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“You’re far too excited, Giovanni This is not good—”

“What do you think of hter?”

Knowing that he wouldn’t get a word in until they talked about Pia, Raphael shrugged “I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d custom ordered her at a store”

The old man frowned “What? Why?”

Raphael stared into his drink But it was the long fluid line of Pia’s back, the drop of water that had run down her dae in her eyes when he’d accused her The hurt when he’d called her naive and meek

“Raphael?” Gio prodded

“She fits your requirehter a little too perfectly, don’t you think?”

A sneaky smile twitched around Gio’s lips “So you admit that she is perfect”

Raphael raked his fingers through his hair, frustration and so at him Lust that had never see he needed was for Gio to scent how attracted he was to Pia

“I don’t mean it that way An innocent, shy, clearly out of her depth orphan who travels across the world searching for her legacy, searching for her grandmother’s lover… Damn it, Gio, you’ve always been desperate for a child, for so at your heartstrings”

“She’s nothing like my fiery Lucia—”

“Or her randfather, if you’re truly that,” he added

“Si She’s young and sweet I feel as if the burden of looking after Lucia was too much for her No wonder that man preyed on her”

Raphael scowled “Did you even check the legitimacy of her claim before you advertised her to all of Milan with her inheritance hung around her neck like a sign?”