Chapter 10 Gianna
TEN
GIANNA
There was always a reason to dress-up and Fight Night was no different.
While most people tried to stick to black and a more badass look, Gianna wore whatever she wanted whenever she wanted.
That was why she threw on a sparkly pink miniskirt and a matching cropped long sleeved top.
She wore heels that only accentuated her long legs and curled her hair so that it would bounce with every step she took.
She demanded attention wherever she went, and tonight was no exception.
She would be lying if she said she hated it because she honestly didn’t.
Knowing that people watched her, hated her, wanted to be her, wanted to fuck her—it filled the void for a second.
And as long as it filled it, she was going to enjoy it.
The arena was packed with people hungry for a good fight. The dome shape allowed everyone a view, all the way from the back of the building to the seats right by the ring. They always sat right up front, mostly so the boys could keep an eye on them, but it was the best spot in the house.
The past couple of Fight Nights had always included Gianna and the other girls, but now they were joined by Allister, Valerio, and Dante—who attended by invite this time and weren’t crashing it.
She still didn’t know why they were all fighting, but she assumed that since it was an unofficial Fight Night and not being used to bait new recruits for the Kingsley family, that rules could be broken.
Either way, it was easy to guess who would be winning all the fights tonight and she was hoping to leave rich by betting on them.
She took her seat right beside Blair after everyone had placed their drink orders.
The event felt fancier than previous Fight Nights, with waitresses and better chairs.
Immediately, she knew that was Valerio’s influence.
God forbid his wife sit on anything uncomfortable or have to get up to order her own drinks.
The lights dimmed in the arena, indicating that the first fight was going to begin. The waitress came back with Gianna’s drink and immediately she took a big sip, letting the burn warm up her body as it traveled down her throat.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome one and welcome all, to the return of Fight Night,” the announcer said, letting his voice carry out an echo with the last syllables. The cheers from the crowd were deafening. Gianna couldn’t help but scream with them.
“For the first match of the night, we have the reckless, the wild, the life of the party—Dante Vitali!”
He came out already shirtless and his body glistening as if he’d poured oil all over himself.
She wouldn’t have been surprised if he actually had.
The grin on his face showed his confidence, and it only grew bigger once his opponent came out.
He had a similar build to Dante, but the match was unfair on the basis of no one being able to win against the Vitali boys in the first place.
The bell rang and the other man threw the first punch, but Dante let him. They went back and forth, trading punches and kicks, but with one last hit to the neck, Dante had the match.
Allister was the next one on. By then, Gianna had finished her drink and was onto her next.
She knew her brother could hold his own, but there was still a strike of anxiety that tore through her when he entered the ring and smacked his gloves together.
It only got worse when his opponent stepped in and was considerably larger than him.
Gianna’s eyes widened and she stood up to get closer to the ring, chewing on her nail. When the bell rang, Allister struck first, moving with a speed that the other man couldn’t match. He might have had a larger build, but he had no agility to help him against Allister.
Her brother stepped around the larger man, managing to kick his knees down to push him down to the ground. With one more punch to the head, Allister was declared the winner.
Gianna felt her shoulders relax. She cheered loudly, cupping her hands around her mouth to make sure he heard her. He sent her a grin, jumping out of the ring and giving her a hug.
“How did I do?”
“Surprisingly well,” she told him.
“Asshole,” he said, laughing. “That dude was no match against me.”
She snorted. “Yeah, he just had like 150 pounds on you.”
Allister shook her hair and messed it up, knowing it would annoy the hell out of her—and it did. He walked back over to where Dante stood now, watching as Valerio entered the ring. He took his time, keeping his gaze on Luna as she did the same to him.
Gianna walked over to her, knowing the last time they were in this situation, Luna was a wreck. This time, it seemed like there was some kind of secret going on between the two of them. Something gross, probably.
The moment the opponent entered the ring, Luna’s eyes widened. It was a big man, bigger than Valerio and bigger that the man Allister had just fought. Valerio didn’t let his smirk fall, even as he sized up his opponent for a moment before returning his gaze to Luna once again.
She went to open her mouth to say something, but as soon as the bell rang, it was too late. Valerio dodged the punch that was headed his way and sent one back, meeting the man’s head with such strength it sent him flying back.
A total knockout.
Valerio stood there for a moment, looking down at the man lying on the floor unconscious in front of him.
The cheers started all at once, but it was like he didn’t care at all.
Valerio jumped out of the ring and walked over to his wife.
Gianna was sure the shock on her face matched the one on Luna’s, but it didn’t matter because he whisked her away without another word.
She shook her head, heading back to Blair and Cecilia now.
“Well, that was quick.”
“I don’t even want to know what they had going on with that,” Blair said, shaking her head.
