Chapter Five
A CONCIERGE MET them on the roof of the exclusive Venetian island resort with a team of staff to take their bags and accompany them across the lamplit rooftop garden path.
Heavy wind blew at her hair and skirt as she looked out across Venice’s famous cityscape and wondered at how on earth she’d ended up back here.
This infuriating man was fast wearing out her control and, after the series of revelations she’d endured in the past few hours, she felt a migraine threaten behind her temples.
Apollo took her by the elbow as they entered the top level of the atrium of the exclusive hotel and were greeted by a small army of staff, with one woman announcing herself as their personal concierge.
With their destination being the penthouse, it wasn’t too long a journey, but she tried to hide the flare of awareness in her body as the concierge directed them towards the open doors of the private lift.
‘I’d prefer to take the stairs, please.’
She caught the sudden tightening of his jaw and swore she could feel the heat of his gaze upon her back as she pulled from his grip and walked ahead of him, descending two short flights of stairs to a floor with a single doorway.
Was he thinking of that night in the lift, just as she was?
Had it haunted him just as it had haunted her?
She was barely aware of Apollo ordering dinner for them both as the double doors were opened and she was met with the most stunning apartment she’d ever seen.
The hall alone had to be the size of the entire ground floor of her little London townhouse, and every spare inch seemed to be decorated with priceless paintings and polished marble.
‘A literal palace would be less extra than this place,’ she half-whispered to herself.
‘You think this is extra, you should see the master bedroom.’ A husky murmur interrupted her thoughts and she spun to face Apollo, realising they were now alone.
‘I don’t know what kind of games you’re playing, bringing me back to Venice. But it’s not going to work. We will be discussing your ownership of Accardi and forming a plan.’
She was stalling as she tried to compose herself enough to tell him about the small matter of him having a secret son he’d never known about, but she could only fight one fire at a time.
And truthfully, after speaking with Allegra and remembering just what kind of wealth Apollo came from, she felt even more fearful about disclosing her discovery.
Would he even believe her?
Apollo walked past her, disappearing through an arch into the next room.
She followed along behind him, her much shorter legs taking twice the time to match his long, even pace as he strode towards a sunken sofa area in the middle of a lavish entertaining space.
With a single touch of his hand to a panel on the wall, the lights dimmed and a large fire flared to life.
A fully stocked bar rose from the centre of the coffee table, filled with gleaming crystal glassware and pretty much every drink imaginable.
He raised a brow in her direction, grabbing a set of glasses and a bottle of red wine that looked expensive.
‘I’m not here to drink with you,’ she said tautly, trying to ignore the flare of heat in her stomach at the way his strong hands uncorked the bottle—hands that she remembered working magic on her touch-starved body that night in the dark.
Their time together had been fleeting…yet she thought she’d never felt so at ease with another human being.
Before that night, she’d wondered if breaking off her engagement had been a mistake.
If maybe all couples had to force things in conversation and in the bedroom.
She’d briefly toyed with the idea of going back to playing the part of the good daughter, if only to stop her politician father’s cold anger towards her as he’d tried to save face with his constituents in their town because of her having jilted Ian, supposedly the perfect fiancé.
But, after meeting her masked stranger, she’d felt a fierce spark awaken within her.
She’d known then that she had made the right choice in wanting more for herself.
Even before she’d discovered her pregnancy, just one encounter with this man had changed her whole world.
Now, she was about to give him information that would do the same for him.
‘Let’s get business out of the way first, shall we?’ Apollo said, interrupting her thoughts as he slid a glass toward her. ‘I always planned to discuss the inheritance with you, but I broke my contract on advice from my lawyers.’
Sighing aloud, she sat heavily on the opposite side of the U-shaped sofa. She took a sip of the wine and barely avoided moaning with satisfaction at the rich, earthy flavour on her tongue. ‘Legally, is there no way that you can own another team and still be a driver for Falco Roux?’
‘They’re not sure yet. It’s unprecedented.
