“I didn’t know you were bringing a guest.”
“About that.” I cleared my throat, deciding there was no going back now. Within a few days, her brothers would soon learn of her whereabouts, and then my plan could be set in motion. “I’d like to introduce you to my wife, Beatrice Lebedev.”
“Your…wife?” Elena’s voice screeched, then she collected herself, schooling her shocked expression into place, before giving her husband a warning glare to do the same. “I didn’t know you got married.”
“When did this happen?” Gastone said, once the news registered. “Beatrice…Lebedev, you said?” He scrutinized Beatrice. I braced myself, for I knew very well that there would be questions from our allies later. They wouldn’t question or challenge me in front of my new wife, but I expected resistance to what I’d done at some point.
“Yes, that’s right,” I explained. “We got married just a month ago.”
“Whew, what a whirlwind, huh?” Elena beamed, warming over the ice-cold tension. “And are you planning a honeymoon soon?”
“A honeymoon?” Beatrice chirped, like a frazzled bird. “Oh.” Her eyes met mine. “I don’t think so.”
“I’m swamped with work,” I jumped in, before Beatrice mentioned the word kidnapping and turned this even more awkward.
“Take your wife on a honeymoon.” Elena frowned at me in mock warning. “Don’t be that guy.”
“Yeah, Arko,” Beatrice chimed in, giving me a playful look. “Don’t be that guy.”
She took a teasing sip of her champagne, her eyes never leaving mine, and I felt a heat pool at the bottom of my spine. For a second, the party faded, and all I could focus on was Beatrice and how she was playing me in front of my allies.
But then, she broke contact, turning to Elena again to compliment her outfit.
“Congratulations, again!” Beatrice smiled warmly once she was done, and I felt my shoulders sag with relief to see her looking like she belonged. Somehow, she had missed the disapproval on Gastone’s face.
I, too, took that as the cue that the conversation was over and kissed Elena on the cheek again. “I’m sure you two are solidly busy. Go, go, make your rounds. We’ll catch up later.”
We bid them goodbye, and I led her around the room, introducing her over and over again. The same shocked faces, the same surprised questions. We dealt with it, and by the timewe were done, Elena and I had built up a rapport of some sort. She was smiling, laughing, joking, and had started to look like she was even having fun.
“Oh my god!” she gasped, clutching my arm. “There! Your siblings!”
I followed her gaze and, sure enough, saw the entire clan crowded near the bar.
“Let’s go.” She started dragging me toward them. What was even happening here, I thought to myself in utter surprise. Beatrice looked not just warm, but thrilled to see them.
“Alena, Anja!” she squealed, surprising them from behind. My sisters turned to her with beaming smiles, and my surprise turned to shock. They were genuinely happy to see each other, something I never expected. Even yesterday, I thought for a second that Beatrice was only being polite.
But she wasn’t just being polite, was she? She was truly this person—warm, kind as hell, far too fucking good for my plots and plans.
“Did you girls end up going shopping yesterday?”
“We thought we’d wait till you were free!” Alena gushed, giving me a glare over Beatrice’s shoulder. “We could use fresh inputs.”
“Fair enough. I find it impossible to buy things without a second opinion,” Beatrice nodded wisely.
“Yeah, and I’d suggest when we go, make sure you bring Arko’s credit card.” Anja glowered at me, too.
“I’ll make sure to get one without any limit,” Beatrice agreed, giving me a wink over her shoulder. I was struck by the playfulness on her face, the teasing, and the ease with which she chatted up my sisters.
I tried to remind myself not to go soft, not to go weak, but with every passing second, I was slowly filling up on pride. Yeah, Beatrice wasn’t the woman I married out of love, but whatever the circumstances were of our union, she dazzled by my side tonight. I saw people turning to look at her, eating up every word she said, like my sisters were doing right now.
I felt awed to call her mine tonight.
“Come on,” I said softly, brushing up next to her and whispering low and close in her ear. She froze, then softened, her eyes meeting mine questioningly. “We should go say hello to a few more people.”
“Okay,” she said softly, not fighting me as she turned to say goodbye to my siblings.
We turned, walking side by side, and I still felt the ghost of her skin from whenever we touched. This easy rapport, this partnership, felt like a betrayal to her in some way, given how I was using her.
