Page 190 of Ricardo

She says, “The first public evening is always the hardest— and the strangest.”

I let out a breath that almost becomes a laugh.

“That obvious?”

“Only to someone who has survived one.”

I glance toward Mario. He is speaking to Deputy Commissioner Wells with controlled civility while Wells tries very hard to appear unconcerned by being the entire focus of Mario Conti’s attention.

“I’m not sure I’m handling it as well as you did.”

Victoria’s mouth tilts upward. “Did I ever tell you about the time I was almost kidnapped?”

My jaw dropped. “You— what?”

“Mmm. I think you might actually be handling it better than I did.”

“Okay, wait,” I say. “I need the rest of that story.”

“I'll tell you the rest of it,” she says, eyes oddly sparkling despite the subject. “Not here, but just know that you're handling it better than you think you are.”

“I hope so.” My stomach jumps with nerves, and I take a breath.

Her eyes soften. “You do not have to prove you belong here. You do.”

The words touch a tender wound.

“I’m not sure everyone agrees.”

“Everyone rarely does. But the ones who matter do— or will.”

And I know she's referring to Dante.

Before I can answer, Mario appears beside us as if by magic.

“Victoria,” he says, his gaze dropping to her for a second, softening in a way that feels almost private even in public. Then he looks at me. “Julia.”

“Mario.”

A man beside him, one of the hospital trustees, turns to him. “Your team has done well tonight. The seating alone must have been a nightmare.”

“Julia is the true hero there,” Mario says.

The trustee looks at me, recalibrating.

Mario continues, calm and effortless. “She is the reason half this room is not engaging in a brawl.”

The trustee laughs, but he looks at me with new attention.

I feel my cheeks heat.

“Then I should thank you,” he says.

“You should,” Victoria says pleasantly. “Repeatedly.”

Mario’s mouth twitches.

I manage to smile without looking like I might cry.