But I saw the truth.

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