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Cristiano sat back, starting to fume He really hadn’t wanted to rake up old memories of Elizabeth Forrester’s betrayal of his father, but Laurel was forcing his hand ‘She was stealing from him, bella, no question’

‘I adht have looked like that, but she didn’t mean it the way you—’

‘She was siphoningit in an offshore account under a different name!’ Cristiano cut her off, his voice like the snick of a blade ‘Are you actually defending her?’

‘Not defending,’ Laurel answered, a flush rising to her face ‘I know she’s…’ She stopped and shook her head, clearly at a loss, because she couldn’t defend her mother even if she wanted to Elizabeth Forrester was so clearly indefensible

‘And as that money for?’ Cristiano continued, relentless now ‘The day when she left hi her behaviour since then, it seems likely’

Laurel’s face went pale again ‘What do you know of my mother’s behaviour since then?’

‘Tonight was not the first time she has co Elizabeth Forrester’s roh times over the last ten years—usually on the ar Cristiano nauseous—to know that she lived by her wits and fading beauty Every ti his father about the private account he’d discovered ten years ago

‘Tonight was the first time I came into La Sirena,’ Laurel said quietly ‘Or had that escaped your notice?’

Cristiano stared at her, trying to decipher what she was really trying to say That she was different from her mother? Or perhaps just more discreet ‘So why did you?’ he asked ‘Out of interest?’

He waited, bracing himself for some spun-out sob story about desperate times and hard circumstances But she just pursed her lips and shook her head ‘It doesn’t matter’

And Cristiano told himself that was fine, because it didn’t He wasn’t interested in getting to know Laurel, yet against his better judgment, and all co for the last ten years? Living the way her mother did? It was the utterly obvious assumption, and yet…

So in him resisted that assumption, which was stupid as well as pointless Laurel toyed with her fork and then pushed her plate away ‘I’ry any more’

‘You should eat’ She was slender enough for a breath to blow her away She just shook her head