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Raffaele raked ih his cropped black hair and checked his designer watch Being kept waiting was a new experience for hiood business practice, Raffaele frowned, dark-as-charcoal eyes flaring with irritation Clearly, Fotakis was running late but Raffaele was keen to get back to his town house and unwind after a very long day spent answering stupid questions and being sociable Raffaele had a very low tolerance threshold for fools Labelled a genius at school, he was i a precise schedule

A PA, a beautiful blonde, entered the reception room and ushered him into a lift, where she tried to strike up a conversation and flirt with hi eyelashes and lingering glances, Raffaele behavedoff a fly Women caot in the way of norue and tainted the professional at for Raffaele, he would have instantly sacked her for such a display

Women had their place in his life, of course they did Raffaele had a high sex drive, as with many other thirty-year-old men But he was infinitely more discreet than most He chose his lovers with care and none of his affairs lasted longer than a feeeks There was even a good reason for that brief tier he spent with a woman, the more attached and ambitious and indiscreet she beca h toas it cas

Raffaele was shown into a wood-panelled office of alnificence Another door opened and a small white-haired, bearded man appeared He immediately lifted the fat file on the desk and extended it to Raffaele ‘Mr di Mancini,’ Stam Fotakis murmured flatly

‘Mr Fotakis’ Soh he had very little ti pursuits, Raffaele accepted the file and took the seat his host indicated

‘Give hts on that,’ Stam invited smoothly

As Raffaele leafed ever h the incredibly detailed file with a rare sense of growing horror, he breathed in slow and deep to steady himself Arianna’s every mistake seemed to be included in that file and there were one or two that not even Raffaele had known about He sed hard on his shock at being presented with such a shady dossier on his little sister’s past activities

‘What are you planning to do with this information?’ Raffaele enquired in as civil a tone as he could ry, and that was an emotion he rarely experienced but instinctively knew had to be controlled

His host surveyed him steadily ‘That very much depends on you It will be released to the tabloid press only if you disappoint me,’ he revealed quietly

‘That is an unthinkable threat,’ Raffaele breathed tautly ‘I cannot believe that my sister has ever done you any harm’

‘Let ed hi woreat wealthyour sister’

‘And the other?’ Raffaele prompted impatiently

‘Born into poor circues but nonetheless a hard-working, educated and respectable young wohter’

‘Your granddaughter,’ Raffaele repeated blankly, still trying to fathom at top speed what Stam Fotakis could possibly want from him to warrant such a threat

‘Vivien Mardas, better known as Vivi,’ Stam supplied ‘For a little while she was a friend of your sister’s’

Raffaele went rigid, the link established and comprehension now possible ‘I remember her,’ he said stiffly ‘She is a member of your family?’

‘Yes,’ Stam said, equally stiffly ‘And I am as protective of her as you are of your sister and determined to rectify any injustices she has suffered’

Raffaele reer was burning like hellfire inside him as he joined the dots and hit pay dirt When he had known her, Vivi had definitely been unaware that she had a very rich and powerful grandfather Evidently, having discovered that no doubt welcome reality, she had lied about the less presentable parts of her past in an effort to cover them up