Chapter 14
Iwalked across the piazza, powered by adrenaline, fatigue, and chocolate. I wondered if I could close my eyes and hide until Carnival was over.
In a few days, the deal with Street Entertainment would close. Dylan would leave Venice and I would have to forget him and the way he held me in his arms.
Dylan kept revealing different sides of himself, and I wasn’t sure I liked all of them. There was charming, sexy Dylan, whom I’d met in the moonlight by San Marco. There was seductive, alpha Dylan, who melted me with one gaze, one touch.
There was Dylan, the musician, aka Strand, who played music so beautiful that it made me want to weep. And there was Dylan the asshole, who mansplained and offered me solutions to problems I didn’t ask him to solve.
Dylan Street was a privileged billionaire with a secret identity. He warned me from the start he was a fuck-up. Was that his way of warning me he would break my heart eventually?
“You can’t break something you don’t have,” I said to myself.
Crowds of people bundled in coats and cloaks filled Campo Polo. People wore masks during the day now. A canopy of lights hung across the fountain. Paper lanterns dangled from balconies.
At night, the campo would transform into a glittering wonderland. The world was preparing for a party, while I dreamed of hiding. Normally, I loved how Venice evolved into one giant masquerade ball, but today, it made me feel alone.
Instead of fighting my way through the crowds, I cut through the lobby of the Mia Sorella. Inside, was blissfully quiet.
I walked to Sara’s portrait on the wall. The oil painting hung over a marble table and a bouquet of silk flowers. Sara’s hair was long and half up. She didn’t smile, but her face looked serene.
Her eyes focused on the horizon. She wore a beautiful pale blue dress, and around her neck hung blue Murano glass heart on a thick silver chain.
I peered around the corner and saw Roberto talking to James by the fireplace. Roberto was the same height and build as both James and Dylan. For a split second, my heart surged, thinking it was Dylan, but I recognized the cold intensity that differentiated James from his brother. James eyes lacked all sparks of joy.
I was out of their line of sight and about to leave when their conversation grew heated. James took a step toward Roberto. His voice low, he spoke in short, controlled bursts.
Roberto’s face flushed bright red, his energy and rage ramping up fast. He fired back, matching James’s verbal punches blow for blow.
I wondered if they were arguing about the updated legal terms that Roberto had mentioned. The way they fought looked personal, beyond business.
I wasn’t sure what James was like when it came to making a deal, but seeing him lose control, even a little bit, seemed out of character to me. I knew Roberto’s style, as he modeled himself after my father. He was ice cold.
This was supposedly a deal that Roberto wanted. If he were my father’s right hand, why was he fighting with our golden goose?
I held my breath, trying to make out their words. My father ordered me not to do anything to jeopardize this deal. He said it was the only way to save my family’s fortune, and here was Roberto, clearly at odds with our billionaire investor.
I could either hide in the lobby and eavesdrop, or I could face them head on. Fuck it. I took a breath and walked quietly into the room.
“You remember the terms,” Roberto said, as I approached.
“I remember, and when the deal closes, this is the new plan. It is non-negotiable.” James said, unblinking.
“You fix it, or I’ll kill the deal myself.”
The two men swiveled in unison to look at me. It was worth it to see Roberto’s eyes go wide. To his credit, James did not miss a beat. The man was unflappable. What in the hell had I walked in on?
“Isabella,” James said. I wondered how I ever confused this cold man with Dylan. Yes, Dylan could be broody as hell, but he didn’t look like he had a stick up his ass, like his brother.
“James,” I said, nodding.
Roberto’s eyes widened. “You mean, Mr. Street.”
“Fuck off, Roberto,” I said, tired of him scolding me like a child.
James gave the smallest hint of a smile. “How are you, Isabella?”
“Fine,” I said, wondering how to end this useless, small-talk spiral. “Is there a problem, gentlemen? You seem engaged in a lively discussion, and by lively, I have to say, things looked tense.”
“We were talking about the contract,” Roberto said, “which isn’t anything you need to worry about, Bella.”
So dismissive, I thought. You want to play, asshole? Let’s play.
I smiled. “Actually, I spoke with my father this morning, Roberto. I am very invested in making sure this deal moves forward without issue. It’s important to my family.” I emphasized the word “my.” Voice steady, I held my ground.
A switch flipped inside of me. The only fight that mattered was reclaiming my seat at my family’s table.
I needed to shut down Bella Baci and re-launch on my terms. Dylan would leave town. Our future was limited at best.
I focused on James. “Is there something I can help you with, James? It seems you and Roberto are not aligned?”
“Madonna, Bella,” Roberto said.
