Baby By Accident: International Billionaires III: The Italians by Caro LaFever Read Free Book Online

“Goodness, Lise, you’re completely red with fury.”
    “I’m not…” Well. She wasn’t going to tell her assistant why she was really blushing.
    “Hear me out.”
    Stomping over to the elegant settee they'd put in the corner of the room for the endless line of employees always waiting to have a word, she slumped into its comforting arms. “Okay. Fine. I’m listening.”
    Her PA drank the last of her water. “I know you don’t like him and I know you don’t trust him, but I’ve been watching him for several months now.”
    Gritting her teeth, she managed not to sneer. “Don’t tell me he’s gotten to you, too.”
    “I’m not a google-eyed girl batting my eyes at him. Come on and give me some credit.”
    “I give you all the credit in the world, Hannah. What would I do without you?”
    “You’d be fine without me.” The older woman dropped the empty water bottle into the wastebasket and crossed her arms in front of her. “You’re the best boss I’ve ever had. You are intelligent, you’re a wonderful leader, and you’re excellent at building good teamwork with your employees. I believe you could do anything you set your mind too.”
    A warm pool of affection welled inside her. “Oh, Hann—”
    “Which is why I can’t help wondering at this inexplicable hatred you immediately developed for Mr. Mattare.”
    Warmth fled, replaced with a harsh sense of betrayal. If her PA was for him, who could she count on in this fight? “Inexplicable? You’re the one who showed me those tabloids the first few weeks he was here.”
    “Yes, I know. I regret that.”
    “What?” Lise’s spine went rigid. “How can you say that? You were right to show me what you’d found.”
    “I took some gossip from the company grapevine and jumped to conclusions when I saw those photos of Mr. Mattare.” The older woman’s mouth firmed. “That was wrong of me.”
    “I can’t believe—”
    “I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”
    “You have every right—”
    “And you shouldn’t either, Lise.”
    Silence fell between them, the only sound being the low burr of the computer. Restlessly, Hannah began to pace. “We should have taken our time in evaluating Mr. Mattare before making decisions.”
    “I’m stunned.”
    “You shouldn’t be.” Her assistant stopped in front of her. “You pay me to cover the bases you can’t.”
    “I know, but—”
    “Or won’t.”
    The blunt words landed with a solid thud in Lise’s head. “You can’t think Vico Mattare is good for this company.”
    “I can.” Hannah’s gaze was steady. “And I do.”
    Folding her head into her hands, she avoided what she didn’t want to see. “I can’t believe this.”
    “There was lots of gossip rolling around this company before he took over.” The older woman’s voice came soft, but sure. “A lot of it negative. I think we both took all of that in and when he finally bought the company and arrived, we’d already made up our minds.”
    “No, that’s not—”
    “Wrongly.” Hannah didn’t give in. “I’ve looked over his plans for the company.”
    “How could you?”
    “Again, you pay me to do this.” The woman clucked in exasperation. “And because you wouldn’t have anything to do with them.”
    “Because they are sleazy—”
    “No, the plans are smart.”
    She couldn’t accept the words or the conclusion. Yes, this was Hannah, and yes, usually she was right when she questioned Lise’s decisions. But in this area, with this man, her PA was wrong. “You’re wrong.”
    Her PA sucked in her breath. “Really.”
    “Yes.” She rose, a sick feeling in her stomach at rejecting Hannah’s wisdom. However, she couldn’t agree. Not with this. Not even if it meant hurting her assistant. “Vico Mattare is not good for this company. My company.”
    The older woman stepped back, but her face still radiated determination. “This isn’t your company to run anymore.”
    Now it was her turn to suck a breath in.