Page 6 of How To Tempt The Off-Limits Billionaire

Digby and Radd were just trying to protect Roisin—they were good brothers, good men—and he envied them their close relationship, their friendship. His relationship with the man he’d been raised with, the man he considered to behisbrother was now, thanks to Susan, broken.

Ro’s expression turned troubled. “Siya also told me that he’s had quite a few requests from a reporter asking him to comment on rumors that the heir is in the country.”

Radd frowned. “They are determined to learn the truth.”

“I’m worried that you are not going to be able to hide your identity forever, Ro,” Digby told her.

“I’m going to damn well try.” Ro lifted her chin, charmingly defiant. “I just need a few more months to get a handle on the business of the trust and then I can return to the States.”

Muzi’s body tensed at her statement and he felt the urge to protest. What the hell was that about? Why was he reacting like this on hearing about her plans? He’d met her twenty minutes ago, dammit!

“What are you going to do with your South African–based properties?” Muzi asked, keeping his tone casual.

Ro frowned and looked at Radd, then Digby. “I own properties in South Africa?”

“Quite a few, actually,” Radd replied, amused. “There’s a mansion in Johannesburg, an apartment in Camps Bay and a vineyard, St. Urban, on the outskirts of Franschhoek. Didn’t Siya tell you about them?”

Ro rubbed her forehead with the tips of her fingers. “I’m sure he did but I haven’t taken it in. I simply told him to put everything on the market.”

This was Muzi’s opening and he was going to take it. “That’s excellent news because I want to buy St. Urban.”

CHAPTER TWO

INDIGBY’SSTUNNINGconverted barn situated right on the edge of The Vane’s extensive grounds, Ro curled up into the corner of a plump couch, cradled a glass of red wine to her chest and stared out into the night, the same few thoughts tumbling around her tired brain.

Muzi Miya-Matthews wanted to buy her vineyard, a property she didn’t know she owned until yesterday. She couldn’t stop thinking about the big, bold, beautiful and built man.

Reporters were still trying to discover the identity of the Tempest-Vane heir.

She was camping out in her brother’s house...

She wasn’t in Kansas anymore.

Feeling overwhelmed, Ro sipped her wine, reluctantly admitting that she didn’t know who she was anymore, what she wanted or how to get there. She wasn’t naive enough to believe that, after she’d rid herself of Gil and Zia’s properties and possessions, she could go back to living the subdued life of a kindergarten teacher. Even when all the legalities were wrapped up and she’d donated hundreds of millions to charity, bought herself a house, and put enough money away for any future kids’ college education and her and her parents’ retirement, she’d still be ridiculously, mind-blowingly wealthy.

And how would she explain that to the people she loved and the people who loved her? Her parents, Kelvin, her girlfriends and colleagues?

No, she didn’t owe Kelvin any explanations anymore. She could, to an extent, hide her wealth from her friends and coworkers but she would have to explain her change of circumstances to her parents. She couldn’t keep the secret from them forever.

But for now, she’d take her lawyer’s advice to keep mum.

Loose lips, he’d said, caused problems, and her mother, God bless her, had no filter between her brain and mouth.

But Muzi Miya-Matthews, wholly unconnected to her, knew all about her...and Ro didn’t know how to feel about that.

He also wanted to buy her vineyard. The vineyard she knew nothing about.

Ro jumped up and wandered over to the sleek dining table where she’d tossed piles of documents. Siya, her lawyer, had compiled a list of the properties she’d inherited, and Ro scrabbled through the files to find the document containing descriptions and photographs of the trust’s assets.

She found the file on the floor, underneath a pile of bank statements. Walking back to the couch, she turned on the side lamp and flipped open the binder, appreciating the color-coded tabs: US Property Holdings, European Property Holdings, African Property Holdings. She flipped to the relevant spot, skimmed over the pictures of the mansion in Sandton, Johannesburg, the flat in Camps Bay, minimalist but with amazing views of the Atlantic seaboard, and finally, right at the end, she came across the description of the St. Urban vineyard.

It was, she read, situated at the foot of the towering Simonsberg Mountain. It was an “iconic, thatched-roof, whitewashed, historic gabled manor house” constructed in 1799, and now declared a house of historic interest. His brief notes continued... The property included one hundred and twenty-five acres planted with Merlot producing vines. Siya was also currently investigating the state of the house, vineyard and cellars to get an accurate market value.

Ro looked at the photograph of the house, dominated by an imposing, jagged-tooth mountain that looked to be situated just beyond its back door. The vines ran up toward the house and it looked picture-perfect, serene and comfortable. Rich and luxurious.

Why did Muzi want this property? From the little research she’d done since receiving his offer, she understood that, after been hard hit by the pandemic, the wine industry was still in a precarious position. Many vineyards were up for sale, production was down and the market was unstable. And Clos du Cadieux, as per an article she’d read, was cutting costs and streamlining their production.

So what was behind his desire to buy St. Urban? It didn’t make sense, business or otherwise. What did Muzi know about St. Urban that she didn’t?

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