CHAPTER 3

SELENA'S POV

The moment I escaped the balcony, I didn't stop walking. My heels clicked sharply against the polished marble floor as I hurried through one of the estate's quieter corridors. My pulse was still racing from the confrontation, my cheeks burning with equal parts anger and humiliation.

The arrogant bastard.

Who did he think he was?

No one ignores me. Pffft...

The memory alone made me want to slap him a third time.

The corridor stretched long and empty before me, illuminated by ornate wall sconces that cast golden pools of light across the floor. Unlike the crowded ballroom, this section of the estate remained relatively deserted.

Good... I needed a moment to breathe, a moment to regain my composure. As I rounded a corner, muffled sounds drifted through one of the partially opened doors ahead.

I slowed instinctively... A woman's soft giggle echoed into the hallway then came a breathless laugh. Followed by a low masculine murmur, my nose wrinkled immediately.

Seriously?

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. People in these circles truly had no shame, apparently every room in the estate was fair game.

The woman giggled again then a soft moan followed.

"Ohhhh, fuckkkk ahhh I miss you." a woman's voice moaned.

I looked away immediately... absolutely not. I wanted nothing to do with whatever was happening behind that door.

The sound of movement followed, a chair scraping... fabric rustling then the door finally swung shut completely.

For the briefest moment, I thought I heard the woman whisper a man's name or at least part of it. Something that sounded vaguely familiar... close to Enzo but before I could process the thought, the sound vanished entirely behind the closed door.

I shook my head.

Coincidence.

There were probably dozens of men attending tonight whose names sounded similar, besides, Enzo was supposed to be in the bathroom.

I continued down the corridor. The familiar irritation from the balcony slowly returned.

God.

I needed to talk to him... reaching into my clutch, I pulled out my phone and dialed Enzo's number.

The call rang once... twice... three times, then finally. "Hey, beautiful."

Relief immediately washed through me. "There you are."

Enzo chuckled softly. "Where else would I be?"

I frowned slightly. "Actually, that's exactly what I wanted to ask."

A brief pause followed... then... "In the restroom."

Something about the answer sounded strange... not wrong. Just... delayed. As though he'd needed an extra second to think. I ignored it. "You're still there?"

A clearing of his throat came through the line. "Yeah."

Then I heard it... rustling, puick movement. A strange metallic sound... like something being fastened. A belt buckle maybe or perhaps a cufflink.

I frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." The answer came suspiciously fast.

I narrowed my eyes despite knowing he couldn't see me. "Enzo."

A laugh escaped him. "I washed my hands. Happy?"

I rolled my eyes. "Come back already."

"Miss me?" He teased. His laughter sounded genuine this time. "Give me a few minutes."

"If you're finished, then hurry." I said shortly.

"Yes, ma'am." He said before the line disconnected.

I slipped my phone back into my purse then began making my way toward the ballroom. Three minutes later, I spotted him emerging from another corridor.

Immediately, something looked off. Enzo looked... disheveled, not dramatically... subtly. His hair appeared slightly messier than before. His bow tie sat imperfectly against his collar. There was a faint sheen of perspiration along his forehead despite the cool evening.

I stopped walking as suspicion flickered briefly. "Why do you look like that?"

Enzo blinked, then looked down at himself. "What?"

"You look sweaty." His expression froze... only for a second.

But I noticed then he laughed. A little too quickly. "Oh."

I crossed my arms. "Oh?"

"I got locked inside one of the bathrooms." He said while scratching his head from embarrassment.

I stared at him. "You what?"

"The lock jammed." He said, I continued staring. He continued smiling.

The story somehow became worse. "The lock jammed?"

"Yes." He said quickly.

"And?" I asked.

"And I had to get out." I waited. Enzo rubbed the back of his neck. "The window."

Silence... Then... "You climbed out a bathroom window?"

His grin widened sheepishly. "I crawled through it."

I burst out laughing. I couldn't help it. The image alone was ridiculous. "You?"

"It wasn't dignified." He defended.

"Oh, I can imagine." I said teasingly.

Enzo sighed dramatically. "You could at least pretend to feel sorry for me."

I finally smiled and said, "Never."

He placed a hand over his chest. "Wounded."

I laughed again. The tension from the balcony finally eased a little. Maybe it was the absurdity of the story. Maybe it was simply seeing him again.

Either way, the knot in my chest loosened.

Enzo stepped closer and brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "There." His smile softened. "Much better."

"What is?" I was confused.

"You." He said.

The warmth in his gaze immediately melted away whatever irritation remained. For a moment, the mysterious Castellano vanished from my thoughts entirely. All of it faded because Enzo was here. Standing in front of me. Looking at me like I was the only woman in the room and at that moment, I believed him.

