By the time Leonardo found Lolita in the hallway on the second floor. He'd already found himself a clean shirt to wear, searched the ground floor of the palazzo for her in a frenzy, searched four other rooms on the second floor, and was about to turn in the opposite direction when he caught a glimpse of her.

He hid by the threshold of one of the rooms he had searched before and gauged at the distance between them, feeling impatient.

However, no matter how much he would like to meet her halfway in the hallway and hurl the answers he needed from her. He still wanted to conduct his business away from prying eyes.

And so he waited till she got close. Close enough that he shot out a hand and dragged her into the empty room behind him. Slamming the door hard, he pushed her against it and caged her there.

Immediately, she reached out a hand to cradle her head, her face twisting in pain, and Leo realized it must be hurting. The alcohol and his little exercise put together were making her pay.

Good.

That serves her right.

Her damp hair was plastered all over her face, and she had swapped her two-piece bikini for a sexy green gown, which was as well scandalous. And with her eyes clenched shut, Leo almost didn't believe she was the same woman who had caused a disaster for him today.

How innocent she looked!

A frown marred Leo's face, and he pulled away from her, folding his hands under his chest. Feeling like he was wasting precious time with her.

The time he should have spent resolving his issue with Paige. At the thought of Paige, her face came to mind, and he swallowed, remembering the way they had parted. As though she was breaking things off with him, and they weren't even dating.

Leo sucked in a huge breath, feeling the need to rush off to Paige. But he had to be here. He needed to deal with this. If not, it will forever gnaw at him.

He needed to find out what happened here today. He knew Rosa was behind all the mess today. Rosa has done many bad things, but somewhere in his mind. In a little corner of his heart, he always held doubt for her. Maybe it wasn't her doing this time. Maybe it was different this time. If he should conclude without confirming and later find out it has nothing to do with his sister, he did hate himself.

Wasn't that why he was here? To confirm from Lolita's lips before he made any lasting decision. But with every minute and second that passed, his body sang with anxiety and nervousness.

Something tells him the more he delays here, the more his unresolved issue with Paige becomes more complicated.
And that's the last thing he wanted. Because he has plans of dating her, of wooing her, and eventually becoming all she can think of.

Now he had allowed himself to dwell on it, he realized he wanted it more than anything. And that's why it irritated him so much that Lolita tried to sabotage his plans, not just with Paige, but with his parents as well.

Tired of waiting for her head to stop spinning or hurting or whatever was happening to her. Leonardo stalked towards her. His patience snapped and gritted out harshly. "Why did you try to seduce me in the pool? Who put you up to this?"

Fair lashes fluttered open, and green eyes rested on him, on the harsh lines on his face and her face broke into a gentle smile, "Leonardo," she breathed out. "So it's you."

That naïve smile, and that gentle way she spoke his name, did not fool him for one bit.

Golden brown eyes, engraved in a face as hard as marble, squinted in annoyance. Drawing Leo's brow together.

Did she think they were playing games, that she was out of harm's way, she could easily smile anyhow? As though what was happening here wasn't of serious consequence. As if she hadn't just given Paige and his family the performance of a lifetime. If she knew what he had planned out for her, or what he intend to do, she wouldn't dare relax in his presence.

He stared at her, hard until she felt uncomfortable, and pulled her gaze away, biting her lip.

"I believe I do not have to ask you this one more time, but if I have to I can't guarantee what will happen to you. Who put you up to this Lolita?" Leo growled. "Who asked you to seduce me?"

For a good fifteen seconds, she hesitated, and Leo realized she was trying to determine if she should call his threat a bluff or not.

In the end, she must have decided it was, because her lips curved to the side of her face and the next thing he heard was, "Are you trying to say i couldn't have discovered you were in town, and sought you out," Her eyes gave him a once over and landed on his crotch. "Of course I didn't expect you to look this handsome or for my hormones to get the best of me."

Ignoring where her eyes were on his body. Leo muttered, "You and I know that isn't the truth. You couldn't be bothered with anything that doesn't have to do with money or bring you money."

"You make me sound like a money groper."

"Aren't you?" Leo raised one brow. "If I remember correctly, you married a rich husband and you recently just got divorced and couldn't get a penny from his money." Leo watched her face pale. "Whatever measure that man must have used must be effective. You didn't bear him any children, so you couldn't use child support as a plea. Knowing you, you must have been in desperate need of money to keep up with the lifestyle you have cultivated, and that's where my sister comes into the picture."

