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I suck in a breath and immediately try to pull away.

His grip tightens, but not enough to hurt me. While holding eye contact, he turns my palm upward, his thumb brushing across the center of it.

The simple touch sends another wave of heat through me. What is happening?

He slowly lifts my hand before bringing it to his lips. He presses a lingering kiss to the center of my palm, then lets his mouth trail to the inside of my wrist, placing another slow kiss against my skin.

The strange electricity explodes through me again. My breathing becomes uneven. My pulse pounds wildly in my ears.

What is wrong with me? Why am I reacting like this? This is Roman. I hate him.

I wrench my hand out of his grip as though he’s burned me. He lets me go this time.

Without saying a word, I turn around and run back upstairs.

Chapter 5

Roman

I watch Aurora scramble away from me, her dress swirling around her curves as she disappears into the crowd. Even embarrassed and furious, she looks breathtaking.

Earlier, when she first stepped into the ballroom wearing one of the dresses I had personally chosen for her, I had to remind myself how to breathe.

She looked drop-dead gorgeous. The dress hugged every delicious curve like it was made for her body, and it was. Her brown hair was swept into an elegant updo, accented with jewelry that caught the light with every movement. She took my breath away.

Then I saw her crying in the corner, and I nearly lost control. I knew those tears were for that worthless piece of shit, Luca. The idiot who never deserved her.

From what I saw when I hacked his phone, he’d been dipping his dick into every available woman. He was cheating on her the entire time, but she still refuses to believe it. She still refuses to accept that she’s mine now.

It doesn’t matter. Whether she accepts it or not, she’s going to be my wife. It’s only a matter of time before she comes around.

Sergei walks up and stops beside me, watching Aurora’s retreating figure.

“What did you say to your new fiancée to make her run away like that?” he asks, amusement lacing his tone.

I growl under my breath. “She’ll be fine.”

He studies me for a long moment. “I know I’ve asked this before, but… why her? Why not Audrey anymore? This switch could have easily started a war.”

“And I would have gladly gone to war for her,” I reply without hesitation.

Viktor looks at me strangely. “I’ve never seen you like this. A few weeks ago you were fine with marrying Audrey. Now, suddenly, you don’t want her at all. What changed?”

“Nothing changed.” I glance toward the far side of the ballroom where Aurora has disappeared from sight.

“I’ve simply chosen the right one.”

He exhales through his nose, clearly unconvinced, but wise enough not to press further.

Just then, the lights in the ballroom dim slightly. Lorenzo steps onto the small stage with a microphone. The crowd quiets as he begins speaking.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us this evening. It is with great pleasure that we announce the engagement of Roman Sokolov, Pakhan of the Sokolov Bratva, to my daughter Aurora Moretti.”

Murmurs ripple through the room. I feel eyes on me, some curious, some shocked. But they quickly recover.

Lorenzo gestures toward the grand staircase. “Please welcome the bride-to-be, my daughter, Aurora.”

All eyes turn.