Page 56 of The Devil's Deal

He pulls in a rough breath.

“I’m sorry,” he says, his voice pressed with sincerity.

“For what?”

Our gazes tangle in something unspoken, a connection building between us.

“That your father is a piece of shit. Every kid deserves a good one.”

I shrug with a feigned smile. “I wouldn’t know any different.”

Chapter Sixteen

Chiara

He leadsme out of the room and into a long, all-white hallway. There are so many doors, I can barely count them all. I continue to stare, learning my surroundings while he’s already heading down.

My feet hit the black wooden steps, my hand gliding over the shiny black banister of the spiral staircase as I make my way down.

While I hit the foyer, my eyes immediately notice the cathedral ceiling with a large silver chandelier hanging in the center. I follow him deeper into what clearly looks like a mansion, and into the den.

“Wow,” I say. “The ceiling is extraordinary.”

The dark gray of the roof is framed with white overhead beams crossing at different angles, creating an illusion of a checkerboard. It’s ornate and beautiful.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” he throws over his shoulder as I continue to take in everything.

“I’m hoping I can kick you out and move in,” I tease as my hand runs over the cream suede L-shaped sofa on one side with two dark gray armchairs on the other and a rectangular glass table in the center. The sofa is facing a fireplace with light gray bricks surrounding it.

“Stop staring and keep moving,” he orders.

But I ignore him, looking at the pale gray walls and the floor-to-ceiling windows, revealing a large white gazebo with a matching bed plus an oval-shaped pool surrounded by a bunch of lounge chairs.

It’s pretty obvious he’s filthy rich. We definitely had money growing up, and lots of it, but this is a whole other level of wealth.

A set of footsteps approach from behind, then another. I freeze, turning to find two tall men wearing head-to-toe black coming toward us. I gasp, causing Brian to turn around.

Who the hell are they and why are they here?

My eyes widen and a chill creeps up my back as I take slow steps backward, landing hard into Brian. His hand reaches around to my hips, holding me against his body.

“They’re not gonna hurt you.” His voice caresses against the shell of my ear. “They work for me.”

He squeezes my hip possessively, then sets me free.

“Miles. Kevin,” he says by way of greeting. “This is Chiara, and she’ll be staying here for a while.”

The men give me a cool, collective nod before walking away, standing on each side of the door that leads out into the yard. They must be bodyguards.

“Come on, Chiara,” Brian prompts, striding past me toward the doorway. “Let’s go meet Sonia.”

I pick up the pace, following him into the kitchen. There’s a short woman with black hair mixed with silver, chopping something on the counter with her back to us.

“Sonia, I want to introduce you to a guest of mine.”

She whirls her neck and places a knife down.

“Oh, hello there, dear.” She wipes her hands on her black apron as she treads over to us.

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