Page 80 of Veil of Vengeance

Dad sits at the head of the table with Antonio Guerrero and Gloria Guerrero to his left. The chair to his right is empty, and I’m sitting next to it. I suppose it’s where Nicholas would be sitting. Nonna is sitting to my left, but she’s speaking with whoever is on the other side of her.

“Where is Nicholas?” I can hear Gloria whisper to one of their guards over the sound of everyone talking. The guard whispers something in her ear, and she nods, a grim expression on her face before she sees me looking at her and a dazzling smile replaces it. I return her smile and look back down at my empty plate.

We’re still waiting for Nicholas, who graces us with his presence with a tall woman walking behind him. She walks with an air of confidence that I can feel from where I am sitting, her long red hair swooped to the side.

Her long wine-red cocktail dress flows behind her as she takes the empty seat beside Gloria, who whispers in her ear. Nicholas takes the seat beside me, not sparing me a glance before he begins to talk with my Dad and his dad about some shipment.

I look back toward where the woman is sitting and find her watching me, her hazel eyes slightly narrowed before she gives me a soft smile, going back to talking to Gloria.

“Nonna, who’s that woman sitting next to Gloria?” I ask quietly. Nonna looks at me and then the woman sitting opposite her.

“That’s Sofia Gonzales, the Lawyer for the Guerrero family.”

“She looks really young,” I comment. Nonna nods before turning her sharp eyes to me.

“Valentina, I want you to keep out of their family business. Understood.” Her fingertips dig into my forearm.

“Yes, Nonna.” Her tight grip disappears.

“Good,” she whispers before turning back to her conversation with Nicholas’ nonna. I lean back into my place and clench my fists. I don’t talk to anyone as the servers move around the table, placing our food in front of us, and neither do I engage with anyone as we begin to eat. When we’re done, I stand near the doors, waiting for the time I can slip away and no one will take notice.

“I’m Sofia.” I look up to find the woman from before standing directly next to me with a smile on her face.

I swallow the piece of delizie al limone down before replying, “Valentina, nice to meet you.” Her hazel eyes are sharp, assessing everything about me from my soft pink dress that reaches my mid-thigh, dagger-shaped earrings, to my black Jimmy Choos.

“I like your dress. It’s a very unique color.” I don’t know if she thinks I wore this to catch Nicholas’ eyes or what, but I accept the compliment nonetheless.

“Thank you. I don’t think I’ve seen any woman being involved in the…” My hand moves around in a circle motion. “Well… you know,” I say, and she nods, an amused smile on her red lips.

“Organized crime business?” she supplies, and I nod, flustered. Clearly, the three champagne glasses I’ve had affected me. Our conversation is cut short by Gloria, who comes strutting over and accidentally—not accidentally—spills some wine on Sofia’s dress.

“Oh, I am so sorry, Sora.”

Sofia narrows her eyes at Gloria, who’s wiping her palm over her dress.

Sofia mutters with a blank stare, “It’s fine. Excuse me, Valentina.” She rushes past me, and I see that Gloria looks suspiciously pleased with herself. Nicholas rushes past me, following Sofia, which causes the smug smile on Gloria’s face to drop. Sensing something weird is about to happen, I quickly excuse myself and decide to head to my room. But once I reach the end of the hallway, I hear two people talking. I slowly peek around the edge and spot Sofia and Nicholas close to each other.

“Leave me alone, Guerrero. I don’t need you trailing after me like some puppy when you have a fiancée.” Sofia’s voice is harsh, and she’s pushing one hand against Nicholas’ chest. He grabs her wrist and pulls her to him, his other arm going around her waist.

“Sofia, come on, you can’t be serious about this. I told you I’ll find a solution for this.” They’re both staring at each other intensely and don’t notice me. I cringe when he leans down and kisses her. Great, my fiancé is hung up on someone else. At least I’ll know who he’ll be with if he stays out late once we’re married. I twist the ring on my middle finger, debating whether I should go back to the party or just walk by them. It’s not like I’m heartbroken and was expecting great love.

After all, I wasn’t exactly thinking of Nicholas when it comes to the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. I shake my head, not wanting to think of him. Nicholas and Sofia rip away from each other at the sound of my heels tapping against the marble floors.

Nicholas’ face is set in cool indifference, but Sofia looks guilty and as if she’s made the biggest mistake on earth. They both stare at me, expecting me to stop and say something, but I just keep walking toward the staircase.

“Aren’t you going to say something?” Sofia’s voice stops me, and I turn my neck to look at both of them.

“No, I don't care what you two do. Just leave me out of it.”

I don’t wait around for what they have to say, and instead make my way back to my room. Tonight is definitely one of the most exhausting nights I’ve ever had. ?

* * *

I’m in the garden,walking outside of the maze instead of inside. My eyes sweep across the tall hedges until I’m staring at the gray clouds above.

“All you ever do is go out and walk around in the garden or read. You never talk with us anymore.” Violette’s voice comes from behind me. I close my eyes, squeezing them shut.

“It’s not like I don’t want to spend time with you, guys. I do, Lottie. It’s just…” I swallow, struggling to finish my sentence. Violette’s hand lands on my shoulder.

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