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His eyes are on Aurora and me as he says, “Let us all make a toast to the happy couple, offering them our congratulations. To Aurora and to Nicolas, our future Don,” his voice booms across the room.
He offers me a short nod, a symbol of his support. I don’t move or say a word. An even thicker silence follows the pronouncement. It’s almost like they’re all waiting with bated breath, wondering if they should accept it or not. This goes on for several seconds until there’s the sound of a throat clearing before someone else gets to their feet, pushing their chair back.
Camila offers me a small smile as she raises her glass in a toast as well. She’s quickly followed by Marco, who practically stumbles to his feet. With the three of them standing, the rest of them have no choice but to follow suit. The room fills with the sound of people getting to their feet and raising their champagne glasses.
“To Aurora and Nicolas,” they all echo.
A deep-seated sense of satisfaction fills me. Checkmate.
Very slowly, I look Sebastian in the eye. I find a murderous expression staring back at me. He lifts his hand, and I get the feeling he wants to strangle me. But he can’t very well do that in front of all these people.
“This isn’t over, Ramirez,” he growls.
He glares at me one more time before storming out of the room. Once he’s gone, I face the rest of them and wave a hand in the air.
“I apologize for the short intermission. You may continue with your meal,” I say, my voice carrying through the room.
They don’t need any more prompting. Conversation resumes, although we don’t escape their attention as we glide toward the table. We step toward our positions, mine at the head and Aurora’s at my right. Before we take our seats, I lean down to whisper in her ear.
“You did good, mi vida,” I tell her, splaying a hand across her waist.
A light shiver goes through her. She offers me a small, adoring smile before taking her seat. As soon as she does so, Adrian, who’s right by her side, engages her in conversation. A muscle flexes in my jaw, but I don’t interrupt, especially since Marco starts droning on about how he kept wondering if I would show up tonight.
The slimy eel neglected to mention to me that there would be a meeting at all. Adrian was the one who informed me two days ago that Sebastian had called for a gathering. The aim was obvious—to garner support from the outfit. And if I had to guess, he planned to gain the support of members of the table as well.
He probably didn’t expect Adrian to be working against him. By informing me about Sebastian’s plans, Adrian has proven his loyalty, but I’ll still be watching him like a hawk. While it’s clear he has no interest in challenging me for the position of Don, his motivations are still murky, so I still have to remain on guard when it comes to him.
We’re served our food, and dinner continues without any further interruptions. Once it’s over, they all rise to mingle and discuss matters of the outfit. I’m sure a lot of them are wondering at the sudden reappearance of a Maranzano. Aurora stands beside me as I speak to Ernesto. He’s a stalwart middle-aged man with a bald head and gray eyes. He’s our biggest influence on the political world. We share pleasantries and I’m perfectly polite as he asks me about my plans when I become Don.
Aurora shifts uneasily at my side, and I look down at her blank expression.
“One second, Ernesto,” I say to the man in front of me. I turn to my fiancée with a raised eyebrow, wrapping an arm around her waist as I pull her to the side of the room. No one else is around, offering us some privacy. “Bored?”
She’s been perfectly compliant all evening, playing her role perfectly, smiling at the right times, and being silent when not addressed. And while I’m glad, it makes me antsy, because it’s quite unlike her. Since we met again, she’s kept on surprising me. At times I’m able to catch glimpses of the woman I knew. But the majority of the time, she’s putting on an act, pretending to be someone she’s not. She’s good at it. And I hate that she is.
“Of course I’m bored. I don’t care about any of this. I want to go home,” she murmurs.
“You’re home now, mi vida,” I tell her.
“This isn’t my home.”
She can deny it all she wants but we both know her roots are here. They always will be.
“Why don’t you go and talk to Camila? She’s been sneaking glances at you all evening, and I’m sure you have a lot to talk about. After all, you haven’t seen her in years.”
The platinum-blonde woman is another mystery. I wasn’t expecting her to stand up tonight. At the very least, I expected her uncle to do so first. But she pledged her alliance before Marco, a fact that does not sit right with me. I can’t help but wonder at her motivations.
Aurora’s gaze softens. “I cut her off completely when I left. I’m sure she’s angry. She was my friend.”
My jaw tightens at those words. I look down at her, willing her eyes to meet mine, but they remain across the room, staring at Camila as she walks around hand in hand with her husband.
“She wasn’t your only friend,” I say in a low tone.
She finally looks up at me, eyes lighting with that fire that always gets me going.
“You don’t count, Nico.”
Our gazes clash for a couple of seconds as we stare at each other. She breaks the contact first, looking down at my chest.
