Page 20 of The Devil's Fire

I forced a tight smile as I looked at him with no intention of stepping closer to him. He looked unrecognizable with his greasy, shoulder-length hair, looking like he aged fifty years since the last time I saw him. His skin had a grayish tint, and his face was all wrinkled. He looked like he had been brought back from the dead.

“Althaia, look how you’ve grown. You’ve turned into such a beautiful woman.” My uncle said, his eyes glancing at my body and stopping for way too long on my breasts.

Fucking creep. I hope you die, you sicko.

Luckily, he tore his eyes away when Damiano and Lorenzo made an appearance, and my heart beat just a little faster.

He was even more breathtaking today. I bit my lip as I shamelessly checked him out; the way his muscular body looked in that dress shirt sent a steady pulse between my legs.

Then our gazes locked, and his eyes slowly traced a path down as I licked my lip. His intense stare quickly returned to mine, radiating a mesmerizing allure. I felt as if I were drowning in the captivating depths of his gaze.

“Gentlemen.” My father greeted them, and it took everything in me to look away.

Lorenzo gave a curt nod, and Damiano shook my father’s outstretched hand, keeping his face blank. I have come to learn that Lorenzo wasn’t much of a talker, but he was one of the most feared men, and I could see why. His huge build and the mysterious silence around him screamed like a deadly assassin to me.

“Dinner is almost ready. In the meantime, let’s head to my office and talk business.” My father led the way to his office.

Since they were going to talk business, I might as well make my way upstairs to Cara’s room. Before I had the chance to take a step, a hand squeezed my ass. I gasped and turned around to see who would dare to do such a thing. Shockingly, I was faced with my uncle. He winked at me before he quickly followed the rest of the men.

Nausea overwhelmed me.

I walked away as fast as I could with the need to sanitize my entire body. I rounded the corner towards the stairs when the most annoying high-pitched voice stopped me.

“Althaia, darling!” I winced at the voice. I spun around and saw Morella, my father’s wife, heading my way.

We haven’t officially met because, well, the engagement party didn’t exactly go as planned, and my father and I would meet up at neutral places like restaurants or coffee shops. I have been trying to avoid meeting her, but it looks like I couldn’t get out of this one now.

I wanted to like Morella, but I just couldn’t. One reason was because I had a hard time accepting she was with my father when I still wished my parents would find their way to each other.

The other reason was because of what I found out from Cara. Morella supported uncle in beating the crap out of Cara to instill discipline. I was not a violent person, but for that reason alone, I wanted to punch her in the face.

“Hello, Morella.” I put on a smile. She caught me off guard when she suddenly grabbed my shoulders and kissed both of my cheeks with big kissy noises.

“Darling, how are you? Oh, darling, look at you in that dress!”

I tried not to flinch as her voice went an octave higher for every word that came out of her mouth. Who uses the word darling so many times?

“I’m good, thank you.” I said, my eyes landing on her lips that had way too much filler in them. They were coated in a red lipstick, making it look like a giant butthole that was about to explode.

I snickered in my mind.

“Darling, have you had the chance to meet my son, Carlos?” Her lips stretched out in a big smile. I tried to keep my face neutral and not flinch at her voice. How was it possible to talk so high-pitched?

“Oh no, I haven’t seen him around so…” I tried to walk away, but she put her hand on my shoulder to stop me.

“Your father is always keeping him busy, darling. Even I barely get to see him nowadays.” Morella sighed.

“Oh well, gotta keep the business going, right?” I tried to leave again, but she kept talking, and I forced on a smile as I listened to her. I was sure I was going to suffer from tinnitus.

I glanced over Morella's shoulder while she babbled on about something I couldn't care less about and saw Cara. I had to stifle a laugh when Cara started making gag motions with her finger before she approached us. The sound of her heels clicking made Morella snap out of her rambling and face her.

“Cara, darling! Don’t you just look gorgeous!” She complimented. Cara did look stunning in her dress. The way it hugged into her waist and was tight around her hips, giving her the shape of an hourglass.

“Thank you, Morella.” She smiled as if she hadn’t just made gagging motions behind her back. “Is dinner ready yet?” Cara asked before Morella started her rambling again.

“Oh yes, I was about to get the boys. Be a darling and tell them dinner is ready.” She told us before heading back to the kitchen.

“Thank God she’s gone. I was about to break my own neck if you hadn’t come in time.” I said in relief and linked my arm with hers.

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