Page 106 of The Beast

Isla moves a little closer to me, her eyes narrowing on the stranger. I embrace her, smiling at the concierge, and walk through the oversized doorway.

A hush falls all around me. Here, just steps away from the hustle and bustle outside, is NewsCorp’s suite of offices in Rome. The lobby is sleek and tastefully designed, the colors of off-white marble and darker earthy gray from outside replicated to full effect here. Dark gray benches and couches create a frame for off-white draperies and larger light fixtures.

Lorenzo sweeps us past all of it, striding purposefully to a dark gray marble bank of elevators. He swipes a keycard and presses a button. An elevator door opens and he escorts us inside, riding up to the fifth floor with us.

I step out into a hallway. To the left, there are a number of NewsCorp suites, kept empty for visiting dignitaries and NewsCorp executives.

Lorenzo gives a slight bow and ushers us right, down a hallway that leads to my private residence. With another swipe of his keycard, Lorenzo opens the door into a faintly fragrant, air-conditioned blast of air. I sweep into the living room area of the Grayrose’s residence.

Ella stops and looks around, goggling. Straight ahead is a bank of floor to ceiling windows that look out over the Pantheon. Between her and those windows is a sumptuous off-white set of couches and a lounge area. Several wine glasses sit on a low table, some expensive wine in an ice bucket just beside them.

“Where may I place your bags, Lord Grayrose?” Lorenzo asks.

I sweep my gaze around the place, smirking.

“My things go in the master bedroom…”

Natasha jumps in, dictating to Lorenzo. “I think it would be best for me to have the bedroom just next to his. And then you can put the rest of the bags… wherever.”

I glance at my assistant, squinting. At this point, I’m not sure why she is purposely trying to put distance between my daughter, Ella, and me. But I’m getting sick of it.

“No. Please put my daughter’s things in the bedroom next to mine. Put Ella’s in whatever bedroom she fancies. And then if you would be so kind, take Natasha’s belongings across the hall. I want her to have a private suite to herself.”

“I want to see my room!” Isla shouts. “If it has a big bed, I wanna jump on it!”

“Far be it for me to stop her,” I say, a tiny headache gathering right between my eyes. Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I sigh. “Can you have a dinner reservation made for us tonight? Somewhere that my daughter will be welcome.”

“Yes, of course,” Lorenzo says.

Natasha tilts her head at me, her cheeks flushing as she raises a brow. But she doesn’t say anything.

Lorenzo bows. “Of course. Consider it done.”

“We should go check in downstairs,” Natasha suggests. “If we dive into work first thing, we can be done more quickly.”

My gaze slides to Ella, who is peeking her head inside a bedroom.

“Set all my meetings for tomorrow morning. I want to take some time for myself.”

Natasha looks surprised. “But you like to work.”

My head whips around and I give her a tiny glare. “I think you mistook what I just said I wanted for a request. It’s not. It’s an order.”

Natasha flushes and bows her head. “Sir. I’m going to go reschedule those meetings right now.”

My lips twitch as I watch her scurry out into the hall. Turning around, I open my arms. Ella looks at me, her expression questioning.

“Ready to explore Rome?” I ask.

She grins and nods. “Definitely.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT

Edging open Isla’s bedroom door, I check on her. The lights are off, the room lit only by the window, throwing an octagon of milky moonlight over her small body in her oversized bed. She moved around all day, bouncing around and tapping her foot, impressing me with her energy.

So now, when she’s dead asleep, I am glad to see her resting. I pull the door closed, startling when I turn around.

Keir is perched on the back of a sofa, arms folded, his lips curved up in a Sphinx-like smile.

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