Page 34 of Wrestling With Love

She didn’t turn to look at him.

“I don’t get it,” she muttered.

He frowned. “Get what?”

“All of this.” She exhaled. “I barely know your sister, but she acts like we’re close. Your mother—she met me for the first time, and she’s already making me sit with you guys like I belong there.”

He stepped closer. “Because you do.”

She shook her head, like she didn’t believe it. “It’s not that easy.”

“Sure it is,” he said. “They like you, Diamond. Get used to it.”

She hesitated.

Then, softer, almost hesitant.

“I don’t know how.”

Something in Luca’s chest tightened.

He didn’t think. He just reached for her, pulling her close.

“Then let me teach you.”

***

The Ferrara family dinner was as grand as expected—elegant table settings, the rich scent of roasted meats and fine wine, and conversation flowing effortlessly among the guests.

Luca and Diamond arrived in the midst of it, Luca his usual self, relaxed and confident. While Diamond, dressed in sleek black, perfectly composed with all her almost healed wounds but acutely aware that this wasn’t her world.

A stunning woman—a socialite, if Diamond had to guess—approached Luca with a familiar, practiced smile. She placed a manicured hand on his shoulder, leaning in too close as she whispered something meant only for him. Luca turned slightly, smirking, his expression amused rather than engaged. He wasn’t pushing her away, but he wasn’t pulling her in, either.

Diamond’s grip on her glass tightened.

The woman laughed, soft and calculated, lingering far too long.

So, this is what he likes? Polished. Poised. The kind of woman who had probably never thrown a punch in her life.

Sofia, seated beside her, leaned in, her voice low and knowing. “You’re glaring daggers, babe.”

Diamond shrugged, lifting her glass to her lips with forced nonchalance. “He can do whatever he wants.”

Sofia smirked. “Sure. If you say so.”

Diamond ignored her, keeping her attention on her plate, as if she wasn’t even aware when the woman finally let out another light laugh, squeezed Luca’s shoulder one last time, and sauntered away.

Luca didn’t watch her go.

His gaze had already shifted—to her.

Without hesitation, he pushed back his chair and walked straight toward Diamond, ignoring everyone else in the room.

Her stomach flipped.

She didn’t look up immediately, tilting her head only when he stopped beside her chair.

“Bored, Perez?” His voice was low, teasing.

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