Page 17 of Anastasia

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I strolled into the club,only to be immediately met with Valerio. Relief quickly washed over his features as he grabbed a hold of my arm. I thought he was going to push me to the back, but instead, he walked me up the stairs. As we walked, my eyes wandered down to my attire. I was in a pink leather skirt, a white crop, and clear heels. I was nowhere near prepared for where he was taking me.

The second he opened the door, my eyes widened as I looked around. It looked like I had just stepped into a mansion. Everything was huge and dripped with expense. Even the smell was rich and elegant. I looked at Valerio.

“I am so confused. The club is a part of a mansion?” I asked.

“Yes, the club is underground. This mansion is a private home to Mr. Romano and Mr. Rossi. As for why you get to see it, Mr. Romano has requested your presence. I’m not sure what for, but I am aware of a meeting he’s having,” Valerio explained. My eyebrows were still bunched up as we continued to walk. The place was heavily guarded with tall men, ready to pounce on whoever necessary.

We made our way past the kitchen, where a blonde-haired lady was cooking. Her eyes met mine and I saw pity swim in them.

Past the kitchen I saw a staircase as we strolled by. I then eyed Valerio as he knocked on a wooden door. I was still confused as to why my heart began to beat wildly in my chest. I was going to see Mr. Romano again after that strange night at the club.

“Come in,” a cool voice stated.

Based on the chill that ran through my body, I knew exactly who it was, Mr. Romano. Valerio opened the door, leaving me to gaze into the room. All I could see were men in suits and some women sitting beside them who looked quite bored.

There was an empty seat between Mr. Romano and a man who looked kind of similar. Only this guy had a bunch of tattoos covering every bit of his skin. Janice had told me about Mr. Romano, but I began to wonder if he was the other man Janice told me about, Mr. Rossi.

Everyone turned to look at me while Mr. Romano leaned back in his chair with a smirk on his face. “Sit.”

Looking around the room, I slowly made my way over to the seat. The man covered in tattoos looked quite annoyed.

“As I was saying before the interruption,” Mr. Rossi said, glancing at Mr. Romano.

I failed to pay attention as Mr. Rossi talked. They were speaking about matters that I had no clue about, or the will to learn.

Suddenly, I could feel a hand on my thigh.

My gaze traveled up to meet Mr. Romano’s. Shaking my head, I grasped his hand and pried it off my thigh.

I had made a promise to myself to stay away from him. Janice warned me of his kind of business, and the last thing I wanted was to get my family into any more drama.

When his hand went back to my thigh, he squeezed it tightly before traveling up. My breathing was beginning to increase dramatically when his hand reached inside of my skirt.

“There is a reason why we have invited all of your women here today,” Mr. Romano said, causing me to listen and stare right at his perfectly sculpted face. From his plump lips to his jawline, even his piercing shed with danger. As I looked at his eyes, I could see the secrets begging to be heard.

“Well, everyone except my brother,” he said, causing a light chuckle to settle around the table. I looked over at Mr. Rossi to see his eyes narrowed into little slits as anger oozed from them. I never would have guessed that they were brothers. They could have been like Alex and I, only half-siblings, seeing as their last names weren’t even the same.

“Many have considered me to be cruel and heartless, yet myfriendhere…” he began before beckoning for one of the suited men to stand. The man quickly stood up on wobbly feet while fixing his suit in the process. “…is getting married. His wedding ceremony will not only be paid for by me,his friend, but he says that I get to invite the people of my choosing as well. Isn’t that right, Marco?” he asked.

I could hear the evil intent in his voice. It was enough to make my eyes narrow in suspicion as I saw Marco visibly gulp. I felt bad for him, and I wasn’t even sure why yet.

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,” he sputtered out quickly before sitting down next to a woman, his fiancée. She immediately wrapped her hand around his arm as she gazed at Mr. Romano with fear-laced eyes.

All of a sudden, Mr. Romano’s hand found the outside of my panties and he brushed against my core. I immediately grabbed his arm to halt his actions, and thankfully he did stop. However, he didn’t pull his hand away.

“Next time I hear of a marriage, it better come from you. This is my kindness to you, Marco, because I would gladly kill your fiancée right in front of you. You really thought you could just hide this engagement from me? Get married right underneath my nose? No. Any woman that you allow into this business should be run by me. I must know everything from the last whore that you sleep with to your preferable brand of fucking toothpaste. Do you understand me?” Mr. Romano asked, anger slipping through his words. I flinched as he slammed his fist down onto the table. “That goes for all of you at this table.”

If I thought I was confused before, I was beyond confused now. His words began to process in my mind as I started to get fearful.Did he really mean he would kill someone’s fiancée just for failing to bring it to his attention?A shiver ran through my body as I gawked at him.

“That is all I had to say. You are all excused,” Mr. Romano said.

Everyone quickly fled the room, except for his brother, who moved at a slower pace. Mr. Rossi’s eyes fell on me as he stared at his brother while shaking his head. There were no more words exchanged before he walked out of the room, leaving us all alone.

I got up from the chair, but his hand on my thigh stopped me. “You stay.”

My heart was pumping vigorously in my chest. I kept repeating the promise I had made to myself in my head over and over. His eyes were staring into mine and it made me wonder how someone could look so perfect.

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