44. Santiago #3
Not amused by his games, I shook my head. “We’re too alike in all the wrong ways.”
He turned back and leaned against the railing to face me. “Ain’t that the whole point?”
Leaving the couple alone, I eyed him, taking in every detail of his appearance. On the surface, he was an ideal choice for me when it came to finding a partner. He had the looks and the background, and the energy to make me interested, and yet—
“Have I ever told you my philosophy about names?”
He shrugged, running his fingers through his dark, tousled hair. “Not yet.”
“I believe one can learn a lot about a person just from their name,” I said when he looked at me, amusement in his wicked eyes.
“Is that so?”
I hummed a yes.
“What’re you getting at, Ariyan?”
“I’m saying that the same as me, yours is fake.”
For a split second, I saw his mask slipping, but the bastard put it right back as he showed off his signature smile.
“And what about him?”
He didn’t need to say who he referred to, as I already knew.
“He’s different,” I said, not meeting his eyes.
“Different how?”
I’ll fight and win for you until you’re free. I promise, Ari. I won’t quit until you pay off that last fucking dime.
My chest tightened, a genuine smile threatening to take over my lips before I stepped closer to the safety railing.
“He has a strong heart.”
Dion snorted, the raspy sound bothering me.
“What kind of bullshit is that? A strong heart?” He tsked. “The hell does that even mean?”
Letting his question sink in, I thought of eyes the color of a blue moon.
“It means that he’s broke, and yet he’d still turn his back on a million bucks if I’m on the other side.”
Dion snorted a laugh. “Sounds to me like he’s just stupid.”
A warm feeling overtook me, and this time, I couldn’t help but smile.
“You’d think that, wouldn’t you?”
Only it wasn’t the case at all.
The driving force behind Santiago Rivas wasn’t stupidity, but his bravery.
The sort of strength cowards like Dion or me would never truly know.
It was Mr. Rivas’s ridiculous bravery that caused his stupidity, not the other way around.
Mixed with impulsiveness suited to a child, and that was how he found himself here tonight.
Completely unaware of the danger, he once again walked into it.
And per usual, instead of listening to me, he spat out nonsense while insisting on staying, risking himself for such juvenile reasons.
“Would you look at that,” Dion said, breaking the silence, and I noticed he was staring at me.
“What?” I snarled, irritated by his smirk.
“Seems I’ve got it all wrong.”
My brows pulled together, and not understanding what he was getting at, my jaw ticked. But taking his sweet time, Dion leaned his elbows on the railing and cocked his head to the side, the intensity in his stare leaving me exposed.
“For a moment there, I thought it was a one-sided obsession, but turns out it goes both ways.” He brushed a hand over his chiseled jaw, not even attempting to hide his smile. “Just be careful, mon poussin. You, of all people, should know love is a double-edged sword.”
Love? What an empty word.
With my hands clasped behind my back, I dug my nails into my palm.
“Well, if you’ll now excuse me—” He pushed back from the railing, stretching his arms as he went. “—I had my eye on something sweet earlier, and it’s about time I took a bite.”
“Mr. Bianchi,” I called before he could walk away.
“Yes?” He fluttered his eyelashes like some schoolgirl.
“Do not mistake our hospitality for a truce. As we speak, your organization is invading our territory, and therefore, you should see Eduardo’s response to your games as nothing but a token of goodwill.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, the smile not leaving his lips for one second.
“Is that a threat?”
Now, it was my turn to return the smile.
“Let’s not play games, Mr. Bianchi. Your very presence here, in this city, let alone our party, is a threat by itself. But Eduardo is not interested in a war, and neither should you.”
His blue eyes sparkled with sickening excitement.
“Send your precious Eduardo my regards,” he said, clearly not taking my words to heart.
Saying what he had to say, Dion tucked his hands in his slacks pockets as he began walking away. I thought it was the end of it, but he snapped his fingers, making me turn around.
“I almost forgot.” He glanced at me over his shoulder, his lips curling into a smirk. “Earlier, just before I came to find you, I saw your sweet boxer sneaking to the beach with a cute little twink wrapped around his side.”
My chest tightened at his words, and I looked away from him.
“Anyway, adieu, mon poussin.”
Digging my nails into my skin, I stood still, holding my breath to the sounds of Dion’s footsteps retreating until I was left all alone on the porch.
So if I fuck someone else, you wouldn’t care?
My jaw twitched at the thought, and I narrowed my eyes on the shore. My stupid dog was so keen on getting my attention tonight that he was willing to risk it all. But testing my patience was no act of bravery, but a grave mistake.
A mistake he had better not have made yet.