Sophie Weston - The Millionaire's Daughter

Annis bristled. ‘I am. I still take an interest in the family firm.’

The sardonic look deepened. ‘Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?’

He doesn’t like me, she thought. Well, that was mutual.

‘Families do usually take an interest in each other’s affairs.’

‘I’ll take your word for it,’ he said dryly.

Annis narrowed her eyes at him challengingly. ‘No family, Mr Vitale?’

‘None that I’d discuss my financial results with.’

Annis saw the chance for revenge.

‘Could this be why you’re a workaholic?’ she asked sweetly.

He appeared to consider the question. ‘Nothing better to do with my time?’ he interpreted. He shook his head decisively. ‘No, it’s not that. You see, unlike you, I do date.’

The riposte was so unexpected that for a moment Annis could not think of a thing to say. Then she saw the devilish glint of laughter in the green eyes. And was swamped by a blush.

Oh, boy, what a restful Friday evening this was turning out to be!

Annis tried to ignore the heat in her face and the nasty sensation that a master had beaten her at her own game.

‘Each to his own,’ she said crisply, preparing to turn away.

He stopped her by propping himself against the wall and barring her escape route.

‘I so agree. And what is your own, Annis Carew? Are you just playing at business, propped up by family money? Is that what you’re doing here? Checking that the subsidy will keep coming?’

Annis was so indignant she forgot the dying blush.

‘I’m here to network,’ she said furiously and quite untruthfully. ‘In my line of work you seize every opportunity.’

She comforted herself that lots of management consultants did network a great deal. Just because she and her business partner Roy did not choose to, that didn’t undermine the general principle.

‘Plenty of people worth networking with,’ agreed Konstantin Vitale.

How did he manage to sound as if he had found a slug in his salad?

Annis conveniently ignored the fact that when she’d arrived this evening her heart had sunk at the sight of all these dauntingly impressive people. ‘Lucky me,’ she said brightly.

Konstantin Vitale looked bored. ‘And what is this work that you live for?’

‘I’m a management consultant.’

‘Impressive.’ His voice was grave and his face did not change by a muscle.

So why did she think he was mocking her?

Annis set her teeth and decided to fight fire with fire. ‘And what to you do when you’re working on my father’s new building?’

He gave a soft laugh. ‘I keep Carew in line.’

Annis was genuinely startled. ‘What?’

He repeated it obligingly.

Clever, she thought. Her father’s friends called him Tony; his subordinates called him Mr Carew. Konstantin Vitale was making a point. Not an employee, then. And if he was a professional adviser, he was not a very respectful one.

Annis bristled. ‘Forgive me if I say that I find it difficult to imagine.’

‘Too right,’ said Konstantin Vitale blandly. ‘He’s stubborn as hell.’

Most people who worked with Tony Carew were impressed by him. If they weren’t impressed they did not last very long.

‘I take it that your professional relationship with my father is on its last legs?’ said Annis

He was surprised. ‘No. Why? He wants the best. I am the best. He just needs a bit of education to appreciate it, that’s all.’

Annis blinked. She found she had nothing to say in the face of such superb assurance. Out of my depth again.

‘Could be it runs in the family,’ he murmured provocatively.

Annis was instantly suspicious. ‘What does?’

‘A need to be challenged.’

She met his eyes in fulminating silence. He raised one eyebrow. He was amused, confident and—quite temporarily—ready to duel with her. Oh, that Look! Annis could have stamped her foot with frustration.

She stopped pretending that she did not know he was trying to wind her up.

‘No chance,’ she said curtly. ‘Forget it, Mr Vitale. I not only don’t date, I don’t play any other silly games either. Now, I must find my stepmother. Excuse me.’

Annis was still seething when she tracked Lynda down. Her stepmother kissed her on both cheeks, all wide-eyed innocence.

‘So lovely to see you, darling. I saw your father was looking after you. How did you get on with lovely Kosta?’

Annis did not answer that directly. ‘He’s tonight’s people’s choice, is he?’ she said grimly.

Lynda fingered her fabulously simple, fabulously expensive gold collar nervously. She avoided Annis’s eyes.

‘Your father asked him. They’re doing business together, I think.’

‘And no doubt I’m sitting next to him at dinner.’

Her stepmother did not deny it. Another unwelcome thought occurred to Annis, based on previous experience.

‘And my flat just happens to be on his way home, I suppose?’

Lynda did not deny that either. She scanned Annis’s face, clearly concerned.

‘Darling—’

Annis was surprised at the gust of fury that whipped through her. Konstantin Vitale had disturbed her more than any other of Lynda’s offerings, though she could not have said why. She just knew that she hated it.

‘So he offers to drive me home and I’m supposed to say thank you kindly. And go out with him when he calls next week.’ She was shaking with anger. ‘Tell me, Lynda, have you given him my number already?’

In spite of a designer cocktail suit and several thousand pounds’ worth of discreet jewellery, Lynda Carew looked like a guilty four year old caught out in the playground.

‘Not to Kosta. But darling—’

‘Lynda, I love you very much. But will you just stop interfering in my life?’

Lynda looked shaken. Annis had never reacted like this before. All right, she did not usually go out with the men Lynda introduced to her more than once. But at least she greeted them with amused resignation. Lynda had never seen such passion in her level-headed stepdaughter. Or not about men.

She tried to sound airy. ‘But your father had these business types he really wanted to invite. So I thought, Why not?’ Her eyes were huge, blue and limpid. ‘Starting out on her own like that, Annis will probably be glad of a chance to meet some people who could put work her way.’

Annis stared. It was so close to what she had already claimed herself that Lynda might have been eavesdropping. Hoist with my own petard, she thought. In spite of herself, her lips twitched. She flung up her hands in surrender.

‘OK. I’m here to network. Let’s leave it at that.’ But she still looked at Lynda severely. ‘And I get to go home alone, right?’

‘Right,’ said Lynda relieved. She patted Annis’s sober blue shoulder. ‘I suppose you’ve come straight from work?’

Annis sipped the champagne. ‘How did you guess?’

‘You’re always scratchy when you’re tired,’ Lynda said frankly.

That was undoubtedly true. Annis, always fair minded, had to admit it.

Lynda sensed a softening. ‘I wish you wouldn’t make things so difficult for yourself, darling. Why don’t you just try to enjoy yourself for once?’

Annis closed her eyes briefly. ‘You’ve been saying that since I was fourteen.’

‘Then, it’s about time you gave it a try.’

Annis opened her mouth to retort.

‘What you ought to do is go upstairs to my room and freshen up,’ Lynda said coaxingly. ‘That will make you feel better. Borrow an earring or something. And then come downstairs and be nice to people.’

There was a shout of loud laughter from her father’s group at the fireplace. Lynda put a hand on her Annis’s arm. Her expression was suddenly serious.