Sarah & Vittorio (Royals of Valleria #9) by Marianne Knightly

Author:Marianne Knightly
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781942729112

Chapter Eight

The ringing of his phone woke him. He glanced at the screen, scowled, and declined the call.

His father. Fuck if Rio’d answer his call right now.

He turned and caught the blinking eyes of his bell’angelo.

She stretched her arms and legs, then settled again, a little closer to him. “Who was it?”

The phone rang again.

Damn it. He declined it again.

She tensed. “More press? Did any pictures from yesterday get loose?”

“I don’t know about the pictures, bella. It’s Franco.”

“Maybe he’s calling about the pictures.”

“He only ever calls about himself, trust me.”

When the phone rang a third time, he’d had enough. He moved her gently away, then rose from the bed with sharp, angry movements.

His lips tightened as he grabbed his phone, his voice short. “What?”

“Is that any way to greet your father?”

His teeth ground together; he was no father, in any sense of the word other than sperm donor. He glanced at Sarah, who was peering at him with sympathetic eyes. He considered going into the bathroom for privacy but, after what they’d shared last night, he stayed put. If they were ever going to have more than a month, she’d need to know what his family was like.

He didn’t want her to know, didn’t want anyone to know, but some things, no matter how hard someone tried, would never stay hidden.

“What do you want, Franco?”

His father hissed; he never liked it when Rio called him by his name, which he’d been doing since he was still in the single-digits. “Vittorio.”

Rio’s body was rigidly still, as if Franco were in the room with him and he needed to be ready to defend himself. “What do you want?”

Silence, during which Rio was sure Franco was calculating his words. “We need to see you.”

Fuck, damn, shit.

They only ever wanted to see him when he had something they could use or manipulate. In the past, that had included anything from money to using a connection he’d had. The first was easy to give, and it meant they left him alone. The latter was something he never gave, which meant they bothered him more.

His eyes locked with Sarah’s. It was easy to see what they wanted this time. “No.”

“Let me re-phrase. You are required to come to us as soon as possible.”

“No.”

“This is not a request.”

“No.”

Franco’s voice went hard, and Rio heard the vibrations of anger in it. “You will come. And you will bring your princess.”

“Fuck no.” He’d meant to just think it, but it came out anyway.

“That, too, was not a request.”

“The princess is her own person, with her own responsibilities. I’m not going to command her to see you—ever, I might add.”

“You always were difficult.”

“And you always are an asshole.”

Franco gasped. “Such insubordination.”

Rio paced the room. “I’m your son, not your employee. I won’t be ordered about.”

Silence again, more calculating. Rio halted near the window and braced.

Derision coated Franco’s every word. “Well, then, son, if you cannot bring the princess to us, we’ll just need to visit her and her parents in Valleria.

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