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The hard shell that the ance, it was bone deep

And yet, Liv had seen that shell rattle over the past few months as Clio had come back into his life

Had watched in fascination as the fiercely protective side of hied as, to even Rocco’s shock, Stefan hadshort of a fairy tale Had seen Clio change fro into one of the strongest women Liv had ever seen

Even hter she had seen in Stefan’s eyes at Zayed’s wedding

She had even held her breath for them as she had seen the obvious truth of how deeply Clio had fallen for him She had bet Rocco that they would make it, had believed that if anyone could shatter the hard shell that Stefan carried around, it had to be Clio

Clio, who had become as close to her as the sister she had never had

But, of course, Rocco had known his friend better, and had waited on tenterhooks al

Only a few hours after the wedding, Clio had coer than she had ever seen before, begging to leave Gazbiyaa with Liv and Rocco, and return to New York

That was alo

Two months in which Clio had stayed in New York and Stefan, to Olivia’s shock, had disappeared She had seen hi with Rocco and both tiry, almost desperate for information about Clio

Yet, he hadn’t inquired once after Clio

Today, Rocco, as in Milan, had called her exactly two hours ago, warning her that Stefan was co back to New York

And here he was, glaring at her, as if it was his God-given right

Olivia would have despised his arrogance and his irrational dislike of her when they had first met if she hadn’t seen firsthand how fiercely devoted he was to Rocco and Christian and Zayed

“Hello to you, too, Stefan,” she said cheerily, opening the door wider “It’s a gorgeous New York , isn’t it?”

He didn’t even blink at her saccharine tone Prowled inside casually with his long-li restless in his cale

For the first time in two months, Liv felt a flutter of hope for Clio