Scheming Heart (Available on Amazon Kindle)

Chapter 13

ALFONSO

"Oh, you are here."

I looked up at the documents I have 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 that 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 comes 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 have been reading. "There's nothing to know about my meetings with Claudia."

"Ah, so you are now 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 am 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 on my hand back to the wooden table. "And for the record, whatever Claudia and I have been doing these past weekends were 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?"