Chapter 4 - The Gala of Glass and FireThe night of Isabella’s 70th birthday gala arrived. The estate was transformed into a glittering wonderland of crystal chandeliers, ice sculptures, and a string quartet.
I wore a floor-length emerald green silk gown that clung to my curves, dipping low in the back. When I walked down the grand staircase, Marco was waiting at the bottom. He wore a bespoke black tuxedo that made him look like James Bond, but when he looked at me, all the ruthless confidence vanished from his face.
He stared at me like I was the only breathing thing in the room.
"You are..." he started, his voice failing him. He cleared his throat, taking my hand and kissing my knuckles. "You are going to ruin me, Emily."
The gala was a whirlwind of dancing, champagne, and political maneuvering. Marco kept his arm firmly around my waist the entire night. Every time another man looked at me, Marco’s grip tightened. The jealousy radiating from him was palpable, primal, and entirely intoxicating.
Later in the evening, the band played a slow waltz. Marco pulled me onto the dance floor. We moved in perfect synchronization, my body pressed flush against his.
"You're shaking," he murmured, his lips brushing my ear.
"Because you're looking at me like you want to eat me alive," I whispered back, completely losing my filter.
Marco groaned, a deep, rumbling sound in his chest. "I do. God, Emily, do you have any idea what it’s taking for me to keep my hands to myself? To play the gentleman when all I want to do is drag you upstairs and lock the door?"
My breath hitched. The line between fake and real was gone. It had burned to ashes somewhere between the garden party and this dance floor.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the terrace.
The music stopped. Guests gasped.
I turned my head to see smoke billowing into the ballroom from the French doors. Men in black suits, wearing masks, were pouring into the room, armed with heavy batons.
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"Get down!" Marco roared.
He tackled me to the marble floor just as the massive crystal chandelier above the terrace shattered.
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