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CHAPTER ONE

CRISTO RAVELLI SURVEYED the fa out of season?’ he enquired with a frown

Robert Ludlow, senior partner of Ludlow and Ludlow, did not react with a in venture capital, and richer than Croesus, was not a man to be teased Indeed, if he had a sense of humour Robert had yet to see it Cristo, unlike his late and most probably unlamented father, Gaetano Ravelli, took life very seriously

‘I’m afraid it’s not a joke,’ Robert confirmed ‘Your father had five children with a woman in Ireland—’

Cristo was stunned by the concept ‘Youtrips to his Irish estate—?’

‘I’m afraid so I believe the eldest child is fifteen years old—’

‘Fifteen? But that means…’ Cristo coer, before he could make an indiscreet comment unsuited to the ears of anyone but his brothers He wondered why he was even surprised by yet another revelation of his father’s notorious wohout his irresponsible life Gaetano had left a trail of distraught and angry ex-wives and three legitimate sons in his wake, so why shouldn’t there have been a less regular relationship also embellished with children?

Cristo, of course, could not answer that question because he would never ever have risked having an illegitimate child and was shaken that his father could have done so five times over Particularly when he had never bothered to take the slightest interest in the sons he already had Cristo’s adult brothers, Nik and Zarif, would be equally astonished and appalled, but Cristo knew that the problee breakdown had hit hiave Cristo sleepless nights As for their youngest sibling, as the new ruler of a country in the Middle East Zarif scarcely deserved the huge public scandal that Gaetano’s is could unleash if the easily shocked ot hold of the story

‘Fifteen years old,’ Cristothat Zarif’s hout her entireaware of the fact That was not a reality that Zarif would want put out on public parade ‘I apologise for my reaction, Robert This development comes as a considerable shock The mother of the children—what do you know about her?’

Robert raised a greying brow ‘I contacted Daniel Petrie, the land agent of the Irish estate, and e is concerned the worace and an eetically

‘But if she was the local whore she would’ve been right down Gaetano’s street,’ Cristo breathed before he could bite back that injudicious opinion, his lean, darkly handsorim, but it was no secret to Gaetano’s family that he had infinitely preferred bold and pro ones ‘What provision did my father make for this horde of children?’

‘That’s why I decided to finally bring this matter to your attention’ Robert cleared his throat aardly ‘As you will be aware, Gaetano made no mention of either the woman or the children in his will’

‘Are you telling me that my father made no provision for these dependants?’ Cristo prompted incredulously ‘He had five children with this…this woman over the course of many years and yet he settled no money on them?’

‘Not so much as a penny piece on any of theht have ement to take care of the school fees froht in terine he assuhties’

‘Instead of which he died at sixty-two years old, as foolish as ever, and tipped thisall patience the more he learned of the situation ‘I’ll have to look into thishold of the story—’

‘Naturally not,’ Robert agreed ‘It’s a given that thetales about men with multiple wives and mistresses’

Well aware of that fact, Cristo clenched his even white teeth, dark eyes flae at the prospect His father had been enough of an embarrassment while alive He was infuriated by the idea that Gaetano ht prove even more of an embarrassment after his death

‘It will be my hope that the children can be put up for adoption and this whole distasteful business quietly buried,’ Cristo confided slass