“Forget it. No way,” Romeo Morretti snapped, struggling to control his temper. Scowling though his publicist couldn’t see him through the phone, he turned off the stereo system inside his yellow Lamborghini Veneno and took a deep breath. Every morning as he drove to work, Giuseppe Del Piero called to discuss social events in and around Milan. But for the first time in eight years Romeo wished he’d let the call go to voice mail. “I’d sooner run through the city center naked singing ‘Ave Maria’ than appear on that pathetic gossip show.”
“But you love the spotlight,” Giuseppe argued. “Always have, always will.”
“In light of everything that’s happened in recent weeks I think it’s best I lie low,” he said, rubbing his tired eyes. Working fourteen-hour days, seven days a week, was starting to take its toll on him. Romeo loved his company, Morretti Finance and Investments, and wanted it to achieve even greater success. Hence, he was working around the clock. “I need to focus on my clients, instead of wasting my time doing magazine interviews and TV shows.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. The press love you, and they’re obsessed with your fabulous, jet-setting lifestyle. You’re the Italian version of James Bond minus the Secret Service thing. If you shy away from the public now it could hurt your bottom line.”
“Life is about more than just money.”
Giuseppe scoffed, as if he’d never heard anything more outrageous in his life. “Tell that to my three teenage daughters. The more moolah I give them, the more they want.”
Romeo stopped at the intersection and stared out the window. His gaze landed on the corner newsstand, zeroing in on the headline splashed across the front of Celebrity Patella. He gripped the steering wheel so hard his veins throbbed.
Scanning the glossy magazine cover, he read the large, bold title—The Morretti Family, Sex, Lies and Secrets Exposed!—and gritted his teeth. For the umpteenth time, he wondered where he’d gone wrong, and cursed the day he’d met Lizabeth Larsen. He’d become acquainted with the lingerie model at a beach in Portugal and it had been lust at first sight.
How could Lizabeth do this to me? Doesn’t she have a heart? Romeo couldn’t wrap his head around what she’d done. They’d been broken up for over a year, and he hadn’t seen or heard from her in months, so why now? Why was she trying to ruin him? She’d given a tell-all interview to the trashy gossip magazine, and now the entire city was buzzing about the salacious story. Lizabeth had shared intimate details about their sex life and had also bad-mouthed his family. Thankfully, his brothers and cousins lived in the States and would probably never see the issue. Romeo, on the other hand, couldn’t go anywhere in Milan without people staring at him.
He swallowed hard, but the lump in his throat grew. The negative things Lizabeth had said about his family played in his mind. To his shock, she’d discussed his nephew’s fatal pool accident at his brother Emilio’s estate, the embezzlement accusations against his cousin Nicco, and his cousin Rafael’s baby-mama drama in Washington years earlier. But what hurt Romeo more than anything were the lies she’d told about his deceased mother. He only hoped his grandparents, who lived in a small coastal fishing town, didn’t hear about Lizabeth’s interview.
“You have to do the show,” Giuseppe insisted, raising his voice.
His enthusiasm was palpable, but Romeo didn’t share in his publicist’s excitement. “I don’t have to do shit. It’s my decision, not yours, so tell your producer friend at the TV station that I’m not interested in doing a sit-down interview tomorrow. Or any day for that matter.”
“Lizabeth made explosive claims about you, and I hear she’s planning to publish a tell-all book about your on-again, off-again relationship later as well.”
Reeling from the news, Romeo spoke through clenched teeth. “Good for her.”
“Want some advice?”
No, he thought, raking a hand through his thick brown hair. I want you to quit badgering me, and cancel all of my public appearances for the rest of the week. I need a break. I’m feeling run down, and I don’t want to end up in the hospital again. Romeo shuddered to think what would have happened if Giuseppe hadn’t found him in his home office that fateful day in August, and pressed his eyes shut to clear his mind. His hospital stay last year had been a huge wake-up call, and Romeo wasn’t going to let anyone or anything stand in the way of his health or his happiness. If that meant keeping a low profile, so be it.
“Go on Lifestyle TV, tell your side of the story, then give Lizabeth a million-dollar cash settlement to make her disappear once and for all...”
His eyes wide, he started down at his cell phone, unable to believe what he was hearing. Romeo didn’t need this shit. Not today. Every day brought new headaches and problems, and yesterday was no exception. As he was leaving his office for the day, he’d received a phone call from his executive team, and their conversation had left a bitter taste in his mouth. One of his favorite clients, Julio Mario Domínguez, had publicly humiliated Romeo’s staff at a business conference in Venice, and his repeated attempts to contact the billionaire businessman had been unsuccessful. The Colombian native was one of his wealthiest and most influential clients, and even though Romeo wanted to keep the entrepreneur happy, he had to stick up for his staff.
“Trust me. I know what I’m doing. It’s the only answer. If you don’t give her a cash settlement, she’ll crucify you and your family in the media.”
“A cash settlement? For what? Being mean and vindictive? No way. It’s not going to happen.” It was only seven o’clock in the morning, but his day was going from bad to worse. Talking to Giuseppe, a jovial character with a boisterous laugh, usually put Romeo in a good mood. Not today. His publicist wanted him to go on TV and dish the dirt about his family, and if that wasn’t bad enough, he wanted him to pay Lizabeth off. Hell. To. The. No.
The light turned green, and Romeo stepped on the gas pedal, speeding down the street as if he were on a racetrack. He couldn’t believe this was happening—again. Not after everything he’d done for Lizabeth over the years. During their tumultuous, drama-filled relationship, he’d showered her with designer clothes, Cartier jewelry, luxury cars and world-class trips, and how did she replay him? By dragging his name through the mud. Through friends, he’d learned of her bitter quest for revenge, and if Romeo didn’t respect her ailing father he’d sue her. “I’ve given Lizabeth enough money to last a lifetime. I’m not giving her another dime.”
An awkward silence infected the phone line. Romeo knew Giuseppe was upset, but he had to do what was right for him, not his publicist. A clean, refreshing scent wafted through the open window, and Romeo took a deep breath. The sun was shining, and the sky was a radiant shade of blue, but the balmy November temperature wasn’t enough to brighten his mood. He was so angry about Lizabeth’s interview his entire body was tense, and he decided a midday workout was in order. At lunch, instead of going to his favorite restaurant with his executive team, he’d use the speed bag in the office gym. Then he’d have a Cuban cigar. He hadn’t smoked since he was discharged from the hospital last year, but he was having the day from hell, and a stogie was the perfect antidote for his stress.
“You’re the boss,” Giuseppe said. “Like you always say, there’s no such thing as bad press. We’ll find a way to spin the story to your advantage, and you’ll come out on top.”
I was wrong. There is such a thing as bad press, Romeo thought with a heavy heart. This was a nightmare. He’d never been more humiliated in his life, and he hated the cruel, spiteful