Chapter 44
SAbrINA
It was strange to think that eating pasta felt more intimately dangerous than sex with Sebastian.
Last night had been more of a mistake than the night before.
It made me see him as…human.
As almost…boyfriend-like.
Terrifying.
I became more determined than ever to focus on my job and on getting an apartment for my few remaining months in Italy.
So I was sitting in my office, sorting through the various email replies I’d received from the independent designers I’d approached for my first fashion shoot with the new lab-created diamond line.
As expected, everyone was clamoring for the opportunity to work with the House of Diamanti.
The name alone carried weight, power, and prestige.
I was so absorbed in my work that I didn’t hear Sebastian enter.
"Sei davvero bellissima quando ti concentri sul lavoro. è adorabile come la tua linguetta carina spunta tra i denti."
I started at his unexpected presence. “What was that?”
He stepped farther into the room until he stood over me, his fingers sweeping a lock of hair away from my cheek. “I said you look beautiful when you work. I find it particularly adorable how you stick your tongue out from between your teeth when you’re concentrating.”
I covered my mouth. “I don’t do that.”
I totally did that.
It unsettled me how observant this man was.
Nothing got past him—not a glimmer of emotion, a guarded glance, or even a secret thought.
He read me like a rare, uncut diamond, tracing every flaw, every hidden fire beneath the surface.
He pushed my chair out from under my desk. “Come. I want you by my side for this next meeting.”
I dragged my feet on the floor to stop him from rolling my chair farther. “Is this going to piss off half of your executive staff? Because if so, I respectfully decline the invitation.”
The hostile glares I received daily from his employees tired me.
He raised an eyebrow. “You respectfully decline?”
Unease coiled in my stomach. It wasn’t what he'd said, but how he'd said it. That low, clipped tone, signaling displeasure.
I lowered my head and gave him a quick nod.
He chuckled and gave my chair a shove backward. Then, placing his hand on the high back, he leaned over me. “Well, I respectfully decline your declination. Now stand up before you force me to carry you out of here.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
His fingers slid beneath my chin, tilting my face up to his as he loomed over me. “Do you really want to play that game with me?”
A sharp inhale. A single second of hesitation.
I closed my eyes briefly. “No.”
“Good girl. Now come. We’re wasting time.”
With a sigh, I placed my hand on his bent arm and followed him out of the office and down the hall to a conference room guarded by two men in suits.
The moment we reached the double doors, they opened them with seamless precision.
The room was cavernous, with a conference table that seated at least thirty people, carved from what appeared to be black onyx. On the opposite side, rows of high metal tables were arranged with plush velvet-cushioned benches, each station equipped with a flexible diamond-grading light.
But the true masterpiece of the room? The walls.
Spotlit display cases framed the entire perimeter, showcasing some of the most remarkable diamonds I’d ever seen.
Pure crystalline fire, set in velvet darkness, whispering of history, power, and untouchable wealth.
Sebastian pressed a hidden panel. After entering a lengthy code, a click sounded, then a soft whoosh. The display windows slid open in synchronized precision.
He strolled to the first showcase and lifted a necklace from its black velvet cushion. “This is called the Idol’s Eye.”
He stepped behind me. “Lift your hair, dolcezza.”
Knowing I should object, I obeyed instead.
His fingers, light as silk, brushed my nape as he fastened the necklace.
A delicate shiver traced my spine.
His fingertips skimmed the diamond chain, barely touching my skin. “Seventy carats. As you can see from the faint bluish tinge, it hails from the legendary Golconda mines. Once owned by a sultan of the Ottoman Empire.”
I hovered my fingers over the chain, hesitant to touch the mesmerizing diamond.
“Did you know there are diamonds inside stars? In meteorites?”
“At the heart of the stone around your neck lies a fragment of our vast universe, fallen to Earth over ten billion years ago.”
His lips brushed my throat.
I let out a helpless gasp.
“Diamonds capture the light of a thousand stars. That is why they have power. Hypnotic. Eternal.”
Desire tangled with reason, my pulse a frantic beat. My body ached to turn, to feel his mouth against mine.
And then, just as swiftly as he’d closed in, he withdrew.
Leaving me cold.
Leaving me craving.
He moved to another showcase and withdrew a magnificent brooch. A diamond-encrusted bow cradling a pear-shaped, brilliant-cut diamond—a stunning watery sage-green, the color both elusive and bewitching.
