Chapter 13 The gala's shadow
Charlotte's POV
The gala was bigger than I had imagined; it was in an underground nightclub, and every single person in there was Mafia.
Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a bright light across the place; each and every corner was filled with people, either dressed in suits or in white and black server uniforms.
I slipped my hand into Damien's arm as he led me into the hall. I sucked in a breath, my heart racing as I realized all eyes were fixed on us…me.
I was dressed in a red dress; the slit on the side ran up my thigh, revealing my legs, and I wore black heels. My hair was tucked into a bun, a few curly strands sticking out and resting on my face.
The staring intensified as we approached a desk filled with men who seemed to be heads of mafia groups, each with a stern expression on their faces as they watched us sit in front of them.
“Who is this Damien?” One of them asked, and he shot me a cold gaze. “This meeting is for Mafia heads only.”
“I haven't formally introduced you all to my wife!” Damien announced.
All heads turned in our direction, and the place suddenly grew quiet.
I clenched my fist by my side, swallowing hard.
Damien slipped his hand into mine and lifted it up. “This here is my wife. She is off limits to everyone, and she is allowed to be in this meeting, whether she is a mafia lord or not, because I say so. Does anybody have a problem with it?” His brow raised.
Nobody said a word; the place beamed with silence as they all gazed at me.
“Damien,” A man's voice spoke from behind us.
I turned to see a man with brown hair, dressed in a suit. He walked closer to us. “It's nice to see you made it.” He reached for a handshake.
“Raphael,” Damien responded as he accepted the handshake.
Raphael's head tilted as he looked at me. “This must be her.” His hand reached out to mine, and he pressed it against his lips. “An honor.”
I bowed my head slightly; he was the only person who didn't make me feel welcome here.
Damien and I moved to our seats, and throughout the meeting, his hand was pressed tightly against my thigh.
My gaze swept across the place uncontrollably, struggling to find a pair of eyes that weren't darting knives at me.
In a matter of minutes, the meeting was done, and Damein led me to the middle of the hall as soft music began to play.
I adjusted the hem of my dress even though nothing was wrong with it. “I think we should go home,” I spoke as Damein pulled me closer to him.
“Why?”
My gaze swept around again; people had begun to dance in groups of two, and yet I still couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.
“People are looking at me.”
“Well, that's what happens when there's a beautiful person in the room, love,” he smiled.
My posture softened, and my body settled as I saw his smile. “Thank you, Damien.”
“Drink, madam?” A waiter behind us asked.
“No, I'm good,” I responded.
“It's red champagne, imported from China,” the waiter insisted.
Damien's hand pressed against my hips, and he pulled me closer to himself. “She doesn't want a drink waiter, go away,” he snapped.
The waiter bowed his head, and as he turned to leave, I felt a sharp sting on my arm.
I winced in pain and quickly looked at it.
“Are you okay?” He asked.
“I think something stung me,” I explained.
I leaned closer and kissed the part of my arm that had reddened. “I'm sorry, love; I felt this a few minutes ago. Come on,” he began to lead me out of the place. “Let's get you home.”
I could still feel the peering eyes as we turned to leave.
In the distance, my gaze caught the waiter who had served us, a sinister look on his face.
I quickly shrugged my shoulders; maybe I was being paranoid.
As we passed the threshold of the door, my eyes blurred for a second, and I almost toppled over, but I quickly stabilized myself.
“Drive, Mat,” Damien ordered as we entered the back seat of the car, and soon the car sped into the road.
Damien's hand didn't leave mine; he pulled closer to me and pressed my fingers against his lips. “Are you okay? This is our first gala together, and you didn't even enjoy it.”
I shook my head. “I'm fine, Damien.”
He exhaled sharply, gazing into my eyes. “You look beautiful tonight.” His hand reached for my hair and gently brushed it off my face.”
“Thank you, Damien.” I smiled as his lips pressed against mine.
My heart spiked as the car suddenly swerved to the side of the road.
“Are you okay, Matteo?” I asked.
There was no response.
“Matteo!” Damein called out.
My body tensed as I saw Matteo through the rearview mirror; he was passed out.
“He's passed out! Damien, he's passed out!” I turned to face Damien, my eyes widening as I saw him passed out as well.
“What is going on?” I asked, shakingly.
Both of them?
Without wasting time, I moved to the front seat and stepped on the brakes.
We were headed towards a bridge.
I quickly stepped on the brakes, my heart racing uncontrollably, panting heavily. I turned to face Damien, but I couldn't see him; my eyes had become blurry, and before I realized what was happening, I had passed out.
Damien's POV
My eyes fluttered open, a massive headache banging in my head.
The car was parked in front of a bridge.
I immediately looked to my side; Charlotte wasn't there. “Charlotte? Charlotte!”
“Boss” Matteo pulled the door open. “I'm glad you are all right.”
“Where is my wife?” I asked immediately, stepping out of the car.
Matteo sighed, “She's gone, boss; she was nowhere to be found when I woke up.”
“I found out what the problem is,” I heard a lady’s voice beside me. I turned to see Margaret; she was one of my poison experts.
My brows pinched together, my fingers rubbed my forehead due to the headache, and my other hand pressed against my hips. I asked, “What's Margaret doing here?”
“The three of us passed out. I assumed it was poison, so I called Margaret,” Matteo explained.
“And you were right.” Margaret spoke as she stood before us, “The three of you have been injected with a potent toxin that paralyzes the brain and makes a person faint only for a few minutes. I didn't even know poison like this existed.”
I reached for the part of my arm that had been stung earlier; it wasn't a bug, it was poison.
I suddenly remembered Charlotte had complained of the same thing.
“Who would do this, boss?” Matteo asked.
“It just be somebody from the gala,” I breathed. “I put her in danger, fuck!” I dug my fingers into my hair in anger. “Somebody took Charlotte; we have to find her!”
“I looked into the CCTV footage around these places, and I saw this,” Margaret spoke as she handed me the tablet in her hand.
My jaw clenched as I watched Charlotte being dragged out of the car by three men. I couldn't see their faces, but one of them had a spider tattoo on his finger;
Immediately, I realized who had taken her.
“I know who it is,” I growled. “The world will fucking burn before I let anything happen to her”