I stiffened.
Gianni's command was met with a flurry of movement as the guests quickly scattered to the other side of the ballroom. Vito and my stepfather hesitated for a moment before following too.
Now we stood alone in the middle of the elegant room.
The Devil and me.
As the last of the guests made it there, my mind spiraled into a vortex of fear.
My heart pounded so hard in my chest that I feared it might burst.
What had I just done?
The silence between us was deafening.
I could feel his eyes on me, burning into my skin, but I didn’t dare meet his gaze.
Instead, my mind raced with all the terrifying possibilities of what he might do to me now.
Would he punish me for my defiance?
According to Vito, he was a man who dealt with betrayal and disobedience with ruthless efficiency.
Torture, mutilation, death—these were his tools of control, and I had just openly defied him in front of his men, in front of his guests.
What if he decided to make an example of me?
I imagined him dragging me to the center of the ballroom, tearing the delicate fabric of my costume, and exposing my skin to the cold air and to his cruel hands.
Would he force me to my knees?
Make me beg for mercy that would never come?
My thoughts spiraled further into darkness.
What if he did something worse?
What if he took me right here, in front of everyone, to show them that I belonged to him now, body and soul?
The thought sent a wave of nausea rolling through me. I could almost feel his hands on me, rough and unforgiving, as he claimed what he believed was his by right.
Would he kill me afterward, my broken body discarded like a used plaything?
Or would he leave me alive, a shattered shell of a person, forced to endure whatever hell he had planned for me?
I felt the world closing in around me, the walls of the ballroom pressing down, suffocating me. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think beyond the fear that had taken root deep in my chest. My legs trembled, threatening to give out beneath me.
And then, something changed.
I forced myself to look up, to meet Gianni’s gaze.
What I saw there stopped the whirlwind of terrifying thoughts in their tracks.
His expression had softened.
The harsh, predatory lines of his face seemed to melt away, replaced by something almost—human.
The coldness in his green eyes even dimmed, replaced by a warmth that I hadn’t expected, a warmth that sent a confusing ripple of relief through my body.
