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I smile at her. “I hear you, babe.”
She grins. “I know you do, but I’ll repeat myself until you take it to heart.”
I squeeze her hand in thanks as we round the corner and walk into Grandma’s living room, where the rest is already waiting for us.
Ares’s gaze drops to our joined hands, and he narrows his eyes. “Let go of my wife,” he warns, his tone unyielding.
Sierra stares him down. “She was mine before she was ever yours. You wanna fight me, bro? Who do you think she’ll back?”
I pull my hand out of hers and shake my head as I walk over to Ares, who instantly grabs both of my hands, holding them in his as he smirks at his sister.
“You’re both so childish,” I mutter as I glance around the room. We’re still missing Luca, and, of course, Dion, who’s in London.
Ares wraps his hand around my waist and leans in. “You know it’s your fault, right? You turn me into a childish, petty fool.”
I look up into his eyes and grin. “And it’s my greatest accomplishment.”
“Ugh, you two are so disgustingly cute together,” Lex says, groaning.
Zane grins when Luca walks in with Valentina, his secretary, and waves them over as we head into the dining room. Val smiles at me and rushes toward me. “Rave!”
I hug her tightly and then step back to assess her outfit. “I love this dress on you.”
She smirks at me. “I only wear the best of the best, and this designer? She tops them all.”
I chuckle as she twirls around in the dress I designed for her, a deep sense of pride settling in my chest.
“Kids,” Grandma calls, her eyes moving over all of us. “As you may have guessed, I have an announcement to make.”
We all tense, knowing that whatever it is, it’ll affect all of us. Grandma smiles, her gaze pausing on Valentina and Luca for a moment.
“Luca,” she says. His spine straightens, and he nods. “Your engagement has been decided.”
Both Valentina and Luca tense, and I watch them curiously. Their relationship has always intrigued me. She was assigned to him by Grandma, and he’s always hated her for it, yet she’s the only one he relies on. For years, I was certain love would bloom between them, but it never did.
“Who is it?” he asks, resigned.
“Natalia Ivanov, daughter of Nikolai Ivanov and heiress to an oil empire. Oil is an industry we have yet to enter, and this will be our in.”
“Natalia Ivanov?” he repeats. “The socialite? She’s a spoiled materialistic airhead.”
Grandma narrows her eyes at him. “She’s your soon-to-be fiancee. She’s a sweet girl, Luca. You’ll see.”
He grits his teeth and turns around without another word, his steps loud on the marble floor as he walks away, slamming the door behind him. Valentina stares at his retreating back, hesitating for a single moment before she goes after him. Grandma watches them and smiles to herself. Something about that smile doesn’t sit well with me. Is she… is she playing some kind of game? Surely not?
“Well,” she says, sighing. “That went about as well as I could’ve hoped for.”
“Ivanov?” Zane asks. “Really, Grandma? He’s right, you know. That girl is always throwing a tantrum in public, causing unnecessary drama. She’s in no way fit to become a Windsor.”
Lexington nods. “She’s a terrible fit for Luca,” he agrees. “He doesn’t have the patience for her kind of behavior.”
“Yeah, Grandma,” Sierra says. “This is… this is not a good idea.”
Grandma merely smiles and holds her hand up. “I took the liberty of having dinner served,” she tells us. “Let’s speak of this no more. Let’s eat, instead.”
We all exchange looks, none of us sure what to do or say. “Aren’t you worried?” I ask Ares. He smiles at me and shakes his head. “No,” he murmurs. “Grandma truly does know best.”
The way he looks at me makes the butterflies in my stomach go wild, and I can’t help but blush as I smile back at him.
