One does not leave a convivial party before closing time.

Winston Churchill

Santi Marchesi's POV

I stared at the man who was probably the last person I wanted to see today. I should have known that there was a chance that I would meet him at this party because...well, he was simply the devil from Rome, and as much as I hate to admit he was a very influential businessman. So I should expect him to this kind of gathering.

"Marco," I acknowledged the man with a fake smile on my face. Whenever I had the misfortune to see him, disaster was coming on my way. Always.

"Good to see you here, brother," he chirped, his dark eyes dancing with mischief while looking at me. "It's been a while since the last time I saw you."

I rolled my eyes in his direction. "Don't be so dramatic. It's only been two weeks since we last saw each other." And then he threw a disapproving look in his direction. "Why are you bothering me the moment I arrived? Where is your wife, by the way? I thought you never wanted to leave your wife's side even for a moment during parties?"

Marco gestured somewhere in his back with his thumb. "She went to the ladies' room and I decided to greet my good friend who just arrived while waiting for her."

"As far as I remember we're not good friends, bastard," I announced harshly while glaring at him insolently. I still couldn't forget that once again he reduced me to being his henchmen when I was instructed to bring along Enzo Fiorenza's girlfriend to Los Angeles while the man nearly went crazy looking for the woman. I swear he enjoys messing with the lives of his friends daily. He must be bored with his life.

"Oh? I beg to disagree, my friend, because I know that we're good friends, Santi, don't try to deny it." He contradicted me lightly with a smug smile on his face. "Don't wound my fragile heart, amico."

I shook my head in disbelief. That was a blatant lie. Because anyone who knew this man would agree with me that his heart is anything but fragile. Sometimes it makes me wonder who was the mafia and the businessman with the two of us because he was more fucking cunning than me.

"Get away from me, Orsini." I motioned my hand shooing him away.

His lips parted and formed the small letter 'o' when his gaze settled on the woman next to me. I automatically hide Haven slightly behind my back to protect her from this man's attention. "Dio! You have a companion, amico." His dark eyes met mine with unmistakable amusement in their depth. "Is this her?"

"Fuck off, Orsini, if you know what's good for you." I threatened darkly while clenching my jaw.

Instead of feeling insulted Marco merely raised an eyebrow and then slid his gaze on me before setting his attention to Haven. He even ignored my warning and held out his hand in Haven's direction. "Marco Orsini. May I know the name of my good friend's beautiful companion for tonight?"

She looked at me with questioning eyes. I shook my head slightly silently telling her not to take the offered hand but I guess she didn't get the memo. She accepted the hand and shook it briefly. "Haven Pierce. I am Mr. Marchesi's ward from the US."

"I know." He replied with a mysterious glint in his eyes. I glowered. Why is he still holding Haven's hand? Was he fascinated with her beauty and her unusual pink hair, is that it? When I couldn't take it any longer I snatched her hand from his grasp which made the bastard's smile broaden in my direction. "Holy hell..."

"What?" I asked defensively because I didn't think I liked the glint in his eyes while looking at me like that.

Before he had the chance to answer his very pregnant wife called his attention. "Marco, dear..."

He turned around to see his wife and placed a possessive hand on her back. The mischievous gleam in his eyes was immediately replaced by an affectionate look revered only for his wife alone. "Francesca mia."

Urgh. I never realized that this once renowned playboy was now stupidly in love with this beautiful and graceful woman. It was an unlikely match if you would ask me.

"I am just chatting with Santi here and his lo—I mean ward. Francesca mia, I don't believe you've met Signorina Haven Pierce. Signorina, this is my lovely wife, Francesca."

I watched in silence when the ladies exchanged pleasantries while Haven was still busy chatting with Marco's wife. I took the opportunity to wrap her hand around my arms once again silently staking my claim from all these men who kept on glancing at her that she was with me and there was no way in hell that he would have the chance to talk to her as long as I am around.

I took a deep breath. Part of me slightly regretted buying this dress for her. Maybe I should have chosen something plain and simple so that she didn't have to be the most beautiful woman in the room and male eyes were now stuck with her.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the way Marco was smirking in my direction as if he found something hilarious.

