ALFONSO

"Oh, you are here."

I looked up at the documents I had been reading and frowned at the newcomer. "Where do you expect me to be?"

His grey eyes held deviltry in their depth as he strode inside my office. He sat on the leather chair across from my table and crossed his legs over the other. "Well, you were hard to catch lately and news reached my ears that you were busy spending your days with the pretty Claudia Romano."

My eyebrows drew together at the malicious tone of my good friend. "Where the hell did you hear such news?"

Gianluca, the twelfth Duke of Caprielle, smiled in my direction. "You've been missing our weekly meeting at the club. Even Piero wonders about your whereabouts lately."

Now that he mentioned my cousin the scowl on my face deepened. I haven't had the chance to confront that bastard for using my name and seducing young females who tarnished my name without even knowing it. I sat back on my chair and stared at the duke with a blank expression. "I'm busy."

My good friend scoffed insultingly at me. "Busy? With what? Claudia Romano?"

I eyed Luca guardedly. "Tell me, where this conversation is heading, Your Excellency. Are you here to investigate or gossip?"

The duke smiled sanguinely, looking so relaxed in his chair. "Relax, I just want to know your whereabouts lately. I am not here to investigate or something."

"So you are here to gossip?" I concluded dryly.

His lips twitched with a knowing smile, his danced with mischief. "Well, our friends were curious so they sent me here."

"What the hell...?" These bunch of gossipers couldn't keep their curiosity to themselves. Weren't they ashamed that they were probably worse than females when it came to chinwags? I can't believe that I am friends with them."

He raised his hands slightly. "If you bother to show up at the club from time to time like you we used to do during weekends they weren't going to be that curious."

I sighed deeply, focusing my attention back on the papers I had been reading. "There's nothing to know about my meetings with Claudia."

"Ah, so you are now on a first-name basis with the lady," Luca commented. I could feel his intense gaze on me. "Nice."

"It would be nice if the lot of you stop being gossipmongers and leave me alone," I muttered caustically under my breath.

The duke was silent for a moment but even if I was not looking at him I could feel that he was still staring at me as if studying me. I heard him take a deep breath. "What about Violet?"

"What about her?" I looked at him sharply.

He shrugged indifferently, gazing at me straight in the eyes. "Are you still pursuing her or you are now going after the enchanting Signorina Romano?"

"I am still serious with Violet," I informed him seriously, putting the documents in my hand back on the wooden table. "And for the record, whatever Claudia and I have been doing these past weekends was just a ploy so Violet and I can see each other in secret without the media having a wind of our relationship."

"In short, you are just using the pretty Claudia so harshly with your heartless plan."

My eyes narrowed in his direction. "Why do you care so much about Claudia? Do you like her, is that it?"

His mouth curved with a smile while his eyes danced with delight. He once again held up his hands in front of me. "Settle your feathers, amico. Why are you so defensive when it comes to Signorina Claudia?"

I snorted, looking away from his judging eyes. "I don't know what you mean, Luca. And let me remind you that don't be fooled by her demure personality she's a hellion."

Luca smiled at that. "I think she's fun to be with, am I right?"

Now that he mentioned it, I couldn't help but grimace when I remembered our disastrous countryside date yesterday. She's the first woman I ever let ride my precious motorcycle and she dared to put a scratch and kick the poor thing yesterday.

What a heartless woman.

"What's with the thunderous face, amico?"

I shook my head and dragged myself out of my reverie. "Nothing. I just remember our outing yesterday."

That piqued his interest, he was looking at me with such interest on his blabbermouth's face. Hard to believe why people respect him so much as an Italian duke when they don't know the tattletale he was especially with the lives of his friends. "Oh? What happened to your date? I am curious to know what makes you so busy during weekends."

I sighed deeply and avoided his gaze. I wonder what he would think about it. "I took her on a countryside ride with my motorcycle."

There was a long silence. I glanced at my friend who was looking at me with naked shock on his face while his mouth hung open like an idiot. "You did what?!" I said when he was probably recovering from his surprise. "No way!"

"Why do you look so surprised?" I asked warily. "Is that hard to believe?"

"Well, of course," Luca replied without a heartbeat. "You never let anyone—I repeat—anyone, to ride that motorcycle other than yourself, and to think that you let Claudia Romano ride with you is enough to create a media frenzy."

I snorted at him, waving my hand dismissively. "Stop being dramatic, Your Excellency. It was only an impromptu decision."

