Page 136 of Heart of a Villain

This man was a poet only for her.

He was sweet and kind only to her and their friends. Because, when she returned to the dining room, and the extra woman at the table was introduced as Lorenzo’s mother, she found herself beginning to understand the man behind the lore.

Adrían was her love.

Gano the Enforcer was about to serve Lorenzo and his mother Rafael’s corpse for dinner as part of their beef stew.

The table rose to their feet when he entered.

Lorenzo’s ascent was slower, and Alessandra’s face said she didn’t know who the newcomer was, but she was interested in finding out as soon as possible. The rest of the Chamas constituency paled in comparison to Adrían, and on their best days, none of them would ever come close.

Chefe gave introductions.

Gasps rose.

Heads flung around.

All the while, Sayeda instructed the kitchen staff to set bowls in front of everyone at the table.

Adrían motioned with his hands for them to calm down and take a seat, and they all did so. At that moment, it was easy to see why Chefe preferred him in that role, at the head of the table, over Lorenzo. Adrían was intelligent, attractive, and alluring. Lorenzo’s appeal came from his loyalty, but these people hadn’t seen Adrían in over ten years. However, it didn’t seem to matter in the slightest.

They demolished their appetizers.

The main course was served in decorative bowls, all of them patterned in blue except for Adrían’s. With him being the guest of honor, they gave him an all-white bowl with a pure gold charger. And, as the room devoured the Carne Moida, she couldn’t help but watch in equal awe and disgust.

As they ate, Adrían studied every last one of them with a smile on his face that she, for a split second, found terrifying herself.

Lorenzo had shifted his focus from her to Adrían. Unfortunately, so did Alessandra. It was the quickest she’d ever seen a woman whip out a pair of breasts and expose her legs in front of her new husband, not that Lorenzo would have noticed. She tried to imagine Tayler flirting with someone like Lee with Gage sitting nearby, and she had to rein in a laugh.

Tayler would never.

She felt someone looking at her, and when she turned, Adrían directly sent her one of his threadbare, sinister little smiles. When she went to smile back, she noticed Lorenzo watching them, so she dipped her head instead.

They raved about the main course.

They raved about dessert.

The room cleared until it was solely the higher-ups that remained, and she brought the aperitifs while they discussed where Adrían had been and what he’d been doing.

She placed his in front of him, but as she went to walk away, he grabbed her forearm.

“Chefe,” he called. “I want this one.”

Lorenzo shot up out of his seat. “Look, I understand who you used to be around here, but you’re not that anymore. You can’t walk in here and proceed to throw your weight around.”

Adrían looked at him, blinked twice, and turned back to Chefe. “As a return present. Give her to me.”

“Why did you come back in the first place?” Lorenzo continued. “To get her, isn’t it? Chefe, did he tell you that they know each other?”

Chefe frowned. “Is this true, Gano?”

“How would that be possible?” Adrían asked.

“Because you conveniently showed up when she returned here,” Lorenzo went on. “And, in Sweden, you told me that if I took her, you would follow.”

Chefe’s frown deepened. “Took her?”

Adrían released her arm and let his hand dangle, stroking her leg out of view of the table. “What does that mean, took her?” he asked. “Is this something new, Chefe?”

---