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The night progressed, and somehow the Lemaires had joined themselves to sit at Maria and Leonardo's table. Leonardo thought about all the possible ways he could escape socialising.

"Can I invite you to consider a business in Thailand?" Francis asked as Camille was busy socialising. It was just the two of them, Leonardo and him, sitting at the table themselves. Leonardo stopped people gazing and focused back onto Francis, raising his eyebrow at him.

"The issue with Javier ended, and we have an agreement with the weapons. There's something else?" Leonardo wasn't too keen on continuing trading with Francis. He hated the idea of having to put up longer with him.

Francis smirked as he adjusted his blazer, "I have a connection with Leonardo Romano. I'd like to use it to the best that I can." Leonardo looked at him in slight disbelief, letting out a laugh. He had no intentions of getting even more involved with Francis, but he was curious to know what it was he wanted.

"I'll see after. I don't believe this is the most appropriate place to discuss this matter." He stood when he noticed Luna was walking by herself towards the food and grabbed the opportunity to speak with his little sister-in-law, escaping talking with Francis, who had a few people approach him anyway.

Luna had a mouthful of cookies when Leonardo had come to her. Her shiny eyes were wide as she realised she did not exactly look the most decent in front of him. A small, muffled laugh came from her as she quickly tried to swallow her food. Leonardo awkwardly struck up a conversation, "How's it...how's it all going?" He wasn't quite used to speaking with teenagers.

She nodded, swallowing a good amount before answering, "Better than I thought. You're not exactly having fun here, are you?" Luna laughed, wiping the bottom of her lip clean with a tissue. Luna checked her face in her pocket mirror.

Leonardo sighed, unable to see Maria anywhere. "The things you do for my sister, ey?" Luna smiled, folding her arms.

"The joys," Leonardo mumbled, stifling a yawn. His social battery was wearing thin.

Luna gently said, "Thanks, though." He looked back at her in confusion. She nodded slowly again, "Thanks for being so good to her."

Leonardo's face softened, and he nodded, struggling to find something to say to that. His care for Maria was simply because he loved her, nothing else. "It's hard, isn't it?" Leonardo unexpectedly said, making her knit her eyebrows together as she blinked in puzzlement. "Trying to figure out what to do with the rest of your life at your age." He had seen her all night speaking with different designers. Luna smiled a little and nodded, taking a bite out of another cookie. It sure did taste good.

Luna shrugged and agreed as she savoured the taste of sweetness in her mouth, "It sure is. It's a lot." Luna let out a sigh but still felt optimistic. She hadn't been a positive person until the incident. It changed her a lot. Pulling down her skirt a little before her sister could come back and tell her off, she added, "But thankfully Ria's there to help me, and I guess now so are you...we're family now." Leonardo looked at her and unconsciously smiled, feeling accepted. She smiled too, feeling slightly awkward as well. They still needed time to get to know each other better, which they understood.

She munched some more before softly gasping as she looked at the stage, "Oh, it's Ria! It's her part now."

A delicate and angelic sound filled the silent room that had focused on the prima donna herself. It was hypnotising, drawing in all eyes and ears towards her voice, enthralling each and every person. She sang the song as though she had written the words herself, enunciating each and every word eloquently, creating emotive expressions for each verse. Her slim arms extended in the air as she sang; her passionate, stormy eyes expressed the song. Leonardo's lips separated at the sight of magnificence, captivated by her powerful presence. "She was made for the stage," Luna practically whispered, her eyes wide at the sight of her sister's awesomeness. The hand holding her cookie had lowered as she was fully taken in by Maria's singing.

"Amazing..." Leonardo quietly added, his voice filled with great wonder. The two of them stood next to each other, with a significant height difference, and looked gobsmacked. When the song had ended, their attention had only been taken back to reality when the audience applauded, breaking the trance in the room.

Leonardo blinked a couple of times, as though to wake himself up. Luna was shimmering with happiness as she clapped for Maria, nudging Leonardo's big arm to encourage him to clap too. He managed to break through his thoughts and clap proudly for Maria, her eyes searching through the place and eventually meeting his. The corners of her lips rose at the sight of him, and she immediately relaxed. She bowed before the crowd before leaving, a surprisingly content feeling in her heart after that performance. As Leonardo's eyes lowered, they fell back onto Jorge, and an unusually eerie feeling settled into him. There was just something he didn't like about that man but couldn't put a finger on it.

He then noticed a particular figure leaving their table and heading towards the back of the stage, where Maria was. Giovanni. As though alarm bells had begun ringing, Leonardo tensed up and tapped Luna's arm as he quickly said, "I'll be back. Don't wander anywhere." Luna watched him leave in confusion as Leonardo followed Giovanni round to the back, ignoring the stares of the staff, either questioning why he was going there or in awe at the sight of Maria Amante's handsome and mysterious fiancé.

