‘How did you do it, hmm?’ Edoardo asked, in a voice that was almost a snarl.
Marco turned and frowned. He’d led him down a side street that ended by a canal; a dead end, like the one where he’d first met the mysterious woman on the opening night of Carnival. A chill breeze whistled along the passageway; they were in shadow, shielded from the sunlight, and the February wind was bitingly cold. ‘What do you mean?’
‘My family. Every single one of them is on your side. You turned all of them against me.’
Marco shook his head. ‘No, that’s not true.’
‘Stephana. Daniela. My father. Even my mother defends you over me. How did you do it, Marco? How long have you been planning this?’
Marco sighed. He was tired of trying to assuage Edoardo’s paranoia, of listening to his alcohol-fuelled rants, of being blamed for everything that had gone wrong in his brother-in-law’s life. ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ he retorted, his patience finally snapping.
‘Is that what you thought when you first met Stephana? That you could wheedle your way into the family, take over the business, push out the only son? You’re like a cuckoo in the nest, Marco.’
‘Stop it, Edoardo.’
‘Here.’ Edoardo walked towards him quickly, his arm outstretched, his words slurred. ‘I want to shake you by the hand. You’ve completely outplayed me. Managed to turn my whole family against me – even my own parents prefer you to me.’
Marco took a step backwards, wanting to put some distance between him and a clearly volatile Edoardo. ‘If your father doesn’t trust you, it’s your own fault,’ he told him harshly. ‘When you behave like this, how can you blame him? Of course he can’t put you in charge of the company when you can’t control your mouth or your temper.’
‘Shut up!’ Edoardo yelled, clamping his hands over his ears. His words echoed along the small, stone alleyway, sinking like a stone into the water beyond. ‘You killed my sister,’ he roared. ‘It’s all your fault! My parents lost their beloved daughter and now – when they look at me – all they see is what they lost. You’ve ruined everything for me!’
Rage exploded through Marco like a volcano erupting. He’d borne Edoardo’s sniping and bitterness over the years, but he wouldn’t listen to these accusations. ‘You liar,’ he roared, heedless of who might overhear them. Here, along the canal, the houses were tightly packed, but all the windows were firmly shut, and no tourists would come down this dead end. ‘I’ve kept my silence all these years, but we both know that Stephana’s death was your fault.’
Edoardo gasped, before a heartbreaking look crossed his face, as though he were in physical pain from Marco’s words.
‘You knew how bad the weather had been the night before, that the snow could do so much damage,’ Marco pushed on. ‘You left the helicopter outside the hangar and didn’t check that the rotors had been cleared properly.Instead you left that job to a young and inexperienced mechanic when you should have cleared the rotors properly yourself – that’s the truth. Stephana never stood a chance, and the poor mechanic got fired and never found another job in the business again,’ he yelled. ‘When she took that ’copter up, the ice around the engine meant it was never going to do anything else but fall straight out of the sky.’
‘It’s not true,’ Edoardo stammered, but his face had turned ashen, and tears were already streaming down his face, his body shaking.
‘You killed my wife – your own sister – because you were going out on a date,’ Marco said, his voice filled with heartbreak. ‘I’ve kept quiet about it all these years, but you shouldn’t be put in charge of boiling an egg, let alone a goddamn helicopter company. Nicolò knows it too – why do you think he sidelines you every opportunity he gets? He knows you were responsible too, but he doesn’t want to face up to the truth.’
‘You’re lying! I adored my sister. I loved her … I …’ Edoardo didn’t finish his sentence, instead letting out a howl of anguish as he turned and fled, sprinting away from Marco without looking back.
Marco fell against the wall, as though the strength and fight had gone out of him. ‘Edoardo,’ he called. ‘Wait.’ Guilt and shame washed over him. He should never have lost his temper like that. He’d spent three years longing to say those words to his brother-in-law, but that hadn’t been the time or the place, and Edoardo was unstable enough already.
