Page 137 of Brutal Heir

The reminder to him that this was supposed to be a business engagement perched on the tip of my tongue, but I kept silent. I didn’t want to ruin the magical moment.

I hadn’t danced the waltz since dance class as a teenager, but it didn’t matter.

With Sebastian’s strong arm around my waist, my feet barely touched the ground as we floated in an elegant circle around the polished dance floor.

Everywhere I looked, guests in glittering evening wear moved with effortless grace, their laughter and conversation blending with the grandeur of the setting.

It was like stepping into a scene from a classic film.

It was all a fantastical dream.

But I should have remembered—dreams didn’t last around Sebastian.

As the faces spun across my vision, one caught my attention.

He was an older Italian man, strikingly handsome, with a shock of thick white hair and a neatly trimmed mustache. Pinned to the breast of his tuxedo was an impressive medal with a green-and-red ribbon.

“Who is that man over there? The one with the small crowd of people around him.”

Sebastian kept his eyes on me, not even bothering to look over his shoulder. “Your father.”

I stumbled.

His arm tightened as he lifted my feet off the floor, disguising my near fall by sweeping me into a flamboyant spin.

I craned my neck to get another glimpse of the man over the heads of the dancers.

No, not the man.

The devil.

The evil presence had lingered over my childhood. The cause of all my mother’s heartache.

The very reason why I shouldn’t be here, dancing in an Italian ballroom against my mother’s every wish.

My father.

My lower lip trembled as I looked up at Sebastian.

He continued to watch me, like a spider watching a dying fly struggle within the sticky confines of its web.

“Did you know he would be here?”

Without blinking, he said, “Yes.”

I jerked back and tried to break his grasp. “Let me go.”

“No.”

“I mean it, Sebastian.”

“So do I. You’re not going anywhere.”

I pushed against his chest. “Let me go. I’m leaving.”

He continued to hold me as he increased the pace of his steps. The ballroom spun before my eyes. What was once beautiful now warped into a sick kaleidoscope of color and chaos.

“Calm yourself, Sabrina.”