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His lips twitched “Are youmy reputation?”

Pia seous “I wouldn’t dare”

“And you would be okay belonging to me?”

She shuddered “It’s archaic, but nothing else, I fear, would keep theet my hands on Gio’s fortune Gio would be thrilled that I have somehow enthralled you and I… I cana deal with the devil”

“I am the diablo?” he said in a soft croon that sent shivers down her spine

“Si,” she replied

But Raphael was no devil Nor Prince Char bad wolf But sometimes it was the wolf that provided the most protection It was the wolf you could trust to keep others at bay

How she would survive a fake relationship when she couldn’t even look at hi on the inside she didn’t know But this was the only way

For Gio and for her own peace of mind

He reached out to her and tilted her chin up “What plans would those be?”

“Plans that don’t concern you”

“If we start this charade, I will know everything about you, Pia”

Why did that sound like a declaration of possession? “What does it matter when you can keep me away from the till?”

Just silence And those intense black eyes Pia squirmed like a fish on a line

“I… I’ve been thinking about staying beyond su Gio’s reaction… I realized I was just foolingthere for me Not anymore

“At the risk of confir your worst suspicions, I want to stay here and take care of hi him alone, with all his relatives who really don’t care about hi him with hired help, it twists my stomach”