Page 46 of Dance of Deception

I let out a nervous laugh, playing along.

“I mean,lookat them,” Milena continues, amused. “Can you imagine showing up to something like this, hoping some manpicks youto be his wife? Like, what year is it?Gross.”

“Hah, yeah, seriously,” I mumble. “Gross,” I nod, pretending to agree.

But that’sexactlywhat I’m here to do.

Unlike Milena, I don’t have the luxury of watching this for entertainment. I’m here because I need the money.

I'm all out of options.

Before I can dwell on it, the energy in the room shifts and a few girls go quiet, their gazes flicking to the entrance.

I turn to follow their stares. I have no idea who the girl is that’s just waltzed in, but she’s around my age, and she's freakinggorgeous.

Not just pretty. The kind of beautiful that turns heads everywhere. Dark hair, tan skin, and crazy intense emerald-green eyes.

She’s impeccably put together—high heels clicking on the marble, a designer dress hugging her curves, her hair done in a way that makes her look both glamorous and like it's no effort at all.

Milena watches her skeptically. “Nowthat’sinteresting.”

I glance at her. “Why? Who is that?”

“Gabriella De Luca.”

The name doesn’t mean squat to me, but it clearly does to the other girls here.

Milena leans in, lowering her voice. “As in Nero De Luca’s younger sister.”

Still blank.

Milena sighs. “Jesus, Lyra, do you payanyattention to mafia world gossip?”

“Should I?”

She rolls her eyes. “Well—the De Lucas and the Barones don’t exactlyloveeach other. They’re do business together, but it’s…prickly. So I hear, at least.”

I watch as Gabriella makes her way to the living room, ignoring the stares she’s getting.

“Plus,” Milena continues, “there’s no way in hell Gabriella needs money.”

Fair. I mean, the girl is dressed head to toe in Versace and looks like she bathes in champagne and diamonds every morning.

“And,” Milena adds, “there is no fucking way her brother would be okay with her even being here.”

“Why not?” I ask.

Milena lets out a low laugh. “Because Nero’sinsane.”

I raise a brow. “That bad?”

“Worsethan bad,” she says. “The guy’s got major control issues. Psychopath-level. Huge fucking ego, too. God’s gift to the world.You know, basically a one-man red flag parade. If he finds out Gabriella’s here, this place is gonna turn into acrime scene.”

Before I can ask another question, the air suddenly shifts again as a new presence fills the doorway.

Milena groans. “Fuck,here we go.” She makes a face, nodding her chin at the tall, darkly handsome built guy entering the living room. “Presenting Nero.”

Gabriella swept into the room like she owned it. Her older brother, meanwhile, struts in like he owns the entireworld, and expects it to drop to its collective knee and kiss his ring.

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