“I’m not talking to you, Roberto.” I maintained eye contact with James.
“I appreciate you asking, Isabella,” James said. “I believe that Roberto and I have come to an understanding. There is nothing more to discuss.
“This deal will go through, and I look forward to partnering with your family to do the right thing for both of our portfolios.”
“Cut the bullshit,” I said. “You mentioned a new plan. What is the new plan and what was the old one?”
Roberto shook his head and looked at the ceiling. A vein throbbed in his neck.
James eyes widened ever so slightly, the only “tell” that my question may have surprised him. “There is, and has only ever been, one plan, Bella,” he said.
“In four days, Street Entertainment will inject much needed capital into your family’s company, and we will also provide the leadership needed to keep your family from losing all their assets.” His voice slowed just slightly on the last three words. He confirmed the stakes of the acquisition and my stomach dropped.
I knew it was true. I’d feared it all along. Without money from Street Entertainment, it wasn’t just my family’s fortune that disappeared, it was the business. People would lose their jobs, and families would suffer.
I thought of Paolo, Lissa, Andrea, Vincenzo, and all the other staff who relied on our hotels and restaurants for their livelihood. For a moment, I felt foolish for voting against the deal. I’d felt so righteous dissenting, but now I feared I’d made a mistake.
Words escaped me. I stood there stunned and silent.
“All right, I think we are done here,” James said. “Would you agree, Roberto?”
“Yes, we are done.” Roberto glared at me and exited. His leather shoes made a distinct and angry click as he walked. I would remember the sound of that man walking away, forever.
James Street had dismissed him, too. I wondered how Roberto would manage to twist this and blame me for this disrespect. I had no doubt that there was only one person who would pay a price for this high crime, and that person was me.
“How long have you known Roberto,” I asked, finding my voice again.
“Deals like this take time,” he said, ignoring my real question. Was he lying? Maybe, maybe not, but he certainly wasn’t telling me all the truth.
“I’ve never seen him so upset over business,” I said, my intuition sparked nudging me to keep probing.
“You two were engaged, is that right?”
“We were,” I said.
“I imagine you know a side of him that I don’t,” James said. This man was so smooth and evasive.
“I imagine I do.” My mind raced, searching for my next move. My family needed this deal, but that didn’t mean James Street wasn’t lying or withholding information. “Dylan mentioned he spoke with you this morning.”
“Yes,” James said. “He shared the news you are shutting down your business.”
I felt gut shot. Dylan made it sound like he was just along for the ride in Venice, when he was really sharing our private conversations. Dylan was the first person whom I had opened up to in months, and I did not expect him to report the details of my life to his brother. I certainly didn’t expect him to recap our argument.
“He shouldn’t have shared that,” I said, my cheeks flushed. I hated feeling flustered in front of this cool and collected man. I was so tired of men having the upper hand.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” James said, further embarrassing me. “I overstepped. I was surprised to learn about Bella Baci at the vote. During due diligence, your business was never mentioned as an asset.”
“Well, they don’t think of it as an asset,” I said, narrowing my eyes. What was he trying to do, win me over with mock sympathy? Or make me burst into tears with disappointment that my family didn’t think my work was worth mentioning?
“Why do you care about my business at all? You said it yourself, my family needs your money. Without it, we lose everything,” I said.
“It’s just that you surprise me, Isabella. You were the one ‘nay’ in the room, and here you are, advocating for the deal.”
“I am well aware of how I voted. I think it’s important to remember that a woman is allowed to change her mind anytime she wants.”
He smiled so perfectly it almost made his beautiful face too beautiful. James looked calculating. He lacked Dylan’s mischief. “Dylan brought up your business because he was impressed with it,” James said.
“I guess he has a sweet tooth.”
“My brother has had a lot of things said about him, but that is a new one.” James sounded a little more human in that moment. Just a little.
I decided to push for more. “Am I the only person in the world who knows that your brother is Strand?”
“Fuck,” James said, his faint smile replaced with a solid scowl. “He told you.”
“Yes,” I said. “He told me.”
“Strand is gone, so it doesn’t matter. My family has managed rumors of Strand for years, but we have a solid relationship with the press. I trust you too, will be discrete.”
“Why do you think he told me?” I asked.
James narrowed his eyes. “I have no idea. Dylan joined me in Venice at the last minute. He needed a change of scene and perhaps he wanted to talk to someone.”
“A change of scene from what?”
James’s phone vibrated. “I’m sorry, I have to take this.”
He excused himself and walked across the lobby before answering his phone. If he wasn’t lying to me out right, I was certain of one thing. James Street was hiding something.
Dylan Street was not the only brother in Venice keeping secrets.