Marco exhaled slowly, sliding down the wall, sitting down on the freezing flagstones beside the canal. However much he regretted his words, it had released something inside him. What was done was done; it had been a tragic accident, and no amount of fighting or apportioning blame could bring Stephana back. She would have hated to see her family torn apart in this way. For Daniela’s sake, it had to stop.
Marco breathed deeply, focusing on the water that lapped against the wall in front of him, the same way it had for centuries. When he felt calm again, he took out his mobile and called his father-in-law.
‘Nicolò, it’s Marco. Listen, I don’t think Edoardo is going to be up for the shoot tomorrow. I can’t do it alone, so I need you to come out of retirement for one more day …’
Issy closed the door behind her and followed Lexi into the suite, her heart racing. Lexi floated ahead, seeming to glide across the carpet, and Issy thought how she was almost a different species from other women. But when Lexi turned around, her face was twisted and her eyes were glacial.
‘I hope you haven’t been shooting your silly little mouth off to Brad,’ she hissed.
Issy swallowed. ‘No, I haven’t said anything … yet.’
‘Well, I suggest you keep it that way. Whatever you think you know, you’re wrong.’
‘I know you’re having an affair with Jacob Scott. I know it’s an open secret on set and it’s only a matter of time before Brad finds out,’ Issy shot back. She was confident in what she was saying – she’d built up a lot of friends in the industry over the years. Being Brad Redford’s PA meant she came into contact with a lot of influential people, as well as the teams behind the scenes – the ones who saw everything, but were almost invisible to the A-listers they worked with. The crew of Lexi’s latest movie were all aware of how Lexi and Jacob were hooking up between every take, sneaking into one another’s trailers, unable to keep their hands off one another.
‘Shut up and mind your own business,’ Lexi retorted. ‘You act like you’re so important, but you’re a nobody. You think because you fetch Brad’s dry cleaning and order his coffee that you’re special? You’re pathetic.’
‘How could you do this to him?’ Issy said accusingly, not caring about Lexi’s barbs. ‘He loves you so much.’
Lexi stared at Issy for a long moment, then burst out laughing. ‘Oh, I get it now. Got yourself a little crush, have you? Thinking if I’m out of the picture then Brad might just fall in love with the small-town plain Jane?’ Lexi taunted cruelly, and Issy felt her cheeks burn. ‘You see, I know more than you think,’ Lexi continued. ‘I know you moved Brad’s schedule around to make sure we couldn’t be together.’
‘I was protecting him,’ Issy burst out, feeling humiliated. She saw now what a fool she’d been – she hadn’t been as clever as she thought, and there was no way she could compete with Brad’s wife. ‘I knew you’d been having an affair and I didn’t want him to have his heart broken. He needs to concentrate on the movie. I didn’t want him distracted right before the big stunt. He’s more vulnerable than you think.’
‘Don’t pretend to know my husband better than I do,’ Lexi snapped.
‘I will because I care.’
‘Well, aren’t you just so considerate?’ Lexi smirked, walking back across the deep-pile carpet towards Issy like a sleek panther stalking its prey. ‘You don’t think that taking money from his bank account would be a pretty big distraction for him? Or did you do that for his benefit as well?’
Issy’s mouth fell open. Panic washed over her, accompanied by a roaring noise in her ears, her vision blurring. It felt as though her world was falling apart. ‘But how …?’ she managed.
‘I know all about your stealing and your lying,’ Lexi finished triumphantly. ‘I have friends in the industry too. You’re not quite the Little Miss Perfect you pretend to be, are you?’
The suite was swimming in front of Issy’s eyes. ‘Does Brad … does Brad know?’ she managed, her voice sounding strangled.
Lexi let the moment hang, enjoying the power she had over Issy. She stretched out a hand to examine her immaculate manicure and said airily, ‘Not yet. But that could all change. I think we both need to keep our mouths shut. Wouldn’t you agree?’
Issy’s mind was racing desperately, but Lexi had her cornered. She’d been outsmarted, and she hadn’t even realized she had been playing a game. Slowly, realizing she had no other options, Issy nodded her head, as Lexi’s eyes gleamed in triumph.
‘Yes, I … I understand.’
Chapter 32
