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          "This is beautiful," Evelina said as she admired my dress, running her fingers over the silk folds.

          "Thank you!" I smiled down at her little frame. Dimples dug deep into her cheeks similar to Leo's as she smiled back at me.

          "How old are you?"

          I took a second before answering to her blunt question, wondering what she was trying to get at. "Twenty-one."

          "Not bad," she nodded, tapping her index finger on her chin at a constant pace pretending to ponder.

          "Not bad?" I questioned.

          "Yeah, you're not too young or too old for Leo," she smiled sweetly at her older brother.

          "Lina," Leo intervened. "Don't." He warned, giving her a stern look.

          "What?" She stared at him, shaking her head in innocence. "I'm kidding. I'm not going to steal nonna's job." Rolling her eyes, she let out a breath, more like a huff.

          "Okay," I broke the tension and looked at Evelina. "How old are you?" I asked, trying to take our minds off things.

          "You should never ask a girl her age," she retorted curtly. This girl was just as intimidating as her brother. I don't know if I liked or disliked it at this very moment.

          "Well, you asked mine. It's only fair if you told me yours now. Don't you think?"

          She narrowed her eyes at me, reading my expression. "Fair enough," her lips curled upwards lightly. "And since I like you right now, I'll tell you. I'm fourteen."

"I see. You're almost a woman," I said sweetly. Having another friend around here other than Zaya wouldn't be bad even if she's really young.

"What are you talking about?" Her brows rose in a challenge. "I am a woman," she emphasized. Maybe Zaya will be the only friend for a while.

"Yeah, not really. Not yet of course," I smiled down at her. "You still have to grow into your body and your personality. So, you have some time till you get to that." I watched her expression change from cocky to amusement. "But by what I see right now, you have a strong personality already. You say whatever you feel like which is good, but some people might not like it. Haters everywhere."

"Damn," she grinned. "I like you so much more already and that's a first for me." Mission accomplished and it didn't even take long. Some wise words and caught the cat in the trap. I deserved a pat on the back.

"And I like you too."

"Everyone does," she sighed,
making me and Leo laugh. Her cockiness was on the high rise for a girl her age which was pretty amusing. "Well, I'm going to excuse you guys now. I have other things to do. Toodles!" She kissed her fingertips and waved at us. From what I observed, Evelina is a little brat, but not the worst one. Being brought up in a disgustingly rich household can probably do that to you.

"She's something," I turned to Leo as soon as Evelina left our sight.

"Just like her sister." Well, his parents definitely had a blast.

"God!" I exclaimed. "How many more sibling do you have?"

"I got four siblings in total," Leo chuckled. "No more, I promise."

"Two brothers and two sisters?"

"Yes! You have already met Wren, Augustus, and Evelina. You just have to meet the oldest one of them. She's the worst."

"I can imagine from the younger ones," I chuckled for a brief moment before stopping. "Wren," I muttered his name out of the blue.

"What about him?" Leo furrowed his brows. "Did he do something?"

"Not really." The thought of Wren reminded me of the last encounter I had with him at a similar event like this back at the hotel. Wren had broken me even more with the stunt he pulled. He pushed me to seek help from Ray. It was him. He might have not done the deed, but he traumatized me further. However, what he said earlier caught my attention. I wanted to know what he meant by it. "I ran into Wren earlier this evening. He was with your other brother and he said something."

"What did he say?" Leo's face was devoid of any expression. I couldn't tell what was going through his mind.

"He showed me a scar and said that I was the reason for it."

"Oh," he frowned, "I should have told you he was attending." He shut his eyes for a second and sighed. Looking back at me, he continued, "I hit him."

"Because of me?" I asked cautiously.

"No, Arie. It wasn't just you. He kept on going about things and I just," he stuttered for a second, "I lost it." Pinching the bridge of his nose, he tried to relieve his frustration with this conversation.

"Okay." It wasn't just me, but I was one of the reasons for it. Wren wanted to rape me at the previous event just because I kneed him at the station, but now that his brother hit him because of me, I don't think he's too thrilled about it. From what I gathered, he would want revenge for it. Possibly from me. I might have to stay clear of that man.

          "Mr. Bonferroni!" A cheery, high-pitched woman squealed, ignorantly stepping in between me and him, completely blocking my view of the man.

          "Mrs. Garner!" His eyes widen a little at the woman. "Fancy seeing you here." He pursed his lips together, not happy with the woman's presence.

          "Why wouldn't I be here?" She closed more distance between them and began rubbing her right palm down his air-tight suit, feeling him up sluttily. "My husband was invited, so I had to come anyways, and seeing you after so long is just a plus." What the fuck? Is she fucking Leo despite being married?

          "Mrs. Garner," he glared at the woman in purple, "remove your hands from me before I do it for you," he spat through gritted teeth, tilting his head to the side maliciously.

          "C'mon," she tugged onto his suit, "you can do anything to me just like when," she tiptoed up to his ear, whispering something too inaudible for me to eavesdrop on over the music.

          "That's it!" Leo snapped. Grabbing her wrist, he dragged her ass out of here quicker than Barry Allen without anyone noticing the little commotion, leaving me stranded between people I didn't know. Looking at his reddened, infuriated face, my heart skipped a beat in fear for the woman.

          Was he going to fuck her or kill her? What kinky shit did she babble into his ear, impelling him to do that?

          I shouldn't be bothered or surprised by this, but I was. The fact that he left me here without saying anything hurt me more than the fact that he was probably going to put his junk into slutty little Mrs. Garner's worn out pussy or possibly murder her. It was none of my business and definitely shouldn't be my problem, but I couldn't help myself thinking about all the possible scenarios in my head.

