had told him, “ stuff they shouldn ’ t be able to afford. ”
“ How do you know? ” he ’ d asked.
“ Julia ’ s bragging about it, ” she ’ d said and shown him an interview with Julia that referenced the real estate acquisitions and the art-buying spree.
“ Hugo? ” Allegra prompted. “ Who ’ s spreading rumors about Zangari? ”
“ Julia likes to talk, ” he said.
“ Pillow talk? ” Allegra asked bitterly, entirely missing the point, Hugo thought.
“ That was a long time ago, ” he said. “ You know, that Christmas night …”
“ I don ’ t want to talk about it. ”
“ But we should have. ”
“ What was there to say? ” Allegra said. “ I kissed you and Julia got mad and she dumped you and that was that. ”
“ Is that what she told you happened? ”
“ You never spoke to me again, ” Allegra said, her color rising.
“ You were fifteen Allegra. I never should have kissed you. ”
“ I kissed you first. ”
“ And I kissed you back, ” Hugo said, really wishing that they weren ’ t having this conversation within earshot of everyone waiting for their take-out orders.
“ You couldn ’ t wait to get away. ”
Is that what you think?
“ I didn ’ t want to leave, ” he said. “ I had to leave. You were so lovely. And I wanted you so much. But you were fifteen. ”
“ So, why didn ’ t you call me when you and Julia broke up? ”
“ You were fifteen, ” he said, frustrated.
“ You do realize we live in the 21 st century? ”
“ You weren ’ t a virgin? ” he asked.
Allegra hesitated. “ I was then, ” she admitted finally, not adding that she ’ d wanted him to be her first, had fantasized it so often that sometimes it almost felt like that ’ s the way it had happened. But I ’ m not going to tell him that , she thought.
“ It was a long time ago, ” he repeated, knowing that it was probably not the right thing to say.
“ Right, ” she said. “ And besides, you probably had random teenagers throwing themselves at you all the time, ” she said.
He looked at her for a long moment. “ You were never random, Allegra. Never ” He couldn ’ t read the expression on her face as her wide eyes searched his. “ Forgive me? ”
“ Now you ’ re patronizing me, ” Allegra said, angry again.
He blew out an exasperated breath. “ I can ’ t win. ”
“ I didn ’ t realize we were playing a game. ”
Hugo was about to reply when he heard his name called and saw his take-out order was ready. Grateful for the interruption, he picked up the sack, then turned back to Allegra for a final word.
“ You really need to bring in an independent auditor, ” he said. “ There ’ s a lot more money leaving Zangari than coming in. ”
She was shaking her head in denial as he left the restaurant.
She ’ s not fifteen any more, Hugo thought to himself.
Chapter 13
Allegra returned to the House of Zangari and immediately closeted herself in her office and did some Googling.
Two hours later she ’ d discovered enough to suggest that there really was something rotten in the House of Zangari and it had nothing to do with selling the business to China.
She called Grace.
“ Do you know any private investigators? ” she asked.
“ The firm has one we use, ” she said. “ You need his number? ”
“ Yes. ”
“ Does it have anything to do with the business? ” “ Yes, ” Allegra said.
“ Don ’ t tell me any more or it ’ ll be a conflict of interest, ” Grace said. “ Ask for Christine. Tell her I sent you. ”
“ You ’ re the best. ”
“ Good luck. ”
Unsettled by her conversation with Hugo and what she had learned online, Allegra had a hard time concentrating on her drawing. She was about to give up when Sina and Amira appeared at her office door.
Amira was holding a garment bag and looking hesitant, Sina was smiling broadly.
“ Amira made a dress for you as a thank you present for letting her and Nabil
“ How do you know? ” he ’ d asked.
“ Julia ’ s bragging about it, ” she ’ d said and shown him an interview with Julia that referenced the real estate acquisitions and the art-buying spree.
“ Hugo? ” Allegra prompted. “ Who ’ s spreading rumors about Zangari? ”
“ Julia likes to talk, ” he said.
“ Pillow talk? ” Allegra asked bitterly, entirely missing the point, Hugo thought.
“ That was a long time ago, ” he said. “ You know, that Christmas night …”
“ I don ’ t want to talk about it. ”
“ But we should have. ”
“ What was there to say? ” Allegra said. “ I kissed you and Julia got mad and she dumped you and that was that. ”
“ Is that what she told you happened? ”
“ You never spoke to me again, ” Allegra said, her color rising.
“ You were fifteen Allegra. I never should have kissed you. ”
“ I kissed you first. ”
“ And I kissed you back, ” Hugo said, really wishing that they weren ’ t having this conversation within earshot of everyone waiting for their take-out orders.
“ You couldn ’ t wait to get away. ”
Is that what you think?
“ I didn ’ t want to leave, ” he said. “ I had to leave. You were so lovely. And I wanted you so much. But you were fifteen. ”
“ So, why didn ’ t you call me when you and Julia broke up? ”
“ You were fifteen, ” he said, frustrated.
“ You do realize we live in the 21 st century? ”
“ You weren ’ t a virgin? ” he asked.
Allegra hesitated. “ I was then, ” she admitted finally, not adding that she ’ d wanted him to be her first, had fantasized it so often that sometimes it almost felt like that ’ s the way it had happened. But I ’ m not going to tell him that , she thought.
“ It was a long time ago, ” he repeated, knowing that it was probably not the right thing to say.
“ Right, ” she said. “ And besides, you probably had random teenagers throwing themselves at you all the time, ” she said.
He looked at her for a long moment. “ You were never random, Allegra. Never ” He couldn ’ t read the expression on her face as her wide eyes searched his. “ Forgive me? ”
“ Now you ’ re patronizing me, ” Allegra said, angry again.
He blew out an exasperated breath. “ I can ’ t win. ”
“ I didn ’ t realize we were playing a game. ”
Hugo was about to reply when he heard his name called and saw his take-out order was ready. Grateful for the interruption, he picked up the sack, then turned back to Allegra for a final word.
“ You really need to bring in an independent auditor, ” he said. “ There ’ s a lot more money leaving Zangari than coming in. ”
She was shaking her head in denial as he left the restaurant.
She ’ s not fifteen any more, Hugo thought to himself.
Chapter 13
Allegra returned to the House of Zangari and immediately closeted herself in her office and did some Googling.
Two hours later she ’ d discovered enough to suggest that there really was something rotten in the House of Zangari and it had nothing to do with selling the business to China.
She called Grace.
“ Do you know any private investigators? ” she asked.
“ The firm has one we use, ” she said. “ You need his number? ”
“ Yes. ”
“ Does it have anything to do with the business? ” “ Yes, ” Allegra said.
“ Don ’ t tell me any more or it ’ ll be a conflict of interest, ” Grace said. “ Ask for Christine. Tell her I sent you. ”
“ You ’ re the best. ”
“ Good luck. ”
Unsettled by her conversation with Hugo and what she had learned online, Allegra had a hard time concentrating on her drawing. She was about to give up when Sina and Amira appeared at her office door.
Amira was holding a garment bag and looking hesitant, Sina was smiling broadly.
“ Amira made a dress for you as a thank you present for letting her and Nabil
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