Chapter 3

I did not want to attend the gala.

Still, if I worked through the weekend, I would receive my full salary for the month. The money would give me time to settle after leaving New York. There was no reason to challenge Damian during my final few days.

At seven, I changed into the dress he had sent and waited in the underground garage.

Damian had never been stingy with money.

The couture gown was one of only two in the world. Midnight blue faded across the fitted fabric, while tiny crystals scattered from the bodice to the hem like stars.

When Damian stepped out of the private elevator, his gaze paused on me. Surprise and admiration flickered briefly in his eyes.

Then they vanished.

In the car, he sat less than two feet away and closed his eyes without speaking. I turned toward the window.

In the past, I would have found some way to end his silence. Tonight, I no longer wanted to guess what he felt or coax him out of a mood he had created.

The car stopped outside the hotel hosting the gala. Marco opened Damian’s door, then bent to speak quietly.

“Miss DeLuca arrived unexpectedly. She’s waiting in the lobby.”

After speaking, he glanced at me.

Damian frowned and looked toward the entrance. A tall, slender woman stood beneath the lights.

“Change before you come inside,” he told me.

I followed his gaze.

The woman walking toward the car wore the same midnight-blue gown.

There were only two of them in the world, and both had appeared at the same event.

Bianca DeLuca was the only daughter of the DeLuca family and the woman Damian’s mother wanted him to marry. Both families had discussed securing their business alliance through marriage, but Damian had never publicly agreed.

The closing car door broke through my thoughts.

Damian had already stepped out.

Bianca approached with a bright smile and slipped her arm through his.

“Your mother said you would be here tonight,” she said. “She asked me to help you choose some jewelry for our engagement.”

Her voice carried through the half-open window.

I looked up and met Damian’s eyes as he glanced back at me.

The moment lasted only a second. Then he allowed Bianca to lead him into the hotel.

Even though I had already decided to leave, bitterness spread through my chest.

He was getting engaged.

After five years as his lover and the assistant who managed every detail of his schedule, I was the last person to know.

Marco tapped lightly on the window.

“Elena, the Don wants you inside as soon as you change.”

A white blouse and black suit skirt had been left in the car. I removed the expensive gown, put on the plain work clothes, and entered the ballroom alone.

Damian and Bianca were speaking with several family friends when I found them.

“Damian and I are holding our formal engagement banquet next month,” Bianca announced with a smile. “You must all come.”

The group fell silent before erupting into congratulations.

“So the two families are finally making the alliance official.”

“No wonder Damian refused every other family’s invitation.”

“Bianca, how did you persuade the most unapproachable Don in New York?”

Bianca held Damian’s arm and accepted their teasing with obvious happiness.

Damian did not deny a word.

From the edge of the group, I watched his composed expression and understood that this was not merely something Bianca hoped for.

He had agreed.

Bianca soon noticed me. Her gaze swept over my plain blouse and skirt before she beckoned me closer.

“Elena, you’re finally here.”

When I approached, she took my hand as though we were old friends.

“You’re Damian’s most capable assistant, so you must understand his taste better than anyone. Whenever I ask what flowers he wants or how we should decorate the engagement party, he refuses to give me a proper answer.”

She smiled at me.

“Why don’t you choose for us?”

Every eye around us shifted toward the three of us.

I looked at Damian. He did not meet my gaze. He merely turned the wine in his glass as though the arrangements had nothing to do with him.

I was about to agree when he suddenly drew Bianca against his side.

“Choose whatever you like.”

Her smile brightened as she settled into his arms.

Only then did Damian look at me.

“Elena, you will personally supervise the delivery of every piece Bianca purchases tonight to the estate in Westchester.”

The estate they would share after marriage.

He had already prepared their home.

I looked from Bianca’s hand on his arm to the man waiting for my answer. He had told her to choose whatever she wanted. My part was to arrange the deliveries.

“Yes, Mr. Moretti. I’ll include the delivery details in my handover.”

His gaze sharpened at the last word.

Bianca rose onto her toes and kissed his cheek. When she turned back to me, the friendliness had vanished from her eyes.

I had kissed him goodbye that morning more times than I could count. Now I stood in front of them discussing deliveries to their future home.

I turned away before either of them could see how much that hurt.

again.