Sebastian reached inside my collar, his fingers brushing the swell of my breast as he pinned the brooch to my black crepe Gucci dress. “This is the Dresden Green. Once owned by kings.”
He then took my hand and, in an almost mock wedding ceremony, slipped an equally stunning pear-shaped green diamond ring onto my finger.
It had to be over one hundred and fifty carats.
The weight was almost oppressive.
I reached to remove it, but his firm grip stopped me.
After swallowing past my unease, I whispered, “What is all this, Sebastian?”
He traced his thumb over my knuckles. “It is the fifth week. The diamantaires are bringing their sightholders to review their boxes.”
I exhaled sharply. The sacred ritual.
The House of Diamanti controlled the world’s diamond supply with an iron fist, operating on a five-week cycle.
The process was meticulous: sorting at the mine, cleansing with acid, categorizing by cleavage and color into over a thousand classifications. The fourth week, diamantaires finalized their orders.
And the fifth week?
Sight week.
A guarded, highly ritualized event. Only the wealthiest, most vetted clients were granted entry.
To witness it firsthand was an honor few could claim.
But why was I here?
Before I could ask, the doors swung open.
A procession of solemn men entered, clad in bespoke suits. One by one, they inclined their heads toward Sebastian, an unspoken deference.
As if bowing before a king.
Sebastian spread his arms. “Gentlemen, welcome.”
I edged my foot back, intending to slip into the shadows.
Sebastian’s arm lashed out, wrapping around my middle, pulling me forward. “Before we get to the viewing, I’d like to introduce you to my fiancée, Sabrina Dolce Badalamenti.”
The room erupted in applause.
At first, I didn’t understand why.
Then his words registered.
No.
I replayed the last moment in my mind.
I’d like to introduce you to my fiancée, Sabrina Dolce Badalamenti.
My fiancée, Sabrina Dolce Badalamenti.
My fiancée.
My body tensed as I flicked my gaze toward the open doorway—now blocked by two guards.
Before I could move another muscle, Sebastian’s hold tightened.
A warning.
A threat.
Blood roared in my ears, drowning out everything but the rapid thud of my own heartbeat.
Sebastian continued speaking, but his voice came from deep underwater—muffled, distorted.
My fiancée.
This wasn’t happening.
It couldn’t be happening.
Men didn’t just declare an engagement without asking the woman first.
Well, normal men didn’t.
But when had Sebastian ever been normal? He existed on a different plane than the rest of us, operating by rules only he understood.
And to think, for a foolish moment, I’d almost seen him as boyfriend material after last night.
How stupid of me.
As the men at the table rose in unison, the guards stepped aside, allowing a tight column of security to enter. Each man carried two attaché cases, their movements precise, choreographed. They filed to the far side of the room and settled onto padded benches.
The guards unlocked the cases.
Black velvet boxes spilled open, revealing rough-cut diamonds of varying sizes, spread meticulously over white parchment paper.
The men reached into their pockets, producing jeweler’s loupes, pretending to inspect the stones.
But it was just for show. A ritual. None of them had the power to refuse or exchange what they were given.
They got what they got and liked it.
That was the way of it with the diamond cartel.
There was no refusing the House of Diamanti.
I dug my fingers into the back of a chair as dizziness threatened to drop me.
Sebastian stepped behind me.
His hand shifted from my hip to just below my breast.
“If you don’t smile,” he murmured, “these men will think you’re not pleased to be the future Mrs. Diamanti.”
Through clenched teeth, I rasped, “I’m not pleased. Funny, I don’t recall you asking me to marry you.”
Behind the safety of the polished black stone table, Sebastian’s warm palm slid along my thigh, lifting the hem of my dress.
“Why bother asking?” he said silkily. “Your answer is yes.”
I clutched at the fabric, yanking it back into place. “My answer is no.”
His hand shifted, cupping my ass. He squeezed, his fingertips pressing into my flesh—just enough to hurt.
“Don’t be so sure of that, sweetheart.”
Then he pushed his hips against me.
The rigid press of his arousal sent a fresh jolt of panic through me.
Another silent, unspoken threat.
Heat licked up my cheeks as I stared across the room at the gathered men, oblivious to what was happening beneath their noses.
In a sudden burst of defiance, I tore away from him. “I’m done. I’m leaving. I’ll be on the first flight back to New York.”
Sebastian lunged—
But I was faster.
I bolted through the double doors, racing for my office like the devil himself bit at my heels.