I might look uncomfortable and Enzo saw it.

"Hey." His hand settled against my waist. "What's wrong?"

For a second, I considered telling him everything... the balcony, stranger, kiss, slap... the entire insane encounter but something stopped me.

Maybe embarrassment, confusion and maybe the fact that Enzo looked genuinely happy tonight. The happiest I had seen him in months. Perhaps even years and I didn't want to ruin it. Not yet...

"Nothing."

The lie came easier than expected. Enzo immediately narrowed his eyes. "You are a terrible liar."

I sighed. "Someone annoyed me."

That wasn't technically a lie.

His expression darkened instantly. "Who?"

The protective edge in his voice made warmth bloom inside my chest. God... I loved this man. Even after five years together, moments like this still affected me.

"Nobody important." I smiled.

Enzo studied me carefully. I could practically see him debating whether to push further. Instead, he surprised me.

His hand found mine then he raised it to his lips. The simple gesture somehow grounded me more effectively than the champagne. The tension slowly left my shoulders.

His smile softened. "Better?"

"A little." I teased.

"Good." He said proudly.

The orchestra shifted into a slower song. Enzo immediately offered his hand. "Dance with me."

I laughed softly. "That wasn't a request."

"No." His grin widened. "It wasn't."

Still smiling, I placed my hand in his. The moment he pulled me onto the dance floor, the rest of the world seemed to disappear. The music wrapped around us.

Guests swirled past, crystal chandeliers glittered overhead and suddenly I remembered why I came here tonight... not for politics, not for the criminals and not for the endless games powerful people played.

I came for him.. only him.

Enzo guided me effortlessly through the dance. His hand rested against the small of my back. It was steady, familiar and safe. The complete opposite of the man from the balcony.

"You keep frowning." Enzo spoke again.

I blinked. "I do not."

"You do." He insisted.

"I don't." I denied,

"You're doing it right now." He said teasingly.

I rolled my eyes. Enzo laughed, his smile became smug. "The one that says you're plotting someone's murder."

I nearly choked. "Enzo."

"What?" He asked.

"You can't say things like that." I said in a hush tone.

I shook my head... impossible man. His expression softened again, then teasing vanished. "What happened, Sel?"

There it was, the question again. Gentler this time and more sincere. I looked away briefly. Across the ballroom, powerful men negotiated alliances. Women laughed behind jeweled masks, secrets moved through the crowd like ghosts and somewhere among them... was a Castellano.

The thought immediately irritated me. A lot... I looked back at Enzo. "You ever meet someone and immediately dislike them?"

His brows rose. "Constantly."

I laughed despite myself. "Okay, fair."

Enzo smiled. "So that's what happened?"

"Something like that." I said.

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully then amusement appeared. "Oh."

"What?" I asked.

"You argued with someone." He said trying to extract information through my response.

"I did not." I said patting his shoulder.

"You absolutely did." He teased while laughing.

I groaned. His smile widened. "Selena Fortezza."

"Enzo Ravelli." I said.

"You argued." He teased me again.

"I was provoked." I said in a defensive voice.

"There it is." He laughed.

I pointed accusingly at him. "You're enjoying this."

"Very much." He said, Traitor. The song continued.

The ballroom blurred around us and slowly, against all odds, my anger began fading... not completely. Just enough, enough to remember that tonight was supposed to be special and enough to remember that Enzo was here.

”You excited about our wedding two days from now?" Enzo suddenly asked.

I blinked twice then blushed. ”Of course, I am. How about you?”

”Hmmm, at the wedding? Not that much... but for the honeymoon? Very much.” He said boldly.

”Enzo Ravelli, you're insufferable.” I said then leaned closed.

By the time the music ended, I almost convinced myself to forget the balcony entirely. Almost... then I happened to glance across the ballroom and froze.

Near one of the distant gathering circles stood a man dressed entirely in black.

Tall.Broad shoulders. Dark mask. Even from across the room, I recognized him instantly. The Castellano.

As if sensing my attention, he turned our eyes met even through the mask. The distance should have made it impossible.Yet somehow I knew he was looking directly at me.

My stomach dropped, the stranger didn't smile, didn't wave, didn't move... He simply watched the same way a predator watches something disappearing into the forest.

He was like waiting, studying... patient.

A chill crawled slowly down my spine. Beside me, Enzo noticed my sudden stillness. "Selena?"

I tore my gaze away immediately as my pulse started racing again. "It's nothing."

But for the first time that evening... I wasn't sure I believed that.