Chapter 219

Chapter 219
Leonardo

I parked my Lamborghini outside Black Dagger, watching the neon sign flicker against the midnight canvas. The sky stretched above, vast and indifferent, stars obscured by the city's perpetual glow. Los Angeles never truly slept, especially not in places like this.
I adjusted my cufflinks before stepping out of the car. The bouncer straightened immediately, recognition flashing across his face.
"Mr. Salvatore," he nodded, unclipping the velvet rope without hesitation.
The moment I pushed through the heavy door, the atmosphere shifted. The pulsing bass faltered and died. Conversations evaporated mid-sentence. A glass shattered somewhere in the back, the sound unnaturally loud in the sudden silence.
Every eye in the establishment fixed on me. Some faces registered fear, others curiosity, and a few showed barely concealed hostility. I ignored them all, my gaze locked on a figure at the far end of the room.
Anthony Jones stood frozen at the bottom of the spiral staircase leading to the VIP section, one foot on the first step. Even from this distance, I could see his posture stiffen.
I moved forward, cutting through the crowd that parted before me like water. My footsteps echoed against the hardwood floor, deliberate and measured.
When I reached him, I stopped, meeting his eyes.
"Anthony Jones," I said, my voice carrying in the unnatural quiet. "We need to talk."
He recovered quickly, a practiced smile spreading across his face as he turned to the watching crowd.
"Carry on, everyone. Just catching up with an old friend." He waved his hand dismissively. "Cooper, get the music going again."
The bartender scrambled to comply, and sound flooded back into the space. Conversations resumed, though noticeably more subdued, punctuated by curious glances in our direction.
Anthony gestured toward the stairs. "Shall we?"
I followed him up to the VIP section, a plush area with leather couches and private booths overlooking the main floor. He settled into his usual corner spot, sprawling across the leather with practiced ease.
"Leonardo Salvatore," he said, studying me with amused eyes. "What brings you slumming with the common folk? Shouldn't you be picking out wedding centerpieces with your bride-to-be?"
I settled across from him, unbuttoning my jacket. "That's exactly what I came to discuss."
A server appeared silently at my elbow, placing two tumblers of amber liquid on the table between us before disappearing.
Anthony lifted his glass, swirling the scotch. "What is it that's so urgent you'd grace my humble establishment after avoiding me for over three months?"
"I've been busy."
"So have I," he countered, taking a sip. "Yet here I am, making time for an old friend who only shows up when he needs something." He leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "What's really going on? Why'd you agree to marry Victoria Lancaster? And don't tell me you gave your word to your father."
I raised an eyebrow. "How did you guess that?"
Anthony snorted, gesturing at himself. "Because I know you, Leo. I've known you since we were kids. Did you forget that?" He shook his head in disgust. "You should have told your father she's not a suitable match. You're Leonardo fucking Salvatore. You can find your own wife."
I took a slow sip of my scotch, letting the smoky flavor linger on my tongue before answering. 
"Of course, I know I can find my own wife," I said, setting the glass down with more force than necessary. "It's not that simple."
"What's not simple about saying no?" Anthony leaned back, stretching his arm across the leather couch. "Is there something I'm missing here? Did Victoria Lancaster cast some kind of spell on you?" His eyes narrowed as a new thought occurred to him. "Wait a minute. Do you actually like her? Is she really that sexy?"
I barked out a laugh. "She's beautiful, I'll give her that. Sexy in that polished, perfect way. Intelligent too." I shrugged. "But she's not for me."
"Then why the hell did you agree to marry her?" Anthony threw his hands up in exasperation. "I swear, Leo, sometimes I think you've lost your mind."
I ran a finger around the rim of my glass, choosing my words carefully. "It's complicated. My father holds nearly half the shares I do in Salvatore Corporation and International. If I outright refused, he'd be... difficult."
"Since when do you care about that? You've got enough money to buy a small country."
"It's not about the money. It's about leverage. Control."
Anthony snorted. "So marry someone you don't want because of shares? That doesn't sound like the Leonardo Salvatore I know."
"I didn't say I was going to marry her," I corrected him. "I said I agreed to the engagement. There's a difference."
Anthony stared at me for a long moment. "I'm missing something here."
I leaned forward, lowering my voice despite the privacy of our VIP section. "I need a solid reason to reject Victoria that my father can't argue with. To do that, I need to know more about her. The engagement buys me time."
"So this is all just... what? A fact-finding mission?"
"Exactly. Once I have enough information, I can end things on my terms."
Anthony shook his head, laughing. "Only you would get fake-engaged to avoid getting actually engaged. You realize how insane that sounds, right?"
"It's strategic," I countered.
"It's complicated," he mimicked, taking another sip of his scotch. "You're making it more complicated than it needs to be. But there's something you're not telling me."
"You always could read me too well." I leaned back, swirling the amber liquid in my glass. "There's something... off about Victoria. And her father, too."
"Off how?"
"The way they pushed for this arrangement. It was too smooth, too rehearsed." I tapped my finger against the glass. "Edward Lancaster has been struggling financially for the past two years. Not publicly, but I have sources."
"So they want your money. That's hardly suspicious for an arranged marriage."
"It's more than that." I lowered my voice. "Victoria has been asking questions about our overseas operations. Specific questions. The kind nobody should be asking unless they know exactly what they're looking for."
Anthony's expression shifted from bored to interested. "That could be innocent. She's doing due diligence for the merger."
"Three of her questions were about operations that don't appear in any public filing. Or private ones, for that matter."
"Shit." Anthony sat up straighter. "You think she's fishing for something specific?"
"I think they're trying to marry me for something beyond the obvious reasons, yes." I drained the last of my scotch. "The question is what."
"So if Victoria's asking suspicious questions and your engagement party is coming up, why the hell are you here instead of digging into her background?" He leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "Please don't tell me you came to ask for my help investigating Victoria."
I couldn't help but smile. "You always were brilliant. That's exactly why I'm here."