Page 97 of Bound to You

“Wait is Miles the guy?” May asks, her eyes wide.

“What guy?”

“I can’t be here,” Marina says, before turning on her heel and quickly escaping the ballroom. I look at my brother on the stage and he looks completely unbothered.

“May, what did you mean was Miles the guy?”

She shakes her head looking at Miles. “When Marina was in Sorrento for a year she met a guy, she never told me his name, but she thought he was the person she’d spend the rest of her life with, but it didn’t work out, and she moved back.” She brings her attention back to me. “That’s all I know, but the way she looked at him…”

“Oh my god.”

“Sold! One thousand euros to paddle forty-seven!” Stefan yells into the microphone.

I look around for Caio. I don’t know what for, but regardless, I can’t see him anywhere. My heart is racing so fast. It feels like everything is slowly unraveling in front of me.

I pulla face as a shot of tequila burns my throat. I need something to focus on except my mind reeling as I sit at the bar with May when a date with Leo goes for nearly two thousand euros. Marina knew someone who knew someone with a portable bar that we’ve set up at the back of the room.

I watch as Leo starts to make his way over to the girl who won his date, but he gets cut off halfway to her by a girl with curly blonde hair. She’s undeniably beautiful, but I’ve never seen her before.

“Leo, why would you do this?” she asks him.

“It’s for charity, Alessia.”

Alessia?

He goes to move past her, but she places both of her hands on his chest. “No, I’ll pay her however much she paid, plus an extra thousand tonotgo on a date with you.”

“What? Alessia, that’s ridiculous. Come on,” he says.

Who is this chick? I never thought Leo had a girlfriend.

“Who is that?” May leans in to ask.

“No idea.”

“Alessia, you’re drunk. What are you even doing here?” Leo asks.

“What am I doing here? I was in your bed last night, so I could ask you the same thing.”

“It’s a charity date, Alessia!” he snaps.

“Oh, so you’ll fuck her for charity before you come home and fuck me?”

“That’s bullshit,” he spits.

Jesus fuck, this girl is bold.

Rafael is suddenly walking over to them. This is very quickly becoming a scene and capturing everyone’s attention.

“Alessia, why don’t we go get you a glass of water,” Rafael suggests, grabbing her by the arm.

“Oh, fuck off, Rafael!” she yells, and soon enough Caio finally appears out of the shadows, quickly storming over to them.

The girl that won the date with Leo walks up to them and I take a step off my seat already anticipating what she’s about to do.

“Yeah look, I’m good, sorry,” she says to Leo before walking away with her money.

My stomach hollows out, weneededthat money. My heart is beating so loud it’s drowning out all the other noise in the room. I feel like I’m watching a plane crash, everything is going wrong.

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