Chapter 150 Luca's response
Serena’s POV
Valentina took another slow sip of wine before leaning back in her chair as the candlelight caught the little smile lines around her eyes.
“You know,” she started, “one of my favorite ball memories is the year Dante met that girl.”
I felt my fingers twitch slightly but she didn’t notice, so I kept it that way.
Valentina kept going. “He was about twenty-two back then and already trying so hard to look like he deserved a spot in the ball,” she continued and I could imagine a younger Dante.
Would have been such a sight.
“He was all dressed in his tailored sharp suit with his hair perfectly gelled back, something he only does for the ball by the way, and had that serious face he thought made him look older,” she chuckled as she paused.
“But he was still so… young. Still figuring out how to carry the name. And then, she walked in.”
Valentina’s eyes shone slightly at the memory and that didn't help the burn in my chest.
“She had dark hair back then and came in a green dress that looked like it cost more than most people’s houses. She came alone, no date, just with her father who ran a family back then,” she continued.
“Every head in the room turned. Including his.”
I forced myself to smile even though it hurt.
“She walked straight past the dance floor, straight to the bar, ordered something simple and didn’t look around much. She didn’t need to though as everyone else was already looking at her.”
“Dante saw her from across the room and lost himself. I was standing maybe ten feet away with his father and I swear I watched his brain lapse. He didn’t move for a full minute, just stared,” she said and laughed softly.
“Then he straightened his tie, maybe twice, and started walking towards her like he was walking into a gunfight. Got within five feet and stopped again. Like he forgot every word he ever learned. She noticed, turned to him, and smiled. And he just… stood there, like a statue.”
I swallowed. “What did she do?”
“She waited a bit. Then he later told us that she said clear as day, ‘Are you going to ask me to dance or are you just going to stare all night?’”
I laughed despite the twist in my tummy. “And what did he say?”
“Nothing clever,” Valentina said, grinning. “He turned bright red, I mean scarlet, and mumbled something about the floor being slippery, then offered his hand.”
“She took it, and they danced, maybe not the most graceful dance you'd ever see, but they danced.”
“She laughed every minute, and by the end of the song he was laughing too. I watched him all the way, that was the first time I saw him actually relax at one of those things.”
“They danced more?” I asked while trying my best to look like I didn't care.
“Three more times that night, I believe,” she said. “He didn’t leave her side. When the ball ended he walked her to her car, kissed her hand like some old movie hero, and watched her drive away. I teased him about it for weeks. He pretended he hated it, but I saw him smile every time her name came up,” she continued dreamily.
I stared at the table, at the floor, at anything but her eyes.
Valentina kept going, lost in the memory.
“They dated for almost a year after that. She was good for him, just as we thought,” she continued.
“We?” I asked and she smiled.
“Yeah, his dad and I actually planned it all, at least the part till where she walked in. We softened them into each other till they became a thing,” she explained.
I swallowed again as Valentina finally looked at me, like probably really took a good look at me.
“Oh honey,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s fine,” I said too quickly. “Really, it’s sweet and all, he was young. People date.”
She reached across the table and touched my wrist. “That was a long time ago. He’s not that boy anymore. He’s changed a lot from them, one of the reasons they broke up, he became more like his father's later days,” she explained.
I forced a smile. “I know,” I muttered but the twist in my tummy didn’t go anyway.
We finished the meal without sparing many words between us.
Valentina tried to bring up different topics to make me feel better about myself. I tried to tell her it didn't matter, but she refused to give up.
After a while, she noticed I wasn't still feeling any better, so she placed her hand over mine, pulling my attention to her.
“In three days, I'll be attending my 46th ball,” she muttered and that caught my attention.
“46?” I asked, still trying to process that.
“Yup, I joined the Russo family 46 years ago and Dante's dad invited me to the ball as his adopted daughter,” she continued. “I became Dante's keeper when he turned 18, about 20 years ago,” she added.
“Woah,” I muttered.
“Yeah, the point is, I've seen more ballroom parties than most and I've been by Dante's side since he started going to any, so I can tell you that this year's own is the first time he's not certain of going, and that's cause of you,” she continued.
“Really?” I asked.
“Yeah, he's skeptical, he's having doubts, and that's because of you. Dante thinks of you more than you can imagine, just follow him slowly, you'll be happy you stuck around,” she added.
I smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Valentina,” I said honestly.
She nodded back and when the bill came, she paid without letting me argue.
We walked back to the car in the cool night air and the guard opened the door for us. I slid in first while Valentina followed afterwards beside me.
The drive home was quiet as I stared out the window and she left her hand over mine.
We pulled into the garage not too long afterwards and Valentina squeezed my hand one more time as the car stopped.
“You’re going to be beautiful,” she said. “And he’s going to lose his mind when he sees you.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Val.”
She kissed my cheek and headed inside while I carried the bags up to my room alone.
I laid everything out on the bed, the red gown, the heels, the mask, the jewelry.
The dress shimmered under the room light while the mask looked like something a queen would wear to hide her eyes while she watched her enemies.
I stood there staring at it all.
Then I whispered to the empty room. “I guess I’m ready for the ball after all.”
Dante’s POV
Five days to go.
The office had paper everywhere and had never been this stuffy.
Files littered every inch of the table while the guest list printouts took the rest of the space.
There were seating charts, security schedules, catering invoices, wine orders, orchestra contracts, florist proposals.
Oh my fucking gawd!
I felt my head stuff up. Everything could go wrong if one detail slipped.
Nico sat across from me on his laptop, scrolling through the latest RSVPs.
“Two more acceptances this morning,” he said.
“Both from the east side families. They expressed their gratitude,” he announced.
It was highly unheard of for any family to reject an invite, they practically looked forward to it and none could set their events there as it had a fixed date.
It was considered an honor to get an invite.
I nodded. “Keep the list tight, there should be no last-minute additions without my sign-off,” I ordered.
And Nico tapped a few keys. “Okay, Don. Valet company has been confirmed, they’re using our approved drivers only. No outsiders,” he announced.
“Good,” I replied.
I pulled the ledger towards me. The final payments were due, the catering deposit, orchestra balance, florist balance, security overtime. All had to be paid as soon as possible.
I signed three checks and slid them into envelopes, before handing them over to Nico.
“Do the needful with these today,” I said. “No delays.”
He took them. “Done.”
I leaned back in the chair. “We’ll have a final ballroom walkthrough tomorrow morning. I want you there with Marcus too. We walk it again, every inch.”
Nico nodded. “I’ll tell him.”
I stared at the guest list again. The names, the numbers, the families. Every single one of them would be in the same room, smiling, toasting like nothing could go wrong.
But one of them was either the mole, or would bring the mole.
I rubbed my face hard.
Five days. We had five days to make sure the wrong person didn’t walk through those doors.
“Don,” Nico called. “A response just came in from the Moretti family.”