Suddenly Leo didn't feel like defending himself again. To hell with the company. To hell with all of them. When had he ever won against Rosa? She was always one step ahead of him. Maybe he doesn't deserve the company, Paige, any of it.

His sudden withdrawal brought about a moment of reflection and both Carlo and Flavia began to have doubts in his favor. And in that silence, a gentle voice spoke out.

"I believe him." Leo looked up, it was Paige.

"You believe him in what? Try to be a little more clear *bambina-child*." Carlo quipped.

"I believe him when he said Lolita threw herself on him."

"How so, my dear. Is there something you know?" Flavia asked.

Paige nodded her head. "Back in California, women were always after Leonardo because of his money and status, and they did do anything to get what they want. On one occasion one had even stripped herself naked because she wanted me to find her like that so I will break up with my Leo." Her eyes misted and flavia"s heart went out to her.

"Poor child." Twisting her necklace in her hand. Flavia covered her mouth with one of her hands while Alberto and Carlo remained quiet.

Leo stared at the glassy look in Paige's eyes and wondered at it. He knew she was just saying that for the benefit of his parents, but did she have to cry? It bothered him so much because he hated seeing her like this. He pulled his gaze away.

"What they didn't know was that our love was strong and it would take more than seducing him to break what Leo, and I had."

As she said this, Paige walked up to him and fisted the front of his shirt with her two hands.

Automatically, Leo's hand went behind her back, and he breathed her in. She was finally in his arms. He wanted to tell her there was nobody he wanted in his arms but her that everything was a lie, but she was crying.

That misty eye had finally let down rain. With his thumbs, he wiped her tears from her eyes. And she raised her face and stared at him with watery eyes and then lifted on her tiptoes and kissed him soundly on the mouth.

Leo felt that kiss down to the tip of his toes. It was the first time she was kissing him on her own accord. That was what made it different and so damn good he wanted to hold her down and prolong the kiss, however, Paige had a mind of her own and soon turned away from him, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand and smiling at his parents.

"I presume the same thing is happening here," she said. "That Lolita is trying to create doubt, but what I failed to understand is why. Perhaps its resentment."

"How can you be so sure?

Startled, Paige turned sharply. "What?"

Rosa, who had just come back from helping Lolita inside the house, folded her hands under her breast and gave Paige... gave his woman a deathly stare.

"How can you be so sure that Lolita wants something from my brother?" Hearing that Leo wanted to pounce on Rosa.

Rosa lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. "Maybe he picked her up all on his own." Right before his eyes Paige's expression wavered.

Seeing that Leonardo snapped with great irritation. "Don't put such ideas into her head."

Rosa smiled at him and gave him no more attention. All her attention focused on Paige. "Besides, if you knew he was innocent of all the accusations, why didn't you speak up all along why keep quiet, and stay there like a wallflower."

"Rosa!" Leonardo blustered finally having enough, and the woman had the nerve to smile at him.

Turning his attention to the expression on Paige's face, Leo wanted to swoop in and save her before Rosa tore her into two, however, something inside of him told him not to and he kept still.

While everyone waited for an answer, Paige turned and looked him in the eyes and he felt that look reach his soul.

"You asked how I can be so sure?" Paige turned and smiled at Rosa. "Because I know him, and I know what he can get up to. And you asked why I didn't speak up? well, I was surprised someone would try to seduce him out here in Montepulciano. I thought we were over that episode, however, seeing it happen here of all places, I kind of froze up and couldn't talk, however when I heard how you were frying my fiancée saying all those bad things about him, I had to speak up."

Leo was touched, indeed. When had he ever had a woman, defend him like this?

Carlo, who had been listening quietly to everything, cleared his throat. "Ahem ahem, if that's the case then he should do something about it so we can avoid this kind of misunderstandings in the future." Then he turned to his son. "I apologize for my misgivings."

Leo gave a curt nod, his eyes on his sister, who looked like she was about to protest.

"I can't believe you are letting him off like that father just because of what his fiancée said!"

"I presume that's what am doing?" Carlo muttered unbothered by the screeching from his daughter.

"But...."

*"Basta!—enough.* It is not your place to tell me what to do."

Rosa clamped her mouth shut and Leo had to fight the urge not to laugh. Look how the mighty have fallen.

Their mother sighed, pinching the space between her eyes. And staring at Rosa as though she was a troublesome child she didn't know what to do with. "If Leonardo was caught in a compromising position and his fiancée who i feel has all the right in the world to be angry is not. Tell me, Rosa, why are you angrier than her. It makes me think there is something else to this you are not telling us."

"There is no such thing." Rosa snapped and then stormed off. Gown swooshing, heels clicking.

"That child will be the end of me," Flavia complained as she watched Rosa leave.

"That I believe," Alberto quipped somewhere near. Flavia flashed him a smile.

"After this ordeal, I think I need something strong. Why don't you help me prepare something."

"If that's what you want," Alberto murmured and turned towards the palazzo.

One by one, they all left. Until it was just Paige and Leonardo.

Exhausted from the impromptu acting, Paige turned to go, however, Leonardo caught her hand and drew her to him, looking deeply into her eyes.

"Thank you for helping me." his throat worked, and he swallowed. "I don't know how i can repay you."

For a few minutes, Paige seems to stare into his eyes in the same regard as he had done, lost in the depth of his eyes. Leo's body came alive at her presence and his body tingled, he lowered his head a little aiming for a kiss, but then something flashed in her eyes and she removed his hand from her arm biting her lips. She won't look at him.

"Don't thank me I didn't do it for you." Then she left him there.

Leo was hurt, and a little disappointed. Why the sudden
hostility? He caught up to her again and caught her hand turning her around to face him.

The woman was walking fast as though getting away from him was her sole mission in life. The assessment didn't sit well with Leo. "Nothing happened between me and her Paige, I swear it." He breathed into the air.

Stopping, she turned cool eyes at him. "Why are you telling me? That ain't my business."

"You kissed me?" Leo pointed out. Ready to drag this as long as it would take. Because he knew if he let her go now with her thinking that he could be intimate with just anyone, he would never get the opportunity to date her.

"Well, your parents were watching," was her answer after a long while. "And it means nothing."

Hearing her repeat the same words he always said to her any time he kissed her and didn't want to explain himself. Leo felt devasted
because for the first time he understood what effect those words had.

And he stopped abruptly, unwilling to continue with this game, watching her until she disappeared into the palazzo.

'It means nothing?' Leo slowly repeated, his eyes distant. He refused to believe it meant nothing to her. He had seen the way she held herself when she kissed him, and how hard it was for her to stop kissing him.

This was more than just acting. He had felt something, and he was sure she had felt it, too. He would make her admit it if he had to.

Suddenly, his aggression turned to his sister. This was all Rosa's fault. If only she hadn't brought that woman to seduce him.

If only, then maybe he would have been looking for ways to make Paige date him.

Leo clenched his jaw hard. Looking down at his open shirt. He wrenched it away from his body in disgust and threw it to the ground. Looking in the direction they had taken Lolita, determined to get to the root of the matter.