Chapter 20
I rose from my seat, my heart thundering against my ribs as I made my way toward Lorenzo. The sea of faces turned to watch me, but their judgment held no power anymore. Not with Lorenzo’s eyes locked on mine, drawing me forward like a beacon in the dark.
His hand found mine as I reached the stage, warm and steady. The simple touch grounded me, even as whispers erupted through the crowd.
“While you’ve all been plotting,” Lorenzo’s voice carried across the silent room, “I found something far more valuable than any empire.” His fingers tightened around mine. “I found love. Real love. And tonight, I’m proud to announce that this remarkable woman has agreed to become my wife.”
Gasps rippled through the audience.
“We’ll be married soon,” Lorenzo continued, his thumb tracing circles on my palm. “After I handle some… unfinished business.”
“Consider this an early invitation to our wedding celebration. That is, once your little coalition inevitably crumbles.” He smiled, but it held no warmth. “I look forward to seeing which of you survive long enough to attend.”
The threat in his words hung heavy in the air. I felt the shift in the room – the realization that Lorenzo wasn’t just refusing to surrender. He was declaring
war.
“Now then,” Lorenzo raised his champagne glass, pulling me closer to his side. “Shall we toast? To new beginnings, and to those foolish enough to stand in their way.”
I basked in Lorenzo’s protective embrace, feeling like royalty for the first. time in my life. His strength flowed into me, transforming me into the queen I was meant to be.
My gaze drifted across the sea of faces, savoring their stunned expressions, until-
The champagne glass nearly slipped from my fingers.
There, among the waitstaff, stood a familiar figure. The same server who had handed me my drink earlier was now pulling off his mask with deliberate slowness.
It was him. Dominic.
My blood turned to ice as Dominic’s face emerged, his signature cruel
Sun, 2 Mar
smile spreading across his features.
My fingers dug into Lorenzo’s arm. This couldn’t be happening. Not here. Not now. But there he was, his green eyes boring into mine with that same possessive glint that had haunted my nightmares.
“Lorenzo,” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the crowd’s murmuring.
The room started to spin, colors blurring together like watercolors in the rain. My grip on Lorenzo’s arm weakened as my knees buckled beneath me. The faces in the crowd morphed into indistinct shapes, swimming before my
eyes.
“Val?” Lorenzo’s voice sounded distant, as if coming from underwater.
I tried to form words, to warn him about Dominic, but my tongue felt heavy and unresponsive. The champagne glass slipped from my fingers, shattering against the floor in slow motion. The sound echoed strangely in my ears.
My body felt impossibly heavy. The lights above grew brighter, then dimmer, pulsing like stars about to die. I caught one last glimpse of Lorenzo’s face as he turned toward me his expression morphing from confusion to alarm. His strong arms caught me as I pitched forward..
“Valentina!” His concerned face hovered above mine, features blurring at the edges. The world tilted sideways, darkness creeping in from the corners of my vision.
The last thing I registered was Lorenzo’s panicked voice calling my name before everything faded to black.
I blinked against the harsh fluorescent lights, the sterile hospital smell filling my nostrils. A familiar beeping sound echoed through the room – the same rhythm I’d heard a week ago when I’d last been here.
Lorenzo’s hand squeezed mine. “Welcome back, amore.”
My throat felt dry, scratchy. “What happened?”
“You collapsed on stage.” Lorenzo brushed a strand of hair from my face, but something in his expression made my chest tighten. His eyes held that mix of relief and… something else. Something darker.
“The doctors said-” He stopped mid–sentence, his jaw clenching.
“What? What did they say?” I tried to sit up, but my body felt heavy,
uncooperative.
Lorenzo’s thumb traced circles on my palm, but his gaze dropped to our intertwined fingers. The gesture reminded me of how he’d held my hand on stage, right before…
“Dominic,” I gasped. “I saw him, he was-”
“Shh,” Lorenzo pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. “We’ll talk about that later. Right now, you need rest.”
“No.” I gripped his hand tighter. “You were about to say something. What aren’t you telling me?”
Lorenzo’s expression shifted, a flash of anger crossing his features before settling back into concern. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, as if wrestling with himself.
“Lorenzo, please.”
His eyes met mine, and the sadness I saw there made my heart skip. “The doctors found…”
But again he stopped, his grip on my hand tightening almost painfully. “Found what? Lorenzo, you’re scaring me.”
