CHAPTER 3

Mom had been very clear: I wasn’t to meet Adrian until we were officially introduced over dinner. Until then, I was expected to stay tucked away in my room while my parents and my future husband discussed my future, like I was some puppet who couldn’t contribute to decisions about her own life.

But when the doorbell rang, curiosity got the better of me. Dressed in my favorite denim jorts over a white tank designed with tiny raindrop gems, I slipped out into the hallway. Barefoot, I moved silently, avoiding every creak in the old floorboards until I reached the upper landing.

I sank to my knees behind the banister, making myself small, and peered down.

From the sound of the voices, my parents were already exchanging polite greetings with two men. Dad stepped into view first, wearing his polished “business smile,” with Mom trailing behind him, positively radiant. Then, two figures followed.

I didn’t need an introduction to know which one was Adrian De Luca.

He was taller than both my father and the man beside him, his sheer presence filling the foyer. The dark navy three piece suit hugged a broad, solid frame, his shoulders so squared they made him look like he could carry the whole room on his back. His expression was carved from stone, unmoved even when my mother batted her lashes like she was auditioning for a perfume ad.

At least his companion looked marginally human, offering a small smile here and there. Adrian didn’t.

He wasn’t old. He was definitely not fat or balding. Even through the suit, I could see the defined lines of muscle. His face was sharp, with an angular jaw, high cheekbones, and a deliberate shadow of dark stubble that looked expensive rather than unkempt.

This was no boy. Adrian De Luca was every inch a man. A dangerous, imposing, and fully in control type of man.

And I had only just graduated high school two years ago.

What on earth would he and I even talk about?

I liked painting, sketching, and I thought rain was the most marvelous thing in the world. Somehow, I doubted any of those would hold the slightest interest for a man like him. His hobbies were probably closer to extortion, intimidation, and laundering money, with maybe the occasional mistress thrown in.

A knot of dread tightened in my stomach. In less than four months, I’d be expected to share a bed with this man. A total stranger. A man who might have driven his wife to an early grave.

The thought made guilt prick at me. I was judging him without proof. Adrian had lost his wife and was now raising two children alone. What if he truly had loved her? What if he was still mourning her?

But he didn’t look like a man in mourning.

Then again, in our world, men learned early how to lock their emotions behind an unreadable mask. His lack of expression could mean anything, or nothing at all.

“Why don’t we go into my office for a glass of my best whiskey and discuss the marriage?” Dad gestured toward the corridor.

Adrian inclined his head upward in wordless agreement, and his eyes met mine. I ducked down with the speed of light, feeling my heart threaten to burst out of my chest.

He hadn’t seen me. Right?

I could only hope so.

I waited a couple seconds, then went back to take a peek again. His attention was now focused on my parents.

“I’ll make sure everything’s running smoothly in the kitchen. Our chef’s preparing a feast for tonight,” Mom said with syrupy enthusiasm.

Adrian and the man beside him both offered her polite, tight lipped smiles.

Did this man ever smile for real, for more than just appearances?

I waited until they disappeared down the hallway before darting down the stairs, my bare feet silent against the marble. Slipping into the library, which sat right beside Dad’s office, I pressed my ear to the connecting door, heart hammering wildly.

“This union will benefit both of us,” Dad said, his tone all businesslike.

“Have you told Valentina about the arrangement yet?”

Hearing my name in Adrian’s deep voice for the very first time sent an odd shiver down my spine. I’d be hearing him say it for the rest of my life. It was a terrifying thought. The rest of my life seemed so far away.

“Yes,” Dad said after clearing his throat. Even without seeing his face, I knew that meant he was uncomfortable. “Last night.”

“How did she react?”

“Valentina understands that it’s an honor to marry a man of your status.”

I rolled my eyes. I wished I could see their faces.

“That doesn’t answer my question, Paul,” Adrian replied, a flicker of annoyance in his tone. “She won’t just be my wife. I need a mother for my children. You do realize that, don’t you?”

“Valentina is… very caring and responsible.” The hesitation in Dad’s voice caught me off guard. It took a second before I realized he was talking about me. “She’s looked after her nephews and nieces a few times and seemed to enjoy it.”

If by “looked after,” he meant letting a toddler hand me plastic dinosaurs while his parents were in the next room, sure. But feeding them? Changing a diaper? I didn’t know anything about that.

“I can assure you Valentina will satisfy you.”

Heat climbed up my neck. Was I the only one hearing how that sounded?

There was a pause, too long for comfort, before Dad cleared his throat again. “Have you informed Rico?”

“Yes. Last night, right after our call,” Adrian said.

They drifted into conversation about some upcoming meeting with the Don. A topic so far removed from my world that my mind immediately wandered. I traced the grooves in the spines of the books beside me, only half hearing the exchange until Adrian’s voice cut in.

“I need to make a call home. Damien and I could use a moment to unwind before dinner. It’s been a long day.”

“Of course,” my father replied smoothly. “Through that door is the library. It’s nice and quiet. We still have an hour before I introduce you to my daughter.”

I scrambled back from the connecting door just as footsteps approached. The handle clicked, and I darted behind one of the taller shelves, pressing myself flat against the wood. Peeking around the edge, I watched as Adrian and his companion stepped inside. My father offered them one more polite smile before leaving, shutting the door behind him.

The door was shut. With me still in the room.

Adrian’s friend, Damien, dropped into a nearby chair. “Well?” he prompted.

Adrian moved deeper into the room, his frown softening slightly. “It’s all so exhausting. Especially Mrs. Romano. God help me if her daughter’s anything like her.”

A flicker of irritation warmed my cheeks. Yes, my mother could be… intense, but that didn’t mean he could just—

“Have you seen a picture of her?” Damien asked, plucking a silver frame from the side table. A short laugh escaped him.

My stomach plummeted. He was holding that photo— the one where I was twelve, grinning wide enough to show every brace on my teeth, my pigtails stabbed with plastic ribbons, and a polka dot dress paired with bright red rain boots. Dad refused to hide it no matter how many times Mom complained. Now, I wished he had.

Damien turned it toward Adrian.

Adrian’s jaw tightened instantly. “Put that down. I feel like a creep just looking at it.”

“She was a really cute kid,” Damien said lightly. “Could be worse.”

Adrian’s gaze flicked toward the frame again. “She better have gotten rid of the braces and those godawful bangs.”

My hand shot up to my forehead, fingers brushing the fringe I’d stubbornly refused to grow out.

Damien smirked. “I don’t know. It works for that innocent schoolgirl vibe.”

“I have no interest in that kind of girl,” Adrian said, his voice cutting through the air.

A sharp thunk broke the moment. My elbow had knocked over a book on the shelf.

Silence filled the room.

I tried to slip away toward the next aisle, but a shadow loomed over me before I could make it. My shoulder hit something solid…someone solid, and I stumbled back, colliding with the shelves. Pain shot straight up my spine.

I looked up, and my breath caught. Adrian De Luca stood there, towering over me, his gaze locked on mine with unnerving intensity.

“Sorry… I’m so sorry Sir,” I stammered before my brain caught up with my mouth.

His eyes narrowed slightly, then recognition flared. And just like that, our first meeting was officially a disaster.