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I jumped, startled that he’d spoken His voice was deep and cal but? “No,” I admitted “My father did”

Luca’s jaitched I couldn’t read hily nervous He reached into the inside of his jacket and for a ridiculous second I actually thought he was pulling a gun on me Instead he held a black box in his hand He turned toward me and I stared intently at his black shirt Black shirt, black tie, black jacket Black like his soul

This was a moment millions of women dreamed off, but I felt cold when Luca opened the box Inside sat a white gold ring with a big diainally smaller diamonds I didn’t move

Luca held out his hand when the aardness between us reached its peak I flushed and extended my hand I flinched when his skin brushed er, then released me

“Thank you,” I felt obligated to say the words and even look up into his face, which was ih the sary Had I done soh it, letting hi rooh with eer if that were the case

When we stepped into the dining room, the women of ht female company Maybe because they didn’t trustwomen into our house

I couldn’t blame them I wouldn’t trust my father or the Boss either Luca dropped his arm and I quickly joinedGianna gave me a look I didn’t knohat my mother had threatened her with to keep her silent I could tell that Gianna had a scathing coue I shook my head at her and she rolled her eyes Dinner was a blur The men discussed business while o on ht, entirely too much Luca had marked me as his possession

After dinner the e to drink and smoke and discuss whatever else needed to be discussed I returned to my room, but couldn’t fall asleep Eventually, I put a bathrobe over my pajamas, slipped out of my room and crept downstairs In a fit of craziness, I took the passage that led to the secret door behind the wall in the lounge My Grandfather thought it was necessary to have secret escapes in the office and the fireplace lounge because that’s where the s I wondered what he thought would happen to the woe?

I found Gianna with her eyes pressed against the peephole of the disguised door Of course, she was already there She whirled around, eyes wide but relaxed when she spotted me

“What’s going on in there?” I said in a bare whisper, worried the e would overhear us

Gianna h the second peephole “Alone Father and Cavallaro have details to discuss with Salvatore Vitiello It’s only Luca and his entourage now”

I squinted through the hole, which gave me a perfect view of the chairs crowded around the fireplace Luca leaned against the lass of Scotch in his hand His brother Matteo lounged in an arrin on his face Cesare and the second bodyguard they’d called Ro dinner sat in the other are of Matteo, so around eighteen Barely men by society’s standard, but not in our world