4 Gio
912 Words
CHAPTER 4
GIO
Gio sat across the dining table from Antonio Rossi. Vince was chatting up Gina, though she clearly saw him more as a nuisance. He had to hand it to her, she was keeping her eyes on the prize; unlike most women, who made a giggling fool of themselves when they got Vince’s full attention.
The other granddaughter, Mary, sat across from him, barely meeting his eyes. She was a shy little thing; preferred to listen instead of talk. Still, something was missing. It wasn’t hard to figure out what was wrong with this picture.
“Where’s your other granddaughter? Jocelyn.” The smart one.
The conversations at the table came to a halt.
Even though Gio didn’t consider Jocelyn a serious candidate, it was still an insult that she’d stayed away. He waited for Antonio to make up an excuse for her absence. A migraine, having the flu, anything.
Antonio put down his wine. “I was told that Jocelyn left the premises about an hour ago. Something about discovering the world before she got snatched up by an arrogant billionaire.”
Gio had a feeling the old man was quoting the last part. “So, she suddenly decided to take a trip around the world, did she now?”
It almost seemed as if Antonio was baiting him, which didn’t make any sense. The old man had more to lose, if this deal fell through, than Gio did.
“Girls, leave us.”
He felt Gina stiffen next to him while Mary turned a chalky white. However, they left the room without a protest.
Gio made a mental note about that. They were perfect on the outside. Willing, obedient, pretty. Still… His thoughts trailed back to the mouthy PA in the library. Mary’s cheeks had turned pink when she’d called her Antonio’s PA, and Gio had a feeling she knew exactly what kind of personal assistant the hellcat was to her grandfather. Apparently, Antonio’s much younger mistress was living right under their noses. Damn, he envied the sly fox. Which brought him back to the case at hand, and more particularly, to the reason why he wasn’t enthused by the thought of marrying either of the present Rossi girls. He didn’t want to f**k them. Which made him reconsider looking at what was behind door number three: Jocelyn. He never made a choice in business without having considered all his options, and he wouldn’t start now.
“She ran,” Gio spat. “Your granddaughter ran and broke our deal.”
“Did she now?” Antonio said, a smile curling his lips. “Oh, youth. See, she knew who was coming and why, but apparently didn’t consider you a catch. She even managed to lose her bodyguard. Jocelyn can be really inventive when she has set her mind on something. The way I see it, you didn’t manage to keep her here. Forget about her. I have two other granddaughters who are more...docile.”
Gio barely contained a snarl. The old man had to know he was throwing down a gauntlet, making this Jocelyn a challenge to him. He could, of course, ignore it. No one outside the family knew about what happened, so there was no face to be saved. Still, the predator in him couldn’t just let go. He was going to give the girl a chance. No one could renege out of a deal with him without paying a price.
“Call her, and give me your phone.” Antonio did as he requested and stepped out of the room, a faint smile on his face.
The phone’s screen lit up, showing that “Jazzy” was being called. The old man had registered her number under her nickname. Yet another clue that she was probably his favorite.
“Nonno, I know what you’re going to say,” a sweet voice in his ear sounded. A voice he f*****g recognized. “But the guy’s a dominant asshole. I could tell by just one look at his face. Gina eats that s**t up, not having a backbone and all. Also, Gio and Gina sounds adorable, don’t you think? He wouldn’t have chosen me anyway, so why bother parading in front of him and waste my time? I’ll send you a postcard from Rome or Paris, whichever place the plane leaves to first.” He could hear flights being announced in the background. “Nonno, are you still there? Are you mad at me?”
She actually sounded sad at the thought. He’d been right: she was the closest to the old man. “I don’t get mad. I get even, in spades.”
A silence fell, before she regrouped. “If you’ve hurt a single hair on his—”
“He’s not the one I’m going to hurt. Listen to me carefully, because I don’t repeat myself. Ever. Get your ass back here before midnight, or I’m coming for you.”
What followed was a string of curses that would have had a sailor blushing. The woman had a foul mouth on her. Which wasn’t the best use for her mouth.
“f**k you. You’re not the boss of me.”
“Don’t ever tell a man to f**k him. He might take you up on your offer,” he bit out.
“Yeah well, to do that, you’d have to find me first. If you can find me, you can f**k me,” she taunted him.
Click.
She hung up on him. He couldn’t remember anybody ever hanging up on him. A deep rumble started from his chest, and he saw Vince looking at him, concern shining in his eyes.
“Ah shit.” His brother shook his head. “You laughing is never a good sign.”
He was right, of course. Gauntlet thrown, challenge accepted. Jocelyn Rossi had just sealed her fate.
- Writer
