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‘You will all regret this,’ Vincenzo snarled, encompassing Flávio, Ares and her in his look.
A cold shiver danced down her spine, but Ares shrugged off the threat. ‘I doubt it sincerely.’
Vincenzo’s livid stare switched to Flávio, who pretended interest in the contents of his glass. With a thick curse loaded with venom, Vincenzo turned on his heel and stormed out.
The ensuing silence was broken by Flávio’s throat-clearing. ‘Now that’s settled, it would be remiss of me not to express my own concerns. At the very least I would’ve hoped to be asked for my niece’s hand before you made the announcement.’
Ares’s jaw clenched. ‘Pretending to be old-fashioned when it suits your purposes isn’t a great look on you. You have a price. We’ll discuss it while my fiancée packs her bags.’
Alarm and rebellion ignited in her belly. ‘What? I’m not leaving—’
‘You wish to stay here?’ Ares breathed, his eyes glinting cynicism.
No, she admitted reluctantly. She didn’t. But she hadn’t anticipated a cataclysmic move so soon. And while a part of her swelled with relief, a disconcerted part couldn’t help but wonder what came next for her.
Because they hadn’t even discussed what he expected in return for helping her. Considering the circumstances of their parting ten years ago, would it be as intolerable as her current situation?
Her stomach churned with something that skated past terror and into charged excitement. And then apprehension. What if she couldn’t fulfil her part?
‘Odessa?’
‘I...I do need a little time to pack.’
Ares raised a cold eyebrow at her uncle.
Flávio shrugged. ‘Certain wheels are already set in motion and will take considerable effort to halt,’ he said. But with a quick glance at Ares’s set face he hurriedly added, ‘But I anticipate it all going smoothly since we both only have your best interests at heart.’
She barely stopped herself from snorting. Just this morning he’d intended to follow her father’s wishes and barter her to a man over twice her age without so much as a by-your-leave. A man he knew to be cruel and violent.
Her sore wrist tingled. She rubbed at it absently, then tensed when Ares’s gaze dropped to follow the action, his face tightening.
‘Let’s get this over with,’ he grated at Flávio.
To his credit, her uncle obviously sensed the capriciousness of Ares’s mood and nodded immediately. She watched them stride to the door, her breath shortening as she took in Ares’s imposing form.
Every ounce of the playfulness of the man she’d known a decade ago had disappeared, leaving behind a breathtakingly formidable man whose presence made her breath catch.
He turned without warning at the door, catching her staring. A layer of tightness evaporated, and whatever he saw on her face drew a ghost of a smile.
‘You have one hour. No more.’
One hour to leave her old life behind.
Odessa walked through her bedroom, wasting time she didn’t have in trailing her fingers over possessions she’d never grown attached to. As a crime boss, her father had insisted on his daughter keeping up appearances, which had meant wearing the right in-season clothes and jewellery, and hanging out with the daughters of other influential and powerful men on the rare occasions he’d allowed her out.
But the very idea of being on display all the time—an undertaking she remembered her mother hating—had long ago become a chore she’d taken no pleasure in.
So she picked up and set down objects she wouldn’t miss, her open suitcase on the bed still mostly empty a long while later.
‘You’re not packed?’
She whirled around at the drawl from her open doorway. Had the hour passed already? She glanced down at her watch, a diamond and platinum Cartier gifted to her by her father in a lavish display of ostentation at her birthday party two years ago. As usual it had come with a price—this one a dinner date with the son of a burgeoning rival her father had wanted mollified.
She’d failed, her fierce rebellion against being used as a pawn fuelling her defiance. He hadn’t been happy.
She saw Ares catch her shudder at the memory, and pre-empted an interrogation by replying, ‘Not quite yet.’
He glanced around the room, disdain staining his face. ‘That’s good. Because you will bring nothing with you. Including that.’ He nodded at the watch.
