Page 1 of His Ruthless Vow

1

KENDRA

The champagne buzzes in my veins as Griffin spins me around, my navy blue dress flaring out around my thighs. In all our parties through college, I've never seen him move like this.

The reception is stunning—strings of twinkling lights hang from the trees surrounding the outdoor dance floor, creating a ceiling of artificial stars. Jazz and Nerio spared no expense, transforming this garden into something magical.

I was skeptical when my childhood best friend Jazz said yes to the Bueti capo, but she's happy. And now that our mutual friend, Skye, is married to the Mantione Don—yes, rival families—I've accepted that I'm now surrounded by made men. Ones that are more than willing to destroy each other no less.

Not to mention Mikayla has a huge crush on a well known criminal hacker, Elliott Romano, who she brought as her date. It seems I'm the only one who brought a man who isn't entrenched in the underworld.

"You're actually not terrible at this," I tell Griffin as he pulls me back in, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Four years of forced ballroom lessons as a teenager. My mother was convinced it would make me a gentleman." Griffin's hand settles on my waist, warm and familiar in the most platonic way possible. He's been my closest friend—besides Jazz—for six years now and while we tried to make it work once, we realized we are far too perfect as friends.

"And did it?" I arch an eyebrow.

"Absolutely not." He grins, that perfect jawline catching the light. "But it does make me look good at weddings."

I laugh, grateful I brought him. When Jazz announced she was marrying Nerio Bueti—of all people—I knew I needed a buffer. Nothing says awkward like being the only single woman at a table of coupled-up friends.

Across the dance floor, I spot Mikayla in a blush pink gown, looking up adoringly at Elliott. His hand rests protectively on her lower back, dark curls falling into his eyes as he whispers something that makes her grin. For a tech genius who runs a cybersecurity firm, the man moves with surprising grace.

"Think they'll be next?" Griffin nods toward them.

"God, I hope so. She deserves someone who looks at her like that."

Even if she tries to deny there's anything there, none of us believe it.

We twirl past Skye and Luca, newlyweds themselves having only married four months ago. Skye's amber eyes glow with contentment as she leans against her husband's chest. Luca, ever the ice prince, has actually managed something resembling a smile today—though his calculating blue eyes never stop scanning the crowd, though he is in enemy territory I guess.

"Thirsty?" Griffin asks as the song ends.

"Dying for water. Too much champagne."

"I'll grab some. Meet you back at the table?"

I nod, letting Griffin disappear into the crowd. The night air feels good against my skin, a slight breeze carrying the scent of jasmine from the surrounding gardens. I turn to head back to our table, then freeze.

Eyes. On me. Not a casual glance but an intentional stare—heavy, deliberate.

I scan the crowd until I find the source, and my heart stutters. Enzo Rossi, leaning against a marble column at the edge of the dance floor. His steel-gray eyes lock with mine, unwavering and unreadable.

A capo in the Mantione family, Enzo commands attention without trying. His broad shoulders fill out his tailored black suit with lethal elegance. Those intricate tattoos I've glimpsed before are hidden tonight, but I know they're there beneath crisp white fabric. His presence feels like a physical thing—dangerous and magnetic.

I've run into him before—at Skye's boutique a few times, and several times during Skye and Luca's wedding festivities. Each time, our interactions were brief but charged with something I couldn't name.

He doesn't smile or nod or give any acknowledgment that our eyes have met. He simply watches me, his gaze so intense it feels like a hand on my skin.

I force myself to break the stare, tearing my eyes away from Enzo's magnetic gaze. The air between us feels charged with electricity, making my skin tingle in a way that's equal parts warning and invitation.

"Well, well, well." Skye's voice cuts through my thoughts as she appears at my side, radiant in her cream wedding gown that hugs her curves before flaring dramatically at the bottom. "Someone's caught the attention of a very dangerous man."

"Don't start," I mutter, taking her glass of champagne and downing half of it. "I saw you coming from across the dance floor with that look in your eye."

"What look?" She blinks innocently, but those amber eyes gleam with mischief. The small diamond stud in her nose catches the light as she tilts her head.

"The 'I'm going to meddle in Kendra's love life' look." I hand her back the glass. "You've been wearing it since college." I grew up with Jazz, knew her all my life, but she and Skye met in college. It didn't take long for the two of us to click.

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