The Italian Billionaire's Disgraced Fiancée by Betsy Swann Read Free Book Online Page A

the heads of the audience until they found his. Her lips parted in shock as he mockingly bowed his head in her direction. A cold smile curved the corners of his mouth. When they’d last met the shock had been on him. Not ever again. From now on she would be the one to suffer. Starting right now…
    ‘ Half a million. ’
    The ballroom fell into complete silence.
    On the stage Nick Hetherington turned to him in disbelief. ‘I’m not sure whether I understood correctly Mr Vallorini…’
    ‘Half a million,’ Enzo repeated. ‘For a dance with the White Rabbit.’
    Hetherington threw an uncomfortable glance first to Rebecca Morton next to him on the stage, hot angry streaks forming on her cheeks as if someone had slapped her, then back to Enzo. ‘Unfortunately the White Rabbit is not part of tonight’s auction. Miss Morton was recently crowned the Sexiest Woman Ever, so surely you can’t wish…’
    ‘I can and I do.’ Enzo shrugged his shoulders. ‘Take it or leave it. Half a million is a lot of money…’
    ‘Even if I wanted, the White Rabbit does not…’
    ‘Oh yes, I do .’
    At the other side of the room the crowd suddenly began to shift, parting like the Red Sea to let the White Rabbit glide through. Enzo could only admire the way she kept her shoulders straight, her chin defiantly lifted as she came to stand beside him, never even sparing him a glance let alone a smile. Like some modern day Jeanne D’Arc ascending the scaffold. For a moment he wondered why she had to work as a waitress these days but then decided that he didn’t care after all. Carson had probably got bored with her and paid her off with a nice leaving gift. The diamond earrings she was wearing right now, most likely.
    ‘I gladly dance with this gentleman, if he’s willing to donate such a generous amount to ‘My Greatest Wish’,’ she said in that melodious voice of hers, that voice of an angel.
    He stiffened. My God, how he had loved that voice, those sweet words she had whispered into his ears. All lies. Every single word had been tainted with deceit, and he would not allow himself to ever forget that.
    Hetherington still didn’t seem happy about the sudden turn of events and threw her a worried glance. ‘Are you really sure about this Miss…’
    ‘Jones,’ she cut in. ‘And of course I am sure – as certainly any other lady in the room tonight would be, if someone asked her for a dance in aid of this wonderful charity.’
    Hetherington raised his head. ‘In that case I can only say thank you to the lovely Miss Jones and to Mr Enzo Vallorini for his most generous bid.’ He threw a beaming smile into the audience. ‘Here we go, ladies and gentlemen. Half a million pounds for a dance with the White Rabbit going once, going twice… gone!’
    Among a myriad of claps and cheers the guests cleared the dance floor, and the first notes of a waltz filled the air, instantly creating a romantic ambience that Enzo neither enjoyed nor wanted. His stomach clenched at the thought of the bridal waltz they had never come to dance, and Izzy standing in front of him now in that glittering white gown didn’t help. Apart from her mask she looked like a bride. The bride she’d never be, at least not to him.
    Hiding his feelings he gave her a mocking smile. ‘Shall we dance?’
    She put her hand into his, and a slight shadow of emotion crossed her eyes. Something almost like hurt, but it disappeared so quickly that he couldn’t be sure, if it had even been there. Anyway, she had been the one dishing out the pain, not the other way round. So why would she feel hurt now?
    ‘You won the bid,’ she said fixing her eyes on his shoulder. ‘So let’s get over with it.’
    Enzo was aware that they were the centre of the attention after his outrageous bid, and he was not surprised when camera flashes came down on them. Tomorrow’s papers would be full of his half-a-million-pound bid, the White Rabbit twirling across the dance floor in his