Page 112 of About Love and Revenge

It’s true—he's wonderful. The perfectly cut tuxedo outlines his broad shoulders, highlighting the solidity of his muscular body. The mask, also black and very similar to mine, except for the crystals, gives him an air of mystery.

I'm still lost, admiring the delicious man I can call my own, when he totally surprises me by kissing my forehead in front of everyone. “Don't let them know you're anxious. The party will be a success. You're stronger than all of them put together,” he says softly into my ear.

“You have a lot of faith in me.”

“I do. And I am proud too, having you as my woman.”

After that statement, I am able to breathe normally again. Odin has that power. It's as if the self-assurance with which he faces everything in life creates a protective net that extends itself to me as well.

I look at the two members of his family who stand in front of us, and especially at the woman who has become one of my favorite people in the world.

Putting on a confident smile that I've been practicing for as long as I can remember, I take another step to face the crowd.

“I love your dress.”

“Are you Greek?”

“How long have you and Odin been together?”

Every time I walk through a circle of guests, the questions are repeated. After the tenth time, the answers come out automatically.

“Thanks, it will be auctioned after the party to raise more funds for the fire victims.”

“I'm half Greek and half English.”

“We've known each other forever.”

Regarding the last answer, he was the one who advised me to give it,precisely with the intention of silencing several other questions that would follow if I said that we have been together for a short time.

A lady calls me to talk about the organization to which the money raised tonight will be donated, and after talking to her for a few minutes, I grab the opportunity to take a break and go to the women's bathroom.

I need to be alone, even if it is only for a moment. The crowd is suffocating me. I think about warning Odin, but since I don't intend to take long, I slip away. As soon as I enter one of the stalls, I take a few breaths.

I'm just starting to relax when I hear a woman say, “Funny, but I've heard rumors that Odin and the Greek's father are mortal enemies. Doesn't that make her a traitor?”

My whole body tenses again, but I remain attentive to the conversation.

“With the money Lykaios has, she can't even remember her father's name.”

In a way, I was expecting that, since a good portion of the world's high society was present at the party on our island when Odin announced, in front of everyone, my father’s bankruptcy.

Even so, I was unprepared for that blow to come today.

In the last few months, I've been living with people who like me and treat me with such respect that I've forgotten there's a lot of evil in our midst.

But what did I expect? If even my sisters judged me, they who know who our father actually is, what can I expect from the strangers who only saw what Leandros wanted them to see?

I wait until the place is quiet again, and after washing my hands and checking that everything is in order with my makeup, I prepare to head back into the wolves’ den.

When I leave the bathroom, I'm confused: which side leads to the main hall?

I’ve never been good with direction, and the long hallway is empty at the moment. I decide to take a chance and go one way, but when doors after doors appear, I realize that I was wrong.

As I turn to head back the way I came, I find myself face to face with the man who's been chasing me for months—and also the last person I'd ever want to meet.

Naim.

His gaze is pure evil, even through the mask he wears to partially cover his face. Instinctively, I start to back away, but my body hits something solid. Before I can understand what's happening, a hand covers my mouth, preventing me from screaming.

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