Chapter 9

Aurora POV

By the time the banquet arrives, I’m ready—or at least that’s what I tell myself.

I smooth my dress, adjusting the delicate fabric while eyeing my reflection in the mirror. The necklace Leonardo gave me rests heavy around my neck, glittering beautifully under the soft light of my vanity.

I hate it.

I would have left it behind and pretended not to have remembered it if it wasn’t for Dominic texting me earlier this morning.

Put it on. Let him think he owns you.

That text had left a bitter taste in my mouth, but there was no room for argument. Not when he still had his blackmail hanging over me. So, against my better judgment, I fastened it around my neck.

Camilla, of course, had been reluctant to return it when we had arrived home that night, asking me if I really wanted to keep it. Sometimes I find it rather ironic that I had been the one offered up on the chopping block when it has been so damn clear to me that my step-sister would be more than happy to marry for money.

Unlike me, she doesn’t feel suffocated by the idea of being someone’s prize.

She’d worn the necklace every day since Leonardo gifted it to me, parading around the house in it as if it had been hers all along.

Camilla has always been more suited to a life of luxury than I am, anyway.

Sighing to myself, I gather my purse and head down to the entryway to wait for Leonardo to arrive. The moment I step outside, a car pulls up and parks right at the front entrance. The driver inside hops out and comes around the back to open the door for me.

The moment I get closer enough, I recognize two men sitting in the back.

Leonardo and Dominic.

The sight of them sitting side by side is almost unnerving. Funny how one represents my future—sad, lonely and inevitable while the other represents something far more dangerous.

I can’t decide which one is worse and which one is better. To me, they’re both equally heinous.

Dominic doesn’t say anything as I slowly slide into the car, his gaze barely flicking toward me before turning back to scroll on his phone. His father on the other hand wastes no time in slapping a hand over my thigh the moment the door is shut behind me.

His breath tickles the hairs on my neck as he leans down to whisper, “I’m glad to see you’re wearing my gift.”

I force a smile on my face and quickly turn to look out the other window.

I really hope this night goes by quickly.

The venue is extravagant just as I expected it to be.

Much like the restaurant, gilded chandeliers drip from the ceilings, casting a golden glow over the guests in their designer suits and gowns. Champagne flutes clink together as they’re passed around, laughter ringing through the grand hall while everything looks effortlessly elegant.

I feel completely out of place.

Because despite the refined atmosphere, beneath the surface lies nothing more than a meeting of criminals—a gathering of men who smile and shake hands while plotting ways to bury each other in the ground for good.

I force myself to keep my posture poised as I’m paraded around with Leonardo.

My father had drilled into me from an early age the importance of composure. Besides being painful, it had been a valuable lesson to learn, one that taught me if I appear weak or even show the slightest sign of hesitation, these people will eat me alive.

As expected, Leonardo treats me like a trophy. He keeps me at his side, a hand resting possessively on my back, as he introduces me to his associates, letting them all oogle me with barely repressed jealously.

Whatever reactions he wanted out of these people, he’s certainly achieved it.

I catch the stolen glances of the women around me too, the way their lips press into thin, knowing lines while I’m forced to play nice with their men. They don’t have to say anything for me to understand what they’re silently trying to say.

I already know what they’re thinking: another girl thrown into the fire.

The worst part is there is no escaping. Not until I finally get the chance to pull away from yet another exhausting conversation with the excuse of needing the restrooms.

In the back of my mind, I wonder where Dominic has wandered off to. Since parting ways with us at the start of the event, I haven’t seen any signs of him. I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, or if I should be concerned either way.

I’m sure whatever he’s planning, it can’t be good.

Moving quickly through the venue, I finally get out into an empty hallway and pull in a few relieved breaths of air. It won’t be long before I have to go back in there but at least I can take a few moments for myself to gather a brave face again.

Heading down the corridor, I take a right.

“Ah, look who it is.” A voice purrs. “The lovely Aurora.”

My steps falter.

Theo.

He walks over to me slowly, both hands jammed deep into his pants pockets. His eyes roam over my body the same way they did the night at the restaurant, like he wants to both eat me and condemn me.

“Running off so soon?”

“No.” I say. “Just going to the bathroom.”

He laughs. “Eager to get back to that old man? Tell me something, have you had a chance to be tied to his bed yet? I hear the girls he takes back there always come out looking a little rough.”

I grit my teeth and move around him.

I don’t have time for whatever games he’s playing, let alone stand here while he berates me for a choice I never got to make for myself in the first place. Being teased with the idea of having to be bedded by Leonardo is almost as bad as being blackmailed by his son.

“Oh, don’t be like that.” He says, following after me.

My steps are clipped as I try to hustle, to find any open door to duck inside and save myself from this humiliation.

“You should come find me when he can’t perform for you. Trust me, I’ll be more than happy to make sure you leave my bed a mess.”

I stop short, my hands curling into fists at my side as I whirl around. “I’m not going to do that.”

His eyes light up instantly. “Oh. She’s feisty under all of that makeup.”

Before I can blink, I’m suddenly backed up against the wall, pressed there as Theo leans in to place a hand right above my head. His other wanders along my arm, moving slowly in a teasing fashion that makes my skin crawl.

“Stop.” I tell him.

He chuckles, his fingers trailing over my chest. “Oh, come on, don’t act like you—”

That’s when I feel it. A presence—sudden, overpowering.

Before I can blink, Theo is ripped away from me.

Theo barely has time to react before colliding with the opposite wall.

The impact is brutal—his head snapping back and the breath knocked clean from his lungs as he crumples against the floor in a heap. He lets out a pained groan, barely moving from his spot on the floor.

I wince out of pure instinct but that’s as far as my sympathy for him goes.

When my head turns to the left, I catch sight of a familiar figure.

Dominic.