"I hope I am being theatrical here but afraid not." The duke stated the astonishment was still visible on his face. "My, who would have thought that you have this side of you, Alfonso? I am now certain that Signorina Claudia is something else."

"I hate to burst your bubble," I informed him dryly while I had the urge to smack away the stupid grin on his face right now. "But that won't happen again."

"Why not?" He asked curiously.

I took a deep breath, recalling the dents my motorcycle received because of that woman. "She nearly slammed my beloved ride on a huge tree and after reprimanding her about it she furiously kicked it and walked away."

If I thought that he wouldn't look more idiotic than a while ago I was sorely mistaken. He was now looking at me as if he was already at the gates of hell. It took him some time before he suddenly burst out laughing. "She did what?"

"You heard me." I reminded him scathingly.

"Dio," Luca remarked, wiping the tears that escaped his eyes from laughing. "I hate to say this but I think you are no match for this lady, amico."

"That woman is always the cause of my headache lately," I confessed, rubbing my forehead warily. Now every time I see the dent on my motorcycle I always remember that she-devil.

The duke chuckled merrily. "Si. I could tell. Are you regretting your decision to use her so you can hide your relationship with Violet?"

I gave a self-mocking smile. "I think I am about to."

He shook his head in disbelief. "Fate must be having a good laugh at you, Alfonso. You stumbled at the only woman who has not fallen into your charm. I think she's the only woman who can keep you on your toes."

"That's utter nonsense," I denied fiercely. "She's just a difficult woman, that's all. But I am confident that I can handle just fine like a dangerous firecracker."

"Firecracker?" He echoed. "What a sweet word to describe her?"

I shrugged indifferently. "What can I say? That's a perfect description of Claudia Romano."

Luca was silent for a moment but his grey eyes still sparkling with amusement. "I want to see how this fake courtship progresses. I think you will not get bored with her." He quipped, and then his face became serious. "But what about Violet?"

I sighed again. "As I said, what about her?"

"Is this okay with her?" He asked inquisitively, tilting his head to the side. "I mean before you use your playboy image, not to raise suspicion that you are seeing this famous actress in secret. But now your tactics suddenly change and you are now only using one woman for the job and that woman is quite endearing."

I sat back from my chair and played with the fountain pen in my hand. "I haven't had the chance to tell her about this. She's still busy filming her latest film. I will see her once they go on a break in the coming weeks."

The duke shifted in his position. "You are playing a dangerous game, Alfonso. Aren't you scared that by the time you have the chance to spend some time with Violet, you will start to miss the company of your little firecracker? Hearts do waver sometimes."

"That's completely absurd."

He cocked an eyebrow in my direction. "I hope that you are still that confident the next time I see you."

"Of course, I am," I informed him positively. I am certain that my feelings for Violet will not dither just because I am spending time with Claudia. Besides, the she-devil already has the man she loves how I can forget when she rubs it on me at every opportunity she has?

"Very well," Luca concluded, standing from his seat. "I will just tell the gang that you are too busy with the woman you're currently courting to spend some time with your friends. I am sure they will understand."

I gave him an irritated look. From the tone of his voice, I knew that he was mocking me. I sorely wanted to retort but I chose to shut my mouth he might once again accuse me of being defensive or something. "Tell them that I will come to the club when I am not busy."

He nodded, his eyes still held amusement in their depth. "Rest assured. I will tell them."

The duke was about to leave my office when I spoke before he reached the doorway. "And can you keep this conversation secret with the rest of them? I knew you went here to gather some firsthand gossip but can we keep this between us, amico?"

"Of course, you can count on me." He said with such a straight face and without some hesitation that made me sure that he wasn't going to keep his promise. He might be a respected duke for the other but he's still a bastard like the rest of our friends.

As soon as he left my office, I let out a deep sigh. I loosed the tie around my neck and pinched the bridge of my nose. Luca had been wrong with his assumption I am sure that my feelings for Violet will not change just because I am spending some time with Claudia.

Besides, she's not my type. Yes, she's pretty but she's too bold for my taste. The qualities I want in a woman are that she must be demure and soft-spoken, unlike the daughter of my father's trusted attorney who says whatever is on her mind without minding the consequences afterward.

I must admit that she's fun to be with when she's not trying my patience but that's all. At the end of the day, we're just pretending in this courtship and soon we'll go back to the respective person we both love as simple as that.

But then, I am starting to get curious about what kind of man is this mysterious 'Dante' who happens to have Claudia Romano's heart. I knew it was absurd but there was a part of me who wanted to meet this guy and see for myself.

I shook my head in disbelief. You must be mad, Alfonso.