me, Vivian. Everyone does." Vivian's smile broadened. She released Lessa's hand to pull on a pair of disposable gloves.
Lessa rubbed her arms and psyched herself up for the blood draw. She paused mid-rub as Vivian turned back to her, holding a tube with a giant q-tip sticking out of it.
She glanced at Jio as he leaned back in his chair. "I thought we were doing a blood test?"
"Vivian informs me this is the test we want."
"Quicker and pain free," Vivian assured her. "If you'll open your mouth, I'll take the sample."
Lessa followed her directions, and Vivian rubbed the cotton along the inside of her cheek a few times before closing the tube around the swab. She put a sticker over the seal and wrote something across it.
"Your turn." Vivian pulled out a second tube and stood in front of Jio.
"What's all this?" Tony asked from the doorway.
Lessa spun around to face him, instinctively not wanting him at her back. He barely glanced at her before striding to the desk. Vivian finished getting Jio's sample, unfazed by Tony's glare.
"It's the test to prove that Lessa's our sister." Jio stood up and leaned forward on his desk, his relaxed expression vanishing as he did.
Vivian pulled a third tube out of her bag. "Perhaps, Tony could be the third sample."
"Third sample of what?" Tony snarled.
Jio shook his head and sighed. "For the test, Tony. It'll be quicker and more accurate if there are more samples to test against than just mine."
"No." Tony crossed his arms and shifted his glare from Vivian to Lessa.
Lessa stopped herself from moving away from his hostility and met his gaze.
"We need someone," Vivian said. "You seem to have the strongest objection to her. Why shouldn't it be you?"
"Getting awfully comfy here, aren't you, Vivian?" Tony stepped up to her, close enough to force her to take a small step back. "Jio should know better than to discuss family business with an outsider."
"Enough!" Jio stepped around his desk to get between Tony and Vivian. "If you need to say something, you say it to me in private."
"Whatever you say, big brother," Tony drawled.
"Are you going to give a sample?"
"No."
Jio narrowed his eyes, but gestured for Vivian to pick up her bag. "We'll go track down Edoardo."
Jio's hand brushed Vivian's back as he escorted her out of the room, and Lessa wondered at what Tony had been hinting at. She wasn't the one Jio was . . . No, he wouldn't bring her right in under Nina's nose.
"I think you've been excused," Tony said shortly to Ryan MacDonald.
The lawyer sat stiffly in his chair. "I'll stay here with Miss Noelle."
Tony frowned at him in warning. "Your services are no longer needed."
"I have business with Miss Noelle."
"You're working for her now. Why doesn't that surprise me? Isn't that a conflict of interest?" Tony pivoted on his heel to glare at Lessa. "You may have weaseled your way in here, but don't think you're fooling all of us with your Little Miss Innocent, I had no idea I had such a wealthy father, act."
She couldn't help the small step back at his venomous tone as he leaned over her.
"You won't like what'll happen when your con is revealed. People who mess with the Tazios tend to have an expiration date."
"Enough!" Marc strode into the office. He pulled Lessa away from Tony and put himself between them. "She's done nothing to you."
Tony grinned. "You're certainly playing the hero for all the females in this family. Shouldn't you be with your grieving fiancée?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but Clarissa and I are no longer engaged."
Tony laughed meanly. "Really? So who dumped whom? Let me guess, Clarissa dumped you. So, here you are working on the other daughter? She's just a bimbo cheerleader, right?"
Marc stepped closer to Tony. "Are you that worried about your place in the family?"
Tony's face turned red and his hands curled into fists. "I'm not the one who has to worry. Clarissa dumped you. Jio will be next. He hates you as much as I do."
Tony shoved past Marc
Lessa rubbed her arms and psyched herself up for the blood draw. She paused mid-rub as Vivian turned back to her, holding a tube with a giant q-tip sticking out of it.
She glanced at Jio as he leaned back in his chair. "I thought we were doing a blood test?"
"Vivian informs me this is the test we want."
"Quicker and pain free," Vivian assured her. "If you'll open your mouth, I'll take the sample."
Lessa followed her directions, and Vivian rubbed the cotton along the inside of her cheek a few times before closing the tube around the swab. She put a sticker over the seal and wrote something across it.
"Your turn." Vivian pulled out a second tube and stood in front of Jio.
"What's all this?" Tony asked from the doorway.
Lessa spun around to face him, instinctively not wanting him at her back. He barely glanced at her before striding to the desk. Vivian finished getting Jio's sample, unfazed by Tony's glare.
"It's the test to prove that Lessa's our sister." Jio stood up and leaned forward on his desk, his relaxed expression vanishing as he did.
Vivian pulled a third tube out of her bag. "Perhaps, Tony could be the third sample."
"Third sample of what?" Tony snarled.
Jio shook his head and sighed. "For the test, Tony. It'll be quicker and more accurate if there are more samples to test against than just mine."
"No." Tony crossed his arms and shifted his glare from Vivian to Lessa.
Lessa stopped herself from moving away from his hostility and met his gaze.
"We need someone," Vivian said. "You seem to have the strongest objection to her. Why shouldn't it be you?"
"Getting awfully comfy here, aren't you, Vivian?" Tony stepped up to her, close enough to force her to take a small step back. "Jio should know better than to discuss family business with an outsider."
"Enough!" Jio stepped around his desk to get between Tony and Vivian. "If you need to say something, you say it to me in private."
"Whatever you say, big brother," Tony drawled.
"Are you going to give a sample?"
"No."
Jio narrowed his eyes, but gestured for Vivian to pick up her bag. "We'll go track down Edoardo."
Jio's hand brushed Vivian's back as he escorted her out of the room, and Lessa wondered at what Tony had been hinting at. She wasn't the one Jio was . . . No, he wouldn't bring her right in under Nina's nose.
"I think you've been excused," Tony said shortly to Ryan MacDonald.
The lawyer sat stiffly in his chair. "I'll stay here with Miss Noelle."
Tony frowned at him in warning. "Your services are no longer needed."
"I have business with Miss Noelle."
"You're working for her now. Why doesn't that surprise me? Isn't that a conflict of interest?" Tony pivoted on his heel to glare at Lessa. "You may have weaseled your way in here, but don't think you're fooling all of us with your Little Miss Innocent, I had no idea I had such a wealthy father, act."
She couldn't help the small step back at his venomous tone as he leaned over her.
"You won't like what'll happen when your con is revealed. People who mess with the Tazios tend to have an expiration date."
"Enough!" Marc strode into the office. He pulled Lessa away from Tony and put himself between them. "She's done nothing to you."
Tony grinned. "You're certainly playing the hero for all the females in this family. Shouldn't you be with your grieving fiancée?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but Clarissa and I are no longer engaged."
Tony laughed meanly. "Really? So who dumped whom? Let me guess, Clarissa dumped you. So, here you are working on the other daughter? She's just a bimbo cheerleader, right?"
Marc stepped closer to Tony. "Are you that worried about your place in the family?"
Tony's face turned red and his hands curled into fists. "I'm not the one who has to worry. Clarissa dumped you. Jio will be next. He hates you as much as I do."
Tony shoved past Marc
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