Page 103 of Bleed with Me

“I’m going with you,” he muttered, ignoring my father’s disapproving glance.

Sonny waited near the balcony doors with two of his friends, pretending to look relaxed despite the massive bruise darkening his jaw. Pride curled warmly through my chest the moment I saw his new accessory.

“Oh my god, what happened?” I ran to him like the perfect fiancée he expected and inspected the bruise thoroughly. “Have you seen the doctor? It could be broken!”

One of his companions coughed awkwardly while his eyes flashed with restrained fury.

“Just a gym accident,” he said tightly, jerking his head out of my hold. “Sparring.”

“Oh, you must be more careful.” I crossed my arms over my chest, pouting. “The wedding is getting closer. Our photos will be everywhere. I won’t marry you looking like this!”

Lucas choked beside me, standing just close enough to stop Sonny from strangling me in front of the entire ballroom. His face contorted with rage while every cell in my body buzzed with satisfaction.

“The wedding…” he started in a low voice, his eyes burning me to ashes with pure rage. Yet the moderator interrupted him, having just stepped onto the small stage near the grand piano beneath the chandeliers. I smiled sweetly at him, turning toward the man behind the microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he announced smoothly with a professional expression plastered across his face, “for our beloved birthday girl, tonight’s celebration includes a very special performance prepared by her brother-in-law.” My chest tightened. “Please welcome Dorian Zhumagulov.”

Applause erupted around the ballroom as Dorian appeared from the side entrance. My breath caught in my throat.

God, help me!

He looked devastating beneath the soft lights. A black suit molded over his broad shoulders, dark hair slightly messy as if he’d run frustrated fingers through it moments earlier, a silver watch catching the reflection from the chandeliers while he crossed the stage with lazy confidence, completely unfitting for a formal event.

A dreamy smile grazed my lips as I watched his every move. Admiration settled warmly beneath my ribs. Out of all the powerful, dangerous, brilliant men in this city, he was the icing on the cake. And living proof that my taste in men was catastrophically excellent.

Dorian sat before the piano and cracked his knuckles. A few guests chuckled, some whispered, but it all quieted down when he hit the first tones.

My pulse stumbled at the familiar sound. The melody’s opening resonated through the space, waking me from my dreamy state. What the hell?

The next passage nearly stopped my heart. Cold flooded my entire body. No.

No, no, no!

My eyes widened as the realization settled. I knew this melody!

Every rise. Every pause. Every unfinished transition hidden between the notes, because I wrote them myself three nights ago in my apartment while thinking about him.

The champagne glass almost slipped from my fingers.

He knew.

Holy fucking God, he knew!

Panic clawed up my throat with every passing second. He played flawlessly, his skilled fingers gliding across the piano keys. The ballroom listened in complete silence, enchanted by a song that was exposing me piece by piece.

Dorian’s eyes found me across the whole room. He was looking directly at me while playing. I forced myself not to move, not to react, but my chest squeezed harder with every note.

Did he know everything? He must have been in my apartment! Did he see the board? The pictures? The marriage certificate?

Jesus Christ.

The last note echoed softly through the ballroom. The final crescendo was epic, but to me it sounded like a bell announcing my execution. Ovation exploded around me, yet I barely heard it. All I could focus on was Dorian’s gaze, still locked on mine with frightening intensity.

There was no confusion in his expression. No uncertainty.

Fuck!

I turned and walked away before anyone could stop me. The ballroom blurred behind me as I pushed through a back exit into the quieter private corridor near the service elevators. My heartbeat thundered inside my skull, hands shaking as panic finally cracked through my carefully controlled mask.