Chapter Four #3
He frowned at the unspoken hostility in his cousin’s gaze as she bid them both goodbye and strode from the room without further comment.
He hadn’t expected Allegra to be bold enough to confront him in public, after she’d remained firmly outside the argument with her brothers after the funeral, when they’d discovered he was set to inherit the team.
But it appeared she’d just been waiting for her moment.
Her comment about time dragged against something in the back of his mind, as had her jab about Astrid.
He had never met her son, and had assumed the child was much younger than Allegra had suggested.
The knowledge that she’d been with the father of her child so soon after their encounter, or possibly even at the same time, made his stomach tighten with something dark and sharp-edged.
‘Did you plan to tell me about the inheritance?’ Astrid fumed, green eyes sparking.
‘Did you plan to tell me that you weren’t single on the night we met?’
‘What?’ She shook her head, confusion marring her brow. ‘Of course I was single. I don’t see how that’s important right now. Not when you’ve inherited a whole damn rival team.’
It was important to him, apparently—very important, judging from how the bands in his chest loosened instantly at her honest reaction. Something else still niggled at him, but he’d figure it out later. For now, he had a very agitated Englishwoman to appease.
‘I flew all the way here, derailed all of my plans, because Falco Roux takes care of their own. I thought this sudden decision about wanting to break your contract was due to grief. But, according to your cousin, you’ve hidden a crucial fact from the press and you’ve simply been biding your time as you plot to jump ship to our biggest competitor. ’
‘Are you asking me if I’m the traitor my cousin implied I am, Astrid?’ He stepped closer, bridging the distance between them with two strides. ‘Because I thought it was your job to know your drivers better than they know themselves.’
‘I can’t make an accurate judgement without all the facts.’
‘If I had wanted to take over Accardi Autosport, I would have just stayed as their lead driver, pretty much guaranteeing my grandfather would leave it to me.’ He waited, watching realisation flare in Astrid’s eyes.
‘But I chose to walk away. And now, in a last attempt to control my career, he’s left me a team that I’ve never wanted to own. ’
‘You may not have asked for it, but it’s happened and it’s—’
‘A big fucking problem for me and for Fal. Yes, I know; he knew that too. You understand now why I’ve refused to speak to the press until I figure out how to proceed?’
An assistant popped her head in, interrupting them and announcing that their helicopter pilot awaited their departure.
‘Give us one moment,’ Apollo said, but the woman didn’t budge, instead explaining that their flight needed to leave immediately or risk being grounded due to high winds.
He felt his own frustration peak, his body torn between needing Astrid to understand where his head was at as a driver, and his need to pursue her and get closure on that night in Venice.
Without consulting him, Astrid picked up her briefcase and strode past him.
Silence fell between them as he allowed Astrid space to stew and make her plans, her fingers tapping wildly on her tablet as the helicopter flew them through the rapidly darkening evening sky.
The winds were strong, but she was completely engrossed in her work, so engrossed that she hadn’t noticed they’d been flying for a lot longer than planned and in the opposite direction from where they’d originally come.
‘You could have come to Falco Roux with this sooner. To me.’ Her voice finally sounded through the head sets they both wore. She was still staring down at her screen, legs crossed and mouth pursed. ‘We need to speak with Tristan and Alain; set up meetings with the Elite One stewards.’
‘This hasn’t been a selfish choice, or an easy one.
I’m painfully aware of the consequences that breaking my contract mid-season is going to have on Falco Roux.
Do you think I want to let Tristan, Nina and Alain down?
I have my own team of lawyers who have been investigating the various options and consequences, should I accept the terms of my grandfather’s will. ’
‘You haven’t accepted the terms yet?’ Her eyes brightened. ‘That’s great, then…we need to get ahead of this once we get back to your estate.’
He fought the urge to smirk. ‘Didn’t I say? We’re not going back to Lake Como.’
As the view of the glittering waters and historic buildings of their destination became apparent, Astrid’s eyes flew to his.
Was it cruel of him to bring her back to the scene of the crime, as such?
Perhaps, but there was no way he was going to take her back to his estate with the press surrounding it, not when an extra twenty-minute journey could bring them here instead.
She would be intent on fixing his dilemma, of course, and truthfully he liked watching how her brain worked.
But, on a more selfish note, he wanted her here.
He didn’t plan to let this opportunity go to waste.
Not when she had already made it abundantly clear that she had regretted walking away from him that night without having revealed their identities.
‘Welcome back to Venice, Astrid.’