Scheming Heart (Available on Amazon Kindle)

Chapter 26

ALFONSO

I barely slept last night. My mind kept on thinking about my current dilemma--Violet was unexpectedly back in the country and her presence might ruin my plan. I didn't understand myself. Before I was always looking forward to when she'll finally have a break from movie shootings and now that she's finally here I am not that happy.

Since when did I start not looking forward to seeing her?

My question was immediately answered when my gaze settled on the woman in front of me. She's the only reason I could think of why I haven't been thinking about Violet since she came into my life.

Everything I planned backfired on me big time and now I have to pay for the consequences. I planned to charm her so I could use her easily for my devious plot but in the end, I was the one who was enchanted by her.

Her eyebrows drew together. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

I allowed myself to smile slightly, looking directly at her lovely eyes shining brightly under the Italian sun. "Like what?"

She adjusted the straw hat she was wearing. "I don't know, something like looking at me intently? What's wrong with you?"

I cover my mouth to hide my smile. If she have any idea what was going on inside my head right now she wouldn't appreciate those naughty thoughts. "I am just admiring your beauty, Claudia. Have I told you that you look beautiful today?"

"Hmm," she dramatically flipped her hair. "What a shame. You only notice just now? Because I thought it's already obvious how beautiful I am you are just too dense not to notice it."

"I always knew that, okay?" I answered with a laugh. Damn, this woman and her self-confidence. I have always admired that characteristic of hers.

"See—" she paused for a moment and stared at me with wide eyes. "—wait a moment." She frowned at me. "Are you flirting with me?"

I took a step forward in her direction and she automatically took a step backward that made her back hit the grapevines. "If that's a yes. Does that mean it's working?"

"What?" She asked cautiously. There was a cute crease on her forehead while she was looking straight at my face. Did I mention that my face was only inches away from hers? I have this sudden devilish urge to close the distance between our lips.

Someone cleared his throat nearby in a playful manner. I looked in the direction where the sound came from. I saw the middle-aged man who was the foreman in the vineyard grin in my direction. "I just want to ask if you're going to help us or..."

"We're going to help," I replied with a smirk on my face. I looked down at the woman who was currently trapped between me and the grapevine. "Right, Claudia mia?"

There were pink stains on her cheeks while she was glaring at me insolently. She pushed me away with all of her strength. "Get away from me!"

I moved aside and chuckled at her prudish behavior. "Where are you going? I thought you said that you want to participate in grape picking. Let's go to work."

She stopped walking and glanced back at me. She threw me a cold glare but then she walked back to where I was standing. "What shall I do?"

I picked a wooden basket on the ground along with garden shears. "Here," I said giving her the shear. "Start picking the ripe grapes and put them in this basket."

"How should I do that?" She queried curiously, looking at the grapes and then at me. "Is there a specific way to do it?"

I smiled and showed her how it was done. "You should cut the stem as close as possible to the vines. Like this..." She followed my direction and cut her first grape. "Perfect."