"Mr Adami!" Maria greeted the older man, allowing him to place kisses on each of her cheeks as they hugged.

Giovanni held onto her hand as he greeted her and said, "My darling. Your preparations for tonight have been amazing—the performances, the service..." Maria had been hearing such praise all night, and as much as she was glad that it was all going well, she had muted the rest of his gushes, simply politely nodding and smiling as respect. She tuned back in once he mentioned, "You're taking leadership of Dream, aren't you?" Maria was slightly surprised that he knew; the news wasn't official yet, and she hadn't confirmed anything publicly for the time being. "I'd love to support you. If you require any—"

She lightly laughed before asking, "How did you know?" Giovanni looked a little taken aback by her interruption.

Maria warmly smiled, loosening her hand from his, and yet he still hadn't let go. "I suppose news travels fast," Giovanni chuckled, caressing her smooth skin. She replicated the same awkward laugh and nodded, not thinking too much of it.

"But thank you," Maria continued as she looked up at him with her twinkling eyes, "I'll be sure to let you know. I'll always appreciate your guidance." It was true; Giovanni had always been a great help to her. He raised her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her skin.

"Peony," He commented with a charming smile, his eyes losing focus from hers and down to her dress. Maria did love floral scents for her skin; she didn't realise the scent had lasted that long. He held onto her hand tighter again, making her glance between their hands and his face in slight confusion as he said, "But seriously. I'd love to discuss more with you. "It's...been a while since you last visited."

Maria felt as though the conversation was taking longer than it needed to. "I will," she replied kindly to satisfy him, although she couldn't think of the next time she'd be available.

"You promise, my love?" Giovanni questioned in an unexpectedly more serious tone. Her smile dropped slightly, noticing his sudden change in demeanour. His dark eyes had lost their geniality. Maria gently pulling her hand that he still wouldn't release. "Do you?" Maria realised her hand was beginning to feel numb. She still hadn't answered him, and his expectant eyes stared down at her. Maria sensed that something was off; there was a strange gravity to his words. "Uh—"

"Ria." A large arm wrapped around Maria's waist and gently pulled her away from him, her eyes widening as she was mildly startled. The action had made Giovanni release her hand back to her.

She turned slightly in surprise, "Leo." He coldly stared down at Giovanni, who simply smiled, ignoring Leonardo's hateful glare.

"Mr. Romano. I didn't expect to see you here," Giovanni grinned, his amicability not fazing Leonardo. He seemed slightly disturbed by Leonardo's presence, clicking his fingers by his sides.

"Would you mind finding someone else to bother?" Leonardo harshly said, "We're busy."

"Leo!" Maria quietly hissed, shooting daggers at him with her eyes as she elbowed his side slightly. Giovanni chortled and shook his head, waving his hand. "I see I'm interrupting."

"Oh, don't mind him, it's—"

He had already begun making his way to leave as he said, "Let me know, Maria!"

"Leonardo," Maria strongly chastised, fully facing him. "What was that?"

Leonardo shot her a look. "I don't like the guy." Maria almost laughed at his cuteness; the tall man looked like a scolded, jealous child, his eyes unable to meet hers and with a petulant expression. "You don't like anyone." She pinched his cheek, chuckling at him. "Alright, big baby. Go mingle; I still need to work." Leonardo frowned again, stubborn to leave as he shoved his hands into his pockets, displeased.

"You left me alone with the Lemaires."

Maria rolled her eyes at his childishness, pushing his strong shoulder. "If I knew you were going to be so sulky, I would've left you at home. Talk to Luna."

Leonardo sighed. He thought that he might be bringing down the mood and tried not to be so negative. "Luna has bigger fish to fry. She doesn't want to be stuck with me all night. She's in her dream building right now."

"Then go have a look at some brochures, memorise the performances, or something, or open the calculator app on your phone and make it look like you're writing the most important and scary email of your life," Maria cheekily suggested, earning a hard, playful look from Leonardo. He huffed, giving in.

Her idea wasn't exactly far-fetched. "Fine, I'll go if you give me a hug," Leonardo nonchalantly said, looking away as if he didn't care. She chuckled at his tsundere behaviour. Wrapping her arms around him affectionately, she patted his back with a smile.

Leonardo smiled as he complimented, "You did great, Ria. Your voice is heavenly." She moved backwards, looking up at him in gratitude as he added, "And I'm glad I'm here to see you do so well." Her eyes twinkled under the lights as he gazed into them, moving her soft hair over her ear. "Thanks, mio caro," she sweetly responded, genuinely grateful.

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Maria's final role was to present another act in which there would be a small showing of the contemporary dance practiced just for the gala, performed by five dancers. The presenting cards were in her hands as she waited for a signal backstage. It was only a few lines to say, but the nerves of having to stand in front of all those people again had once again, momentarily, settled in. She exhaled slowly and calmed herself; years ago, she struggled massively to not have a panic attack before every audience performance. It took her a long time to maintain confidence, and Maria was proud that she had grown more courageous. She was starting to feel the way Leonardo did, a desire to head home and sleep.

