Page 5 of Savage Mafia King

"Yeah, I know," I reply as I turn to him. "But I'm in it now. And it's going to work for us in the long run, trust me."

He shakes his head slowly as he looks me up and down. "You really think you can handle getting close to a Devereaux like that?"

"Look at what happened with you and Elena," I point out, referencing the relationship he got into with the woman who was supposed to be a mortal enemy of our family. "Maybe we'll find some common ground like you two did, huh?"

He stiffens slightly. Though he would never want to admit it, he hates the idea of comparing his relationship with Elena to whatever I'm doing with Isabella.

"It's different."

"How, exactly?" I ask him as I reach for the glass of scotch sitting on my bedside table. "At least I'm being honest with her.She knows this isn't real. We're just putting on a show to scare people away from her brother."

"And what exactly is in it for us, again?"

"We make peace with the Devereaux family. And the more convincing we are about it, the harder it's going to be for them to cause us trouble down the line."

He steps aside and lets me past, following me down to the lobby of his parents' mansion. Valentina, his sister, is waiting in the living room. She insisted on helping me get ready when she heard what I was up to, and I appreciate her wanting to give me a hand. Though I'm not sure what it says about her trust in my ability to blend in to an upper-crust crowd.

She looks me up and down as I reach the living room and rises to her feet, a furrow in her brow. She grabs my jacket and straightens it slightly and reaches down to adjust my cufflinks.

"Yeah, I think this will do," she murmurs.

I chuckle. "Your endless support is always appreciated, cousin."

She glances up at me. Her mouth is set in a hard line. She has a hard time hiding her emotions, and right now, they're written all over her face.

"Don't do anything stupid," she warns me. "And don't get yourself into anything you can't handle. You hear me?"

"Heard and understood. I should get going. I have to pick Isabella up."

Her shoulders slump downward slightly as she hears me come out with that. "I can't believe you're actually spending time with that... with thatwoman."

She spits out the word, like she doesn't even want to acknowledge any of this to be real. I understand it. Her parents raised her with the certainty that their family was solidly above all else, and allowing anyone else close would only serve to get them in trouble. But as for me, I know that creating alliances is important. And with a crack in the armor of the Devereaux family, we finally have a chance to secure them.

"You'll have to get used to it," I tease her. "Who knows, maybe I'll bring her to a family dinner."

"Oh God, you're joking, aren't you?" Isabella calls after me as I make my way down the corridor.

I grin. Okay, yes, I'm joking, but there's a wicked part of me that loves the idea of making my family sit around a table with Isabella, playing nice, pretending they don't hate her guts.

I slide into my car, a sleek black sports car that's my pride and joy. If I'm going to be rubbing shoulders with the richest people in our university's community, then I have to do it in style. Isabella gave me the address of her penthouse to pick her up from. I had assumed she would just have me get her from the sorority house, but clearly, she doesn't like the thought of me down there. Can't say I blame her. I'm not exactly Greek house material.

I head to the address she gave me, and sure enough, when I get there, she's waiting outside. She looks beautiful in a blue dress made of a deep, soft velvet that hugs the slight curves of her willowy body. Her hair is pulled back, showing off herslender neck, accentuated with a necklace that dangles a small diamond on her chest. She climbs into the car, hardly even looking at me.

"You look beautiful."

"You don't have to start all that now," she shoots back, voice terse. "Nobody is even around to hear it. Come on, let's go. I want to get this over with."

I part my lips, intending on protesting that my words were anything other than sincere, but I can tell from the tone of her voice that she doesn't much want to have this conversation right now. So be it.

I drive us over to the large converted church, where most of the university's major events take place. Outside, there's already a small gathering of people, impeccably dressed and holding invitations to the gathering.

When she steps out of the car, I notice eyes turning to her. She really does run this campus. Guys look her up and down, and girls shoot her envious looks, clearly wishing they were the ones commanding all this attention. I grin, climb out of the car behind her, and slip my arm around her waist.

The whole world stills for a moment. Everyone is staring at us. Her body tenses, and I can tell she's fighting the urge to pull away from me. But she doesn't. I tighten my grip on the curve of her waist slightly, feeling the warmth of her body close to mine. She might be cold as ice, but there's no denying the heat between us. I'm sure she can feel it just as clearly as I can, and I have to admit, it's entertaining seeing her try to deny it.

"Come on," she mutters to me, plastering a smile on her face. "Let's get this over with."

We make our way to the entrance, where she brushes past the line. The man at the door nods at her in greeting and then steps aside for her to walk in, me right beside her. I don't let go of her for a moment. If she thinks I'm going to let her slip through my fingers, she has another thing coming. I want everyone to see that she belongs to me, everyone to know that she's chosen me, and I'm not going to let up until I have exactly what I desire.

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