She Entered The Wrong Bedroom At A Billionaire Gala — Then Woke Up Next To Chicago’s Most Feared Mafia Boss With A Ring On Her Finger.
PART 7
Dominic removed his hands.
“You are right.”
I blinked.
Men like Leo never admitted that.
Men like Dominic, I had assumed, admitted even less.
“When this is finished,” he said, “you will be free. Until then, I will do everything necessary to keep you alive.”
“Even if I hate you for it?”
“Especially then.”
That evening, we attended a private dinner at the Arcadia Club, a marble-and-glass restaurant overlooking the Chicago River.
The moment we stepped from the armored car, cameras flashed.
Dominic kept one hand at my waist. I remembered our rehearsals, smiled up at him, and placed my palm against his chest.
“Convincing,” he murmured.
“I coordinated corporate weddings for six years. I can manufacture romance between people who have not spoken since dessert tasting.”
“Comforting.”
Inside, the dining room was filled with politicians, business owners, union leaders, and men whose expensive suits could not hide what they were.
Whispers followed us.
Some people looked shocked.
Others looked at my body and smirked as if they understood why a man like Dominic might desire me but could not imagine why he would respect me.
Then Victoria Marino entered.
She was tall, striking, and dressed in silver. Her beauty was polished into something sharp enough to draw blood.
Four guards followed her.
She stopped beside our table and looked at me.
“So this is Harper.”
Dominic remained seated.
“Good evening, Victoria.”
She ignored him.
“I expected someone more impressive.”
I smiled.
“I expected someone less predictable.”
Dominic’s thumb moved across my knuckles beneath the table.
Victoria’s eyes narrowed.
“You were serving drinks in his house three days ago.”
“I was managing the people serving drinks. Details matter.”
“Not in the world you have entered.”
“They matter in every world. That is why your family’s plan failed.”
The room went silent.
Dominic turned his head toward me.
Victoria’s face hardened.
“You have no idea what you’re discussing.”
“I know enough to understand that insulting my dress size is not going to restore your engagement.”
Her gaze dropped pointedly to my body.
“Dress size? I was wondering whether Castelli had lost his judgment or merely developed an unusual appetite.”
The insult found an old wound.
For one heartbeat, I was back in my apartment with Leo laughing at my stomach.
Then Dominic stood.
He did not raise his voice.
“If you insult Harper again,” he said, “you will leave this building without the protection of my name or yours.”
Victoria took a step back.
“She is nothing.”
“She is the woman standing beside me.”
His arm encircled my waist.
“That makes her more than anyone who arrives here to threaten her.”
Victoria’s composure cracked.
“My father will never accept this.”