Valentina.
It’s just sadistic to make a girl attend a party after what she endured the day before.
The room felt like a tomb, crowded with darksuited men and women in expensive gowns, yet hollow in its grandeur.
I moved stiffly at Reed’s side, every jolt of pain from my freshly tattooed shoulder reminding me of Weston’s handiwork.
The smug bastard.
I swallowed down the pain, gritting my teeth as Reed hand clamped around my waist, possessive as if he were afraid I’d break away.
I was looking for the perfect chance to do that.
Everyone chatted, but it was all superficial, stilted, and laced with veiled threats. Whispers about alliances, feuds, and money echoed around us.
Such was the way of the mafia world.
Reed led me deeper into the crowd, nodding to a few men I didn’t recognize, his grip on me steady.
As we walked, my eyes scanned the crowd, trying to pinpoint familiar faces. I saw men with calculating eyes, women draped in enough jewels that sparkled under the dim light. They all just seemed to fit into this world.
A sharp laugh broke my focus, and I found myself turning towards the source, which happened to be a woman in a tight red dress, her dark hair coiled neatly at the nape of her neck. She he’d a glass of something crimson, swirling it lazily as she eyed Reed and me.
“Reed,” she practically purred, her eyes drifting to me with a smile that didn’t reach them. “Didn’t know you brought company tonight.”
Yes, you did.
Reed’s grip on my waist tightened as he nodded at her, his expression impassive.
“Valentina, meet Lila. She handles a lot of Luca’s… affairs.”
Her eyes travelled over me, lingering a little too long, and I fought the urge to squirm.
“A pleasure,” She said, her lips curved up in a smirk. “Luca usually doesn’t entertain amateurs, though.”
Yeah, he’s using me to get to his brother.
I bit back the retort, aware of Reed’s hand pressing into my side as if he could feel my simmering irritation. “I suppose there’s a first for everything.”
Lila’s smirk only widened. “Bold, aren’t we?” She chuckled, casting Reed a glance. “She’ll have to learn quick around here, won’t she?”
Reed’s jaw tightened, and he offered her a curt nod before steering me away.
But that didn’t stop me from feeling her eyes on me every step of the way.
“Stay sharp, Valentina,” he muttered under his breath. “Lila is a bitch. If Luca gives you to her…”
I didn’t bother replying, too busy cataloguing the faces around me, wondering how many of them would relish the chance to see Matteo’s fake wife fall.
My heart still clenched whenever I thought about him.
My Matteo.
I had to learn how to play the games here.
We moved through the crowd, Reed pausing occasionally to speak to people whose faces blurred together. People Caterina hadn’t enlightened me on.
Powerful men with cold eyes, women with mouths as lethal as their faces. I exchanged empty pleasantries, my smile tight as I tried to keep my expression neutral.
My patience was stretched thin at this point.
One man, heavyset with a silver ring glinting on every finger, watched me intently as he spoke to Reed. His name was Leon, if I remembered right, and he owned some sort of shipping business.
“Matteo wasted her. She got that look, Reed,” Leon murmured, not bothering to hide his leering gaze. “That fire in her eyes. She would have worked well if he allowed her be free.”
I held his eyes, unwilling to back down.
That only made his lips curl, clearly amused. “Better keep her in line, Reed,” he said with a chuckle, his eyes narrowing as if he were dissecting me. “Don’t want her getting… attached.”
Reed only inclined his head, giving Leon a tight smile before pulling me away once more. I exhaled, barely managing to keep my frustration.
Not to mention the fact that my hand hurt so badly.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” I hissed as we moved away from Leon’s sneering gaze.
“Just keep playing along,” Reed replied with an indifferent tone. “These people expect a certain… image from you.”
“Of course they do.”
Reed didn’t say anything to me after that.
We continued to weave through the party, making our rounds until my feet ached and my head pounded from the stress of keeping myself impassive.
I couldn’t afford to let my guard down here though.
Not with these many people.
Then, just as we turned the corner of the main hall, my heart skipped a beat.
There, in a secluded alcove, I saw him.
Luca.
I never thought about how much he looked like Matteo’s twin until now.
Draped across his lap, like some prized possession was Isabella.
My blood ran cold, my steps coming to a stop as I took in the sight. Luca sat with a causal arrogance, his hand resting possessively on Isabella’s thigh, his expression unreadable but somehow… satisfied.
Bastard.
Isabella, however, looked pale, her face a mask of blankness as she leaned against him. She looked like she was in somewhere else.
A flurry of emotions ripped through me… sorrow, rage, guilt. I wanted to scream, tear her away from him and punch his smug little face.
But I couldn’t.
Not here.
I was supposed to play a role, one that would help me get out of this nightmare of a place. Any outburst would ruin everything Reed had planned, but seeing Isabella like this, subjected to do this again made it unbearable.
Reed hand moved to my shoulder, squeezing tightly.
“Stay calm.” He whispered, his breath brushing against my ears.
I tore my eyes away from my sister, glaring up at him with all the fury I’d been suppressing. “You didn’t tell me she was here.” I hissed.
“I didn’t know,” he replied with a shrug. “Don’t lose control.”
I swallowed hard, nodding even when my entire body was tensed with the urge to act. Luca hadn’t noticed me yet, too preoccupied with whispering something into Isabella’s ear, his lips brushing against her skin as though they were sharing some intimate secret.
The sight was enough to make my stomach turn.
Reed tugged me forward, leading me away before I did something reckless. As we stepped into a quieter hallway, I pulled my arm free, turning towards him.
“How can you just stand there, watching this? She’s my sister!”
Reed’s eyes softened, just for a moment before the hardness returned.
“And that’s why you need to keep it together. I know this is hell for you, but losing control will only make things worse.”
I shook my head, clenching my fists so tightly I could feel my nails biting into my palms. “I don’t need your lectures, Reed. I just need to leave here.”
“We’re working on it,” he replied with a steady voice. “But if you blow this, Valentina, I can’t do anything anymore.”
I met his gaze, every part of me raging against the situation, but I knew he was right. One wrong move could ruin any chance of saving Isabella or myself.
“Fine,” I bit out, my voice filled with resentment. “Know this, Reed. If anything happens to her… you’ll be the first one I blame.”
Reed nodded, his expression unreadable. “Fair enough.”
I took a steadying breath, feeling the fury simmer just beneath my skin. It took every ounce of willpower to keep myself composed.
I had to stay steady.
“Good,” Reed said after a moment, his tone softer. “Now that you’ve gotten that out of your system, let’s go back before anyone gets suspicious.”
I forced myself to nod, following him back into the crowded room.
Everything within me wanted me to leave his side, to get my sister, to save ourselves from Luca’s, but I wouldn’t be able to do that on my own.
Heck, it would get me someone worse than Reed.
As we re-entered the main room, I cast one last glance toward the alcove where I’d seen Isabella and Luca. They were gone now, likely moved to some private space where he could continue to manipulate and control her.
I would find a way to get her back, to break whatever illusion of love Luca thought she held for him.
But for now, all I could do was wait, gather information, and play the part.
One more day.
Just one more day, and Luca would realize he had underestimated me.
And I’d make him pay for every moment of this twisted nightmare.