’ He sipped from his own glass, a faraway look in his dark eyes.
‘The rumours were true that I left Accardi due to a disagreement between myself and my grandfather. He was a proud man, as underhanded and ruthless as the press made him out to be. Still, I idolised him as a boy. He was the one constant in my life during my parents’ divorce.
He spent more time with me than my own father, introduced me to karting, trained me up and channelled my hurt feelings into something positive.
‘But as I grew up I saw a different side of him. I disagreed with many of his team tactics and that was a large part of why I walked away from Elite One for so many years. Still, for some reason he decided to make me his sole beneficiary. Everyone assumed that my cousins would inherit, considering they all three hold important positions in the team.’
Astrid felt her breath catch at the remorse in Apollo’s eyes. She didn’t dare speak, waiting for him to continue, even as she began to realise what his admission was revealing.
‘I never wanted to leave Elite One. I left because I found out secrets within Accardi Autosport that had been meant to be kept hidden from me. Secrets that threw doubt upon all of my successes as a driver for that team. The corrupt deals and moves that Enzo had made in Elite One was only part of the rot that filtered from the top down. I ran away. I made my own fortune, tried to clear my conscience. Then, when that didn’t work, I came back to win the championship on my own terms. Which is what I planned to do, until this happened.
I now have an opportunity to step in and put an end to Nonno’s legacy of corruption.
Not just to prove myself, but to pave the way for the next generation. ’
Astrid felt her heart sink. ‘And that’s what you want?’
‘I don’t want to do it, Astrid.’ Apollo practically growled as he stood, looming over her. ‘You think I want to be a team owner? I just want to race. I never wanted to be pulled into the family business in that capacity.’
‘You could sell the team.’ She stood her ground without faltering, far too used to standing toe to toe with hot-headed drivers.
Apollo sighed, sitting back down and finishing the end of his drink with one smooth swallow.
He stared at her. ‘My grandfather locked down any chance of a sale for five years after my inheritance. My cousins still hold minor shares, and they’ve made it clear they plan to contest the will, if they can.
Allegra and her brothers are leading the movement; they’re furious that my grandfather left them nothing in the will. ’
‘That’s what the argument after the funeral was about?’
He nodded. ‘People like them…they fear change. They wish the team to continue on as it always has, that’s why they want to inherit it.
A part of me wants to find a way out, to have nothing to do with any of it.
But another part of me feels that I have a duty to undo the legacy of corruption and discrimination at Accardi…
that maybe it’s time for the team to accept some consequences.
And maybe I’m the only one who will do what needs to be done. ’
‘You really believe that’s your responsibility?’ Astrid asked gently.
‘I walked away from it all once,’ he said coolly. ‘I don’t think I can do it again.’
Astrid knew all about the work Apollo had started before he’d left Elite One.
His outspoken call for diversity and inclusion had paved the way for people like Grayson and Nina to set up academies and initiatives of their own, and set real progress in action to remove the many prejudices that so often blocked access to the sport for so many people. Still, they had a long way to go.
She felt unease rise within her at the knowledge that she had failed at the task Tristan had set her to stop him from breaking his contract. There was no way to spin this kind of news. Unless, of course, it became overshadowed by an even more shocking personal revelation.
She closed her eyes, grappling with the other reason she’d come here with him. Every passing moment she didn’t tell him about Luca was a weight upon her conscience. Her thoughts raced as she paced to the other side of the room.
‘For what it’s worth, you were the first person I thought of when I realised I needed to break my contract.’ Apollo’s gaze heated as it skimmed down the length of her body for the briefest moment. ‘Although, not for noble reasons.’
She froze. ‘There are some other things we should speak about, Apollo.’
‘Let’s step away from the serious stuff for a moment,’ he murmured. ‘See, I’ve spent the past year respecting your “no drivers” rule…only to find out we already broke it all those years ago. I’ve thought of nothing but breaking it again all day long.’