Page 27 of Cinderella Hired for His Revenge

“It’s delicious.”

Grant’s smile hit her hard. Genuine, broad and full of happiness. It transformed his face from broodingly attractive and mysterious to devastatingly handsome. It was also, she realized, the first time he had looked truly happy since they’d become reacquainted.

“My cousin’s winery. She’s well on her way to becoming a success.”

A question jumped into her head, nearly spilling from her lips before she bit it back. She glanced down at the plate Grant had pushed toward her and popped a juicy grape into her mouth instead.

“What?”

She looked up to find him staring at her. She swallowed the grape too fast and descended into a coughing fit. Grant circled the kitchen counter and pressed her wineglass into her hand. The wine soothed her throat while giving her a pleasant burst of light-headedness that eased some of the tension in her chest.

“Nothing.”

“We may not have seen each other for a long time, Alexandra, but I know when something’s on your mind.”

She thought about denying it, but what would be the point? One, she’d be lying, and she’d done enough lying to Grant to last a lifetime. Two, he did know her, better than anyone else.

“The photos in your room...they’re from Brazil.”

He nodded once. “From Carnival. An annual celebration, similar to your Mardi Gras.”

“Do you miss it? Your country?”

He exhaled sharply, staring down into his wineglass before nodding again.

“Every day.” He walked over to the window and looked out at the dark sea. “I’ve spent more of my life here in the United States than in Brazil, but it’s like a piece of me is missing. My mother and father’s families, my heritage...all of it is back in Fortaleza.”

Had she thought her heart broken before? Because her personal pain, caused by her own inability to stand up to her father, was nothing compared to the horrors Grant had experienced at such a young age. Horrors that continued to haunt him.

“Do you think you’ll ever go back?”

He swirled the wine in his glass, held it up to the window and watched as the golden liquid circled about.

“I plan on returning later this year, after the Pearson Group launches. If the trip goes well, my mother and I will go back together next spring.”

Her mouth dropped open. Fear rushed through her, momentarily robbing her of her voice.

“What?” she finally gasped. “But...you told me you and your mother could be killed.”

He turned back to her, a vengeful gleam of satisfaction glinting in his tawny gaze.

“The cartel that executed my father was brutal but small, disorganized. Once I started building up my personal wealth, it wasn’t hard to interfere. A delayed shipment here, police interfering there. Word got around that the man who killed my father wasn’t reliable, that he might have even been working with the police. He was killed last year, and the cartel disbanded.”

A shiver crept down Alexandra’s spine as another question whispered through her mind.

“I didn’t have him killed,” he said softly, answering her unasked question.

She blinked, her lips parting.

“I... Grant, I don’t—”

“You wondered. I did, too, as I accrued my wealth. Would I kill him if I got the chance?” He took a deep, long drink of his wine. “I always told myself I wanted to be rich so I could ensure my mother and I never had to go without again. We weren’t wealthy in Brazil, but life was pleasant. Here, in the States, with nothing but grief and a cramped apartment...” His voice trailed off as he revisited the past in his head. “But it wasn’t just for my mother. I knew if I made enough, became so rich no one could touch me, I could wipe out the cartel that killed my father.”

She stared at him, confused. Bitterness coated his tone. How was taking out an organization that had caused so much pain and suffering a bad thing? He’d been a child on the verge of manhood who’d had his youth ripped from him, been torn from his home and the rest of his family that could have supported him and eased his transition into life without his father. Who wouldn’t envision revenge?

“Now that you know, you probably see me as belonging in this world even less.”

“What?”

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