CHAPTER 10 MAURO
A week later, I finally manage to make a breakthrough.
My uncle Vincenzo tells me that the Ring is hosting one of its open business gatherings, the kind where they invite promising young entrepreneurs, rising figures from the city's business, cultural, and social circles.
The Ring's omegas are often invited as well, serving as glamorous hosts whose beauty and presence make those otherwise dull events a little more enjoyable.
I know Ennio will be there too, but I don't tell him I'm planning to show up because I already know he'd try to talk me out of it. Uncle Vincenzo arranges a guest pass for me, and that's how I make my way into the party.
The event is being held beside one of our family's luxury hotels, surrounding a swimming pool illuminated with shifting rainbow lights.
Champagne and chocolate fountains stand among lavish displays of gourmet hors d'oeuvres, waiters weave through the crowd carrying trays filled with every kind of drink imaginable, along with recreational substances that are served here openly, without the slightest attempt at discretion.
My eyes are immediately drawn to a line of omegas standing beside the buffet tables.
I recognize every single face. These aren't anonymous escorts.
They're famous models with Instagram followings in the millions, a few young actors and singers.
If their fans ever found out they had to offer themselves to the city's elite in exchange for lucrative contracts, the scandal would be unimaginable, but nothing here is ever stated openly.
Officially, they're simply there to grace the evening with their beauty.
Of course, Jared is standing among them. The makeup doesn't really help; he looks painfully pale. The smile on his face is forced, and I can see his hands trembling slightly even from where I'm standing.
My pulse quickens because, for the first time, I'll finally have a chance to walk up to him, introduce myself, maybe shake his hand, and find out whether First Touch happens between us.
I swallow hard. Heat rises through my body, but a second later it turns into something far less pleasant when another figure steps out through the hotel's side entrance.
Rocco.
Fuck!
I grind my teeth as his eyes lock onto mine. A hateful smirk spreads across his face as he makes his way toward me.
"Well, well. Nice to see you, little brother. Looks like you're after the same snack I am." His grin widens. I immediately notice several of the men from the Ring shooting Rocco hostile looks, clearly pissed off that he dared to show his face here.
He notices and lets out a loud chortle, then glances at me, tilting his head.
"So what? We going to compete for him?!"
I give him the middle finger, but he just keeps cackling.
"Nah! No way I'm passing up another chance at him. I haven't fucked an ass that tight in ages… and that's after all the gentlemen from the Ring have been taking turns with him. Incredible."
Rage crashes through me like a tsunami. I turn toward him, ready to beat the living shit out of the bastard right here in the middle of the party, but Rocco has already started walking toward the line of omegas, and I know that if he decides to push through, I won't be able to stop him without causing a massive scene. Still, I just can’t stand idly by, so I rush after him…
but it isn't me who ruins Rocco's plans.
At that exact moment, another man approaches Jared, someone I know only by sight.
Mark Ferguson.
He's the youngest son of the Ferguson family, a political dynasty that's been deeply rooted in the state's politics for generations.
He's clearly being groomed to follow the same path, and lately he's been making appearances at the Ring's events, eager to win favor with the city's most influential people.
There's something obsessively ambitious about him, though I have to admit he carries it with enough charm that it never feels fake.
He's tall, handsome, the sort of politician easily impressionable people instinctively trust without digging deeper. He smiles nicely, and that’s enough for many voters to believe he is, in fact, nice.
But I can feel it. Beneath that polished exterior, he's just as rotten as Rocco, only far better at hiding it.
Rocco stops mid-step, his expression darkening. He knows picking a fight with one of the Ferguson heirs in public would be a terrible idea. Since he's no longer officially a member of the Ring, he can't throw his weight around here, and he seems somewhat aware of it.
We're standing too far away to hear what Mark and Jared are saying, but after only a minute they drift off toward a quieter corner to continue their conversation. I can see the state Jared's in. His eyes dart toward Rocco several times, his whole body tense as he whispers something to Mark.
Rocco curses under his breath before turning away to join Uncle Vincenzo, who's currently engaged in pleasant conversation with the mayor.
The mayor shoots Rocco an openly disapproving look.
But Rocco doesn't seem bothered. He starts talking as if nothing happened, despite the mayor's wrinkled nose.
That's when I notice Mark gently take Jared by the arm and begin leading him toward the exit. A cold sweat breaks across my skin.
Damn, why?!
Something inside me is about to snap. No… not again, not another chance to meet him slipping right through my fingers.
On pure impulse, I start rushing after them, ready to stop both of them, but a firm hand lands on my shoulder before I can take more than a single step.
I turn and meet Ennio's cold face. His black, icy eyes bore straight into mine.
"Leave him."
I quickly sign to him, "You don't understand! This might be my only chance to talk to him!"
"Mauro. This case is already lost. You won't be able to get him out of the Ring. Anzo won't help you. Ferguson, on the other hand, is close friends with a lot of people in the Ring. If anyone can protect Jared from Rocco, it's him. Believe me, things could've turned out much worse for Jared."
My throat tightens painfully; it feels as though the ground is giving way beneath my feet.
"He’s now out of your reach," Ennio adds.
My hopes, my plans, everything I'd imagined… every scenario where I touched Jared’s hand, that First Touch jolt raced through both of us, and from that moment on everything became so much simpler, where I'd move mountains to free him from the Ring… all of it turns to dust before my eyes.
My hands shake as I sign my reply.
"And who’s going to protect Jared from Ferguson?"