Valentina
I kept my eyes down, fighting the twitch in my fingers that begged to dig my nails into something… preferably Luca’s smug face.
We wove through the crowd, the voices around me now just a chaotic murmur.
I couldn’t wait to leave this place.
I held onto Reed’s hand, letting him guide me because the moment he let go was the moment I would fall apart.
Just one hour more and we would be done with this blasted party. I would have survive without losing it.
“Well, well. Look who couldn’t resist crashing a party.”
I froze, the familiar chill of his presence sinking into my spine.
I knew that voice.
Turning slowly, I met his eyes, the wolfish grin on his face making my blood boil. Luca strolled toward us, his green eyes glinting with amusement, every inch the predator savouring his prey.
“What do you want?” I hissed, not bothering to hide the hate I felt towards him.
“Nothing.” He chuckled, raising his hands up in mock surrender. “I just wanted to give you a little rumour flying around. About Matteo. The rumour has it that he’s found… other company.”
What the fuck?
What did he mean…
I clenched my fists, Reed’s hand on me my only anchor now as I listened to all the insults Luca threw at me about Matteo. I wanted to shout back, tear him down verbally but I knew that was what he was waiting for.
Luca’s grin grew darker, eyes flicking to the crowd who were pretending not to watch us and back to me.
“What did you expect, Valentina? A loyal fake husband? He’s already moved on… engaged actually. Did you think you mattered to him?”
My heart pounded in my ears, and I was sure my face was red now as a slow, icy rage rushed through me, clouding out every other sense.
Sure, Matteo hadn’t claimed me and forgotten his title for Luca.
Sure, he left me with this psychopath.
Matteo wouldn’t get engaged to someone else.
“You’re lying.” I hissed, feeling Reed’s grip tighten as I took a step forward.
“Lying?” Luca smirked, his eyes sparking with pleasure. “Why would I need to lie to someone as irrelevant as you?”
I had no idea how it happened.
One moment, Reed’s grip was keeping me steady and close to me. The next… a wine glass was in my hand, and I was gripping it tightly, feeling the stem tremble under the force of my hand.
I didn’t think.
I flung it straight at him, aiming of his smug, taunting face.
Luca ducked, his hand snapping up to catch the glass just in time. He raised an amused eyebrow, chuckling as if he had expected my fury.
“Spirit is still there,” he sneered, tossing the glass aside. “But I wouldn’t try that again. My methods of dealing with… threats aren’t nice.”
He wouldn’t harm me. Not more than he had already.
But the moment I felt Reed’s hand clamp down on my shoulders, pulling me back and whispering, I knew it was time.
“Valentina, we need to leave. Now.”
My brain screamed in protest. I wanted to go after Luca, unleash the violence within me on him.
But Reed wasn’t going to let me. His voice snapped me back to reality, his eyes darting around the room, taking stock of everything that would work against us.
So many men.
Luca’s men.
“Walk. Now.” Reed muttered, practically dragging me through thr crowd.
My heart pounded as I cast one last furious glance at Luca, who simply grinned as he watched us retreat. Like he knew we were planning to.
We were so close to getting the heck out of there, until…
Isabella.
I couldn’t leave without her.
“Reed,” I hissed, struggling against his grip. “I need to get Isabella.”
“Are you out of your mind? Luca’s men would be on us soon. You try to go back, and he’ll kill you.”
“Please, Reed.” I felt a flash of desperation, twisting under his grip. “I can’t leave her. I just need a moment. Cover for me, please.”
Reed cursed under his breath, glancing over his shoulder to where Luca was mingling, his eyes occasionally flitting back toward us.
He didn’t want the people at the party to know.
“Fine. But you have one minute. Do you understand? One.”
He loosened his grip, and before I could second-guess myself, I slipped back into the crowd, weaving through the bodies as quickly and discreetly as possible. My heart hammered as I slipped down a side corridor.
Luca was entertaining his guests.
He wouldn’t kill me here.
Finally, I reached a secluded room and pushed the door open.
There she was.
My sister.
She was sitting on a velvet chair, her face ghostly pale and eyes hollow. Just like when I saw her moments ago.
But seeing her now, so close, like this mare something in me snap. I rushed to her side, grabbing her hands.
“Isabella,” I whispered urgently, my voice breaking. “We have to leave. Now.”
Her eyes drifted to me slowly, almost as if I were some distant apparition.
“Valentina?” Her voice was faint, like she didn’t quite believe I was real.
“Yes, it’s me.” I fought the urge to shake her, to jolt her back to reality. “We don’t have time. We need to get out of here before Luca realizes…”
“Going somewhere?”
His voice cut through me like a knife, chilling me to the bone.
So close.
I turned slowly, dread filling my veins as I saw Luca standing in the doorway, a sly smile playing on his lips.
“You were so close so don’t let me stop you.” He stepped closer, blocking our escape, his eyes solely on me. “I would have let you go, but you just had to want to steal from me.”
I tightened my grip on Isabella’s hand, pulling her up as I met Luca’s gaze with as much defiance as I could muster. “She’s not yours, Luca. She never was.”
He laughed, a low, cold sound that made my stomach twist. “And yet here she is. I’d say that makes her mine, wouldn’t you?”
I took a step back, pulling Isabella with me, my mind racing. We were trapped, no way out, with Luca staring us down like we were prey.
Then his hand moved subtly, and I caught a glint of metal.
A gun.
He was going to shoot me.
Instinct took over. I pushed Isabella behind me, positioning myself as a shield between her and Luca. “You’re going to regret this,” I spat, trying to mask the terror clawing at my insides.
“Oh, I doubt that,” Luca replied smoothly, raising the gun. “You have no idea how much I enjoy watching you squirm.”
Just as his finger began to tighten on the trigger, a flash of movement caught my eye.
Reed.
He burst into the room like a whirlwind, tackling Luca to the ground before he could take the shot. The gun clattered from his grip, skidding across the floor. Luca’s snarl was muffled as Reed pinned him, throwing punch after punch.
“Valentina, run!” Reed’s voice was urgent, full of adrenaline as he fought to keep Luca down. “Get Isabella out of here!”
I grabbed Isabella’s hand, practically dragging her out of the room, my heart pounding as we stumbled down the corridor. Behind us, the sounds of the struggle faded, Reed’s voice and Luca’s curses echoing through the hall.
“Come on, Isabella,” I urged, panic surging as we rounded a corner. “We’re almost there.”
But as we neared the exit, a shadow shifted in the hallway, and one of Luca’s guards stepped forward, his eyes narrowing.
“Stop right there.” he barked, raising a gun aimed straight at me.
I froze, shielding Isabella as best I could, the cold barrel of the gun making my blood run cold.
This was it. I’d gambled everything to get her out, and now…
A gunshot shattered the silence.
For a split second, I thought it was over.
But then the guard stumbled, clutching his chest as he fell. Behind him, Reed stood with Luca’s gun in his hand, his face pale but resolute.
“Move!” he shouted, motioning us forward.
I didn’t need to be told twice. Gripping Isabella’s hand like a lifeline, I sprinted through the door with Reed close behind. We spilled out into the night, the fresh air hitting me like a slap as we fled into the darkness, not daring to look back.