AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Oh yes, I did remember. Julian had insisted on a very boring stuck up affair when all I wanted to do was go to the clubs with my mates. I had been able to invite my friends from school. But even they had looked bored. Sure, they'd enjoyed the idea of going to a fancy ball, but they thought they'd get to hear Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift. They didn't think they'd be subjected to an orchestra that refused to play anything modern.
The night was a disaster. But yes, we had danced.
Julian held out his hand. "Come on, Nissa. You always have to be aware of how things look. How they're being perceived."
I frowned at him. "Of course, because that's the only thing that's important, right?"
When he took me in his arms, moving me easily through the crowd, I fell into step with him. I'd been taught to dance at school. I thought it was completely useless because it felt like one of those finishing school type activities and when I would much rather have been in my books, obviously. But as we danced, it afforded me the chance to check out the room properly. Westin was by the bar, in the corner. Looking like, well, like a bodyguard. Amelia was moving through the floor, looking every bit like the party goer. She was sipping champagne, talking animatedly. She looked so comfortable. How did she do that?
As my father spun me around and around, I felt something inside of me soften. For just a moment, I could almost imagine he was a real father, someone I could trust and turn to for advice. I was so wrapped up in the illusion, the fantasy of this moment, that I almost believed it.
But then, just as quickly as the dream had come, it was gone. Out of nowhere, a large man with a flat face and a sloping forehead stepped forward and whispered something into my father's ear, and suddenly the image faded away as quickly as it had come.
He stopped our dance and seized my hand, yanking me to his side. In a dangerous and bitter tone, he hissed, "Our presence is being requested. When we enter this room, say nothing. Do you understand?"
I nodded quickly, my mouth going dry. "What's happening?"
He remained silent as he cast a signal of acknowledgment over his shoulder. Westin fell into step behind us. With each step, I could feel my heart pounding, my pulse racing as I remembered the wire I wore beneath my clothes. Amelia must have heard it too, and she was warning her team about something going off script. This was definitely not part of the plan.
We were led up the ornate, winding staircase to the upstairs level. There were some guests mingling about, in and out of balconies, but not many. And then we were led down a hallway. It was just as beautifully decorated as it was downstairs, with art and beautiful decorations on the wall, and our shoes made a clopping sound on the marble floor.
At the end of the hall to the right, a mountain of a man opened the door and stepped aside to let us in.
Except he barricaded Westin's way. "Just those two."
Westin scowled, looking up as if assessing if he could take him.
I'd always known Westin was a bodyguard. But there was something about the intensity in his eyes that screamed, ‘Oh no, he is absolutely dangerous.’ It reminded me of that day up in Angel. He’d been all business, not the Westin I was used to seeing.
When we were led into the room, there were several men already there, and my heart stopped.
By the fire, sitting in one of the ornate high-backed chairs of red leather trimmed in gold weave, sat an all-too-familiar man.
Amelia had shown me how the glasses worked. In essence, I didn't have to do anything except turn them on and wear them. I knew they were getting this, and of course they were listening in. They were getting all of this on a recording, and they knew he was there.
"You brought a little girl to a meeting, Montgomery?"
My father remained unfazed. "Well, considering this little girl's life has been affected by your movements, yes, I brought her so you can see she's still alive despite your best attempts. You had your goons break into my daughter's flat. That's going too far. Families are untouchable."
Igno pushed up from his seat. "How dare you speak to me this way? I set the rules. And if one of you has transgressed, I can break any rule I see fit to rectify it."
I could tell that he was a man used to being in power. A man used to getting his way.
My father stood his ground, which surprised me. "You have no power here, Igno, unless you have that ledger in your hands. In which case, you know, I'll wait. If you can produce it, then by all means."
Igno lifted a brow. "You play a dangerous game, Julian."
"No. You crossed a line. My daughter is off-limits. Understand that. What you did means war. How do you think the Syndicate will feel?"
Igno stalked closer. The other men in the room exchanged glances as if concerned that the meeting would erupt into violence.
"You will watch your tongue with me, Montgomery. You think you can threaten me? The Syndicate knows I have their best interest at heart. I believe in business and money. Right now, you think I'm weak, but at some point, I shall be strong again and then you will regret your choice of words." Igno turned his attention on me. "If I were you, young lady, I would get as far away from your father as fast as possible. Because he is going to get you killed. Now, Julian, log your name in so that our friends know you were in attendance tonight."
My father marched me over to the massive desk in the corner, and he signed his name in something that looked like some kind of guest book. I didn't know what it was. But I made sure my glasses caught the list of names even as my father signed.
Another man with a thick shock of white hair and light brown skin stalked forward. "We do not have time for your petty squabbles."
Igno turned on him. "Petty? My ledger's gone missing. And Montgomery here is the last man to have seen it. We have unfinished business."
