Chapter 18
Ava’s POV
Fabio looked as calm as ever, his expression unreadable. He set down his glass of wine and then lifted his gaze to meet everyone else’s. Tm not rushing things yet,” he said, “so I’m not thinking about the wedding date at the moment.
I knew from the start he didn’t want this wedding. He didn’t even hesitate to smirk as if this big engagement party was a joke
to him.
Suddenly, Hailey cleared her throat and said, “Well, if the Don isn’t rushing, don’t worry, we’ll take it slowly but surely…
“Yes, Fabio added, his voice matter–of–fact, after all, this engagement was purely for business partnerships and alliances between our families.
I couldn’t believe I’d fallen for Caspian’s words before. Now, I understand that every man in our organization only married. for what they could gain. But looking at Caspian and Erica right now, they seemed completely lost in each other.
I glanced away, and then Fabio, sitting beside me, suddenly placed his hand on my thigh. My eyes widened as 1 watched his Jhand slowly stroke my leg. What was he doing? Should I make a scene? No, that probably wasn’t a good idea.
“Ava?”
Hailey’s voice cut through my swirling thoughts, and I blinked twice to refocus. A bright, expectant smile stretched across her
face.
“How about you help me look for a suitable wedding gown?”
Just as she spoke, I felt Fabio’s hand slide away from my thigh.
He picked up his phone, his fingers flying across the screen. A message appeared on mine: “I saw you were nervous; you kept shaking your leg. Don’t make it obvious.” A chill snaked down my spine. He noticed.
I quickly flipped my phone face down, trying to appear nonchalant.
My attention snapped back to Hailey, who was still waiting for my reply. My mind felt clouded, but I managed a weak smile. I’m afraid I’m not really the best person to choose a wedding gown for you, Hailey.”
Before Hailey could respond, Erica, ever the attention seeker, jumped in, her voice dripping with false enthusiasm. “Oh, I can help you, Hailey! I have such great taste.”
Hailey’s smile tightened, losing some of its earlier warmth. “Oh, really, Erica? You? Okay, that’s… great.” She turned back to her plate, picking at her food with a sudden lack of appetite.
Being a woman, I could tell Hailey was trying to get me away from Fabio. She wanted him all to herself. I wasn’t excited about helping her pick a wedding dress anyway, and honestly, I’m not good at that kind of thing,
The party went on with business talk and I remained mostly silent, nursing a single glass of champagne. Eventually, I excused myself and headed to the restroom, unaware that Dante had followed me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, surprised to see him.
“Let’s talk,” he said, his usual playful demeanor replaced by a surprising seriousness.
“What do you want to talk about?” I asked, instinctively taking a step back. If he was about to launch into another one of his nonsensical questions, I was fully prepared to punch him again. “And this is not the place for a proper talk, Dante.”
“Are you sleeping with my brother? Why are you always with him? Are you trying to wrap him around your finger and mess with his head?” he fired off a string of bizarre questions that left me speechless.
I frowned, pursing my lips in disbelief. Was this guy insane? Why would he ask such ridiculous things? Was he actually trying to get punched again?
1 brushed past him, attempting to ignore his craziness, but he grabbed my arm from behind. That sparked my anger. I shoved him away and stepped closer, landing another solid punch on his face.
exclaimed, raising his hand as if to strike me.
“Oh, really?” I retorted, my voice dangerously low. “You want to hurt me? Go ahead, you motherfucker.”
He rubbed his lower lip, a thoughtful expression on his face, and slowly lowered his hand. “I don’t know what you’re planning. Ava,” he said, his voice now a low warning. “But I have a bad feeling you’re going to make a fool of Fabio. And this pretty face of yours won’t work on me…” He stepped closer, his fingers gripping my chin, tilting my face up to his. Til be watching you…
But something snapped inside me. Without thinking, I lashed out, my foot connecting squarely with his groin. He immediately released my chin, his face contorting in a mask of red–hot fury and agony as he doubled over, clutching his crotch. “What the fuck… You, you’re going to regret this!” he gasped.
Before he could take a step toward me, the restroom door swung open, and Diego stood there, his gaze fixed on his brother. “Dante… what the fuck are you doing with her alone?!”
The moment we stepped outside, a wave of murmuring washed over us, confirming my fear: Dante and I had definitely caused a scene. Then, Fabio’s voice, a low growl cutting through the noise, echoed from the doorway as he stepped into view. “Dantel
Dante, however, Seemed unfazed, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. “Oh, brother,” he announced, his eyes darting towards me with a suggestive wink. “Ava and I were just… having a rather intense discussion. You know how it is when you find a connection, things can get… heated.”
What the actual hell is he talking about? My mind reeled.
Embarrassed and not wanting to face the knowing glances, I hurried outside without looking back. Behind me, I heard Dante’s voice again, smooth and falsely apologetic, “It’s alright, everyone! We wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable with the details. Ava, wait for me…”
Sure enough, Dante followed me out, and to my utter dismay, Fabio and Diego were right behind him. Every single person gathered outside the villa turned their collective gaze towards the awkward spectacle of three men following after me.
“Let me at least take you home,” Dante offered with a false sense of concern, though his eyes held a knowing glint. It felt like a veiled suggestion: play along, or Fabio might figure out the truth, and all hell would break loose.
I glanced at Diego and Fabio, both wearing expressions of utter confusion.
Without a word, I got into Dante’s car. Fabio couldn’t make a scene with everyone watching, and Diego remained observant, his gaze shifting between me, Fabio, and Dante, taking in every nuance.
As we pulled away from the villa, Dante scoffed, a smug look on his face. “You’re lucky I saved you from completely ruining the engagement party”
“Stop the car,” I said, my voice tight with anger.
He slammed on the brakes in the middle of the road, the tires screeching. “What did you say?!”
