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People whispered my name, rumors spreading across the ballroom like smoke in the wind. Everyone knew my backstory. Every single detail of my life. Whenever our gazes met, they offered fake smiles.
“That’s Alexandrea Wellington,” a blonde woman said with her hand in front of her mouth, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye.
“She’s beautiful,” another woman commented. “But I heard she’s crazy like her mother.”
My cheeks flushed with heat.
“She’ll probably run like her mother,” a red-haired woman said about me, flicking her long locks over her shoulder. “The Salvatore men can’t keep the Wellington women around long enough to produce an heir.”
A pretty blonde in her late forties tipped her head back and laughed. “If she’s anything like her mother, she won’t last until the wedding day.”
I craned my ear to listen, but the loud orchestra music drowned out their voices. Men gawked at me, while women studied me with a mixture of curiosity and disdain. I knew when I wasn’t wanted somewhere. A lesson I had learned from my shitty parents.
Someone tapped a microphone. Everyone in the room turned toward the stage, where Arlo stood in front of a podium.
“On behalf of the Franco Foundation, I would like to thank you for coming tonight,” he said, his deep voice projecting throughout the ballroom. “Your support of the arts has kept my late wife’s legacy thriving for the past fifteen years. Tonight, I’ve asked all of you here to announce the new director of the Franco Foundation. Please help me welcome world renowned painter and fresco restorer, Madeline Laveau.”
A round of applause swept across the crowded room as a short, middle-aged woman with cropped brown hair climbed the stairs. She wore an elegant black gown that brushed her ankles. Glowing brighter than the sun, she took the microphone from Arlo.
Madeline was one of my idols.
She’d risen to notoriety around the same time as Evangeline Franco. They were both experienced painters, who were also skilled with frescoes. I’d wanted so badly to learn the techniques and would have given anything to study under a woman like Madeline.
After Madeline gave a quick speech, the crowd clapped again. Then she raised the microphone to her mouth once more. “I was very close with Evangeline Franco. She was an esteemed colleague and a dear friend. She used to say that a true artist can capture the very essence of a person with the swipe of their brush. That anyone who can expose a person’s flaws and see into the depths of their soul will forever be a legend in the mind of the viewer. There’s no doubt Eva was legend.”
More applause filled the room. Then she smiled as her eyes shifted to me. “For my first order of business as the director of the Franco Foundation, I would like to welcome our newest artist to the team. Someone who captures the spirt of Evangeline Franco in each of her paintings. Alexandrea Wellington, would you please join me on stage?”
My jaw nearly hit the floor.
She said my name.
My name.
Oh. My. God.
As my eyes filled with tears, I snapped my head to the right, knowing I would find all four Salvatore boys staring at me. They clapped with proud smiles on their handsome faces, even Damian, who usually looked like he wanted to murder me.
Luca had made it seem like I wasn’t qualified to recreate his mother’s paintings. I thought his hiring of Madeline meant I was out of the running.
I forced myself to move forward, my body on autopilot as I climbed the stairs and shook Madeline’s hand. None of this felt real. Like I was outside of my body watching myself perform the motions.
I didn’t have a speech planned. Thankfully, I didn’t have to give one. My heart pounded as I stared out at the crowd. Overhead lights heated my skin, the brightness blinding me.
“The Salvatores have a real eye for talent,” Madeline said into the microphone. “Just like Eva and myself, Alex is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. She’s a rising star, known for her devil-inspired paintings. The moment I saw her work, I thought of Eva. She would have been thrilled to let her future daughter-in-law recreate her notable works for the fifteenth anniversary celebration at the end of this year.”
Daughter-in-law?Who did she think I was marrying? Luca probably fed her a bunch of lies, so I would look like a fool if I married anyone but him.
Still in awe of this moment, I stood straight, unable to move, barely able to think. My heart pounded so loudly I wondered if Madeline could hear it trying to climb out of my chest. I kept my eyes on Luca and his brothers, attempting to steady my breathing. This wasn’t the life I had envisioned for myself. But maybe the Salvatore brothers weren’t so bad.
After Madeline said her final words, we spoke offstage, promising to meet next month to discuss my new job. This was too good to be true. Everything was finally falling into place.
Perfect timing.
My deviant boys were desperate for me to choose. To get me down the aisle. Luca would have done just about anything to win the game. My virginity, my hand in marriage.
I lost sight of the Salvatores.
They were in the ballroom one minute and gone the next. With the room packed, it was hard to see through the sea of people. Though, I could always find my devils.
