“That is entirely to your benefit, my darling,” Ambrose says warmly. “You are worth a thousand of them all put together. Believe me.”
I smile sadly at him. “You don’t really know me,” I murmur as I sip my champagne.
“I know enough. And I have seen how you are with Luca. It is a rare gift to be able to put him at ease the way you do.”
I look at him, his dark eyes questioning as I bite my lip, unsure whether to ask the question burning in my mind.
“I will not lie to you if you ask me,” he says carefully.
“Did you do what we did with her? You and Luc—Mr. Crawford?” I ask, the weight in my chest growing heavier as he nods slowly.
“We did, Amelia. Sì. But I must tell you, the time I spent with you and Luca was superior to any prior experience with anyone. I do not placate you. It is the truth. There is a bright heat between you. A spark, shall we say. And despite their engagement and their history, theyneverhad that.”
He shakes his head, as if throwing away the comment, but the idea of it is intoxicating. I so want to believe him.
But if it’s true, where does that leave us? It’s not as if Crawford will ever see me as anything but an escort.
“Now, my angel, I have many people who have been asking about the vision who arrived with our host. I would greatly like to introduce you to them all. I will ensure they know how perfectly you fit in here, for you do. Trust me on this.”
He holds out his arm, and I smile, clutching my champagne like a lifeline as we make our way through the room.
Crawford may have abandoned me, but I have never been so happy to have a friend beside me as I am now.
Chapter 35
Lucas
I’m glad that so many have shown up for the gala, but I’m way too busy moving from one group to another. I feel like a groom at a wedding, making sure I talk to all the guests.
I’m disappointed that Barnes is on vacation; if he could see the success of all the companies I have worked with over the years, it would surely sweeten the deal even further.
I’m standing with a group of board members and donors as a particularly pompous man, whom I’ve forgotten the name of, talks about his golf handicap. It’s the fourth time I’ve heard this speech, and I’m wondering why we invited him.
I’ve been wondering a lot of things tonight.
Why can’t I focus? Why am I so on edge? Why, every thirty seconds, do I glance around the room, looking for Amelia?
I haven’t seen her for over an hour, and now I feel guilty for leaving her as soon as we walked through the door. She doesn’t know a soul here, and I walked away as if she didn’t matter at all.
But she does matter. More than I care to admit.
Why does Barnes have to be on vacation? This could have been the night we formalize the deal, but instead I’m listening to this idiot talk about his golf swing.
After another few minutes of small talk, I excuse myself to walk over to the next group, only to slow my pace as a hand curls around my arm.
Grinning, I turn, anticipating meeting Amelia’s irritated expression as she asks why I left her alone for so long. But my grin fades instantly when I come face-to-face with Megan.
“Darling,” she purrs. “So good to see you.”
“Hello Meg,” I say with as much false warmth as I can muster. There are too many eyes watching us to shake off her presumptuous hold on my arm. There have already been enough rumors about us to sink a ship.
“You look very dapper,” she says, holding out her arms as if complimenting me, when in reality she’s making sure I can see the full length of her dress.
She looks great, she always does, but just like the night at the restaurant, it leaves me cold. It’s as if I’ve finally opened my eyes and I now see her for the woman she is: cold, manipulative, and jealous. She’s only talking to me because she saw me walk in with Amelia, a woman ten times more beautiful than she’ll ever be.
“You look very lovely,” I say evenly, waiting for that knowing smile to curve over her lips. But she doesn’t smile; her eyes are focused on me with an intensity I don’t quite like.
“Who’s your date?” she asks.
