Page 56 of Bargaining

“A marriage is about compromise; a fake one, even more so. This is a partnership. We’ll both be Ackroyds.”

My heart pounded. “You’re not serious?”

“As long as we’re a united front, it doesn’t matter which name.” He turned onto his side, his face inches from mine. “If you need anything tonight, let me know.”

My eyes filled with sudden tears. If only Dad were here. He’d be touched by Cole as an Ackroyd. I couldn’t think about Dad too much. He’d been at the forefront of everything today, walking beside me every step.

I kept my gratitude simple so as not to burst into tears. “Thank you. I think Dad would have loved that.”

His low voice came out rough. “Good. I’ve never liked being a Thorner anyway.”

“I really missed him today.” A hard lump made my throat ache.

I couldn’t stop the tears I’d been bottling inside all day springing to the surface. Then I was crying. My whole purpose had been taking care of Dad, and now I had no purpose. It wasn’t fair. None of it. How could anyone suffer the way Dad had? How could someone be gone forever? It was senseless.

Without a word, Cole pulled me into his arms and held me while I cried. My throat was raw, but it was impossible to stop. I’d been so stoic all day, but I couldn’t be anymore.

“I miss him. I miss him. I miss him.”

He stroked my hair. “I know. It will get easier.”

“I’m on my own now.”

“You have your sister and your nieces,” he said, more softly than I’d ever heard.

“They have their own lives.”

The tears kept coming. Cole held me tight, but I clung to him even tighter. This man who’d known my father, too. This man who my father had loved once. Who I’d loved. I cried until my body was exhausted. My eyes burned, and my body was weak from the effort. I thought I heard Cole’s soft murmur before sleep claimed me.

“You’re not on your own. You’ll always have me.”

Chapter 26

Cole

La Dolce Vita came with its own ancient ruins underneath.How fucking marvelous.It would hugely inflate the price. What’s more, the place seemed to have been restored with a limitless budget. There were polished marble staircases, frescoes, original period features, and Roman busts in the lobby. It was part museum, part hotel. If the shareholders were pissed off with me now, then they were going to be furious when I put an offer in on this place. It wasn’t at all in keeping with the brand. I’d be lucky to get any backing for this. I’d be lucky not to fucking bankrupt us.

“Just think. This dates back to antiquity. These tunnels are over two thousand years old.” Charlotte’s smile was charmed as she peered around the dimly lit winding cavern.

Antiquity was going to cost me a fucking fortune. This was a bad investment. Gabe probably wanted to get rid of it because it was costing too much to maintain. My father would probably stick a casino or something in these crypts. Not like he gave a fuck about culture and history. He’d do what he always did. Sack everyone. Strip the place and run it at half the cost.

Charlotte’s sandals echoed on stone as she moved further into the tunnels. My head ached with exhaustion. It had been impossible to sleep last night. My mind hadn’t stopped racing. It was terrible to see Charlotte in pain and not be able to do anything to fix it. Awful to feel so helpless. I ran a finger over the scarred stone walls. Had my mother been down here? She’d never had much interest in history. She would have been here for the luxury spa and the perfect Aperol spritz in the terrace bar.

Charlotte beamed. “This place is another level. I love all of the period features. Did you see the frescoes in the reception?”

Right, the bloody frescoes. More added to the price.

She pulled out her phone and scrolled with an animated expression. “Nobles and royals visiting Rome used to meet at this hotel. There’s so much history here. No wonder Dad liked it.”

My phone buzzed with a call from the office. I itched to get back upstairs to the room to work. I’d already taken too long off.

“My driver is going to take you to meet the tour guide.”

Charlotte’s face dropped. “You sure you don’t want to come?”

“I can’t.”

She blew out a breath. “OK, well. I’m going to have fun in the Eternal City.” She smiled. “Enjoy your spreadsheets and your ... whatever else it is you do. See you for dinner?”