Her face paled further, and her mouth tightened in irritation at hearing the last word, but that was all. She didn't crack.

How impressive. Even after all that pressure.

"What are you talking about?" Lolita muttered, in a high-pitched voice that was detached as well as underlined with annoyance. "Nobody put me up to anything. I missed you Leonardo so I came to find you. Have you forgotten we used to date?"

He hadn't forgotten anything, especially not how she tried to create a rift between him and Paige, in a relationship he was yet to build. Leo advanced towards her. His steps slow and menacing. Looking like a prizefighter ready to take on an opponent.

Immediately, she pulled away from the door and scrambled towards the other side. She must have decided she didn't want to stay close to him after all, with him looking like that.

Leo paused and pinned her with his gaze, and she lifted her chin in defiance.

On the outside, he looked as calm and collected as still water, but on the inside, he was raging like an angry beast. She must have sensed that because she eyed him then wearily like prey looking to escape.

"Was it my sister?" Leo said quietly after some time. "Did she put you up to this? Is that what this is about?" His voice rose an octave. "Did she offer you money, jewelry, Cars, a million-dollar, half a million, two!—"

"Like I said, it wasn't her." Lolita's voice cut through his own. Biting.

"For goodness sake do not lie to me, Lolita. I can tell you are lying to me."

"Are you saying I couldn't have come out here all on my own? Because I missed you or because I wanted to."

Cursing low under his breath. Leonardo charged towards her. That nonsense again. She did just provoked him and she knew it. She turned to run, but one as drunk as her wasn't yet stable on her feet. Lolita missed a step and fell on the floor, dragging the white cloth that covered the cushion behind her with her.

Her bag fell to the other side of the room and a bundle of money fell out.

They were in one of the guest rooms that were rarely used. And by the looks of things, it hadn't been cleaned in a while. The furniture was covered in white cloth and the window all closed, and as Lolita dragged down the white cloth with her, she let loose the dust into the air , and everywhere turned musty.

Staring at the stash of money on the floor, Leo turned up his nose in disgust. "How convenient for you to be carrying that wand of cash. Coming from the bank are you eh?" Sarcasm dripped off his word.

Seeing he had discovered the wand of cash and there was no need to pretend anymore, Lolita crawled over to her bag and began to put them back inside.

Leo hurried over to her and in two, three steps hurled her to her feet.
He pinned her to the wall. And cupped her chin roughly. His fingers digging into her jaw and breathed into her ear. "If you know what's good for you. If you know the ugly things I planned for you, you will hurry up and tell me what I want to hear."

He didn't really mean that. But she must have believed him. She must have seen something in his eyes, because she hurriedly offered. "It was Rosa." All the fight in her gone. "Your sister put me up to it, but don't tell her I told you, if not she will take the money from me. Please."

But Leo didn't hear. He was frozen to his spot. Color drained from his face.

He had expected to hear Rosa was the one behind the scheme. After all it was her he suspected first, but even after knowing that, when he heard Lolita mention Rosa's name as the culprit, it came as a shock that paralyzed his bones. Leo turned away from Lolita, his heart hurting, but at that point, he decided he was done with his sister.

He knew Rosa was the one who had given Lolita access to the house, and perhaps had prompted her to seduce him. His sixth sense tells him it was her. However, he had wanted the confirmation from Lolita's lips, before he decided. He knew how horrible his sister can be. still he so desperately wanted to believe she had nothing to do with this. But he had been wrong.

Again.

Leo ran his hand along his hair, raising it in its ends, and cursed, then he turned to the woman who was still staring at him with wide eyes, wondering if he was going to betray her, and muttered, "Get out. Before I change my mind."

"With the money or without the money." Her voice wavered.

"Like I care," Leo growled.

In an instant, she hurried out of the room.

When she left, Leo settled down in the cushion she had exposed earlier of its white sheet and buried his head in his hand, and then his thoughts crossed to Paige, and how she had looked earlier today when she had discovered Lolita in his arms. The hurt in her eye, and how she refused to admit there was something in that kiss they had shared earlier today.

As if he did let her, Leo sighed.

Slowly, Leo stood to his full height and headed in the direction of their room with only one person on his mind.

Paige.