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He rolled the word around on his tongue. It didn’t sound right. How could it? Failure was a foreign concept to him. He’d been born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. His mother liked to tease him, saying he was an old soul in a young body. She was the only one who could get away with a remark like that. He adored his mother. Well, to be fair, his sisters got away with it, too.
He had a feeling all his family members would be relieved to hear of the divorce, especially his mother, though she’d never admit it to him. She had tried to get close to his soon to be ex-wife, but Sharron hadn’t had any desire to know his family. Her attitude had gone unnoticed while the two of them were dating. Six months out of the year his family resided in Italy and the other six months in California.
Sharron had been great at making up excuses as to why she couldn’t visit with them. He hadn’t noticed her disdain or he never would’ve become so serious. He’d been raised to believe that family always came first. Soon, he’d stayed behind to please his wife. He’d done a lot of things to make the woman happy.
Apparently none of it had been enough.
With a last glance around the room, he lifted his cell phone. His dialed call was picked up on the other end of the line before it had a chance to ring twice.
“Sell the house. I want nothing in it,” Rafe spoke in clipped tones to his assistant.
“Yes, sir. ” There was no arguing. Mario had been an employee of his from the day he’d started his billion dollar corporation. The man was loyal, efficient, and trustworthy. Rafe couldn’t imagine how much harder his job would become without his favorite employee.
Rafe had learned everything from his dad, Martin Palazzo. His father had made millions in the stock market, then later in smart real-estate investments. Martin had met, Rosabella, Rafe’s mother while he was traveling for business in Italy. The two of them had been inseparable since, but Rosabella couldn’t stand to stay away from her homeland for more than six months at a time, which was why Rafe had spent half his childhood in Italy and half in the United States.
Because of his multicultural upbringing, he was much more prepared to take on the Global Business structure he’d adapted. He was a fierce businessman and loyal to the end for those he loved. After today, trust would be something he held much closer to his heart and only gave away with caution.
Rafe had decided from an early age that he needed to make his own way in life – not just have everything handed to him by his wealthy parents. He wasn’t stupid, though. He’d taken his father’s advice, even did business with him, but Rafe had dreamed big – and turning that dream into reality had taken him less than ten years.
When he walked into his twenty-five story office building in San Francisco, he felt pride. He created jobs for hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world, gave them an income, made sure they went to bed each night with a full stomach and the security of more work to be done in the morning.
He gave so much – and unlike his soon to be ex-wife, his employees were grateful and thought he was equivalent to a king. Sharron had thrown everything he’d given her right back in his face.
Rafe was finished with women. Well, he thought with an arrogant smirk, finished with playing the good guy. It was his turn to take what he wanted. Never again would he be used – never again would he put his heart out there to be carelessly trampled upon.
Walking purposefully out his front door, he refused to even turn around to watch the final latching of the lock. When he was through with something, it was over, and as far as he was concerned, he was done with the house.
Placing his hand on the cool metal handle on the door of his sleek black Bentley, he heard the familiar click as the door released. As he climbed into the plush leather seat, he was oblivious to the fresh pungent smell of the smooth leather upholstery.
Quickly pulling out of the driveway, Rafe began heading the short distance toward the city of San Francisco where he had a condo a couple blocks from his office building. Luckily, Sharron had refused to stay in the city on the many late nights he’d worked, causing him to sleep there. The apartment was his – his alone.
If she’d so much as tainted the doorway of the roomy penthouse apartment, he’d sell it as well. He wanted no reminders of the woman to remain in his life. He wanted a fresh slate. The last eight years back is what he wanted most of all, but since that was impossible to achieve, he’d simply have to erase her completely from his life.
A few more phone calls and that would be done.
Chapter One
Three years later