“Well, this was a good night,” Cecilia said, standing up now. “I think I’m ready to go home.”
“What are you talking about?” Gianna asked, scrunching her nose in confusion. “It’s not over yet.”
“Trying to avoid the next fight?” Blair asked.
“Geez, what a lucky guess,” Cecilia said, her voice full of sarcasm.
Then that meant Augustus was on next. He walked out with a sick grin on his face. The way he enjoyed violence always made Gianna uncomfortable, but he wasn’t obsessed with her. He was obsessed with the girl with black hair that did everything she could to try to avoid his gaze.
He didn’t head straight for the ring. Instead, he made a pitstop by Cecilia, leaning close to her ear to whisper something. Judging Cecilia’s heated cheeks, and the way her mouth and eyes sprung open in shock, it was probably something vulgar.
“I hope you choke,” Cecilia spat out.
“Only if it’s on you,” he said before finally entering the ring.
There was no point in asking what was said because she wouldn’t tell. Gianna shared a look with Blair, before squeezing Cecilia’s shoulder in comfort. The bell rang once again.
Augustus lunged like a madman, tearing into his opponent and beating him with such ferocity it was frightening. Gianna looked away from the sight, going back to the drink that was still on her chair. She waited for them to call the winner before she turned around.
She wasn’t normally so squeamish around the blood and violence that Fight Night brought, but something about seeing so many fights and so much blood back-to-back left her feeling unsettled.
Thankfully, there was only one more fight left of the night and then they could go to whatever after parties were being thrown around campus.
Augustus jumped out of the ring covered in blood as his opponent was carried out.
The sight didn’t deter the crowd from losing their minds at the entertainment they witnessed moments before.
He took his seat right beside Cecilia without bothering to clean himself up, forcing her to look forward the entire time.
Gianna caught her gaze for a second, and all she gave was a brief nod to tell her she was okay. She accepted it for now but still kept an eye out. Allister and Dante were still there too. If anything happened, they would jump in without a moment’s hesitation.
That was when it struck her. She managed to see everyone throughout the night but Finn.
Hell, the night managed to distract her so well that she hadn’t even thought about him.
Her brief lapse in sanity questioning whether something could happen between her and Finn was completely gone, it seemed.
For all she knew, he was probably cozying it up with the secret girl Luna thought he was keeping before his big fight. Maybe Gianna would even get to see her.
For her sake, she hoped the girl was at least somewhat as pretty as Gianna. More was impossible, but significantly less attractive—although that was the most likely scenario—would just be tragic.
Gianna adjusted her outfit and ordered herself another drink. She took her seat next to Blair, who sat scrolling on her phone.
“What are you doing?” Gianna asked.
“Studying,” Blair said.
“How are you studying right now? We’re in the middle of a fight,” Gianna asked, completely dumbfounded.
“Actually, we’re in the middle of them wiping the ring clean of blood,” Blair said. “And I have an exam on Monday.”
“Allister’s not studying right now.”
“Exactly.”
Gianna rolled her eyes. “You can have fun sometimes.”
“I am having fun, but also that A isn’t going to happen by itself,” Blair said, waving her off.
Gianna huffed, leaning back in her seat. She was officially bored now. She needed something to really make Fight Night end with a bang now that Luna was gone, Cecilia was being held hostage, and Blair was studying. Something dramatic needed to happen.
The lights flickered on and off, directing all the attention back to the ring once again.
Gianna ignored it, instead accepting her drink from the waitress beside her. Considering how easy the other fights had been, this one was sure to be the same. She was rich now, yes, but all of them, even Augustus’s, were boring. They were sure wins and had no mystery in them.
Maybe she should call it a night and take Cecilia and Blair home with her.
She swallowed her drink, standing when her eyes caught someone familiar in the ring. It was Raphael. The same one that broke her heart in the club and left her nearly suffocating from a panic attack.
She felt the air get knocked out of her lungs. What was he doing here? Shirtless? With gloves on? Looking like he was going to fight someone?
This was supposed to be the last fight of the night. That didn’t make any sense. The last fight was reserved for the main event, for the person who was hosting, which would be Finn. Maybe there was another fight happening before the last one?
“Now, to introduce the man, the legend, the one you all came out to see tonight—Finn Kingsley!”
He stalked out from the locker room, his shorts hanging low on his hips and she hated the way her eyes immediately traced his body.
There was a scowl on his face, one that promised destruction in his path.
The cheers were louder than they had been all night as everyone knew a good show was coming, but that wasn’t what Gianna was focused on.
She was still stuck on the fact that Finn was headed straight into the ring towards Raphael.
Finn was fighting Raphael.
Why?
Ding. Ding. Ding.