The Italian Inheritance by Louise Rose-Innes Read Free Book Online Page A

Giovanni made me executor of his will. That means I have to vet every girl that comes along claiming to be his illegitimate daughter.”
    “What do you mean every girl?” Anna had reclaimed her position at the table. Rafael noticed she hadn’t touched her coffee. It was now stone cold. He wanted more. Half turning he put the kettle back on.
    “Have there been others? Is that why you’ve been so suspicious of me? You thought I was lying like the other girls?”
    “Yes,” Rafael admitted, “There have been four others already. You’re the fifth. The story made the national news. Everybody knew about the unclaimed fortune.”
    “So the other four...?”
    “All fakes.” Rafael leant forward onto the plunger. Steam hissed into the air . “Every last one of them.”
    Anna was all ears now. “How did you know?”
    “I had them checked out,” he said vaguely. She didn’t need to know about his private investigator.
    “Well , I can assure you I’m not a fraud . ”
    That remains to be seen, thought Rafael, pouring himself a fresh cup. He offered her another , but she shook her head. Taking his mug, he joined her at the table. She looked pale, but the way she held her head was so elegant, almost regal, that it was hard to believe she was in any distress. She certainly didn’t appear to be grieving.
    “Look, I’m going to have to verify your details,” he said bluntly. “It’s procedure.”
    She gave a small nod.
    “Will you come to my office tomorrow morning and I’ll get the relevant information from you. I’ve already got your name and address, I think. But I’ll need copies of your birth certificate, your mother’s death certificate and so on...”
    “You won’t find any reference to Giovanni,” she told him quietly. “My birth certificate only carries my mother’s name.”
    “It still verifies who you are,” he insisted. “I’m going to need it.”
    “Do you mind if we continue this conversation another time ?” she asked suddenly, getting to her feet. “I’m sorry, but it feels wrong talking about the money now. I’ve just found out my father’s dead. It’s a lot to take in.” Her voice faltered. “Especially since I never even got a chance to meet him.”
    At Rafael’s quizzical look she repeated, “Do you mind?”
    “No, of course not . ” He drained his cup and stood up. “I’ll show you out.”
    He walked her to the front door. The key clattered i n the lock as he turned it. Anna followed him silently to the gate, which he held open for her.
    “See you tomorrow,” he confirmed, hoping he wasn’t doing the wrong thing by letting her go. If she was lying , she’d be long gone in a couple of hours now that her ploy had been discovered . “Come in around eleven tomorrow . I’m afraid I’m not in the office today, otherwise we could get all this cleared up sooner.”
    She gave him a brief nod, but no smile touched her lips. As he watched her walk slowly up the path , Rafael wondered if he’d ever see her again.
     

CHAPTER FOUR
     
    “You have one week.”
    The words echoed though Rafael’s mind over and over again. Damn Antonio Mancini. The man would not budge. In fact, his building plans had all been approved and there was nothing Rafael could do to stop the process. Rafael’s modest shelter for street kids would now have to be moved. That meant he needed to start looking for new premises immediately.
    He got Christina, his P.A. on the phone and ordered her to start contacting estate agents in the area for viewings this afternoon. No sense in wasting any time. This was one fight he wasn’t going to win.
    The thought irked him immensely . He wasn’t used to losing. Looking back over his career so far, there weren’t many situations in which he’d been out manoeuvred. Usually it was the other way round. Rafael had learned the fine art of manipulation early in life. As an orphan, he’d had no choice. It was necessary to do whatever he could to survive. That was