The Broken One (Corisi Billionaires, #1)(10)

My reflection in the mirror beside the elevator didn’t show me anything unexpected. My suit was crisply pressed. My black hair was perfectly in place. I looked every bit the successful business shark I was.

Every hint of weakness had fled. Gian joked that I had a resting don’t-fuck-with-me face.

Good.

It’s best not to mess with a man who has nothing left to lose.

I strode through my secretary’s office, sparing her no more than a perfunctory “Good morning.”

Miss Steele had worked for me for almost three years. Mauricio liked to joke that she’d quit at least once each of those years, but she’d never handed me a resignation or said a word about wanting to leave to me. He claimed it was because he kept talking her into staying. Was it true? I never cared enough to ask her. She was efficient and reliable. I paid her a generous salary.

Our encounters didn’t require more depth than that.

“Mr. Romano,” she said in a rush as I passed.

I halted and turned. “Yes?”

“I found this on my desk, and I was wondering if there was something you wanted me to do with it.” She held up what I had completely pushed out of my thoughts—the stuffed animal I’d found on the side of the road.

It rocked my mood like a sucker punch to the kidney. No part of May 20 was ever allowed to bleed over to the next day. My fury must have shown on my face, because she took a step back.

“Throw it away. I don’t want to ever see it again. Is that clear enough for you?”

“Yes, sir.” She hid it behind her back. “Consider it gone.”

“Good.” Chest tight, glaring even though my issue was not with her, I snapped, “Is that all?”

“Yes.”

I turned, walked into my office, and slammed the door. Fists clenched, I took several deep breaths. One day. I could concede one day to the past, but that was all I would allow. Slowly, I regained control of my mood and pushed everything else out of my head.

First on my docket was the decision of whether or not to purchase the lot in Durham. I made several calls, brought some reluctant officials around to agreeing to more than they wanted to, and decided that moving forward with the deal would be lucrative. I signed the paperwork and sent it on to my lawyers.

One of the town officials had warned me that the current store was owned by a family closely tied to the community. Close ties with influential people.

Was that supposed to intimidate me? Instead it made the project more appealing.

Let the battle begin.

I drew up some initial plans, then hit the gym for an hour. After a light lunch, I felt better. Hell, I almost smiled at Miss Steele as I walked past her desk, but I didn’t want to set a new precedent for our exchanges.

I came to a sliding halt when I saw that I had company in my office. My mother rose as soon as she sensed my arrival.

“Mom, is everything okay?”

She came toward me. “Does something have to be wrong for me to visit my son?”

“No, of course not.” I closed the door to my office. Something in her eyes told me that my mood was about to take another hit. “If this is about yesterday, I’d rather not talk about it.”

She cupped the side of my face with one hand. Tall and proud with dark-brown eyes and shoulder-length hair that was just beginning to be peppered with gray, Camilla Romano looked every bit the strong Italian mother she prided herself on being. “Another year, Sebastian. Your brothers said this one was rough.”

I covered her hand with mine. “Sometimes they say more than they need to.”

“Only because they love you.”

“I know, Mom.”

“Love is a strength, not a weakness, Sebastian. You used to understand that.”

I gently removed her hand from my face and stepped back. “I can’t do this, Mom. I’m sorry.”

She reached into her oversize purse. “After talking to your brothers last night, your father and I decided it was time for you to take something back.”

I knew. A part of me knew what she had in her bag. Time slowed. My vision narrowed to her bag and then to the brown bear she pulled from it.

She held it out.

I stood frozen. “No,” I said in a hoarse voice I didn’t recognize as my own.

She took my hand in hers and placed the teddy bear in my hand. “Yes. Five years, Sebastian. You’ve tortured yourself enough. Don’t tell me you’ve moved on and only think about them one day a year. I’m your mother. Even if you lie to yourself, you can’t lie to me. You hurt every day. You’re angry every day. Denying it won’t change it—all it does is stop you from moving on.”

“Is that what you think I should do? Move on? Forget about them?” I could barely get the words out.

Her eyes misted with love. “No. No. Remember them. Let yourself honor them the way they would want you to. Be the man Therese loved.”

“That man died with her.”

My mother shook her head and laid her hand on my chest. “He didn’t. He’s right here. You think you’re the only one who lost someone that day? I lost them, too, and my son. But he can come back—he just has to want to.”

I hated the tears that filled my eyes, but I couldn’t hate the woman before me. “I fall apart when I remember.”

She took my hand in hers. “Because you push the memories so far down, they come back with the power of a volcano.” We stood there for a long moment without saying anything. “I have something else to show you.”