Page 114 of Alpha-Ex Wedding Ruse
“I guess so,” I said with a small shrug. It was also the cheapest option on the menu.
After placing our orders, we settled in. While we waited, I felt Victor’s eyes on me. He just kept staring and smiling.
“What?” I asked, returning a half smile. His gaze was starting to make me uncomfortable.
“The years made you even more beautiful, Leila,” he said softly. “Beautiful and mature.”
I’d been twenty-three when we first met. Now I was twenty-eight, edging closer to twenty-nine. Life had worn new lines into me since then.
“So…how are the wedding preparations going?” he asked.
I stiffened. Of course, he brought it up again. Why did he always circle back to this? It was starting to feel like he was taunting me.
“It’s going fine,” I said, trying to keep my voice neutral. “Elena’s having her bridal party with her girls tonight, which is why I’m somewhat off the hook.”
“I imagine it’ll be all over social media tomorrow.”
“Or tonight,” I muttered.
He laughed. “Fair enough. Contrary to my brother, who isn’t having a bachelor party.”
It had been gnawing at me quietly. He was the first groom I’d everheard of who didn't have groomsmen. No best man. No last hurrah. And he didn’t even seem to care.
Victor scoffed under his breath. “Luca always gets his way. Whatever Luca wants, he gets.”
There was a shift in his expression. His jaw clenched, anger flashed in his eyes. He masked it quickly, but I saw it.
I didn’t press. Maybe now, finally, he’d drop the conversation.
The food arrived, and we spent the rest of the evening talking about things that didn’t matter. I had to force a smile Victor’s way more than once, just to show him I was present. But I wasn’t. Not really.
All I could think about was that by this time next week, Luca would be married. And I’d probably never see him again.
The thought cut clean through me. My heart sat heavy in my chest, like it had five years ago. Like I was being rejected all over again.
I was so deep in my thoughts, I didn’t even notice the waiter approach our table with a bouquet of flowers. By now, we were done eating, waiting for dessert, and sipping on our wine.
“Leila,” Victor said softly, pulling me back.
I blinked, startled into the present. He was reaching for my hand across the table, curling his fingers around mine.
I flinched a little at the touch. His hand felt foreign.
“My brother’s marriage has got me thinking,” he began. “If you want something, you go for it. Luca always wanted Elena. From the moment he saw her. And now, here he is marrying her.”
I’d never gotten the full story of how Luca and Elena met. But if there was anyone who looked less and less like they wanted a wedding, it was Luca. I’d started to believe he was being pressured into it.
I tried to keep my face blank, even as my throat tightened and my eyes started to sting.
“I don’t know if you knew this,” Victor continued. “But I’ve always liked you, Leila. Even before you and my brother were a thing. I wanted you. But when I found out he did too, I backed off. He’s my brother. If it made him happy, that had to be enough for me.”
He paused, his voice dipping lower. “I didn’t think he’d screw it up.If I did, maybe I would’ve fought harder. Maybe I should’ve. But I’m five years late saying this, and it still hasn’t changed. Seeing you again…it reminded me of how much it broke me to let you go. Maybe this is the universe putting us in each other’s paths again. Giving us a second chance.”
I shifted in my seat. Something about the conversation felt off.
“Leila—” he started again, but I gently pulled my hand away from his.
His expression faltered. I sighed and looked up. “Look, Victor, I’m flattered, really. You’ve been nothing but kind since we met, and the last thing I want is to lead you on or waste either of our time.”
