He got up. “I come to congratulate you. And I just did that.”
I rose to my feet. “Thanks, I guess.”
Instead of going straight to the doorway, he looked around the sitting room.
“It’s been a while since I last came up here, but the change in your decor shows,” he remarked. “A bit brighter. I like it. Almost looks like mine.”
“Shut up, you arrogant prick,” I retorted, laughing.
“Well, it’s nice to see my brothers’ styles evolve so I don’t have to keep dragging them along as myself and fellow trendsetters define class,” he explained, an amused expression on his face as he moved toward the door. “I have a crazy feeling that your wife has something to do with this.”
“Just get out,” I instructed, chuckling.
“Extend my regards to the newest Mrs. Lobanov.”
“Bye, Roman,” I uttered before shutting the door.
I strolled towards the drapes, picking up the remote control on the stool and pressing it to open them. Standing justa few feet from the windows, I let myself slip into the memory of the first time I saw Isabella.
“Your face could use a little smile, you know,” I told Konstantin as we walked past the velvet rope behind Viktor and Roman.
He rolled his eyes at me, clearly not inclined to take my kind, albeit playful, advice.
“Your choice,” I muttered, more to myself, considering he was already headed for the VIP sitting area, catching up with Viktor.
It was one of those Bratva events that were more of a show of power than a celebration—not showing was always seen as a sign of weakness, something Viktor would never tolerate. While none of us loved such events, Konstantin liked them the least, and Roman tolerated them the best. For Viktor and me, it was just work. No more, no less.
Roman and I went straight to the bar on the opposite side of the long hall.
“The music is the worst part. Three out of ten. Hans’ cousin is the DJ, I bet,” he joked, pouring champagne into our glasses.
Grading every aspect of events, from the music to the decor, was Roman’s wheelhouse. Not that any of us could argue his stances. As the one who handled our legit businesses, he went to more corporate balls and galas than the three of us put together.
The event was a fundraiser ball for Hans’ sports outreach and a vow renewal event for him and his wife. But, more than half of us attendees didn’t give a shit about what Hans was or was not celebrating. It was not about him; it wasabout his father. Julius, the German mob boss overseeing the biggest drug syndicate in Germany, was the person of interest.
“Why are we drinking champagne, of all things?” I inquired after a sip.
“Because we might have to move around the hall. It’s too early to smell like vodka or gin.”
I lifted my glass again and was about to tease him about him going all serious again, like he was the older brother, when I saw her.
Standing several feet from the bar was a sight I couldn’t take my eyes off.
She was in an animated conversation with a petite lady, both of them holding champagne flutes. The other lady was in a bright yellow dress, but it was her presence, her body clad in a red dress that pooled in ruffles that formed roses just above her knees, that dazzled me. One thing stood out: she looked too bold for her surroundings.
My glass moved slowly to my lips as I drank in her sweet yet fiery aura.
She threw her head back in laughter, and I had to swallow my desire to walk up to her. Her olive skin looked creamy against the tiny straps. Even though I only had a side view, I knew without a doubt that she was beautiful.
My champagne glass met with the wooden bar again, and I looked back in her direction.
Then, still laughing, she turned towards where I sat. It was too late for me to look away; my eyes were locked on her dainty face, on her red lips. My eyes moved upward again, and I was nothing short of starstruck as her brown eyes met mine.
She didn’t immediately look away or pretend to be looking at the lights or the bar. Neither did I; I couldn’t. Her gaze held mine for a moment before she looked away, resuming her conversation with the other lady.
That moment when our eyes locked had lived in my head ever since.
I pressed the remote control as I came back to reality. A reality where Isabella was now my wife. A reality where she was also a puzzle I was still looking to solve. Well, in that same reality, I had work to attend to.
