Page 33 of Velvet Chains

“Nothing much, Alvarez here was just telling me how invested he was in the investigation into what happened to Don Salvatore.” As I spoke, I watched his face turn ugly. Loredana was a notorious blabbermouth, and in less than thirty minutes, everyone in this hall would know that Alvarez had a unique interest in the case. From the look on her face, I knew I had succeeded in making Loredana suspicious of him, so whatever rumor she would pass around would be unfavorable to him, and ultimately, to Don Antonio. Just thinking about how everyone would keep a close eye on him from now on made me want to laugh out loud.

My attention turned to Isabelle, who had been snacking on a plate of finger foods placed on the table beside us. Despite her focus on the snacks, she couldn't hide the glint of curiosity in her eyes.

“Darling, I see a friend over there, let’s go,” I said to her right before we walked away, leaving Alvarez stuck in place with a face that looked like he had sucked on a lemon.

"Who was that?"

"Alvarez. He works for Don Antonio, the man we met in the jewelry store." I said, and she visibly shuddered, possibly at the memory of what had happened that day.

"That man's here right now?" She asked, and I nodded.

"There's a possibility that we'll bump into him, so be prepared."

We walked around, talking to different people. Everyone in the room was a key player in Palermo’s underworld society, and despite how many smiles were shot at us, it would have been naïve to assume any of them were genuine. I had to keep an eye on Isabelle. I found that despite her calm appearance, she was still nervous. It showed in how much she was fidgeting with the engagement ring.

To her credit, Isabelle was doing better than I thought she would. Whenever I saw her fidgeting, I would pat her hand. She leaned into me constantly, and I found my arm around her shoulders. Showing intimacy seemed to come naturally to us. However, every time I made eye contact with her, it felt like touching a live wire, my breath quickening and my blood beginning to rush downwards.

“You’re a dangerous woman, you know that, right?” I whispered in her ear. When I saw her earlobe turn red, I found myself fighting the urge to lean in and make her blush even more. I grew hyper aware of her and everything near me. I could feel the satin soft touch of her fingers in one hand and the soft curves of her body that leaned on me. Being so close to her, inhaling her scent, it put some ideas in my head. My breathing grew heavy as I looked at her and imagined all the things I could do to her. I wanted to leave my mark on every inch of her skin.

“Hm?” She leaned in close to say, and I found myself tightening my grip on her shoulders when her breath fanned across my face. She was so close that I wanted to lean in and kiss her, but I stopped myself. Displays of affection could be chalked up to being in love but a full-on kiss, the way I wanted to kiss her, that would raise a few eyebrows.

We continued to make our way around the room, chatting with people and drinking champagne. I could tell from the way they looked at us that our displays of affection had done the trick and they no longer had doubts about our engagement.

However, before I could feel at ease, I spotted someone approaching me. It was obvious that this approach was purposeful, because the figure came from the other end of the hall.

The man was dressed in black, everything from his shirt, to his coat and tie were pitch black. It looked like he was here for a funeral, rather than a glamorous event.

“Vincenzo, what a pleasure to see you here. And your fiancée, Isabelle, is it? You’re practically glowing.” His cheerful voice made me want to grit my teeth.

"You flatter me, Don Antonio." Isabelle responded. Before Antonio could continue speaking to her, I decided to take charge of the conversation.

“Thank you, it’s a pleasure to see you here too. I was just telling Isabelle that she should get used to this kind of events,” I responded with the best version of an amiable grin that I could muster. Isabelle must have felt the danger of Antonio’s presence because despite the smile on her face, she leaned closer to me.

“I just wish this evening had started out as pleasantly as it is right now,” He suddenly said, looking sad as he let out an obviously rehearsed sigh.

“Oh? Is that so?” I asked, feeling my curiosity and dread mount with each passing second.

“Yes, one of my lieutenants died. It hit me hard because he was one of my oldest associates,” he said, and I felt my heart stop.

“It's just so terrible, you know. Luca had a terrible year. His wife left him, and things didn't seem to be working out for him. But I never thought he would commit suicide.” He continued without me prompting him.

“Suicide?” I heard myself asking.

“I’m afraid so. He drowned at sea a few hours ago. For some reason, he went for a swim near the dock. He didn’t seem to see a ship coming into the bay as he was swimming. I just hope I can watch those around me closely and prevent it happening again.” Antonio finished talking. His expression of grief was obviously fake.

“My condolences, I imagine that must have come as a shock to you,” I said, trying to cover up my true feelings.

"It did. Luca was like a brother to me." He responded and I found myself battling the wave of frustration that rose within me at his words. However, I had to keep calm. I somehow managed to do that and send him off, he practically whistled as he walked away.

The barely suppressed rage in me had me clenching my hands, making Isabelle hiss in pain as my grip on her arm tightened. I loosened my grip, but still felt troubled as I ran through the plan again. It had been compromised and I didn't know how. Somehow Antonio knew what I had been planning and got to Luca before we did. I went through the rest of the event in a slight haze.

Once it was over, I pulled Isabelle out of the venue and into the car. The silence on the car ride back was oppressive, and Isabelle must have noticed my bad mood because she kept sneaking glances at me.

“Are you upset about that lieutenant?” She asked when we got home. The living room was empty, and I felt the frustration that I had held at bay finally explode.

"That lieutenant was my best chance of bringing Antonio down. We were about to turn him and somehow Antonio must have found out. I know for a fact he was an expert swimmer, the only way he could have drowned was if someone had held his head under water. That's why Antonio was practically boasting, that was his way of telling me he knew what I was planning."

Out of frustration I had finally told her everything, from my plan to the meaning behind Antonio’s words and the veiled threats. My hands shook as I spoke, I needed to let off steam, to vent the frustration and anger I felt.

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