          "That was amazing!" Zaya shrieked as she suddenly appeared in front of me holding two glasses in her hands. "I didn't know you could dance."

          I grabbed a glass out of her hand. "Neither did I. At least not like that." I took a swig of my water and continued, "I just went with the flow and thank you for this. I really needed it." I might need a glass of whiskey after that little awkward interaction that took place in my face less than two minutes ago.

          "You guys were killing it. Everyone is wondering who you are now," she chuckled. "You're famous around here tonight."

          "Oh please," I laughed after taking another sip of my water. "I'd rather stay unknown."

          "You're the mystery woman at this party and people around here love solving a mystery," she gulped down her drink. "So, I suggest," she continued, "beware."

          "I'll stay clear" I laughed, placing the glass down on the table behind me. "Where have you been anyways? You left for a drink a while ago."

          "Oh," she nervously put her glass down, glancing across the room and then back at me. "I was caught up in something and then you were..."

          "Something?" I cut her off, arching my brow mischievously. "Was that something a man? I'd like to know."

          "It was just sir," she said plainly shaking her head at the thought.

          "Leo?" I queried.

          "No," she countered immediately. "It was his younger brother, Sir Augustus."

          "Let me guess. He was hitting on you?"

          "Yeah," her dark brows rose. "How did you know?"

          "Bullseye," I chucked. "I met him before the little dance shenanigan. He's quite a player, I must say."

          "Yeah, he is," she frowned. "And he didn't even recognize me. I don't even know if he knows my name. I'm just another maid in this house."

          "Do I sense a crush?" I teased. I couldn't blame her for having a crush on Augustus. He's a gorgeous man just like his brother. Broad chest, nice jawline, and everything.

"I can't have a crush," she shut me down, "I can't. Can we just drop this?" She said, clearly annoyed by my statement.

"We sure can," I smiled.

"So, did you and sir practice that dance or what? You guys looked professional."

"I must agree with this beautiful lady." Augustus sneaked up from behind Zaya, startling her a little. His smirk, revealing his perfect pearly whites, shined down at her. "Did I scare you, Ms. Can't-Tell-Me-Her-Name?"

          "No," she said with the same confidence as Gus, "you didn't."

          "You sure?" He wiped off a drop of the sweat that trickled down the side of her forehead. "This tells me otherwise," he smirked while flicking away the drop with his finger.

          "It isn't because of your little scare, but because it's hot in here." She poked his chest, pushing his leaning body back.

          "I know I'm hot, but I can't leave. My brother wouldn't be pleased if I left his party," he smirked down at her as her pupils dilated.

          "Wow," I laughed, "you never quit, do you?"

          "Oh, I'm sorry," he turned to me, sliding his hands into his pockets, "I forgot you were there for a second."

          "Sure," I pursed my lips together into a thin line. "Well, excuse us. Zaya and I were just leaving."

          "Zaya?" He questioned, cocking his brow upwards. "Like the one that works here?" Staring at her, a grin formed on his face. I looked at Zaya, who grew pale out of fear. I grabbed her right hand with my left one, giving it a soft squeeze.

          "Is that a problem for you?"

          "Oh, definitely not." He laughed, tilting his head back. "I, in fact, love it. It's good to see you out of those little black pencil skirts and the same old white blouse. You have warmed my eyes with this look."

          Zaya's cheeks notably blushed up, reddening them like a tomato which reminded me of Aunt Wendy when Mike came to pick her up for their date. Zaya's nails dug into my palm unintentionally, sending a jolt of pain up my arm. I softly squeezed her arm, urging her to let go.

          "Does my brother know?"

          "I'm sure he's okay with it," I spat again.

          "Are you sure?" He looked at me. "Because as far as I know him, I don't think he would be."

          "How about I ask him when he gets back in this hall?" When he's done fucking that lady.

          "You can ask him now. He's right there." Gus pointed at Leo who stood in a corner at the opposite end of the hall with a few men surrounding him. That was a real fast quickie or a real fast murder. I was reluctant to go to him. What if he's still mad? What if he hurts me for interrupting him? "Go on now." Gus lightly pushed me in Leo's direction.

          "Don't touch me," I brushed his hand off. "I see where he is and I have legs to walk to him."

With heavy feet, I took small steps toward him. Leo noticed and smiled at me as I closed more distance between us. Slowly, he held out his hand for me to take.

"I'd like for you to meet a few people," Leo said as he spun me toward the men he was conversing with. "This is Sheikh Mohammed Rashid, a business mogul and a friend," he pointed at the tall brown man who had a dust of scruff covering his jaw.

"Hello!" The man spoke in a thick Arabian accent and shook my hand.

"Hello," I smiled.

"This is Mr. Karan Singh. A business partner and a friend as well," Leo faced me towards the middle guy who was just as tall as the first one with a clean shaven face and a black mask to match his dark eyes.

"Hello, beautiful," he took my hand and kissed the back of it. "That was quite something on the dance floor. You ruled it."

"Thank you," I laughed at his flirtation.

"Moving on," Leo pulled me towards the last man who had his back to us. "This is," he laid his hands on the man's shoulder, compressing them and turning him around, "my good friend and business partner."

My heart sunk deep into my chest when I saw the man's rugged face. I could never forget that dangerous scar. The air clogged in my lungs, constricting my chest, forbidding me to breathe. My heart pounded heavily against my ribs. I could feel the throb through each inch of my body. I shook my head trying to shake away the image of him, but it was still there smiling at me alongside Leo. Leo is friends with him?

"Astor Aguillard, my best mate."

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Finally, we see Astor the dick again. It was about time he was back in the game. I hope you liked this chapter. It's about to get spicy again.

Much love ❤️
~Reet