“Ava, he did love you.”
“Bullcrap, Angelo.”
“No. Listen to me. Of all the women my brother messed with you are the only one he constantly praised. The only one whose intelligence he admired. The one he chose to marry. He loved you, Ava. I know he did. Him possibly having a bastard son doesn’t change that.”
“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I don’t need you to lie to me. I’m a big girl. I can handle the truth.”
“I’m telling you the truth. My brother loved you. I wouldn’t lie about something like that.”
“Whether he loved me or didn’t is irrelevant. What is relevant is the fact that this man who could be his son is showing up demanding a share of my daughter’s inheritance he is not entitled to.”
“Listen, I don’t know what the boy is thinking. Joseph provided well for him and his mother. I’ll talk to Carmella. Get her to talk some sense into him.”
“You’d better because if he shows up again, he might end up with a bullet between the eyes. I don’t give a damn who he is.”
Angelo laughed. Despite the tenseness of the situation, Ava found herself relaxing. She had nothing to worry about. It didn’t matter if Angelo chose to get involved or not. She was more than capable of handling one angry person.
“Spoken like a true Martelli. Your old man would be proud.”
Ava leaned back in her chair. “I seriously doubt that my dear departed husband would be happy with me threatening to kill his illegitimate son.”
“That’s one thing we’ll never know.” A smile returned to his face. “You know, Ava, a woman like you has to need companionship. You’re still young and beautiful. There could be more children in your future.”
He didn’t know when to quit.
“And what makes you think I’m lonely? I’m creating an empire. I don’t have time to worry about things like that.”
“You still have a heart, Ava, businesswoman or not.”
“Maybe, or perhaps I buried it with my husband.”
“I don’t believe that. Just think about it. I know any man would be lucky to have you.”
“You included?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yes. Especially me.”
“Angelo, it’s been seventeen years. You should’ve gotten over your crush by now. It was inappropriate then, and it’s inappropriate now.”
“What can I say? There’s something about you I just can’t shake,” Angelo said, rising to his feet.
“Then I guess I should be flattered to know I’m not just an old maid on the shelf.”
“You could never be that, Ava.”
“Angelo, I appreciate the compliments and thank you for stopping by.”
“You’re welcome. I had to make sure my girls were doing okay and since you are, I’ll be on my way.”
He winked at her before he turned and exited her office. When the door closed behind him, Ava slumped down into her chair. Simply being in the presence of her brother-in-law always left her feeling drained. Thank God he hadn’t been a too-frequent visitor when she was with Joseph.
Ava reached beneath her desk and opened the mini-fridge, taking out an energy drink and draining half the contents of the can before setting it down. She glanced down at her wristwatch. Angelo’s little visit had taken up more time than she thought. But at least she’d gotten a straight answer. Dominic could be her late husband’s offspring. Oh well. Good for him. Too bad it doesn’t change anything. Dominic was not getting one, single, red cent. If he thought any differently, too damn bad.
She had more pressing matters to attend to. Like finding out who’d dared to follow her to work this morning. Maybe she had real reason to worry. For seventeen years Joseph had been there to protect her. To shield her from any that might want to harm her, but Joseph was gone. She had to protect herself and Maia. Ava pressed the intercom button.
“Karen?”
“Yes, Ms. Hill?”
“I need you to locate agencies that provide bodyguards for VIPs. Pick out the best ones and have them send me information on their top picks.”
“Yes, ma’am. Right away.”
Ava leaned back in her chair and propped her feet up on her desk. She closed her eyes. Just a minute and then she’d start with all the things on her plate for the day.
“Sir. Sir! You can’t go in there.”
Ava’s eyes snapped open. Her feet slid off the desk and she sat straight up. The door to her office flew open. A brunette-haired man in a crisp, dark-grey suit marched into her office.
“Ava Hill, you’ve just been served.”
The man threw a sheaf of papers down on her desk and left without another word.
Chapter Seven
Ava picked up the papers that had been unceremoniously thrown on her desk. The first of the pages was a cover sheet addressed to her. Putting it to the side, she glared down at the next piece of paper in her hand.
“That son of a bitch!”
Blood boiling, Ava stared at the notice in her hand. Dominic was contesting Joseph’s will. According to the complaint in her hand, her husband’s illegitimate offspring was alleging fraud and undue influence. He’d come right out and accused her of using her influence to force her husband to sign something he hadn’t understood.
Grabbing her phone off her desk she quickly dialed one of her attorneys at Davis, James & Billups.
“This is Ms. Hill calling for Melissa James.”
“I’ll put you right through.”
Ava waited, tapping her fingers on the desk. She knew if she didn’t get her anger under control, news of this magnitude could cause her to have a stroke. Her blood pressure was already too high.
“Ava, what can I do for you?” Melissa said, coming on the line.
“I was just served a notice. A protest was filed against my late husband’s will.”
“By whom?”
“A young man claiming to be Joseph’s son. Calls himself Dominic Martelli, although on this paperwork, he’s also listed as Dominic Sambarino. He had the nerve to show up at my place last night demanding a share of Joseph’s estate. I told him to leave and never come back. But it doesn’t look like he’s going away quietly.”
“Who’s he using?” Melissa asked.
“Lombardi, Rankin & Esteves. Should I be worried?”
“No. The burden is on him to prove all the things he is alleging and the success rate for these types of cases is not high. Besides, your husband’s will has been on record with the courts for quite some time before his passing, correct?”
“Yes. He filed it about four years ago with the courts, just in case something happened.”
“Fax me a copy of your paperwork. I’ll get started on the denial to the protest and then request a DNA test. As part of the denial, I’ll make it clear that if your husband wished to acknowledge him as his son in a will or publicly, he would’ve done so.”
“That’s exactly my point. Thank you, Melissa. I’ll get this faxed over to you right away.”
Ava disconnected the call and pressed the intercom.
“Karen, please come in here.”
She heard the sound of footsteps approaching and then Karen tentatively entered her office. Ava could see her wide-eyed expression and the wringing of her hands. Obviously the cocoa-skinned assistant was expecting to get chewed out.
“Ms. Hill, I’m so sorry. I tried to stop—”
“It’s fine. I need you to send a fax to Melissa immediately. After that, I want you to continue with the bodyguard search. I want to meet with candidates by the end of the week.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Ava handed Karen the papers.
“And when you’re done, lock them in my file cabinet. I’ll be out of the office for the rest of the day.”
Ava grabbed her Louis Vuitton purse and left her office.
Thirty minutes later, Ava climbed out of her Mercedes. She looked around. There was a group of people hanging around a garbage can less than a block down the road from where her car was parked.