Page 37 of Forbidden Sins

There are other suitors, of course, but I know those four are the ones my father considers most ‘suitable’. And I know that Nico and Vito are at the top of his list.

The thought makes my stomach clench.

I take a sip of my champagne out of habit, remembering when the fizz and pop of the bubbles on my tongue were sweet and delightful, making me feel as if I could float away. Now it tastes bitter, the fizz a sting in my mouth as I look for Sebastian. He’s the only man I want to see tonight, but he’s keeping a careful distance, and I know why.

He’s been withdrawn again, since our conversation in the cemetery, all of those unsaid and half-said things hanging between us. He’s always around, always watchful, but I felt the walls between us go up, a barrier between us and everything that I know now he and I both want.

And now, I’m standing here, currency for my father’s transactions as he seeks to strengthen our family after my brother’s death. That’s all this is. He might pretend to cater to my desires, pushing Nico in front of me as the more attractive option, but in the end, it will come down to whoever is best for the family.

Not for me.

If it were about who was best for me, I think bitterly as I take another sip of champagne,I’d be in Sebastian’s arms right now.

“You look like you’re planning a murder,” a voice says from behind me, as if by thinking about him, I summoned the man I want to see the most. I know it’s Sebastian standing behind me.

“Maybe I am,” I murmur. “Starting with Vito Bianchi.”

“The Boston don wouldn’t be pleased.”

“He can’t be that valuable to him if he’s willing to lose him to my father,” I counter, turning finally to face Sebastian. My chest tightens as I see him, as devastatingly handsome as always, his chiseled features illuminated in the glimmering light.

“Deals like that are always being made. Trading one underboss to another family is nothing if it comes with money and influence. I’m sure if you marry Vito Bianchi, the don will get a cut of what comes next.” Sebastian says it dryly, but the matter-of-fact way he’s speaking cuts me to the core.

“I’m glad it’s so easy for you to discuss this.” I turn away from him, and I feel his hand graze my arm ever so slightly before he steps away, next to me, a reasonable distance between us.

“You know it’s not,” he says in a low voice. “But it’s better to face the inevitable, isn’t it, Estella?”

“I’d rather find a way around it,” I say in clipped tones. I can feel Sebastian’s mounting frustration from where I’m standing, but I do my best to ignore it.

“Estella—”

“There you are.” My father’s voice interrupts us as he approaches, and he casts Sebastian a concerned glance. “Is everything alright, Sinclair?”

“Fine, sir,” Sebastian responds curtly. “I was just checking on Miss Gallo, to make sure that all is well.”

“And all is well?” My father looks at me, and I nod tightly, managing to paste a smile on my lips.

“Of course.”

“Good.” He smiles broadly. “Come with me, then. Vito was just telling me about a new development project that he’s eyeing, up in Vermont. A resort. It could be quite profitable for us. In fact, he was interested in hearing your take on it.”

I press my lips together, but nod. “Of course,” I manage, following my father away from Sebastian and over to where I see Vito standing, watching me without bothering to conceal his interest. His gaze rakes over me as I approach, taking in the emerald green silk dress I’m wearing, and the way he looks at me makes me feel naked. But it’s notgood, the way I feel when Sebastian looks at me, when I feel as if my body is heating fromthe inside out, all of me on the verge of being set aflame. It feels uncomfortable, sticky, as if I want to wipe away the lingering residue of his eyes on me.

Vito reaches out as I approach, taking my hand. His thumb strokes over my knuckles in a way that’s far too intimate, and I have to resist the urge to recoil and yank my hand out of his grasp. “A pleasure to see you again, Estella,” he murmurs. “You look absolutely stunning tonight.”

And then, he begins to rattle off the details of the investment that he no doubt wants to impress me with. He’s certainly impressed my father. I can practically see him already calculating the additional wealth that Vito could bring to the family. I nod and smile at the appropriate intervals, trying to keep my gaze from wandering to look for Sebastian.Is this what it’s like, being the heir all of the time?I wonder, as I try to pay some modicum of attention to what Vito is saying.Not just this part, but the constant parties, the socializing, the deals to be made, the jokes to laugh at, and the egos to be appeased? Is this what you did while I was off pursuing my dreams, Luis?

I feel a stab of guilt. My brother had his own dreams, things he wanted to do that he never got to and never would. But he never complained. He never made me feel bad for getting to pursue an art history degree, while he was forced into international finance. I had more freedom in a lot of ways than he did, and yet he never once said a word about it to me.

Now I’m forced into his role, albeit to a lesser degree, and I haven’t stopped complaining. I bite my lip, feeling that guilt work its way deeper. I don’t want to be the heiress. I don’t want to play my part in all of this, marry a man I don’t know, do my duty to the family. But neither did Luis. Now he’s dead, and I’m all that’s left.

Should I be trying harder?

“Would you like that, Estella?” Vito’s voice cuts through my thoughts, and I blink, trying to catch up to the thread of the conversation.

“I’m sorry?”

My father’s jaw tightens, and I can tell I’ve missed something. “Vito was just asking if you might like to go sailing tomorrow. He has a yacht he thought you might like to see.”

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