Page 78 of Dex

Raquel’s brows push together.“Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?What is going on, Dani?”

“Nerves.Just nerves.”I need to keep my mouth shut.“Has Rio seen you yet?”I ask, trying to deflect.

There’s a knock at the door, and one of my cousin’s pokes her head in.“Are you ready?”

I take a deep breath and walk out to find my father, looking proud and distinguished and so incredibly happy.I take his arm, and immediately feel uplifted.We’re getting married outside and it’s the middle of summer here.Quite the opposite to New York.The buzz of cicadas fills the air, and the scent of tropical flowers wafts all around me.

I force myself to focus on my surroundings, and not my idle thoughts.White roses and orchids surround me, their delicate scent thick in the warm São Paulo air.The music swells as we step onto a long stone pathway, lined with candles and petals, which leads to an elaborate floral arch—the place where my fate will be sealed.

My heart hammers.Every step forward is a step toward an uncertain future but I refuse to walk into it blindly.I tell myself this is just about helping my father’s company.

Rows of ivory colored silk chairs adorned with strips of golden organza are arranged with perfect symmetry.Brazilian high society, CEOs and businesspeople, and, of course, the Knights are all sitting.The Knights are in the front two rows, and on the other side, my family, immediate and extended.

The divide feels palpable.The Oliveiras are smiling, and warm and exuberant as they look at me with pride and admiration in their eyes.The Knights seem cold in comparison, rigid, and with somber expressions.

Only Cari and Brooke are smiling.Cari’s wide smile warms my heart, and Brooke waves at me.I chuckle and nod at her.

The entire event is an illusion, but the few faces that are genuine and hopeful and happy, lift my spirits, and right now, I’ll take any little lift I can get.I try to convince myself this is more than just an alliance.I know what people say about arranged marriages; that they’re nothing more than business transactions, a cold exchange of power and wealth.

Maybe that’s what this started as.But to me, I feel like it could be more.Dexter doesn’t love me, nor I him, but we can be friends, and we get on.We genuinely care for one another.

We can get through this in a civil manner.I feel he likes me more than he cares to admit.I care about him.I see the wounded man, and where others might see his cockiness, I see it as a front for the deeper hurt and guilt he’s carrying.

I lift my gaze to find him standing at the altar looking stunning in a perfectly tailored outfit.The fabric clings to his broad shoulders, the crisp white of his shirt stark against the dark suit.His hands are loosely clasped in front of him.His expression?Unreadable.He doesn’t look happy.

But he doesn’t look devastated, either.He just looks like a man playing his part.I want so badly to believe this isn’t just an act, that it isn’t just a deal.That at some point, Dexter and I might be more.

But then his gaze catches mine and something flickers in his eyes.Not regret.Not reluctance.

Amusement.

Arrogant, lazy amusement.

Like he knows exactly what I’m thinking, and he’s enjoying thegamehe’s playing.

Not the wedding.

Not the moment.

A sharp ache spreads through my chest but I lift my chin.And I refuse to break.

***

DEX

I feel nothing.

That’s the lie I tell myself.Because something is going on, and I’m trying to push it away.I don’t believe in love, and if Daniela thinks she’s going to change that, she’s in for a rude awakening.

She’s doing this for business reasons, for money, for her father.For me, it isn’t about money.It never was.I’m doing this to piss Paul Knight off.To make him think he’s won, only to walk away before the year is up, leaving the deal in ruins.

I smile and remember that I’m playing the part of an adoring bridegroom.I stand at the altar, my posture relaxed, one hand casually tucked into my pocket.My brothers and father are in the first few row of seats, while Daniela’s family are on the other side.They’re a big family.She has no siblings, but she has so many cousins and aunts and uncles.

In comparison, we are so few.Rio winks at me, and I grin back at him, before quickly schooling myself to be somber again.Matteo is on his cell phone.Enzo looks around, calmly surveying the crowd.They know exactly what this is.A farce.

Jett is silent.Watching.Unreadable.He’s been here before, trapped in our father’s manipulations.He doesn’t want this for me.But he also knows I won’t listen to anyone.Beside him, Cari holds Brooke on her lap.Cari looks tense, like she can feel the weight of this for Daniela.Maybe because she’s experienced it for herself.She’s been where Daniela is, standing beside a Knight, hoping for something real.

Brooke watches with wide eyes, looking between Daniela and me, frowning, as if, even at her age, she can sense that something about this isn’t right.

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