Page 28 of Brazilian Revenge

He cocked his head toward the end of the hall, and when she started to walk alongside him, he placed his hand on her lower back, guiding her so they could talk about things he’d rather not. “During the time he was with you, did he ever assault you or molest you in any way?”

She frowned. “What? No.”

A wave of relief washed through him. “You two never got sexually involved?”

“What kind of question is that? Ew, no. A million times no. He was the only father figure I’ve ever had. It took me a while to realize I was better off just not having any,” she said with a shrug.

“Maybe that’s it. You ran on him and he wanted revenge.”

“By raising my daughter? What if he…he wanted another shot at being a father? To someone else? I cut him from my life. He’s not gonna live forever, and he has all this money and no one to leave it to.”

He scratched his stubbled chin. “Maybe, but raising a child is a lot of work.”

She lifted her chin. “Which is why he hired around-the-clock nannies.”

God, she was insisting on it, wasn’t she? He felt his brows draw close together. “You really think he’d want to reconstruct a relationship?”

“It’s easier to groom someone from an early age. Besides,” she said, and her voice softened a notch. “Not everything is black and white, Leonardo. You don’t know Clemonte like I do. I hate him, yes, for stealing her from me. But he also took care of me when I was younger…and it wasn’t all bad. He has a nurturing side to him,” she said, her voice losing energy at the end.

Nurturing side? Irritation threaded down his spine, and he locked it into place. Was she serious? “If you’re so fond of him, why didn’t you stick by him? Why did you stay away from him for most of your pregnancy?”

She rolled her eyes, visibly impatient. “I told you, we disagreed on what I’d do after the baby was born, and I took off.”

“Yes, because he wanted you to use my daughter, that baby you’re holding, as a cash cow. Your nurturing friend. The one you think wants to rebuild a relationship.” He scowled.

“You’re making me sound like an idiot.”

What if she fell for Clemonte’s charms again? What if she ended up forgiving him and taking Lyanna with them? It wasn’t a stretch. It had happened before. His stomach contracted. I’m not letting it happen. “I just want one thing clear, Satyanna. I’m damn glad we recovered our daughter, but I’m not done with Clemonte. He stole my sculpture, and my daughter from me. I fully intend on making him pay on all counts. With or without your help.”

---