‘Emily, go and wait in my residence...’
Alejandro didn’t turn and look at her—he was still staring his brother down.
‘Assuming my brother didn’t change the code to that too. Go!’ he said, still facing Sebastián.
Only when her footsteps had faded did he speak again.
‘What the hell are you doing?’
‘Taking care of business,’ Sebastián said. ‘You know our father’s wishes.’
‘He also wishes that his wife would come back to him. He wishes his cancer was gone without him having to make a decision about surgery. I am not marrying Mariana just because it suits his business plan!’
‘It’s been arranged since for ever.’
‘It’s been arranged since before I could talk,’ Alejandro said. ‘You all just assume that I’ll marry her...that I’ll stay because I was born into it.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘I’m not sure I even want to be here,’ Alejandro said. ‘I don’t know that I want to spend the rest of my career fighting against you and Carmen as you erase our mother from the brand.’
‘You’re not going to quit—’
‘I wouldn’t have to. I could just go and pursue my own interests like Carmen does,’ Alejandro said, and raised a warning finger to his brother. ‘Don’t you ever mess in my private life again.’
‘I’m trying to stop you from making a stupid decision.’
‘Oh, and marrying someone I don’t love is a better one?’
‘You think youloveEmily?’
Alejandro chose not to answer or correct him.
He would not be telling Sebastián that he knew for certain that he loved her.
Someone else deserved to hear that first...
She was sitting on the sofa where they had first made love, but jumped up when Alejandro pushed the door open and walked in.
‘Well done,’ he said, ‘for standing up to him.’
He smiled when he thought of the words he had overheard as he’d raced up the stairs.
‘I don’t think many people would dare speak to him like that...especially in his own office...’
‘I’m not scared of Sebastián,’ Emily said—because she honestly wasn’t.
She was more scared of Alejandro’s reaction when she told him her news—when he found out that their holiday romance had turned into something rather more permanent.
‘What did Sebastián say to get you to leave?’ he asked.
‘Not much. He just thanked me for my work and got me to return my computer and phone. I didn’t even have time to write down your contact details...’ She shot him a look. ‘When your family close ranks they really do it in style.’
‘They do.’
‘Then I found a maid waiting to service my apartment for a new guest. And then I was told you were in New York, avoiding me.’
‘Who said that?’