had wanted her here tonight wearing the necklace and she knew—oh, yes, she knew—how low he could stoop.
Why had she thought better of Matteo?
Because, despite clear warnings, she’d gone and fallen in love.
She was tempted to turn, to just walk away and pretend she hadn’t heard what was said and to simply make it through the night without creating a scene. It had nothing to do with the fact she was on strict instructions to behave tonight; it was more than that—she didn’t want the dream to end.
The dream that Matteo had actually cared about her.
She thought of her mother, smiling for the camera, pretending all was well in a messed-up world, and Abby refused to let that legacy live on.
‘What did you just say?’ Her voice was very clear as she walked into the study. Matteo’s back was to her but she saw it stiffen at the sound of her voice.
‘Abby...’ he started but Ellison spoke over him.
‘I was just congratulating your sponsor,’ Ellison said, not remotely bothered that they’d been overheard.
But then, Matteo thought, if he was insensitive enough to have Hunter’s photo on his wall, what was another layer of hurt to add to the mix.
‘What does my wearing my mother’s necklace have to with this?’ Abby asked. She had walked right over and stood aside the two men and confronted her father first. ‘What do you mean when you say that the necklace is Matteo’s?’
‘Can we talk away from here?’ Matteo suggested.
‘Why?’ Abby checked. ‘I think here is the perfect place. Why spread my misery outside the grounds of this home.’ She asked the question again, her voice rising. ‘Why would you tell Matteo that my necklace is now his?’
‘It’s actually my necklace,’ Ellison corrected. ‘Your mother left it to me. I knew that you needed money, Matteo wanted the necklace and I said if he could get you here wearing it for the do...’ Ellison shrugged. ‘It’s no big deal.’ As Abby’s eyes filled with tears Ellison misread them. ‘Oh, don’t go getting all sentimental, Abby. Your mother loathed that necklace.’
‘And I know why she did!’ Abby was shouting now. ‘Because, yet again, you’d been unfaithful and, yet again, you thought another trinket would put things right.’
‘And it did,’ Ellison said. ‘Your mother knew how to behave, as does Annabel. Whereas you, Abby...’
‘Whereas I,’ Abby interrupted, ‘don’t simply turn a blind eye to everything!’
‘Abby,’ Matteo said. ‘I can explain.’
‘No,’ Abby said. ‘I don’t want your charming lies. I want to hear—’ her voice was rising further ‘—the truth from my father. At least he doesn’t sugarcoat things.’
‘Abby,’ her father warned. ‘Keep your voice down.’
‘Then give me an answer. Are you telling me that you bribed Matteo?’
‘It was a gentleman’s agreement,’ Ellison said.
‘I’ve got this, thanks,’ Matteo said to her father and taking Abby by the arm he tried to steer her away but she shook him off.
‘And this gentleman’s agreement happened...when?’ Abby demanded.
‘Matteo came and saw me in April to purchase the necklace...’
Hearing that a meeting had taken place even before she had met Matteo, Abby didn’t need further details; she was already walking off. She had nothing, nothing, left to say to her father, and she had just one parting line for Matteo as she brushed past him.
‘Screw you!’ Abby said.
She stepped out of the study and walked briskly towards the entrance and out the front door. Guests were staring and Annabel was throwing fire with her eyes as, yet again, Abby created a scene.
‘Will you stop?’ Matteo called as he ran down the stairs after her and then overtook. Abby stood on the bottom step as Matteo reached the ground and so he was right in her face but she just stared coolly back, refusing to break down.
‘I hate you.’
‘No, you don’t.’ Matteo took her arms and almost shook her to listen to him. ‘You hate what I’ve done, you hate that I set out to deceive you, but I never have.’
‘How can you say that when you met him in April? You were never interested in my team.’
It was simple maths to Abby.
From the very start Matteo had never been interested in her.
All the joy, all the memories, dissolved like soap left in the bathtub.
She remembered sitting in jeans in a stunning restaurant and the joy that it hadn’t seemed to matter. Oh, there was a reason he hadn’t cared what she wore—Matteo had had other things on his mind that night.
Was the necklace the reason he’d been prepared to take things so slowly?
She felt sick with recall as every sweet memory of them soured.
‘Abby.’ Matteo would not give in. ‘My grandfather is sick and more than anything he wanted the necklace. I was going to pose as...’
‘Pose,’ Abby sneered. ‘You started lying even before we met.’
‘Yes, but I stopped lying an hour after we met,’ Matteo said. ‘You know that! By the next morning I was already head over heels with your team and by the next week I was struggling because I cared more about you than them...’
‘Leave me alone.’
She was humiliated, embarrassed and more hurt than she knew how to be.
‘I’ve been trying to tell you about the necklace...’
‘When?’ Abby demanded.
Matteo blew out a breath. He knew that he hadn’t really tried; he had left it in the too-hard basket, it would seem, for too long.
‘Have it...’ Abby said, yanking off the necklace, and she tossed it at him but it clattered onto the ground. ‘Take it to the old bastard. Tell him he’s got his precious necklace now. I hope you’re all happy.’
Matteo stood as Abby picked up the hem of her dress and walked briskly off.
He had a ring in his pocket but, no, some trinket wasn’t going to fix this and maybe full disclosure might prove too little too late but nonetheless he went after her. ‘If you think the past three months have been a sham...’ Matteo started but Abby was too angry to let him speak.
‘That’s exactly what they have been. A sham. And you’re the biggest sham artist of the lot.’
‘I can’t believe you won’t even hear me out.’
