Chapter 10 - The Invoice Settled
Three days later, the sun was shining brightly over Lake Michigan, casting brilliant diamonds of white light across the calm blue water.
Gia Parker stood on the wide stone terrace of a private villa in Greenwich, Connecticut, checking her clipboard as catering staff moved smoothly between round tables covered in pristine white linen and tall, elegant centerpieces of bright green Italian ruscus and white hydrangeas.
It was her first major event setup since the Vance Auction House incident—a quiet, sixty-guest charity luncheon that paid three times her standard corporate rate.
“Gia! The lighting team wants to know if they can power down the main terrace sconces!” Leo called out from the doorway, looking far happier than he had seventy-two hours earlier.
“Tell them to leave them on at ten percent until sunset,” Gia replied smoothly, making a quick notation on her tablet. “And make sure the ice sculptures are kept out of direct sunlight.”
She walked to the edge of the terrace railing, resting her hands on the warm stone, taking a deep, clean breath of the crisp autumn air.
Her equipment crate had been returned by the NYPD two days ago, repaired with heavy-duty titanium latches courtesy of Moretti Logistics. The thirty-thousand-dollar fraudulent wire transfer had been cleared from her account by federal investigators, leaving Parker Event Design completely exonerated and richer by three new high-society corporate contracts.
The heavy oak doors of the villa opened behind her.
Dante Moretti walked out onto the terrace. He was wearing a dark charcoal suit without a tie, his hands buried in his trouser pockets, looking as calm, sharp, and expensive as he had on the Madison Avenue sidewalk a week earlier.
Gia turned around, her lips pulling into a faint, warm smile. “Are you going to help me, Mr. Moretti, or are you just standing there being expensive?”
Dante stopped three feet from her, his dark eyes locking onto hers with a look of quiet, unreserved warmth that made her pulse speed up in her chest.
“I believe I am here to settle an outstanding invoice, Miss Parker,” he said softly.
He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a small, folded linen handkerchief—freshly laundered, pressed, and embroidered with tiny, elegant silver initials: G.P.
Gia looked down at the handkerchief, then looked up into his eyes. “You had custom linen made for me?”
“It solves an immediate problem,” Dante said, stepping closer until her back was lightly touching the terrace stone railing. “In case you ever decide to bleed on my coat again.”
Gia took the handkerchief, her fingers wrapping around the cool linen, but she didn't step away. “The Vance legal team finalized their plea agreement this morning. Harrison is looking at fifteen years for evidence tampering and extortion.”
“I know,” Dante murmured, his dark eyes searching her face with an intensity that felt like a physical touch. “My family's ledgers were returned to our trust vault an hour ago. For the first time in thirty years, my father’s name is clear.”
“And you?” Gia asked softly, reaching out to lightly touch the lapel of his charcoal coat. “Are you clear, Dante?”
Dante reached up, his long, powerful fingers cupping her cheek, his thumb tracing the gentle line of her lip with a tenderness that made her breath catch in her throat.
“I am clear enough to know that I never want to let you walk out of my life, Gia Parker,” he whispered, his face dropping until his lips were inches from hers.
Gia looked into his dark, dangerous eyes—the eyes of a man who controlled an empire, but looked at her as if she were the only thing in the world that mattered—and let her clipboard slip from her hand, landing softly on the velvet-covered terrace chair behind her.
“You know,” Gia whispered against his mouth, her hands finding their way up around his neck, “my event contracts have very strict clauses about client relationships.”
May you like
“I am not your client, Gia,” Dante murmured, his mouth brushing softly against hers in a slow, deep kiss that set her entire soul on fire. “I am your partner.”
Gia pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders as the warm autumn sun illuminated the stone terrace overlooking the water, leaving behind the dark shadows of Madison Avenue for a future built on light, design, and an unshakeable bond that no family secret could ever break.