"What?" I asked with undisguised irritation in my voice. He kept throwing me a weird look since we arrived at this party and I don't like it. "Stop staring at me like that." I hissed at him, low enough not to draw the attention of the ladies who were still conversing.

"You are in deep trouble, Marchesi." He said strangely, shaking his head in the process. "I never thought that I would see this day. I'm so glad that I decided to come to this party. If I just knew I should have forced Lucca to come with us."

My brows furrowed while looking at him with annoyance. He even mentioned the duke with a weird dark sense of humor. I met him on a few occasions and I could say that he's not the typical aristocrat everyone believes him to be. If he's a normal human being he would not be this man's closest friend and enjoy watching Marco's antics every time. "What are you babbling about? You're not making any sense. Do you know that?"

He left his wife for a moment and swung his arm around my shoulder as he put a good distance from the ladies. He wiggled his eyebrows at me. "Do you want me to sign up your name on my club, Santi? I believe that you are only a few steps away from joining."

"What the fuck are you talking about?!" I removed his arm from my shoulder and threw a dark glare at him. "Are you kidding me? Why would I join your stupid club along with those jealous apes you fondly call your friends."

Marco scoffed, tucking his arms in his middle. "I can see clear as the day that those men you are calling 'jealous apes' you will be one of them someday."

"No. Never." I shook my head violently. The thought was so repulsive that I wanted to shudder. "Have you forgotten who are you talking to right now? I am Santi Marchesi and I don't do love."

The idiot nodded his head in agreement. "I know every man in my club says those exact words and look at them now after finding the one for them. Happily married to their wives."

I snorted, shaking my head in abhorrence. "Do not compare me to those idiots, Marco. Fucking women is one thing but falling in love...?" I smiled mockingly at the thought. "Nope. Never."

The devil from Rome gave me an insulting look. "Never say never, my friend. I believe in a saying that goes: 'The bigger they are, the harder they fall'. And I am not just applying this motto in business I also apply it when it comes to love life."

"Leave me alone, will you? Stop pestering me with your lunatic notion I don't have time to play stupid games with you. When will you stop irritating me by joining your club? Remember this, I will not settle for one woman only that would make my life so boring."

Marco smiled at me mysteriously, his gaze was filled with slyness. "You think so? Then let's see how you will react with an unexpected surge of emotion."

"What do you mean?"

He gestured something with his head discreetly. "Let's see how you will react to that. Look your lovely ward is beginning to draw male attention from the crowd. You are her guardian, right? Let's see how will you guard her against a pack of wolves. I believe it will not take long before someone will approach her."

I abruptly looked in the direction of Haven and this man's wife who was chatting not far from us. They were still having a light conversation when my gaze thundered when I saw that some guys kept on glancing in her direction and were about to approach her they were just probably looking for the perfect opportunity for an introduction. "What the fucking hell..." I muttered under my breath.

"See?" There was satisfaction in Marco's voice when my attention was forced to be back on him. "I believe that you are only a few steps away from presenting your application form for my club. I am starting to enjoy this boring party thanks to you, Santi. After one or two royalties turned down my club a few years back-- I hope they will be miserable for the rest of their lives since they both married to the same family-- there would be another member soon."

"Fuck off, Marco." I hissed at him. I left him standing alone and approached the ladies with the sole intention in mind not letting other guys have the chance to approach Haven at this party. I went to her side and put my arms around her waist. She stiffened at the gesture but I pretended to ignore it.

"Come on, Francesca mia," Marco was instantly on his wife's side while looking at me with knowing eyes. "We should get going. We must be bothering Santi and his ward already let's enjoy this party somewhere else."

His wife blushed while glaring at him. Hard to believe that the etiquette teacher would marry a man with a foul mouth. The refined woman smiled kindly at Haven. "It was nice meeting you, Haven. I hope we can meet some other time."

"Yes," Haven answered with an equally warm smile on her beautiful face. "I would love that."

We watched in silence as they left us arm in arm. One couldn't deny the affection between the two of them. What the fuck...?! Since when did I start noticing stupid emotions between husband and wife? Having a disturbing conversation with Marco Orsini makes me shudder more than when I am being showered with bullets during the ambush.

