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Ivanna shook her head at Henri, but then tried to calm me.“You can relax,” she promised. “There are no paparazzi here, besides this is a private event.” Ivanna waved around at the crowd, whose darting eyes glanced in my direction.
She was wrong.
I quickly realized how the guests at The Met were no different than the wolves outside. Sure, there were no flashing cameras or screaming questions, but there was something worse, more subtle to the untrained eye.
Whisperedgossip.
And to assure myself that I wasn’t just paranoid, I reminded myself of the very entity who cohosted this event:New York Prestige Magazine.
Of course there’d be gossip, these people thrived off of it, and here I was, a part of the juiciest story they’ve had all year. As I turned to face Henri, I caught a glimpse of a bright silk dress, vibrant red like blood.
“Shit,” I muttered.
“What is it?” Dean followed my eyes, tapping his umbrella.
It was Camilla.
She glared in my direction, making another woman laugh as she whispered into her ear. I tried not to stare as her dark eyes dared me to approach her from across the room. Dean seemed to notice as I turned away.
“Just saw an unhappy face is all…” I replied, trying to play it off.
“Lady in red?” Ivanna questioned.
“Is it obvious?”
“She’s giving me sea witch vibes.” Dean shivered, but Henri rolled his eyes. “What? That’s not a bad thing. It just means Gemma’s popular. Anyone worthwhile has haters.”
“Gemma has been scandalized, and people are only staring because they’re jealous,” Ivanna waved.
Camilla viciously stared me down one final time before disappearing into the crowd, leaving me more intimidated than I already was.
“It’s not a reputation I’m proud of,” I admitted, toying with the fake jewels hanging from my ear. “I’d rather be known for who I am, not for what happened.”
“Well, I’m jealous,” Dean shrugged. “Not only did you nab one hunk, but another, as well.”
“Elegance, Dean.” Henri said, annoyed.
“What? The whole world wants to know who the sexy man is! Gemma is safe to tell us, she knows that!” Dean looked at me, blinking as if Henri was crazy, wanting to grab the one secret that left even New York Prestige in the dark. Ivanna shot a daring look, probably knowing the answer herself, but begging me not to say.
For whatever reason, Camilla hadn’t revealed Parker’s name. It was me she hated, not Parker, and the fact that she spared him from such scrutiny left me wondering if she still had feelings for him.
“Safe to tell you what?” The question tingled along my bare shoulders, as I turned around.
Everyone gasped, as for once we were greeted by an unusually happy and formally dressed Alejandro.
Chapter43
Gemma
“Well, hello…” my greeting barely left my lips before Alejandro leaned in for a hard kiss. He pressed into me, his tongue tasting far sweeter than before, layered with velvety spice.
“How are we?” he rasped. I smiled and reached for my lips, feeling the throb that he left. He certainly was more joyous than before, his kiss sweet like oak and chocolate.
“I’m good.” I answered, taking note that he’d been drinking. He smelled likeDon Jefe.
“You certainly are.” Henri chimed in, adjusting his glasses, observing Alejandro’s new look. He hummed in approval, not hesitating to tug the fabric of Alejandro’s jacket. “I’m impressed… it certainly meets my expectations, Gemma.”
“She did good, didn't she?” Alejandro ran his arms along the sleeve.
