She’d been self-sufficient ever since.

She might not have had a mother or a father but she’d had her grandfather, strict as he was, and her brother, as protective as he was. Things might be tense at the moment but Rocco would always be there for her.

Christian hadn’t had any of that. Mikolaj had been there as best he could but with a business to run and seven kids of his own to raise it hadn’t been enough. Christian had basically been alone until he’d established the strong friendship group with her brother, Stefan and Zayed. A friendship that had been destroyed because of her.

‘Your mother...’

‘What about her?’ he asked tersely.

‘However crazy she makes you feel, you must love her very much.’

He breathed deeply. ‘I respect what she did for me as a child. She could have abandoned me but she didn’t. I do my duty towards her and will never abandon her. But love? She poisoned any notion I ever had of love.’

As Alessandra digested this, a silver fox of a man came over to join them in the alcove, a German she recalled Christian telling her was head of one of Europe’s major private banks.

he asked, indicating a woman of around the same age as

believe so,’ Christian

pulled his daughter to him. ‘Kerstin,

gleamed as she leaned in to kiss Christian’s cheeks, lingering to whisper something in his ear. A tall, blonde, impossibly glamorous and beautiful woman, she reminded Alessandra of old Hollywood. Her kisses to Alessandra were quick and perfunctory, the first thing that caused

years ago from your Alma

studied at Columbia?’

she said with

she had brains

to recall your father saying something about it, but that was quite a few years ago,’ he

is for me to take over his

would like you

Over my dead body.

said, turning his attention directly to Kerstin. ‘What are you

proceeded to discuss in great detail what she hoped to achieve under his tutelage, most of which went straight over Alessandra’s head. This wasn’t through a lack of understanding on

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255