8. -7-
Nina
Inside the Starlight building was even more magnificent than I imagined. No picture on social media or in a catalog did it justice.
It had everything a lavish, extravagant place should have.
From the elegant crystal chandeliers in the spacious ballroom to the private rooms for VIP casino customers, and ending with the chocolate fountain guarded by mermaids who offered guests strawberries on golden shell platters to taste the delicious flow of dark poison.
Tall servers who looked like they had just walked off the runway offered different drinks with polite smiles and curtsies, and the food literally tasted like heaven in my mouth.
“I’ve fucking fallen in love,” Lucas groaned, wolfing down pasta salad with shrimp. “I need the name of the catering company handling this event. The food is exquisite.”
I laughed, digging my fork into a mango cheesecake.
But even though I agreed with Lucas and enjoyed every bite, my mind was preoccupied with different matters.
The first impression of a magnificent show of luxury faded, and the golden decorations and extravagant interior no longer impressed me.
I had to move on with my plan before I would burst like a balloon from overeating.
“Have you seen Dorian?” I asked, scanning the room to catch a glimpse of my obsession, who completely stole my breath away when I caught him staring at me.
He looked drop-dead gorgeous in his three-piece silver-grey suit, which accentuated his tall, muscular build, white button-up shirt, and matching grey tie.
His black hair was combed back and perfectly styled, with not a single strand out of place.
His hazel eyes gleamed with happiness as he greeted the guests and thanked them for coming.
He accepted congratulations politely, exchanging pleasant words and wide smiles while his brother, Malin, who resembled the devil’s bodyguard, shot daggers with his murderous eyes at everyone who got too close to his sibling.
His overprotectiveness was almost endearing.
“He left for the casino with his brothers,” Lucas answered, filling his plate with canapés.
The garlic aroma filled my nose, and my mouth watered when I glanced at the fresh bread topped with garlic-cheese spread, grapes, and walnuts.
I stole one from him, blinking innocently when he slapped my hand away.
“Are we going to try our luck, too?” I wiggled my eyebrows playfully, knowing too well that he wouldn’t resist a chance to play roulette.
My best friend loved the game and high bets, so when I suggested it, he turned toward the joint tunnel, lit by dim blue lights that connected the ballroom to the casino.
I hooked my arm with Lucas, breathing a completely different atmosphere into my system.
The casino was dark, illuminated only by the screens of the slot machines lining the sides.
Throughout the center of the room, a passage marked by crimson carpet and bordered by golden chains led guests toward the cash desk and the bar.
On the other side was the guarded area for live games like roulette and blackjack, and the massive golden sign VIP shone brightly above the closed black sliding door.
The place was packed, and we struggled to find an empty seat. But to my surprise, the dealer and the waitress instantly recognized Lucas and suggested that we join the game in the VIP saloon.
I silently followed my best friend behind the black door, as if stepping into another world.
Away from the hustle and bustle of the main casino floor, this place felt completely different, almost intimate, with the soft lights enlightening the burgundy-golden interior, bar, and a massive poker table on the podium on the other side, complemented by eight cream leather chairs.
The air was thick with anticipation, charged with the electric buzz of higher bids and the possibility of a massive win.
The roulette table was surrounded by six players who threw chips around like they were at an auction, and two blackjack tables entertained three men accompanied by model-like women with lovely faces, broad smiles, and plunging necklines.
While I was used to the luxury and opulence thanks to my family, I never visited gambling dens.
Grandfather was a huge poker fan and a great player.
He taught me how to play, bluff, and read my opponents, but the game didn’t interest me much.
That was until I noticed Dorian, encircled by three gorgeous women dressed in short, revealing dresses who threw themselves all over him.
My assumption about the train of women at his feet was confirmed, and a raw jealousy and anger slashed my heart.
I clutched Lucas’s forearm tightly, forcing myself to stay in my place at the glass bar, but I worried my determination wouldn’t last long.
My stomach twisted with disgust, the bitter taste coating my tongue at the sight of a blonde with the longest legs I had ever seen invading Dorian’s personal space.
She threw her arm around his neck, laughing like what he had just said was the most hilarious thing in the world.
An unstoppable fury bubbled in the pit of my abdomen, ready to burst out of me. She had no right to touch him, not to mention throwing herself on him like she was the lioness and he was her prey. She sank her claws into him like death itself, refusing to let him go.
My anger shifted into a white rage, consuming my every sane thought when Dorian politely smiled and removed her hand from his shoulders. He gently pushed her away, putting distance between them while she pouted like a toddler.
I exhaled loudly, noticing Lucas staring at me with amusement shining in his green eyes.
“Easy tiger.” He laughed. “You look like you want to tear off her arms.”
“She’d deserve it,” I mumbled, peeking at the woman from behind his tall body. “Anyway, I didn’t know you were a regular.”
I changed the subject because the person I was most interested in sat behind the poker table and talked with the other players, ignoring the fangirls behind him. My heart swelled with joy when I realized he didn’t care for the bimbos at his disposal and preferred cards more.
“I’m not. Matteo is,” Lucas replied, pulling out a diamond member card. “My dear brother lost so much on the slot machines that Zyon personally gifted him the membership.”
“Oh, fuck.” I shook my head in disbelief. Still, it was another way to get closer to the king. My father had enough money to throw around on meaningless things, but losing it on slot machines was the stupidest thing ever.
“What about your plan?” Lucas interrupted my musing, tapping my shoulder because my gaze was glued to Dorian. No matter what I was doing or thinking, my eyes kept jumping toward him. Observing. Admiring.
