Chapter 21 Dinner and Consequences
I stabbed at the waffle with more force than necessary, watching the fork pierce through the soft bread with vicious satisfaction.
That's his face, I thought bitterly, stabbing again.
Arrogant bastard, smug , manipulative… Another stab… Infuriating monster.
I’d been sulking all day. Ever since he'd laughed with me like we were two normal people having a normal sparring match, and then had threatened my sister like I was nothing.
The kitchen was quiet, I sat alone at the counter, my waffles long gone cold, pushing food around on my plate and pretending it made sense to be this angry with someone who'd just threatened everything I cared about.
"Your fighting stance earlier was impressive."
I looked up to find the maid who'd woken me the morning of my arrival. The woman was older, maybe in her fifties, with kind eyes and a knowing smile.
A smile bloomed across my face without my permission. "Thank you. I… that's kind of you to say."
"I'm Maria," the maid said, leaning against the counter. "Been working here for fifteen years, and I don't say things I don't mean. You move like someone who knows what they're doing."
"I'm Arya," I replied, and something loosened in my chest. "And I appreciate that more than you know."
We talked for a few minutes and I felt some of the tension drain from my shoulders.
At least someone in this house seemed to see me as more than a piece to be moved around.
Another younger maid appeared in the doorway, her expression was apologetic.
"Miss Arya, you should prepare for dinner," she said nervously. "The boss is having visitors, and he asked me to give you this."
She held out a note, sealed with his initials.
I took it and unfolded it with deliberate slowness. The handwriting was sharp and precise,
Dinner with business associates. Be present and dress well.
\-G
The audacity that this man had.
After everything, he still had the gall to order me around like I was some kind of servant.
Rage simmered in my chest, but I forced my mouth into a tight smile, the kind that didn't reach my eyes.
"Of course," I said sweetly to the maid. "Thank you so much."
The girl's eyes went wide, and she actually took a small step backward before bowing awkwardly and hurrying away.
I crumpled the note in her fist, my nails biting into my palms.
He wasn't the only one who could put on a mask and pretend everything was fine while chaos raged underneath.
I could do it better.
I returned to my room and locked the door behind me, the walk to the bathroom revealed that someone had already run a bath for me.
I sighed and undressed, dipping myself into the bathtub. The water was hot, almost scalding, and it did wonders to my sore muscles.
I had been so pissed that I forgot that I’d sparred with both Enzo and Giovanni the same day.
I must be out of my mind or running towards a death wish.
I used the expensive lotions I found lined up on the shelf, letting the fragrance seep into my skin.
By the time I was done and walking towards the dresser, I’d made a decision.
If he wanted to see me tonight and parade me in front of his business associates, then I would give him something to see.
My eyes skimmed through the outfits in the closet, not finding the one that fit my agenda. Until my eyes zoned in on it, and my lips tugged into a smirk.
The red dress was hanging in the closet, all but screaming my name in capital letters.
I shrugged off my bathroom robe and swiped the dress from the closet then changed into it. It was a halter neck that tied at the base of my neck and plunged all the way to my sternum.
The fabric was jersey knit, stretchy and clingy, and it fit me like a second skin. It ended mid-thigh, showing off the length of my legs, and when I moved, the material moved with me, emphasizing every curve.
It was the kind of dress that made a statement.
I did my hair last, leaving it down in waves that fell past my shoulders. I kept my makeup simple. just enough linger to make my eyes pop and a bold red lip that matched the dress.
I stepped back to survey myself in the mirror and nodded. I looked like a woman who knew exactly what she was doing.
A knock on the door broke my reverie.
"Come in," I called out, smiling at my reflection with something devious curving my lips.
A young girl stepped in, it was the same maid from the kitchen, and her face went absolutely white.
"Oh," she breathed, her eyes going wide. "You look… I mean-wow."
I turned to face her fully, taking in the maid's stunned expression with satisfaction. "Thank you. What's your name again?"
"C-Claire," the girl stammered.
I placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling the girl tense beneath her touch.
Claire couldn't have been more than twenty, with big brown eyes that reminded me so much of Christabel that it made my chest squeeze painfully.
