CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Giorgio parked in front of the House of Janardi and valets quickly hurried to the car and opened both front doors. Giorgio got out, buttoning his Janardi suit, as he made his way around to Vivian. Then he stood there staring at his building as if he was having second thoughts already.

Vivian, who stood beside him and saw his anxiety, placed her hand in his hand. "I got you," she said with great sincerity in her large, green eyes. And although she didn't even have herself, she meant it. With all he'd done for her, including getting her out of jail and allowing her to hear her brother's voice again, she meant it.

And when he looked at her, he didn't dismiss her audacious comment as if it were nothing more than idle words. He believed her. And her words strengthened him. He squeezed her hand, took that first step, and they walked, hand in hand, up to the entrance.

But as they were entering that massive building he owned, Giorgio released her hand as she expected him to. He didn't want to be saddled with somebody like her in public, she was sure of that. But when they entered the lobby and he, instead, placed his hand around her waist as if he not only wanted to be saddled with her, but wanted the world to know of their saddling, she was stunned. And so pleased that it almost made her emotional.

But as they walked through the lobby toward the elevators, Vivian had a second shock. Mason and Nayla were walking toward them. When Nayla saw her best friend she smiled. And hurried to her. "Viv!" she cried out. They hugged when they met.

"What are you doing here?" Nayla asked as they stopped embracing and as Mason walked up to them. Then she realized the man she only months ago learned was THE Giorgio Janardi himself, was standing beside Vivian. Looking fine in that fine suit, she thought, and she also noticed that he had his arm around Vivian's waist. What the hell ? "What's this about?" she asked her friend.

But Vivian didn't answer her question because she realized she didn't know the answer. "What are you doing here?" she asked her instead.

"One of our maids wasn't up to par and I wanted to talk to her to see what's going on. Because usually she's real good. But Mason, of course, didn't agree. He wanted to fire her."

"Probably something going on in her personal life," said Vivian, "that'll pass over."

"That's what I told him. But he's not trying to hear it."

"She's not doing the job, she's fired." Mason said. "Her person life is her business. She don't bring that shit to my job."

Vivian had forgotten that he was standing beside her and listening to their chitchat when it took all he had just to walk into that building again. "I'll call you later," Vivian said to Nayla.

"But what's going on here?" Nayla asked again, although she asked it staring down at Giorgio's arm around her friend's waist.

When Mason heard that name, he took notice. He had inherited that contract to clean ten floors in the Janardi building, but he never had any contact whatsoever with Janardi himself. And now he was standing right in front of him? And the man had his hand around that bitch's waist? He could hardly believe it. "Nice to meet you, sir," Mason said, putting on his best charming smile.

"Are you Mason?"

"Yes, sir," Mason said, his hand still extended, his smile growing even wider.

"Aren't you the man who stole Miss Ellis's company?"

Vivian was surprised to hear Giorgio's choice of words. Mason's smile slowly disappeared. He was surprised too. Stole was a fighting word in his world. He removed his hand from Giorgio's hand. "I didn't steal anything."

"You took full advantage of her dire situation, and you stole her company. Including the contract I gave to her. Am I wrong?"

"Hell yeah, you're wrong. I'm a businessman. I didn't steal shit from that bitch."

As soon as that word flew off of Mason's lips, Giorgio took his fist and knocked Mason so hard that his legs immediately buckled and he fell straight down on his butt. He hopped right back up, ready to rumble, but building Security were all over them. They separated him from the boss. Nobody was rumbling with Giorgio Janardi.

But Mason was fuming. "Better not be in an alley, I'll tell you that," he boasted even as Security was holding him back.

"Let's just go, Mace," Nayla said. Then she looked angrily at Vivian. "And how could you just stand there and let him do that to my man? I don't care how rich he is. I'm your best friend."

" Best friend ?" Giorgio spoke before Vivian could say a word. "You own fifty percent of the business you and Viv started together. You looked out for yourself. You kept your interest in that business. You didn't look out for Viv at all. Some best friend."

But when Vivian heard him say those words, she was stunned. She looked at Nayla. "Nay, that's not true. You said Mason owned one hundred percent. That he wouldn't take it over if he didn't own it all. You told me that."

"Let's go," Nayla said to Mason, feeling exposed. Refusing to go there. "We'll deal with that maid tomorrow."

"Not here you won't," Giorgio said. "You will never again be allowed inside my building. Your maids, if they wish, will be hired on as in-house maids here."

Both Mason and Nayla were floored. "We have a contract," Mason blared out.

"Try to enforce that motherfucker," Giorgio blared back. "I'll have you in court for ten years. I'll have you bankrupt. Now get out of my building," he said angrily, and began leaving, taking Vivian with him.

"You heard the boss. Let's go," said one of the security guards.

Vivian looked back at Nayla, feeling nothing but pain and disappointment. But Nayla was filled with rage and regret. "Don't look at me like you're better than me," Nayla said as the guards were escorting them out. "I sold my soul for Mason. Yes, I did. But you're doing the same thing for him. And he don't give a damn about you!"

Vivian was too shock to speak as Nayla and Mason were escorted out.

Giorgio kept his arm around Vivian as they got on his private elevator. Vivian looked over at him. "Is that true, Jonni?"

"Is what true?"

"That Nayla, that my best friend, still owns fifty percent of V and N? That she didn't lose her share of the company like I did?"

Giorgio considered her. She was loyal to a fault. That had to change. "Yes, it's true. I had my guys look into it late last night after you told me you no longer owned it."

Vivian shook her head. "She told me she lost it all too. That Mason had one hundred percent. How could my best friend do that to me?"

"She's a friend in name only, Viv."

But Vivian wasn't ready to believe that. Not Nayla . She stuck by her when she was in jail. She visited Roger too. She wasn't going to throw her under the bus just because of this one thing. It was a monumental one thing, but she had too much history with Nayla. And she knew firsthand how loving the absolute wrong man could make a fool out of you.

"She's toxic," Giorgio said. "My suggestion? Get rid of her."

But Vivian looked him straight in the eyes. "I'm not getting rid of my best friend since childhood," she said with acid in her voice. "Next?"

Giorgio would have lashed right back at her. But he saw that pain in her eyes. That so-called friend had hurt her mightily. Just like her baby brother did when he seemed to have already washed his hands of her. And he wasn't going to let his bad temper add to her woes.

Uncharacteristically, he let it slide.