Page 166 of Modern Romance October 2025 5-8

Understood.

And despite the fact that she knew she had lost Charterhouse for good, she knew she was doing the right thing.

For Enzo and for herself.

As for the future? Oh, she didn’t think she could pretend to carry on as if nothing had happened, she certainly couldn’tmarryhim. But she also wasn’t quite ready to let him go just yet. So she’d hoped to claim just one night. One night as herself, as Erin, before she had to return home from Neverland. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to tell him about Gio and what had brought her into his life, but she could certainly tell him that it wasn’t his fault she was breaking their engagement.

‘Darling,’ Marcus said, to her when she and Enzo found him, ‘you lookravishing.’

‘Thank you,’ she said, accepting his compliment with a genuine smile.

‘Hello, I’m Cynthia,’ she unnecessarily re-introduced herself.

‘I know, we met before. On the Isola del Giglio?’

‘Oh, did we?’ Cynthia asked, oblivious to any awkwardness, or awareness of her own rudeness.

No matter what happened, Erin would never be friends with this woman, she decided.

‘I’m so pleased you both could make it,’ Marcus said. ‘It just wouldn’t have been the same without you. Champagne!’ he shouted at the top of his lungs, making Erin flinch then laugh when a waiter in a black-and-white suit immediately appeared with a bottle on a tray with four glasses.

It might not have been how Erin was used to spending her evenings, but she wanted to try for Enzo’s sake, for her own sake. She wanted this night to be perfect and these were his friends and they weren’t all bad. The music was loud, and the crowd boisterous, but for the first time she didn’t fear making a fool of herself or being the centre of attention for the wrong reasons. She wanted to borrow a little of Enzo’s fun and try it on for size.

The club itself was spectacular. The Art Deco interior design suited the elegance not only of the location but of the attendees, and Erin found herself not only begin to relax but to actually start to enjoy herself. If Enzo seemed a little flat, she found herself dialling up her energy to compensate, not quite aware that she was doing so.

She made small talk with Marcus, it was impossible to do so with Cynthia, and she got talking to Alana, a lovely woman from Morocco who owned and ran an ethical clothing company which made her instantly think of Conxion.

Which in turn made her wonder what it was she would do now. Without Charterhouse. The company would now, surely, be broken into a thousand different pieces, as Gio had promised. And she’d never have a chance to fix her father’s mistake. For her mother. For herself too. It hurt, but not as much as it would have to hurt Enzo in the process.

She looked across at him, found him watching her. She smiled, but he didn’t return it. Not immediately. She was about to go to him, but he waved her off with a ‘don’t mind me’ look.

Something had shifted between them since the news of his father’s engagement had broken. It was hardly surprising that he was finding it hard, she couldn’t imagine what it must be bringing up for him. So, she sent him a reassuring smile and slipped away to the bathroom, hoping she wouldn’t encounter any nasty gossips this time.

Enzo watched her go, weaving through a crowd dressed in more money than sense, and still she shone like the brightest ruby. Dark, complex, and powerful.

‘Listen, I’ve got this investment thing,’ Marcus said, the volume of his shout a little too much, making Enzo flinch.

Only a handful of people knew about his company, let alone a portfolio significant enough to keep himoffthe world’s rich list. Sometimes it took more money than less to keep your anonymity. So, he wasn’t entirely comfortable with Marcus bringing it up now. But he could see that his friend was drunk.

‘I don’t talk business when I’m drinking, Marcus, you know that.’

‘I know, it’s just that this is time sensitive.’

‘Then it’stoosensitive and I’m not interested,’ he dismissed him.

Marcus side-eyed him as if gauging his mood.

‘Listen, I’m sorry about your dad,’ Marcus said more quietly. He knew how bad things had been for Enzo over the years, and while they rarely delved beyond the surface, Marcus had seen enough.

He nodded, the only acknowledgement of Marcus’s sympathy he could muster.

‘Have you heard from your mum?’ Marcus pressed.

Enzo gritted his teeth, this time shaking his head.

He hadn’t. And that had—he was reluctant to admit—worried him. Usually she would have called him in hysterics by now and the sheer fact that she hadn’t... And he didn’t like worrying about her, because she had never really worried abouthim. And what he most especially disliked was sounding like a stroppy insecure child!

Last time he’d heard from her, she’d been sequestered in a chalet in Switzerland with a therapist and a spiritualist. ‘I’m going to make it work this time, Zo, I promise. It’s going to work.’