Chapter 5 - The Gala
To project strength after the attack, Dante was forced to attend the Continental Syndicate Gala—a gathering of the city's most powerful crime families. He refused to leave Leo behind at a compromised estate. He also refused to leave Clara.
Clara was transformed. The threadbare coat was replaced by a custom, blood-red silk gown that clung to her curves. Diamonds cold and heavy rested against her collarbone. When she descended the grand staircase holding a sleeping Leo, the entire foyer went entirely silent.
Dante waited at the bottom, wearing a midnight-black tuxedo. He swallowed hard, his eyes devouring her. "You look like a queen," he murmured, offering his arm.
At the gala, Clara was a revelation. She navigated the shark-infested ballroom with a quiet, lethal grace. When the Marzano boss—a slimy, grinning man named Victor—approached them, Clara didn't flinch.
"Beautiful woman, Rossi," Victor sneered, looking at Leo. "Shame about the boy's mother. I hear she had a terrible accident in Paris last week."
Dante’s muscles coiled like a striking snake, but Clara spoke first.
May you like
"A tragedy," Clara smiled, her voice like crushed ice. "But a king doesn't mourn the loss of a pawn, Mr. Marzano. Especially when the queen has already taken the board."
Victor's smile vanished. Dante’s hand tightened possessively on Clara’s waist. He had never been more deeply, dangerously attracted to a woman in his life.