“I tried to get to him four times already,” I whispered, casting Lucas an annoyed glance. “I need him alone to use my weapons.”
But Dorian was never alone. He was surrounded by guests and surveilled by his brother like a superstar. Well, he was tonight’s celebrity, but they could give him some space and give me an opportunity to use my charm and catch him in my web.
Yes, my plan may have sounded naive, but Dorian was a man known for enjoying women’s company—even if he clearly wasn’t interested in every woman who threw herself at him. He wasn’t a womanizer in the right sense of that word, but he refused commitment as if it could burn his entire world down.
Still, I believed I could make a difference. I wasn’t just a beautiful face who hoped to catch a filthy rich husband. I had some undeniable qualities Dorian would surely appreciate. And maybe, just maybe, I had a little secret help. Just to be one hundred percent sure he’d cooperate.
A smile tugged on my painted lips when I remembered his look when our eyes met over the buffet table.
Heat spread from my lower abdomen, and a zap of electricity traveled up my spine just from the memory of his fierce hazel eyes watching me with venomous hunger that instantly seeped into my veins.
It poisoned my senses, pulling me toward him like I was a puppet, and he was my master.
“That’s it? No action? No fireworks?” Lucas whined, his expression falling in disappointment. “Come oooon, you surely have something more thrilling lined up.”
He nudged me with his elbow and gave me an expectant look. I reluctantly nodded because, of course, I had plans B, C, and D. No one knew about them, and I wanted to keep it that way.
“Thank God,” he exhaled, ordering another glass of whiskey. “I thought you forgot what was at stake here.”
I didn’t. How could I?
My bruised abdomen hurt like fuck with every inhale and exhale.
My jaw and neck were covered with heavy makeup, and I barely had a believable story for the girls to explain why my skin was smothered with tiny bruises.
I told them I was practicing archery again, and arrows made the marks.
They bought it only because they had no clue about my hobbies.
So yeah, I knew exactly what was at stake here.
Playing with the crystal champagne glass to preoccupy my nervous fingers, I peered from behind Lucas to steal another glance at Dorian. But my view was immediately blocked by a massive chest dressed in all black, shifting the relaxed atmosphere into something menacing and wicked.
Slowly, I lifted my gaze from the black turtleneck to dark brown eyes, barely suppressing a gasp at the coldness that speared my soul—Malin Zhumagulov, in all his frightening glory.
“Good evening, Mr. Zhumagulov,” Lucas greeted politely, but his usual friendliness vanished into thin air. His shoulders tensed as he stretched his hand out for a shake.
Malin looked at his outstretched palm like it was a festering wound, rudely ignoring the gesture. Instead, his gaze pierced his skull like a laser.
“Mr. Colapino,” he said in a low voice, sounding like a villain from a horror story. I wasn’t a scared chicken or anything, but if he spoke to me like that on a dark street, I would probably pee myself. “I believe the invitation your family received for this party was for your brother, Matteo.”
Oooh, fuck!
“There are over a hundred people here,” I interjected, casting Malin my best charming smile that usually worked on every man. But hell, it did not affect him at all. His look stayed uncomfortably inquisitive and as cold as ice. Still, I continued, “Do you remember everyone?”
Malin’s eyes narrowed slightly at the edges while his face remained frighteningly calm.
“There are two hundred and fifteen people inside this building right now, and yes, I know everyone,” he answered, his statuesque posture giving me the creeps.
I had no idea how someone who was the spitting image of Dorian could be so different.
No smile touched his lips, no sparks lit his eyes.
It almost felt like his soul had left his body long ago, and he was empty from the inside out.
“I admire your memory,” I said, nervously clutching the glass in my right hand. All my instincts screamed at the predator in my personal space, urging me to disappear from his reach.
“It’s my job to ensure nothing unexpected happens tonight, Miss Valentino.” My name rolled from his tongue like a curse, sinking into my bones. “And your presence is unexpected.”
“I’m just a plus one.” My voice sounded foreign to my own ears, but at least it came out firm.
He didn’t need to know I was shit scared of him.
His reputation truly preceded him. If half of the things people said about him were true, and if he really murdered my grandpa, I had every right to shake in his presence.
“But you’re at the wrong party,” he stated, his gaze drifting to Lucas. “I’ll consider this a simple misunderstanding, Mr. Colapino. However,” he dramatically paused, taking a calculated step forward, making Lucas shrink under his deadly glare. “Next time, I won’t be so forgiving. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” Lucas confirmed, grasping my hand and pulling me away from Malin. But two muscular guards stopped us and stared at us like we were annoying flies.
“Security will escort you out,” Malin said from behind me, his chilling voice sending unpleasant goosebumps across my skin. “Keep your distance, Miss Valentino,” he warned sweetly, almost as if he cared for me. “You don’t want to get hurt.”
He nodded at the guards, and they dragged us out without any respect. Before I could put up a fight, I almost twisted my ankle on the sidewalk in front of the Starlight because one guy pushed me out of the door, and the other one threw Lucas out so harshly that he fell to his knees.
“Fucking pigs,” I cursed, helping my friend to his feet and dusting his pants. “I’m sorry for this.”
“It was bound to happen eventually,” he replied, stopping my hands. “You can’t expect to sneak into the lion’s den and think they won’t notice you.”
I straightened my spine, exhaling a white cloud of desperation. Plan A failed before it even started. I didn’t have a chance to execute it, and now I had to move on before it was too late. My body tensed, knowing it was time for plan B. But fuck, I’d truly hoped to avoid it.
“What are we going to do now?” Lucas asked, giving me a scrutinizing look.
“Action and fireworks.”