Page 142 of Grumpy Boss of the Year

"Tell me if he's old, Papa."

"Who?" he says, frowning.

"My fiancé. He's not an old man, is he?"

His lips twist up. "No, my darling, he's not an old man. In fact, you may even know him."

He leaves the room then, and that's when I realize that Maria is still standing there. She'd been watching the entire thing. She looks down at the ground as I try to make eye contact with her.

I take my seat again and wait. I can hear Father opening the door and speaking to who I presume is Liam. I hear a couple of laughs and then footsteps. My heart races. This is it. I wonder if I'm as good an actress as I hope I am. I need to pretend that I have no idea what's going on.

My father steps into the room. "Darling Elisabetta, I want you to meet?—"

Liam steps in then, and my father throws his hand up in the air.

"Liam! What are you doing here?" I say in mock surprise. "Don't tell me that I left some work on the desk and you've come all the way here to?—"

He gives me a wry smile, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. My heart pounds for a couple of seconds. He's changed his mind.

"Elisabetta, Liam is your fiancé."

"What?" I screech, but it doesn't sound real.

Liam steps forward. "I am sorry for keeping this a secret from you, but your father, well, he didn't want you to know just yet."

"What? Dad, how could you do this to me?" I stare at him, and his face blanches slightly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want this to happen. I… I'm broke, darling. I have nothing left. I…"

He looks down in shame, and I wanna cry for him. All of a sudden, he reminds me of a frail old man, and he's not even that old.

"How could you lie to me, Liam? How could you not tell me?"

"I suppose it was because I wasn't able to." His voice cracks. "Your father threatened to call off the deal, and well, I didn't want to be the one to give him a reason to."

He pauses and looks over at my father. "I need you to sign the contracts today."

"I cannot do it today," he says, shaking his head. "I'll leave you two to talk. I have somewhere I have to be." He looks at his watch. "I have to go. I will see you both tomorrow. We'll chat then."

"I need you to do it right now, Franco," Liam says annoyed. "I need to ensure that you're not taking my money and?—"

"I will sign the contracts. I have to go."

My father walks over to me, grabs my hand, and kisses both cheeks. "Please forgive me, darling, for everything, but this was the only way."

He looks at Liam and shakes his hand. "I trust that you will be kind to my daughter. She didn't ask for this life."

He heads back to the entrance. "I'm off, Maria. Please serve them afternoon tea."

"You like tea, right, you English?" He looks over at Liam, and Liam just nods. "Ciao, bella." He walks out of the room.

Liam and I just stare at each other, and I wait for the door to close.

"Wow, you put on quite the performance," I whisper as Maria leaves the room.

"You did, too," he says. "Looking as pretty as ever."

"You, too. Is everything okay? What did Lucinda have to say?"

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