"Don't be so scared," I said, squeezing Claire's shoulder gently. "I don't bite."
"Okay," Claire whispered, relaxing just slightly. "Let's go? They're waiting."
I smiled at her and followed her out of the room, the door closing ominously behind us.
W walked through the hallways toward the dining room, and I could hear the low rumble of male voices, laughter, the clink of glasses.
My heart was hammering, adrenaline flooding through my system. I’d walked into Giovanni's training yard uninvited and lived to tell about it. I could definitely walk into a dinner room.
The moment I stepped through the doorway, the space went utterly silent.
Every head turned toward her. There were five men, six, counting Giovanni, all of them watching her with varying degrees of interest.
They didn't look like guards. These men had the bearing of capos, the kind of men who held power and knew exactly how to use it.
Giovanni sat at the head of the table, looking absolutely magnificent and absolutely furious.
His glare was like ice, sending unsettling chills down my spine.
I ignored him, letting Claire lead me to the seat beside him. I guessed it the seat reserved for the guest of honor, or perhaps the kept woman.
I wasn't sure which. I pulled out her own chair and sat, smoothing the dress down my thighs with deliberate precision, making sure he got a good view of the action.
He didn't look away but he also didn't say anything. He just kept glaring at me, his jaw working like he was physically restraining himself from saying whatever was burning on his tongue.
"So," he said finally, his voice strained as he turned back to his men, "as I was saying before we were so... beautifully interrupted..."
He continued talking business like I wasn't there. I ate, cutting my food carefully, and taking my time. It was hard to stifle the moans drom how delicious the food was so I hummed and bobbed my heas instead.
I could feel him twitching beside me, the fury was practically radiating off him in waves.
Good. Let him be angry.
One of the men. Louis, I’d heard someone call him, leaned forward, his eyes crawling over me like oil.
"That's quite a dress, Miss," he said, his voice thick with something that made my skin crawl. "You're looking exceptionally sexy tonight. Maybe after dinner, you and I could-"
"What the hell do you think you’re doing, Louis?”
Giovanni's voice was a whip crack. He'd stood so fast his chair scraped back violently, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop twenty degrees.
Louis cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortable. “Nothing I was just… admiring your woman-
"Enzo," he snapped coldly. "Escort Louis outside. I think he’s has enough to eat."
Louis’ eyes widened. "Come on, boss, I was just-"
"Now."
Enzo was there immediately, his hand on Louis's shoulder, and the man was being bodily removed from the dining room despite his protests.
I stared straight ahead, trying to process what had just happened. Giovanni had actually defended my honor like some kind of knight errant, except he wasn't noble and I wasn't a damsel, and-
His expression when he turned back to me was somehow worse than the glare.
It was possessive absolutely unhinged, like he was thinking of a thousand ways to punish me or something.
I pretended not to notice, focusing very intently on cutting my steak into perfectly uniform pieces.
I took one bite, then two, swallowing despite how stiff my throat had gotten.
Don't look at him, I repeated like a mantra in my mind. Don't give him the satisfaction or-
He stood abruptly, bringing my thoughts to a sharp halt.
"Excuse me," he said to his remaining men, his voice tight.
Then his hand was on mine, wrapped around my wrist, and he was pulling me to me feet. I grabbed the edge of the table, trying to anchor myself, but he was already moving, dragging me away from the dining room.
"Let go of me," I hissed, stumbling in my heels. "Giovanni, let-"
He didn't let go. He pulled me through the hallway, my heels clicked and clattered against the stone, and I was practically half-falling, half-running to keep up with him.
"Stop it!” I yowled. “You're hurting me for goodness sake!"
We turned a corner into a shadowed alcove, and suddenly I was pressed against the wall. His hand found my throat, fingers splaying against my skin, and he pinned me there with effortless strength.
His face was right in front of mine, his dark eyes burning with something that looked like rage and something darker.
"Listen to me very carefully," he hissed. His thumb stroked against my pulse point, and I sucked in a sharp breath.
"Messing with me, dolcezza, you'll find that it's a dangerous game. A very dangerous game."