“They are fine,” Ginny gives my arm a reassuring squeeze. “You don’t need to worry.”
“What if something is wrong?” I hold onto my flute tightly. “Maybe I should check on him.”
I start to take a step, but Ginny pulls me back. “Maria, I love you, but there’s nothing you can do to stop them if they’re in some kind of standoff.”
She’s right.
Matteo and Dario walked out of the ballroom almost twenty minutes ago, and they have not returned. Daniele had also done his own disappearing act, blending into the sea of people without a trace. I wanted to speak with him, hoping to reason some sanity back into him.
“Here,” she takes my flute from my hand, “let me get you another one.”
I don’t need one, but I let her go to the bar. I stand at the edge of the ballroom, watching the people milling around and mingling. It’s so strange to see criminals, politicians, and mafia bosses all moving within the same space. But I guess they all have one thing in common—the greed for power.
It’s all a game to them. Seeing who can overpower who to get to the very top. They all want to sit at the high table, but very few manage to make it there.
I bite down on my lip and look at the door where Matteo walked out. Where is he?
I’m so lost in thoughts of my husband that I don’t notice him until he’s right beside me—and a chill runs down my spine.
“My, my. Don’t you look ravishing, Mrs. Davacalli?” His chilling voice reaches my ears, and I whip to the side so fast I lose my footing.
His hand darts out, grabbing my elbow to steady me. “Careful now, wouldn’t want you to break something.”
“Giacomo,” I say his name under my breath as if it is a name that should not be uttered. “Let go of me.”
I rip my arm from his hold and step back. I glare at him, wishing my glare could melt him with the heat radiating from my pupils.
“So rude.” He presses a hand over his chest, feigning offense. “No, thank you. A lady of status should know manners.”
I don’t speak. I simply stand there, toe to toe with the monster trying to take down my husband and have me killed.
“You look lovely tonight, cara mia.”
“Fuck off, Giacomo.” I apply as much venom to my words. “I’m sure you’re aware that my husband is here. It’s best you walk away before he comes back.”
“Then he never should’ve left you unattended in the first place.” He places his hands in his pockets. “Sharks lurk around every corner.” His eyes dance over my body in a rather provocative way.
“Walk away,” I murmur, keeping my voice steady.
Giacomo chuckles, the sound low and amused. “Now, now, is that any way to treat your elders? Remind me again, how old are you?”
I scoff. “Go to hell.”
“Can I take you with me?” He’s like a mosquito—persistent and poisonous.
I hold steady. Where the hell Ginny has gone? I know Giacomo won’t try anything with me here, but still, being this close to him sends me over the edge.
The violinists change their tune to a waltz piece, and the dance floor fills with various couples moving to the soft melody.
His eyes gleam with something unreadable. “May I have this dance?”
I shake my head. “Not a chance.”
Giacomo tuts under his breath. “I insist.”
Before I can react, he reaches out, his fingers curling around my wrist—not tight enough to hurt, but firm enough that resistance is useless. He pulls me toward the dance floor, leading me effortlessly into a waltz before I can even protest.
He places my free hand on his shoulder, and I give in and accept the dance. I could easily scream bloody murder, but I am aware of what tonight is for. Matteo and I are meant to be putting up a front of an unshakeable partnership. I need to exude the role of the strong and capable wife.
The room spins slightly as I move with him, my heartbeat thrumming in my ears. Every so often, my eyes dart around the room in search of my husband.
Where are you, Matteo?
“You’re tense,” he observes, his voice smooth. “Relax, Maria. People are watching.”
I grit my teeth. Bastard.
I force my body to move with his, keeping my expression neutral. I won’t give him the satisfaction of rattling me.
The music swells, and Giacomo’s grip tightens slightly as he leans in. “Tell me something,” he muses. “Are you happy, cara?”
I stiffen. “Excuse me?”
“In your marriage,” he clarifies, his lips curling into something dangerously close to mockery. “Is Matteo everything you dreamed he would be?”
I don’t answer.
He tilts his head slightly, his voice dropping into something lower, more cryptic. “You know, it’s quite pathetic—the way he plays the devoted husband now.”
His thumb brushes the back of my hand. “Almost makes you forget what kind of man he really is.”
I swallow hard, keeping my expression unreadable. “My marriage is none of your business.”
“Oh, on the contrary, I think it is.” He shoots me a wicked grin. “I was shocked to learn that he was in search of a new bride for his—oh, excuse me—my son. Only to be even more shocked when I learned that he married you instead.”
“What point are you trying to get to, Giacomo?” My voice exudes the confidence I don’t have.
