Page 105 of Blue Gold

“Mr. Renieri, thank you so much for meeting me,” I said, sending my hand forward.

The small man did the same. “The pleasure is all mine.” His eyes studied me in detail, and I noticed he had a rare case of heterochromia. “Although if I knew you were this handsome, I would have made time for this meeting a lot sooner.”

“I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“Please do.” He winked before letting go of my hand and turning to walk back to his vacated chair. “But if you could, Mr.—”

“Williams. Daniel Williams.”

He thanked me with a smile as he sat down. “So, Mr. Williams. If you could tell me what this meeting is about? I mean, as far as I’m aware, my legal team is all set.”

I unfastened the top button of my suit before taking my seat in the chair across from him, the dark mahogany table separating us. Usually, I’d be the one behind the desk, but today, I made the exception.

“Surprisingly, I’m not here on a legal matter, but on a rather personal one.”

He gave me one skeptical brow. “How intriguing.”

Brushing away his flirtation with a polite smile, I placed the paper folder I’d brought with me over my lap. “I heard you are in search of a new model, and I’d like to offer someone I know.”

“And why would I need you to do that?” he asked while playing with a pen he grabbed from his desk. “I mean, with all due respect, bello, until today, I didn’t even know who you were.”

Sometimes God sends people to humble us, and today, his messenger came in the form of a five-foot-four Italian man. Although coming here well prepared, I wasn’t thrown off by Vito’s legitimate doubts.

“While I won’t pretend to know much about fashion, I do know a good deal when I see one, and even more so the value of something priceless.” Pulling a photo out of the folder, I handed it to Vito.

With pursed lips and two fingers resting against his temple, he studied Elliot’s image in detail.

“I’m sure you’ve seen him before or, at the very least, heard of him.”

Vito nodded, although he didn’t seem much interested, given the tight line his lips were set in.

“His career might be short but shouldn’t be judged casually. In fact, Elliot has already managed to achieve more in one year than other models do in a lifetime.”

Placing the photo down, Vito’s eyes locked with mine. “If he’s doing so well, why are you here?”

Because I need him to be close to me. And not just for myself, but for Elliot, too. For the past few weeks, something had been bothering him. He might not have said anything, because he wasn’t one to complain, but I heard it in his voice whenever we spoke on the phone—the faint fear that accompanied each of his words, like a frightened boy sticking to his mother. Being so far away, there was little I could do to help, let alone protect him when needed. Therefore, I assumed signing a contract with Renieri would make Elliot’s work, at the very least, less global. And the fact that I knew he, too, wanted this position was how I found myself here today.

“Because for some reason, your company has already rejected him twice, which, in my humble opinion, is a bad investment on your account,” I answered his question.

“Santo cielo. You lawyers and your sneaky way with words…” He tapped the desk, the sound slightly annoying. “Forgive me for being straightforward, but what does this have to do with you?”

Fair enough.

“Before becoming a model, Elliot used to work for me and my wife.” I cleared my throat. “Ex-wife.”

Vito’s eyes darted to mine, a knowing look on his face. “And I presume he’s the reason for the divorce?”

“Elliot and I have a professional relationship,” I was quick to clarify.

“I see.”

A short silence spread between us when Vito’s eyes darted down to the photo on his desk.

“You know, typically, when scouting models, it is common to come with a professional shot and not—” He picked it up.”—a picture you took yourself.” His eyes moved to me as he handed me back the photo.

“I think you’re mistaken⁠—”

“The Amalfi Coast is quite the place for lovers, don’t you agree?”