Page 89 of The Devil's Fire

“Isn’t that how you make new friends?”

“I don’t need new friends.” I retorted. Alexei threw his head back and let out a big laugh, attracting some attention to us.

“You know, you remind me a lot of a lady friend I had back in the day. Well, she was more of a lover than a friend.” He chuckled, and I didn’t know if I should be disgusted by this man telling me I looked like one of his lovers.

“Well, where’s your lover now?”

“She got married.” He shrugged.

“Huh, I see. That must have sucked.”

“Ah, yes. She broke my heart and left me.” Alexei clutched his chest and put on a dramatic expression to show how much it hurt him. “But she couldn’t stay away from me, and we had some fun even though she was married.” His blue eyes twinkled as he remembered back to those days.

“Why couldn’t you just be together if you cared for each other that much?” I asked, now intrigued. It was like hearing about a sad romance movie.

“It’s the things we love the most that destroy us. We were never meant to be.” Alexei finished his drink. “We drove each other crazy, but she will always be my Solnishko.”

“Althaia.” My name was called, and I saw Damiano practically storming towards me with Antonio and Luca behind him.

“Bellavia! So good to see you again.” Alexei stood up, but Damiano was not having it as he had a murderous glare on his face directed at the Russian in front of me. Damiano stopped in front of Alexei threateningly, andthe few men behind Alexei shifted, now on guard.

Antonio’s touch was gentle yet firm, as he positioned me between himself and Luca, a silent show of protection. Glancing at Damiano and Alexei, I hoped they wouldn’t start pulling out their guns.

“I was just having a friendly chat with the lady. I did not know she was with you.” Alexei chuckled and didn’t seem to be fazed by Damiano’s threatening demeanor. Alexei turned to leave but then stopped and looked back at me with a sincere expression. “You reminded me of good times, Althaia. Thank you.” Then he left with his men following him.

Damiano was still looking at Alexei’s retreating figure and when he was out of sight, he turned to me.

“Let’s go to our seats. The auction is about to start.” He held me by my waist and led me to a different hall.

“Is something wrong?” I asked Damiano. Alexei didn’t do anything besides chatting with me, and he didn’t seem to pose any threat.

“No.” He replied calmly and walked us to our table. Damiano pulled out the chair for me, and I looked at him once he was also seated. Antonio and Luca joined our table as well.

“He was nice.” I said quietly.

“He’s not. Stay away from him.” He slightly frowned and placed his arm on the backrest of my chair. The way Damiano had reacted and the men that were present had me thinking that Alexei Vasiliev might be a mob boss.

I was about to ask another question when the lights dimmed. A man in a burgundy tuxedo took to the stage, standing in front of the wooden podium with a microphone in hand.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to this year’s auction. We are very pleased to see another year with a full house…” He carried on with his speech and did a recap from last year’s auction. “Let us not wait any longer and have a look at our opening item.”

The first thing that was auctioned was a Matisse painting. Art was my passion, but I struggled to grasp the artistic vision behind his paintings.

“… Do I hear a hundred thousand dollars?”

“For that painting?” I whispered in shock.

“Do you like it?” Damiano asked. I shook my head.

“And definitely not at that price.” I muttered.

“Six hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the lady in the back. Going once… going twice… Sold!” A round of applause filled the banquet.

It all went fast. Each time an item was sold, another was immediately put up for sale and was sold in no time. The idea of bidding crossed my mind when I learned we were going to an auction, but the amount of money they were talking about had my eyes bulging. All I could afford was to leave.

“So, this is what you rich people do in your free time?” I asked. These people were throwing money on paintings like it was some mindless change.

“Yes. It’s a nice way to remind people how much money and power you possess.”

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