Page 21 of Heartless Sinner

All these girls were Havens—girls considered safe from becoming Fawns.

I sat just as Seraphina finished complaining about life with Enzo as a brother.

“So, where’s everyone headed for break?” Adelina asked the table.

“Calira.” I angled my spoon, checking my lip in the warped reflection. “The Tide Ball is this weekend.”

“The Tide Ball!” Adelina’s eyes lit up. “God, I miss going to those with you.”

“You can come with me if you want.” I perked up. “Seriously. Come with me.”

She smiled back, then slowly shook her head. “I wish. Dad already volunteered me for First Daughter duty.”

I nodded, pretending that didn’t sting in a million different ways.

Before the fallout between our fathers, Adelina had spent every Tide Ball with me. Now, President Byron wouldn’t even let her fly over Calira.

The table went quiet for a moment until thankfully, a server came to take orders.

“I’ll have the filet, medium rare, please,” I said, handing him my menu. “And a Caesar salad with no croutons.”

He took everyone else’s orders and left.

“What about you?” I asked Blair, trying not to sound as desperate as I felt. “Want to come see my homeland?”

Blair shot me an apologetic smile.

Dang it. Another no.

“Enzo already invited me to stay with his family.”

“I cannot wait,” Seraphina said around a squeal, clasping her hands together as gold Cartier bracelets chimed down her wrists, before smiling at me. “But I did tell my father Calira is on my go-to list. The beaches there are gorgeous.”

I smiled at her before pointing at Blair. “You sure you want to stay with Monster Marchetti? I don’t want to have to file a missing person report.”

“Excuse you! Rude!” Seraphina grabbed an ice cube from her water glass and tossed it at me. “Don’t make me bash those beaches now that I’ve already raved about them!”

I ducked, and it flew past my head.

“My father knows my friends are off-limits from his—” Seraphina paused, searching for the right word—“business.”

Business was a cute word for running one of the most feared Mafia families in the world.

Monster Marchetti was known by everyone but seen by few. Meeting him was something people actually bragged about.

Adelina nearly choked on her water. “Babe, I’ve literally met foreign dictators. Your father is scarier.”

Seraphina rolled her eyes. “Only because you don’t know him. In real life, he’s as sweet as pie.”

Gemma spread a thick layer of butter over another dinner roll. “That’s because you have him completely wrapped around your finger.” She glanced at Seraphina’s neon-green manicure. “Those nails are a federal crime, by the way.”

Seraphina flipped her off.

Gemma wedged her butter knife between two fingers, pretending it was her middle one. “Look, I love the man. He and my dad are the only men on earth I trust. But, yeah, he scares the shit out of people.”

“Like your father isn’t the same way,” Adelina pointed out to Gemma.

Gemma tore off another piece of her roll and popped it into her mouth.