Page 110 of Lucian

It wasn’t. Oh, no.

Cecelia, as lovely as she was most days, could be a downright tyrant when it came to prepping for a party. It wasn’t just a simple trip to the hairdresser, the entire fucking spa might as well have come to them. According to her, the party before the opera was probably more important than seeing the show itself. Jordyn wasn’t entirely sure why, but a few names had been dropped, the Marcellos included. Everyone who was anyone in New York politics, socialites, and old money was supposed to be there.

It was disconcerting.

Lucian offhandedly mentioned once or twice that his family didn’t shy away from public attention. Charities, political runs, and business included. It was just as important to the legal side of the Marcello Empire as it was to the illegal side of it.

Tonight, Jordyn was officially being introduced into that world … at the side of a Marcello son.

She knew it was important. Not just for her or Lucian, but for his family as a whole.

Jordyn wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about that. Being significant just for the sake of being significant had never been a goal of hers. In fact, she’d spent most of her life trying to stay under the goddamned radar.

This would be nothing like that.

Jordyn yanked open the bedroom door, coming face to face with a grinning Antony.

“You look lovely,” he told her.

Jordyn huffed, blowing a stray curl from her eyes. “Thank you, but your wife is still horrible.”

“Sometimes,” Antony agreed. “She makes up for it, otherwise. I try to look at it from her perspective. You’re the first woman any of her sons have brought home for her to spoil and love. This is just her way of showing you how much she cares.”

Right …

“She’s ridiculously lucky it’s her birthday today. I do not like to be prodded, plucked at, and touched like cattle at a meat market. She can call that beauty treatments all she likes, it’s more like torture. No sane woman enjoys that nonsense.”

“Cecelia is aware. Tomorrow, she’ll be back to her normal, wonderful self.”

Jordyn snorted. Antony didn’t even bother to deny his wife’s craziness. “I’m almost finished dressing, if that’s what she sent you up here for.”

“No. I came up here for something else. It doesn’t concern her, and she’s busy being spoiled by Dante and Gio while missing Lucian. So now is as good of a time as ever to do it.”

Jordyn’s anxiety spiked. “Is it about Lucian?”

Two weeks without Lucian were not easy to get through for Jordyn. The silence was deafening. The bed was cold. Work didn’t keep her nearly busy enough not to be constantly worried and thinking about him. She wasn’t sleeping well and her appetite was all but gone.

The only thing that helped was each new morning meant she was one day closer to seeing Lucian again.

Oddly, though, Jordyn had a sneaking suspicion Lucian was closer than anyone thought. Especially to her. More than once over the last two weeks, she felt someone’s eyes on her. Hell, it was New York. Who wasn’t watching? This didn’t feel anything like that and it didn’t make her feel unsettled, either. Instead, it was comforting. Hazel eyes, dark hair, a two finger wave and a cocky wink were quick to disappear into a crowd whenever she turned to look.

Oh, yes. Lucian was watching.

It was still hard.

“As far as I know, he should be fine,” Antony finally replied, cocking a brow. “If he’s late tonight, however, I won’t be able to say the same when his mother gets a hold of him.”

Jordyn’s hand fell to her chest to calm the racing organ beneath. “Are you trying to give me a freaking heart attack, Antony?”

“I didn’t realize when we talk the first thing I need to say is that Lucian is okay. I’ll keep that in mind for future reference.” Jordyn’s patience was worn so thin, she simply stared at him and trusted her annoyance was clear. Apparently, it was. “Anyway …”

“I need to finish getting ready,” Jordyn said, hoping he’d get the hint.

“In a moment,” Antony replied, taking a step into the bedroom. The door was closed behind him, effectively closing out the rest of the house. “Something came for you yesterday, delivered to my consigliere.”

Jordyn’s brow furrowed. “You mean Paulie?”

“When I call him Paulie, he’s just my friend. When he’s my consigliere, he’s doing business for the family.”