Chapter Eighteen

      ‘This is much, much better,’ Elle said as she led them through the door of another of the Muirs’ luxury properties.

      Ciara realised that the Hollywood mansion in LA, the beach house in Miami, the townhouse in Paris and the spectacular multi-levelled house in Santorini were only a taster of their family’s wealth.

      Everything here was marble and gold with Renaissance art in the form of statues and paintings she’d have thought would be in museums, not in someone’s entrance hall. Again there was a spiral staircase and she could see their granddad’s style in the structure, or maybe Zack had helped with the design.

      Either way, now she knew why Zack was worried about giving all this up. It must be terrifying to go from having everything to nothing. Not to mention the fact he thought he’d be letting so many people down.

      ‘Elly, you’re talking like you’ve spent the last few days in a Travelodge,’ Zack teased.

      Travelodges were perfectly fine accommodation in Ciara’s opinion. The five star hotel they’d just left was stunning.

      ‘A hotel never has the same comforts,’ Elle said and on that note a woman dressed in black wearing a white apron came to greet them.

      Unsurprisingly, both of the Muirs spoke perfect Italian – or at least she assumed it was perfect by the unfaltering string of words delivered with confidence. More staff appeared and Elle must have instructed them to take the luggage upstairs because that’s what they did.

      ‘Okay, I say we get showered and then hit the bars. The sun’s going down and I don’t want to waste a night stuck in here,’ Elle said, then turned to the stairs assuming everyone would agree instantly.

      ‘There’s nothing wrong with a quiet night,’ Ciara protested. After all, her funds were running low and she’d promised Elle she’d show Zack he could have a great time without spending a fortune.

      Elle whirled on her. ‘A night out isn’t going to break the bank, Cia.’

      A night out with those three could put her in debt for the rest of her life. But they had a point too. She didn’t want to spend the last stop of her trip stuck in a house, even if the house was massive and incredible.

      Luckily, she’d abused the wifi at the airport and had pre-planned their trip to the city thanks to travel websites. And the cheapest place for a night out was somewhere the tourists didn’t go much, or so said the reviewer.

      ‘Fine but if we’re going anywhere it’s the bars in Piazza di Santo Spirito. I hear it’s not as touristy as the other places.’

      Elle liked exclusive and Ciara took her shrug as a win.

      ‘I think tonight I’m going for classy rather than slutty,’ Gem said, following Elle up the stairs.

      Hand in hand with Zack, they trailed up behind her friends.

      Elle laughed. ‘There’s more to it than wearing a nice dress, Gem. If you get on a guy’s knee two minutes after you meet him, it doesn’t matter what you’ve got on.’

      ‘It’s