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“I thought we were starting over?” she teased. “Why are you living in the past?”

Chuckling, Cassius nodded. “You’re right, my bad. I’m Cassius.”

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Aella.”

He removed an arm from her waist, brushed her hair from her face, and traced her cheek with his index finger. “I like that. It’s unique.”

“Like its owner,” she boasted, giggling.

“That she is,” Cassius smiled. “And speaking of unique,” he dragged the tips of her fingers down the length of her arm, taking her hand. “Our fathers have this crazy idea that a marriage between our families would benefit both parties.”

Aella’s breath caught in her throat at the close contact. “Is that so?”

“It is. I don’t think my potential future wife thinks I’d be a good husband, though.”

“What she thinks doesn’t matter. Do you want to be a good husband? If not, it’s futile.”

“I can’t lie and say the idea doesn’t make me nervous. The shit kind of fell into my lap overnight. And as attracted as I am to my potential bride, she’s the polar opposite of the type of woman I typically entertain.”

“Meaning, she doesn’t accept your bullshit,” Aella quipped, causing them both to laugh.

Cassius spun her slowly before pulling her back into his arms.

“Exactly. She’s a puzzle. Nothing about her is what I’m used to. Just the idea of her taps into a side of me I’m not familiar with. The shit is unnerving.”

“So, leave her alone,” Aella shrugged.

“Not an option. I tried that, and she was on my mind every second of every day I stayed away. It’s like she somehow embedded herself within me, and there’s no turning back. She’s stuck with me.”

Licking her lips, she turned away. “What if she doesn’t want to be?”

“I’m sure once she gets a glimpse of a different side of me, she will.”

“And just how do you plan to show her that other side?”

Before Cassius could respond and admit he had no clue, Severo’s voice filled the room as he took the stage, speaking into the microphone. “Could I have everyone’s attention for a moment?” he smiled brightly.

Extracting herself from Cassius’ arms, Aella turned to the stage, beaming with pride as she watched her father.

“I’d like to thank everyone for coming tonight. Our families have collaborated on this gala for over a decade now, and I’m proud to know that donations for the less fortunate in our community continue to grow each year. This year, we’re founding a new project, which one of my beautiful daughters, Ilaria, is here to tell you all about.”

There was a short burst of applause as Ilaria, with security’s help, climbed the few steps to get onstage. Wearing a broad smile while waving at the crowd, she was almost to Severo before the unthinkable happened. Aella’s blood ran cold as a red dot appeared on her father’s chest, followed by the deafening sound of a gunshot and all hell breaking loose.

The Torrisi household was in a state of chaos. Ilaria was hysterical, Victoria was so shaken she could barely speak, Severo was fuming, leaving a trail of blood on the expensive carpet of his office as he paced and ranted, and Aella was in a catatonic state, trying to piece the evening together.

Also packed into the room were the Farina family, several of Severo’s security team, and a handful of other trusted associates, all of whom were just as bewildered about the night’s events as the others.

Severo was in such a state that he wouldn’t even allow the on-call doctor they used for injuries that they’d rather keep quiet to enter the room and tend to him.

“Severo,” Smoke said grimly. “You need to let Greg look at that wound.”

Severo responded by slamming the fist attached to his good arm against the desk. “What I need is the fuckin’ footage from that ballroom!”

“I have someone working on it,” Cassius said in a low voice. “But I wouldn’t get your hopes up. It was so chaotic, and I doubt we’ll be able to sort through the crowd, which is probably exactly what the shooter wanted.”

“Fuck. Fuck!” Severo bellowed, kicking over his chair.

Something about the noise it made as it clattered to the ground pulled Aella from her stupor. “Daddy, you need to get that wound taken care of and pay a visit to Eric’s family. There were too many people in attendance tonight for the shooting to remain quiet. It won’t be long before the rumors start, and they should hear what happened from you—not a bunch of messy-ass strangers.”