Page 176 of Claimed At First Sight

“And this must be Miss Mialina Accardi.”

The breath I draw stops halfway into my lungs. My full name sounds wrong when he says it.

Maximo’s fingers flex once against the table before going still. I might have missed the movement if I weren’t watching him so closely.

“You already know who she is,” he replies coldly.

“Only from the photographs Antonio showed us.” Cormac allows his gaze to settle on me now. “Although they hardly did her justice.”

Something unpleasant twists in my stomach. They’ve seen photographs of me.

I shouldn’t be surprised. The top men in circles like ours collect information about anyone who might become useful to them.

But this is different. Father didn’t just tell them about me. He presented me like a prized mare, so they could appraise me. Should I show them my teeth too?

My gaze moves to the two men beside Cormac. Neither speaks.

Malachy acknowledges me with a restrained inclination of his head. Shay makes considerably less effort to disguise his interest, his gaze traveling over my face, my hair, and my outfit.

I lift my chin and meet Shay’s stare directly. I won’t be intimidated by him. He can examine me all he wants, but I refuse to sit here meekly while he does it.

Across the table, Maximo remains perfectly still. Somehow, that only makes him look more dangerous.

“Antonio spoke often of the future he envisioned for his daughters,” Cormac says.

Often? How long was Father in touch with them?

“Antonio Accardi made a great many plans,” Maximo replies. “But he’s dead now, and circumstances have changed.”

Cormac chuckles. “Circumstances often do.”

Maximo’s gaze remains fixed on him. “Sensible men adjust accordingly.”

The faint smile remains on Cormac’s face, but his eyes harden. Beside him, Shay’s attention finally leaves me and moves to Maximo.

“Some arrangements are more enduring than others,” he says, his tone far more challenging than his father’s.

Maximo doesn’t so much as blink. “Only when all parties remain willing to honor them.”

Cormac smiles, but there’s no warmth in it.

“Willingness can be a complicated thing in our world.”

Is mine the complicated part?

Maximo’s voice turns glacial. “Not to me.”

The two men stare at each other. Their meaning moves beneath every word, sharp enough that I can feel it even if I can’t decipher every layer.

Cormac knows Maximo is aware of the agreement.

Maximo now knows the Donnellys haven’t dismissed it.

And I’m sitting at the center of their conversation while they discuss my future as though I wasn’t present.

Every part of me wants to tell them exactly where they can put Antonio’s contract.

Cormac looks toward me again, but his words remain directed at Maximo.