Page 85 of Arianna

He clears his throat before replying, “Then you know nothing about me, darling.”

Sighing, I look at him for a second before looking back at the board. “Maybe you’re right.” I only know what he has allowed me to know and the media’s narrative.

I know he took me from my old life only to give me a better one.

He has given me and done more than my blood.

Deep down, I know a part of him, but I also know there is more underneath all that condescending and demanding persona of his.

“Why are you up this late?” He moves another piece, entertaining me when clearly he has won even before I sat down.

“Can’t sleep,” I tell him truthfully because I have no energy for sarcasm and deflection.

“Hmm.” Sebastian mumbles.

“What is it?” Staring at his face, I wait for his response.

“You can’t outrun ghosts, darling.” He leans back in his seat and takes a sip of his brown liquid. “Eventually, they catch up.” The way he says it makes me believe the almighty Senator of Chicago is not that untouchable after all.

I am curious…

“Do you have ghosts, Sebastian?” I anticipate his next play and move my piece accordingly.

He moves a chess piece and looks at me intently. “I do.”

I am shocked he admitted to a weakness.

“Huh.” A soft chuckle slips from my mouth. I don’t even realize I did it until he stares at me with a small smile of his own.

Thud.

Thud.

The same pressure in my chest takes over just the same as every time Sebastian has smiled my way before.

“What?” He searches my face with furrowed brows.

“Nothing.” I move a pawn forward, knowing I have already lost this game. The man never takes pity, and I would rather eat shit than win dishonestly. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as the type that worries over trivial things like ghosts.” I throw his early words back at him.

“And I wouldn’t have pegged you a coward, darling.” He spits the words out without caring about the impact they might have on the other person’s heart. A normal girl would feel outraged at his clear dig, but not me. Oddly, I have come to admire and appreciate his blunt honesty, even when it burns.

Rolling my eyes, I change the subject. “Why do you love this game so much?”

“Le jeu calme la tempête à l'intérieur.” The game calms the storm inside.” He takes a sip of his whiskey without taking his eyes off me. I have never felt this way before. Not warm, but not cold either... Just right.

Huh.

Another intimate confession…

It calms the storm inside.

I didn’t expect that answer. Not from him. He doesn’t seem like a man who would willingly share his faults or weaknesses, but he just did. To me. What do I even say to that? Sebastian has demons just like the rest of us mortals. “Who taught you how to play?” I whisper, almost cautiously. In the time I have been here with him, I haven’t seen signs of his family. It is just him, his daughter, and his team.

At first, I had no interest in learning anything about him, but as time passed, I have come to want to know more about his world and not just the superficial one of riches and politics.

His world.

What makes him…him.

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