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“Fair enough," Marco says, looking away as he clears his throat. "I guess we understand one another. We both want my sister to be happy.”
I resist rolling my eyes. He does likely want that, but he also wants to push his agenda. I've looked into him long enough to know that with the right firepower, he will be good at controlling his family. All the men he's worked with that have allied with Dracos have said they only stayed in the deals where Marcos was in charge. It also helps that Killian vouches for the man. His word means a lot. Eventually, this deal will make Melina happy, too. I've never considered a woman's feelings before, especially when it comes to my business. Then again, before Melina, I've never cared about a woman enough for it to warrant thought.
She's changed everything.
melina
“Why do I feel as if I'm being marched to my death?” I mutter under my breath.
Emilia laughs beside me. I didn't intend for her to hear me, but it’s not like it matters. That is exactly what I feel like. We waited the ten minutes as Antonio said. With each passing second of the clock my nerves multiplied. Now it feels like my stomach is churning and I’m a million miles above Earth, trying to prepare for a crashlanding that I can’t hope to survive.
“Stop,” Emilia admonishes, shaking her head. “You aren't fooling me.”
I stare at her. “I'm sorry? Fooling you? I'm not trying to fool anyone.”
She looks at me with disbelief, not listening to anything I say. “I'm not blind, you know. I saw how you lit up when Antonio came into the room, not to mention how you folded into him when he whispered to you. You're already in love with him.”
I have a moment of internal panic. Am I that easy to read? I don't even know what to think about my feelings. They are complicated, just like this situation. But I didn't want to broadcast them to everyone. I don’t really want Antonio to know. I’d like to find out how he feels about me first. That just seems…safer.
“You don't know that,” I respond defiantly. It only seems to make her more amused.
“I do know. Heck, I used to be you.”
“Yeah, right," I laugh and now it’s my turn for disbelief. The two of us are night and day. We’re as different as different can be. Besides that, I’ve seen how her husband looks at her. She’s crazy if she thinks there is anything similar about us.
“I was. Do you know that Niko and I were in an arranged married?” Emilia asks, watching my face closely.
“That's not completely unheard of. My brother Marco is in one of those,” I reason, refusing to tell anyone about my own arranged marriage. That’s too mortifying to share. There’s a chance that she might already know, but I’d just as soon not find out.
“You're right, but I was sixteen when the contract was drawn up. Even as I became increasingly attracted to Niko, I didn't want to marry him."
“Then, why did you?” I ask, needing to know what led to her changing her mind. Even if our stories aren’t the same, it might help me figure things out more.
Emilia looks down the hallway but seems a million miles away as sadness creeps into her face, pulling her mouth into a frown. I touch her arm gently.
“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry,” I tell her. "You don't have to tell me."
“No, I want to tell you,” she insists as we stop in front of an elevator door. "It might help clear your mind so you can listen to your heart."
“My heart is telling me to run,” I confess, swallowing down the lump of panic bubbling up in my throat. I hadn't meant to say that out loud, but if she's willing to help me, I might as well be honest.
The elevator opens silently as Victorio steps out to join us.
“Vic, go stand by the door. I want to talk to Melina alone for a second,” Emilia says as Vic sighs heavily.
“You're going to get me fired, Emmie.”
“If you don't help me out here, I might have to tell Angelina that I lied and you're not one of the good guys,” Emilia says, still smiling as she shrugs.
I must hand it to her, she knows how to play hardball with these guys. It's commendable and something I never had the courage to do around my father’s men. If I had, it probably would have gotten me killed.
“You wouldn't,” Vic says, staring her down.
“Probably not, but if you piss me off, the chance is still there.”
“You have two minutes,” Vic grumbles as he turns and walks towards the door.
Emilia smiles at his back, almost making me laugh despite feeling lost.
