Page 16 of Deception & Desire

Dante stands and drops a folder before me dramatically. “You might be interested in reading that.”

It’s quite anti-climatic considering how thin the legal document inside the folder is. Though I supposelegalisn’t the term one would necessarily associate with it.

“For the rest of the room,” I monotone as I read through the contract, “our esteemed representative of the Guild has just handed me a contract of alliance.”

A murmur quickly spreads among my peers as I continue to read and get to the bottom of the page. My eyebrows dart up in surprise at what I find at the bottom of the document.

“It appears that Teo Vitale and his second, Dante Grasso, have already signed it.” I look at the latter in surprise. “I thought Teo would at least want to play chicken about who signed first.”

Dante smirks. “I think we’re all excited to get this over with.”

Now that I’ve met the Guild’s terms, I suppose there isn’t much point in waiting around.

I glance out at the expectant faces of those at my table, some even standing to get a better view of the document. My fingers inch toward my pen.

“I guess there’s no point in delaying,” I murmur as I go to sign—only to freeze when I notice the box next to mine and under Dante’s signature.

I still need a second.

There wasn’t a concrete reason as to why I had put off appointing someone new. Perhaps because the position had been filled by my sister for so long, it was difficult to imagine anyone else at my side.

But as I look around the room at the faces that have watched me grow from boy to man, there are frighteningly few optionsthat could possibly fill Isabella’s stiletto-wearing, computer-hacking, no-shit-taking place.

Oddly, Mia suddenly springs to mind. I bury the thought quickly.

“Maximilian,” I call out absently. “Come here a moment.”

There’s the sound of a chair being dragged across the floor, followed by his footsteps. Everyone else seems to be collectively holding their breath.

I don’t speak again until he’s at my shoulder. “Would you be so kind as to sign here for me?” I point to the space in question.

Max does not move. “Is this your way of asking me to be your second?”

“Would you prefer a ring?” I wince as soon as the words leave my mouth. Too soon.

But Max doesn’t seem to notice. He smirks as he plucks the pen from my hand and scrawls his name in a surprisingly elegant script.

Once I’ve done the same, I risk looking up at our audience.

Dante, at least, seems pleased with this development. The rest seem torn between relief that the negotiations are finally over and staring daggers at Max.

It’s to be expected, considering he’s a newcomer, but luckily, Max doesn’t seem too concerned by their judgment.

“There we have it,” I announce as I hand the contract back to Dante. “Tell Teo I am looking forward to a very happy matrimony.”

5

MIA

“Teo Vitale, OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR!” I yell because if I don’t yell, I might cry, and being angry right now is a lot damn easier than being sad.

It took me a long time to track him down. Longer than it should have, which is enough to tell me that he’s trying to hide. Especially as he seems to have locked himself up in the one place he presumed I’d never look.

TheCandelabrawas always empty this time of day, save for the cleaning crew resetting everything for the evening crowd. It’s always a bit strange seeing the stage drenched in sunlight.

The Guild’s office is usually only used as a private space to entertain honored guests during the show. But Teo has been known to work from it whenever the Guild’s base—a large industrial unit by the docks—gets too crowded.

A fact I assume he must have thought I’d forgotten.

---