Giacomo chuckles under his breath. “I see you are an impatient one. But do you ever wonder why Davacalli—arguably one of the most influential crime bosses in the state—would want to align himself with your family? No offense, of course. But you had nothing to offer him that he didn’t already have. So why, oh why, would he arrange a marriage?”
I clench my jaw. I don’t want to admit it out loud, but these questions did play in my head in the very beginning. “I know exactly why he married me.”
“Do you?” His voice is a taunt now, curling around me like smoke. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like a man trying to bury his guilt.”
I keep moving, keep swaying to the music, but his words sink their claws into me.
He watches my expression carefully, reading every flicker of emotion I try to hide. “You’re smart, Maria. Surely, you’ve asked yourself why Matteo was so adamant about making this marriage happen. The man needed nothing from you— fuck, with the kind of wealth he’s sitting on, he could have any woman he wants. So why you? Why your family?”
I want to shove him away. I want to turn and walk off this dance floor and pretend none of this is happening. But I don’t. Because he’s not finished yet. His grip on me tightens, and he pushes me into his body.
Giacomo’s smirk deepens as he reaches into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. “Consider this a wedding gift,” he murmurs, bringing his lips right to my ear. He slips something cold and hard into my palm.
A flash drive.
My pulse spikes as my fingers curl around it.
“I think this will answer all the questions that you just can’t seem to figure out.”
A sharp breath leaves me. I stop moving. My body locks in place.
Giacomo pulls back slightly, his eyes filled with something sinister. “Be careful who you lie with, cara mia. You could be sleeping with the devil and not even know it.”
His eyes flick over my shoulder before cutting back to me. “Looks like our dance is over. Until next time, Mrs. Davacalli.”
And then he releases me, stepping away as if nothing happened. The music continues, the world moves around me, but I can’t move. My feet feel rooted to the dance floor, my fingers gripping the small device as if it might disappear.
My heart pounds, my mind racing with the weight of what just happened. His words play in my head over and over again like a broken record.
I don’t even register Matteo’s approach until his voice cuts through the fog.
“Maria.”
I blink, my head snapping up to meet his gaze. His expression shifts instantly—his sharp eyes scanning my face, reading the tension in my body.
He steps closer, lowering his voice. “Are you okay? What did he want?”
I swallow the lump in my throat, forcing myself to school my expression. “Nothing. He was just being weird and trying to get in my head.”
His jaw tightens, but then, when his eyes take in my face, his gaze softens. “You look pale. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” I lie smoothly, slipping the flash drive into the folds of my dress. “It’s just been a long night. And Giacomo showing up just bubbled up some not-so-great memories.”
Matteo doesn’t look convinced. His fingers brush against my elbow, grounding me. “Come.”
He leads me off the dance floor, toward a quieter corner of the ballroom. The moment we stop, he turns to me fully, his hands on my waist. “Tell me.”
I shake my head. “There’s nothing to tell.”
Matteo exhales sharply, his grip tightening. “Maria, I need to know if—”
“I said I’m fine, Matteo.” My voice is sharper than I intended, but I can’t afford for him to see through me right now. Not when my thoughts are still tangled in Giacomo’s words.
Matteo studies me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, finally, he lets out a slow breath, running a hand through his hair. “I will not fail you.”
I blink. “What?”
He steps closer, his voice lower, rougher. “I failed once. I won’t fail again. With Emily… I should’ve seen it coming.”
He meets my eyes, unwavering. “I know you said you’re fine—that you’re all right—but I’m your husband. My first duty is to protect you. And I won’t let you walk into danger ever again.”
I stare at him, my chest tightening. There’s something raw in his expression—something that makes my heart ache.
I exhale, forcing a small smile. “You won’t.”
He watches me for a moment longer before nodding slightly. And just like that, the moment passes.
“Let’s go home.” He presses his lips against my forehead in the sweetest of gestures. “I think we proved our point being here. Dario and Ginny are leaving, too.”
Matteo leads me out of the gala, his hand firm on my lower back as we move through the crowd. The weight of the evening settles over me as we step into the car, the city lights flickering past the tinted windows.
But my thoughts are somewhere else. Giacomo’s words echo in my mind.
Be careful who you lie with.
I stare at the flash drive resting in my palm, my fingers curling tighter around it. I’m unsure if I’m more afraid of what’s on it or what it might change. Caught between the urge to destroy it and the need to know what it’s hiding.
The question is: Am I ready for what’s inside—and will I ever be? And once I see it, could it change everything I’ve come to know and love about the man sitting beside me?
