Page 134 of Modern Romance June 2025 5-8

She frowned, evidently taking in that piece of information. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t see how a divorce will help with that?’ she said, doing that question/statement thing again that he found so hard to translate.

He paused, taking a breath, buying a few seconds to debate how much to tell her. He baulked at providing information that would give her power over him, reminded himself that she wasn’t so much of a threat, remembered that looks could be deceiving, and finally concluded that, despite every instinct to the contrary, he needed to tell her the truth.

‘I need to marry Maria.’

Her face did a strange scrunchy thing to express her confusion.

‘The same Maria you married me toavoidmarrying six years ago?’ she asked, coming a step closer. ‘Your cousin Maria?’

The irony was not lost on him. Six years ago, Antonio had believed the only way to escape his grandfather’s demand that he marry his cousin in order to ensure the familial succession of Gallo Group was to remove himself completely from that scenario by marrying Ivy.

Finding a suitable successor had been an obsession for Gio Gallo. He had considered none of his five children remotely worthy and had, in fact, already disinherited one of them.

And despite any number of cousins and uncles and hangers-on who would have readily, nay,gleefully, welcomed taking on the mantle of Gallo Group, Gio had been firm; it would go to a grandchild.

Antonio had been ruled out, because even though he was the only child of Gio’s eldest, he didn’t have a single drop of Gallo blood. No, Antonio had been adopted and thus wasunsuitable. Maria, by sole default of being female, was alsounsuitable.

But in Gio Gallo’s mind, if Antonio married his non-blood-related cousin Maria, their child would be of Gallo blood as well as being linked to his eldest child, and as such the child would be thesuccessor supreme. And while it might be considered a unique example of two wrongs making a right, both he and Maria had, naturally, been horrified by the prospect, with neither feeling for the other anything remotely more than familial love.

Burying the deep sense of rejection and hurt caused by his grandfather’s actions, Antonio had told no one of his plan to avoid Gio’s manipulations. Not Maria, not his mother. He’d done it quickly and quietly, before anyone could stop him.

He’d come to England with two intentions: first, find a way to make it absolutely impossible for Gio to force the marriage between him and Maria. This had been achieved when he’d married Ivy and, as far as Antonio was concerned, Gio would just have to find someone else to take over Gallo Group.

And second, to start his own business. One that couldn’t be taken away, bargained, bribed or used against him in any way. And at the age of twenty-nine, Antonio had done that. Six years of inconceivably hard work, long hours, sacrifice and self-determination. He had become utterly self-sufficient, financially independent, worth many millions in his own right, and had ensured security for his mother and, should she have wanted it, his cousin Maria.

But Maria had done the exact opposite. She had, instead, worked at Gallo Group for years. She had poured all her efforts and energy into it, hoping to eventually prove her worth to a grandfather who couldn’t see beyond her chromosomes. And it hadn’t meant a single thing. Gio had, in his last will and testament, left the company to her conditionally. And the outcome was that if theydidn’tmarry the company would go straight to Micha, and neither he nor Maria would ever allow that to happen.

‘Yes,’ he said, finally acknowledging Ivy’s question. ‘I intend to marry my cousin, Maria.’

‘Because a billion-dollar company hangs in the balance?’ she asked.

‘Sì,’ he said, before contradicting himself. ‘If we marry, the company comes to us. And then I can give it to Maria.’

‘Why didn’t he just leave it to you?’

His jaw ticked. ‘Because I am not my mother’s son by blood.’

Ivy frowned even deeper. ‘What doesthathave to do with anything?’

‘It was important to my grandfather.’And my father. It was an errant thought, ruthlessly pushed aside. ‘The Gallos have strong feelings on legitimacy and blood ties.’

She frowned at him, as if wanting to disagree. But he’d long ago given up trying to understand his grandfather’s motivations because, blood or not, Antoniowasa Gallo—and it was a surname that meant everything to him.

‘Okay, so why can’t Maria inherit the company on her own then?’

‘Because she is a woman.’

Ivy reared back and Antonio raised his hands in surrender. ‘This is not howIfeel, I assure you. But it is crucial that we marry so that she can inherit the company and prevent it from going elsewhere.’

‘Where would elsewhere be?’

‘To someone unworthy,’ he said, utterly unaware how like his grandfather he sounded in that moment.

‘Why don’t you want it—Gallo Group?’ she asked.

He stopped, surprised by her question.

‘You said, “And then I can give it to Maria”?’ she pressed.

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