"Are you okay?" I looked down to see Haven's face filled with concern.

I smiled slightly in her direction. "Yeah, I'm okay. Why did you ask so?"

"You look uncomfortable," she described while studying my face intently. I was in awe that she could notice little things such as small changes in someone's behavior. She was so perceptive of her surroundings.

I smiled at her once again but this time it was more genuine than the last time. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Did you have a good chat with Marco's wife?"

"Yes, she's a lovely woman." She looked down at her evening dress. "She commented that she just saw this dress on the runway last week when she attended fashion week in Milan and how much I suited this dress more than the model who wore this on the show." Haven looked around warily. "That must be the reason why people kept on glancing in my direction and it makes me uncomfortable."

I was about to correct her that it wasn't the dress that she wore that they were looking at but her and how stunning she looked tonight. I also don't want to disclose to her that there's a high chance that if I was not standing next to her right this moment men would probably swarm around her like bees.

The thought made me want to do something violent with the guy who would dare to do just that. And then, the goading voice of Marco Orsini floated inside my mind accusing me of completely untrue things.

"Santi...?" a female voice purred behind me.

I turned around to see a woman dressed in a black figure-hugging evening dress smiling at me seductively. "Veronica." I acknowledge coldly. I never thought that I would run into her at this party I should have known better.

Her eyes slid to Haven briefly before settling her gaze back on me. "How are you? It's been a while."

"What are you doing here?"

"I see that you bought someone with you today." She ignored my question with a malicious smile on her face. "Who is she? Your new flavor of the week?"

Undisguised anger flared inside me when I saw the way Haven's cheeks turned crimson red the way my ex-bed partner guessed her association with me. I instinctively pulled Haven even closer to my body until she was pressed to my side. "I don't see that's any of your damn business, Veronica."

She gave me a poisonous glare for a second before she blinked it away and smiled cordially in our direction. "Of course, I am just merely inquiring who this beautiful young woman with you is." She extended her hand in Haven's direction. "Veronica Agresti. An old friend of your date and you are...?"

"Haven Pierce," she answered, taking the offered hand. "And I am not Santi's—"

"I think we should go," I suggested to Haven as I started pulling her away from the presence of my ex-fling.

"An ex-girlfriend?" Haven asked once we were alone in the secluded part of the garden. I was not even sure why I decided to bring her here in this part of the garden, maybe to get away from everyone, especially those bastards who couldn't keep their eyes away from this woman.

I eyed her dryly. "I told you that I don't do girlfriends, sweetheart."

She raised an eyebrow in my direction. "Then how can you explain the venomous glare she's throwing in my direction a while ago? I could see the jealousy in her eyes. She was not just an ordinary old friend."

I sighed deeply tugging my bowtie slightly because it felt like it suffocating me. "She's an old fling."

"How old?"

"Recent," I answered, unable to meet her eyes. I don't know if that's accusing I saw in her eyes or what but all I knew was that for some reason I am compelled to tell her the truth when in the past I don't give a damn to everyone. I am not the type of person who explains my actions to anyone until her. "Very recent."

She nodded her head and it annoyed me that I couldn't read what was going on inside her head right now. "That explains the murderous glare."

"I'm so sorry about that." I offered.

She shook her head with a small smile. "You don't have to apologize. I am not offended by her words or actions. It's not like we're dating or something I am just your ward, after all. So no offense taken."

I tried to open my mouth to say something but no words came out. I wanted to tell her that... That what, exactly? I asked myself. What do I want to tell her in the first place?

She eyed me curiously as she tilted her head to the side. "You were saying something?"

"I—I..." I started and I found myself staring and getting lost in her almond eyes. I cursed myself silently because I could feel my heart pounding so hard in my chest. "I think I need a drink." I blurted out like a half-wit.

She was looking at me as if I was acting weird not that I blame her because that's exactly what I feel. Thankfully there was a passing waiter and I took a champagne glass from his tray I was about to offer her a glass but she shook her head. "I don't drink."

I nodded my head and drank the sparkling liquid in my glass in one swig. I think I need a stronger drink than this to get back to my senses. "Haven?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you say if we stay the night here?"

Her almond eyes widened considerably while looking at me. "No way!"