9

ARIANA

I changed into a sparkly, less bulky white dress for the reception.

It rather was ironic considering the color of my wedding dress at the church, but there was no time to make switches now. I swapped out my black kitten heels for black satin Versace platform pumps. The heels were still torture, but they were better than the kitten heels I wore earlier.

Aleksei sure as hell didn't find this as amusing as he had my wedding dress stunt. If anything, he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. Finally, there was something we agreed on.

The reception area was flawless from the decorations to the seating arrangements. Sparkles of gold and white carried across every inch of the room. Not a single thing was out of place given the short time he had to plan things out. That was the type of efficiency a lot of money got you.

The first time Aleksei willingly touched me since the reception began was when it was time for the bride and groom to dance. His large hands fell on my waist, holding me against his body as we swayed to the soft tune of the music.

My hands instinctively fell on his chest. Was this how the dance was supposed to go? This wasn't my first time slow dancing at fancy events like this. I didn't claim to be a pro, but I wasn't horrible at it either, but there was something about him that made me fidgety and left me on edge.

I couldn't quite place my finger on what it was, but it had me calculating every step I took or every word I said in front of him.

What was I supposed to do with my hands anyway?

I mentally shrugged. Who cared if I botched the dance? There hadn't been any rehearsals to make sure everything went smoothly at the wedding.

I didn't miss the way his hard muscles twitched or how his heart pounded underneath my palm with every second that passed. I would never say this to his face, but he was well-built and good-looking. In short, every woman's wet dream.

I was sure he'd heard that compliment quite a few times before, so he was never hearing it from me. God forbid I added to his already massive ego. The world would be too little to contain him and his ego.

My blood heated as his hands slowly found their way down to my hips. Even through the bulky lace and tulle of my dress, I felt the heat of his palm on my skin, branding me, searing my skin, making sure I'd feel his hands on my body long after the dance ended.

The moment the song ended, he pulled away from me and headed back to his seat like he'd been waiting to leave me all along. My face burned with mortification. He did that in front of guests. He could have at least pretended to save face.

Before I could let the embarrassment eat me inside out, Matteo swooped in.

"Father-daughter dance?" He asked with a boyish grin that immediately put me at ease.

I smothered a laugh.

He rolled his eyes, a slight grin still playing on his lips. "I know, I know. You're older than me. But at the end of the day, that doesn't matter! I'm now the head of this family."

I returned his grin. I was happy to see this side of Matteo again. I thought I'd never get him back after the funeral and Aleksei's marriage proposal, but he seemed almost like his old self.

"So, you're married." He sighed, but there was none of that anger from last week. I considered it progress. "You know, when I heard some old fuck wanted to get married to you years ago, I did some digging. Didn't like what I found. Not that I was going to ever let him marry you, but still."

I arched a curious brow at him. Was he talking about Robert?

"Anyway, I paid him a visit and shot his cock off. His head, too, to make sure he stayed dead."

I gasped. It was him? He had been responsible for that? I figured Robert pissed off the wrong people and met his end. Boy was I wrong.

"I'm not a saint, Ariana. I'm sure you know that. I'll kill, steal, blackmail, and kidnap to protect the people I love. Even if it costs me my life."

I knew that, and I'd made peace with it a long time ago.

That was why I was able to turn a blind eye to what my brothers did. If they could, they would escape. That I was sure of, but they had their entire lives planned out for them the moment Papà found out they were boys during one of their hospital visits.

Deep inside the cold-blooded killers the Cosa Nostra had trained them to be, I knew they were teddy bears at heart. They cared about the ones they loved deeply, and they'd go down protecting that person.

I didn't have to be part of the Cosa Nostra to uphold that same value, hence, my marriage to Aleksei. My family came first.

"Hang in there for me, Ari. I'll take you out of there. I have something to tell you."

I made the mistake of looking to the side. My eyes clashed with Aleksei's.

Even from afar, I could feel the intensity of his blank emerald eyes. I quickly averted my gaze before he could sniff the life out of me from across the room with just a single gaze, turning all my attention back on Matteo.

A frown marred Matteo's face. "You looked lost for a second. Are you listening to me?"

I nodded, urging him to go on. I wondered what he'd say if I told him I was staring at Aleksei. I subtly shook my head to banish the thought.

"Once you get to the Tarasovs' mansion, I want you to keep your eyes and ears open. Anything that you feel is worth knowing—anything that can incriminate them at all—let me know. I'll handle things from there."

So, he needed blackmail material against the Tarasovs. On a normal day, I'd disagree with Matteo for his course of action, but Aleksei deserved no such sympathy from me. My loyalty belonged to my family.

He didn't extend that same courtesy to us, so why should I? He'd walked into my father's mansion, demanding things from us without a single thought of how much it'd impact our family.

I nodded at Matteo. I could do as he asked if it meant I could escape Aleksei's clutches quickly, and my family would be free again. I was more worried about the latter.

Matteo smiled at me again. "I knew I could count on you. You're one brave woman, Ariana. I'm sorry you have to go through something as shitty as this." His smile faltered. "If I could go back in time and change things, I would."

I shook my head at him. If it meant, keeping my family safe, I'd agree to marry Aleksei again in a heartbeat.

That was how deep my loyalty to my family ran, and I was determined to let that push me through this obstacle.