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Now that it was Saturday and the guests had been here for a week, they would be moving from their individual rooms to share a villa with their match.

There would be no more daily group activities. They would be in charge of organising their own excursions with my help.

I hoped Sammie was okay. As soon as I’d met with Victoria, I would go straight to check on her and bring her thepasticciottopastries I had saved for her.

I knocked on the door.

‘Come in,’ Victoria replied. I sat in the chair opposite her desk, straightened my shoulders then puffed out my chest.

If Victoria wanted to punish me for comforting Sammie, then I would take it. After finding out about Edward’s lies, it was understandable that she was shocked, angry and sad. I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. If I could go back in time, I would do the same thing all over again.

‘I’ve spent most of this morning on the phone with head office and speaking to Edward.’

‘You spoke with him?’ My nostrils flared. If I ever saw thatstronzoagain, the only way I would want to communicate with him would be with my fist. I knew he was bad from the beginning. I should have trusted my gut.

‘Yes. The office was closed, but I found his PA’s mobile number and when I told her that we were considering legal action, it was amazing how quickly Edward returned my call.’

‘You can take him to court?’

‘Truthfully? Probably not, but I hoped it would get his attention. And I only said that we wereconsideringit, not that we were going to do it. Anyway, the little weasel said that when his ex heard that he’d applied to come here, she came to see him and they’d ended up screwing a few times and hey presto, now she’s expecting. Apparently, she called and told him the news the night before the Alberobello trip and he decided that he had to go and see her and talk about it properly.’

‘And instead of telling us the truth, he lied and said that someone was sick.’ I ground my jaw.

‘According to him, he didn’t lie. He said that he’d told us it was a family emergency and he insists that was true.’

‘And did he also have excuses for why he did not think it was important to tell his match personally instead of ignoring the many messages she sent to him?’

‘He was “busy”, but said he will apologise to her soon.’

‘Figlio di puttana!’ I scowled.

‘Ordinarily, I would tell you that it wasn’t appropriate to swear and call a guest a son of a bitch.’ She clasped her hands together and leant forward in her seat. ‘But in this case, it’s entirely justified. I’ve been calling him a lot worse in my head. He’s left us with a big mess to clear up.’

‘What will happen with Samantha?’ I said, remembering to use her full name.

‘Obviously we’ll give her a full refund. It’s up to her whether she stays, but I think it’d be best if she doesn’t leave on such a low note. If she stays we could show her how sorry we are and prove that the Love Hotel will do whatever it takes to ensure she’s well looked after. Which is where you come in.’

‘What do you mean?’ I asked.

Ordinarily, I would be more than happy to make sure my guests were well looked after. But I was sure that the way I wanted to do that with Sammie was not what Victoria had in mind.

‘Based on how Samantha defended you last night, she trusts you. So, I need you to ask her to stay. At least for a few more days. We’ve reserved one of the best villas for her, we can provide her with a chauffeur-driven car to take her to wherever she’d like to go and pay for any excursions. The objective isn’t just her happiness. It’s damage control. In an ideal world, the media won’t find out what happened, because only you and I and a few of the management know what Edward did, but if it does, we need to be able to show that we went above and beyond the call of duty to rectify the situation. Understood?’

‘Sì. I will go and speak to her now.’

‘Good. Report back to let me know what she said, straightaway. And Romeo?’

‘Sì?’

‘Be careful.’ She raised an eyebrow.

I nodded in acknowledgement, got up, left her office, went to the restaurant to collect thepasticciottoI had put aside, then rushed to Sammie’s room. I needed to make sure she was okay.

Sammie opened the door and when I saw her tear-stained cheeks and red eyes, my heart shattered.

‘Ciao, Sammie,’ I said softly. ‘I came to check on you. You did not come to breakfast or to the briefing. I brought you these.’ I handed her the box ofpasticciotto.

Her face instantly lit up when she opened it and relief washed over me.