Page 16 of Heir of Fire
She should have felt relieved. Having any sort of feeling towards her best friend’s brother was wrong on every level possible.
But why did her heart ache?
Maybe it was because her mind created scenarios and overthought everything, creating delusions of what she wanted rather than what was reality. Reality was that he wanted nothing to do with her, and another rejection stung. Bad.
“Well, good luck to whoever that girl is. No offense to you, Luna, but I think all women could strive to do better than him,” Gianna said, her tone nonchalant.
“That’s harsh, G,” Blair said.
“The truth usually is.”
“We know no one can match your standards,” Cecilia said. She turned to Luna. “He could have finally knocked some sense into that stubborn ass of his.”
“Well, whatever it is, I just hope he stays around for a while,” Luna said, ending the conversation with that.
Gianna didn’t miss the way Luna kicked her shin under the table, but she deserved it. And Finn probably deserved worse for even being around her that night if he had someone already.
But that wasn’t Gianna’s problem to worry about anymore.
“So, when is this Fight Night happening?” Gianna asked.
“Next Friday,” Luna said. “And this time it’s me forcing you all to go, not the other way around.”
“The student becomes the master.” Cecilia grinned. “It’s about damn time too.”
Luna threw her napkin at her, making Blair screech at not getting hollandaise sauce on her new skirt.
Things always worked out for the best, it seemed, no matter how much it burned in the moment. Men sucked, but at least Gianna could enjoy a good fight now without any kind of drama following.
The thought brought a smile to her face.
TEN
GIANNA
There was alwaysa reason to dress-up and Fight Night was no different. While most people tried to stick to black and a more badass look, Gianna wore whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. That was why she threw on a sparkly pink miniskirt and a matching cropped long sleeved top. She wore heels that only accentuated her long legs and curled her hair so that it would bounce with every step she took.
She demanded attention wherever she went, and tonight was no exception. She would be lying if she said she hated it because she honestly didn’t. Knowing that people watched her, hated her, wanted to be her, wanted tofuckher—it filled the void for a second. And as long as it filled it, she was going to enjoy it.
The arena was packed with people hungry for a good fight. The dome shape allowed everyone a view, all the way from the back of the building to the seats right by the ring. They always sat right up front, mostly so the boys could keep an eye on them, but it was the best spot in the house.
The past couple of Fight Nights had always included Gianna and the other girls, but now they were joined by Allister, Valerio, and Dante—who attended by invite this time and weren’t crashing it. She still didn’t know why they were all fighting, butshe assumed that since it was an unofficial Fight Night and not being used to bait new recruits for the Kingsley family, that rules could be broken.
Either way, it was easy to guess who would be winning all the fights tonight and she was hoping to leave rich by betting on them.
She took her seat right beside Blair after everyone had placed their drink orders. The event felt fancier than previous Fight Nights, with waitresses and better chairs. Immediately, she knew that was Valerio’s influence. God forbid his wife sit on anything uncomfortable or have to get up to order her own drinks.
The lights dimmed in the arena, indicating that the first fight was going to begin. The waitress came back with Gianna’s drink and immediately she took a big sip, letting the burn warm up her body as it traveled down her throat.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome one and welcome all, to the return of Fight Night,” the announcer said, letting his voice carry out an echo with the last syllables. The cheers from the crowd were deafening. Gianna couldn’t help but scream with them.
“For the first match of the night, we have the reckless, the wild, the life of the party—Dante Vitali!”
He came out already shirtless and his body glistening as if he’d poured oil all over himself. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he actually had. The grin on his face showed his confidence, and it only grew bigger once his opponent came out. He had a similar build to Dante, but the match was unfair on the basis of no one being able to win against the Vitali boys in the first place.
The bell rang and the other man threw the first punch, but Dante let him. They went back and forth, trading punches and kicks, but with one last hit to the neck, Dante had the match.
Allister was the next one on. By then, Gianna had finished her drink and was onto her next. She knew her brother could hold his own, but there was still a strike of anxiety that tore through her when he entered the ring and smacked his gloves together. It only got worse when his opponent stepped in and was considerably larger than him.