Leonardo's phone rang, and it was Marco. He excused himself in relief from a woman who had approached asking too many personal questions for his liking and made his way into the foyer where it was much quieter and more deserted than the main hall.

Marco spoke ardently first, "Rosa wasn't taken at her house."

Leonardo's eyebrows narrowed as he questioned, "What? Then why was it trashed?"

"A common theme," Marco responded, "she was taken after watching an evening performance. Her friend couldn't get a hold of her after she'd gone to the bathroom. A lot of the women have gone missing at events."

"And there's no CCTV?" Leonardo further queried.

"None," Marco replied, sounding defeated. "Like invisible ghosts." Marco further answered, "Her parents say all her ballet things are missing."

Leonardo's eyes blinked a few times, trying to get his head around all the possibilities swirling around in his mind. "Don, I have full confidence. But don't you think this show in a few weeks—"

"Is this the perfect opportunity to take the most important one of all?" Leonardo finished. Marco made a sound of surprise that they had both come to the same conclusion. He sighed, "Yes, I'm aware. I want double the men around her from tonight."

"Yes. There's also something else."

Marco continued hesitantly, "What do you want us to do? Her father has been sighted in the city. ."

Leonardo paused, looking towards the large doors before him as though he could see Maria through them. He felt a thorny and uncomfortable tightening in his chest. It was guilt. He wasn't used to debating between his relationship and his job. Leonardo ran his hand through his hair as he brought himself back to reality, shaking off any lingering feelings of attachment.

"Watch him, and I mean it. I want eyes everywhere he goes and updates with every single movement. It won't be long until he shows his face to her," Leonardo commanded authoritatively, a dark and powerful tone to his words.

"Si," Marco said before the phone call ended.

Leonardo sighed as he had been doing all evening and stared at his phone momentarily. There were still things that had to be put first before love. That was the reality of a mafia leader.

When it was time, Maria's heels clicked against the floor as she elegantly made her way across the stage, the sounds of clapping filling her ears once more as she gracefully walked, holding up her dress slightly to ensure she wouldn't trip. That was the last thing she needed.

Leonardo registered that it was Maria beginning to speak from inside and re-entered the hall to see her.

Maria wore her usual genial smile as she addressed the crowd through her mic with her soft voice, "Is everyone enjoying this evening?" Her eyes scanned the room filled with satisfied faces, and she lightly laughed at the positive responses she received, covering her mouth with her left hand, her diamond ring shining in the spotlight.

She began to introduce the next performance, her eyes alert and on the audience, away from the card hiding notes on a script given previously. Maria already knew more than she needed. She had memorised the ins and outs of the dancers in her company; there wasn't a single thing she wasn't aware of.

Leonardo slowly shut the door behind him as he entered. He stood with his arms folded, ignoring the usual stares, and focused on her, unable to control the corners of his lips rising slightly. Luna had noticed he had come back and scurried over to him, a cheerful grin hanging on her face. She nudged him as she asked in a hushed voice, "Have you always liked my sister?"

She could tell his eyes were full of love as he gazed at Maria. He briefly glanced over at her. He thought for a moment, remembering the young girl he had met all those years ago with a dainty summer dress standing in the ice cold.

"I..." he contemplated, his eyes reaching Maria once again as he replied, "I think I did. I just didn't know how much I love her." The person he had always thought to be his best friend was actually someone he loved; he just didn't realise he was capable of loving. Luna snorted, scrunching her face.

Leonardo's eyes flickered over to her, and he chuckled, "Why did you ask if you can't handle the response?"

"You didn't strike me as the romantic type."

"You didn't strike me as the artistic type," Leonardo teased back, amused. "Maria let me see some of your designs. I used to be a good drawer—well, I thought I was until I saw your sketchbook."

Luna groaned, covering her face with her two hands. "She let you see that? Those were really old ones! The newer pieces I made are ten times better. Erase your memory of them!"

"Oh really?" Leonardo jokingly replied in a low tone, trying not to draw attention to the two of them while the speech was still going on. "You'll have to show me. Then I can really judge if you're a better artist than me."

Luna smirked, folding her arms too as she nodded. "Sure thing. I definitely—"
Her words immediately came to a halt the moment the screen behind Maria changed. Leonardo's smile instantly dropped, and Luna's eyes grew wide whilst she gasped as the video played loud and clear in the background for everyone to see.

A video of Jorge and Maria kissing.

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~ Author's Note ~

Oh dear...

It looks like Jorge is finally starting to make his pressure on Maria public.

How will Maria solve this problem?

How will Leonardo react to this?

Giovanni's encounter with the couple was awkward to say the least. Leonardo was really looking out for Maria that night.

A deeper friendship is forming between Luna and Leonardo. At least that was one part of the night that was going pretty well.

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