"I walked in on my boyfriend in bed with my own sister, and they laughed like I didn't belong there. They thought humiliating me was the end of my story, but they had no idea I was about to walk into the charity gala with the one man neither of them could ever imagine standing at my side—his own father." / Chapter 3 / 7

Chapter 3 - Crossing the RubiconThe murmurs rippled across the room instantly. High-society gossips whispered behind fans and champagne flutes, trying to figure out who the mystery woman in the red dress was that could command the undivided attention of the patriarch of the Rossi dynasty.

Nico stopped two feet away from me. Up close, his presence was staggering—heavy, warm, and charged with an intensity that made my pulse race.

“Miss Luna,” he said, his voice a rich, baritone rumble that vibrated through the air. “If I had known you were attending tonight, I would have sent a car.”

I offered a polite, serene smile, letting all my carefully rehearsed nervousness melt away. “Good evening, Mr. Rossi. I apologize for crashing your family’s table, but the invitation list was somewhat… restrictive.”

A slow, knowing smirk touched the corner of Nico’s mouth, crinkling the corners of his sharp eyes. He looked me up and down, taking in the red dress, the posture, and the quiet defiance burning in my eyes. He was a smart man; it didn't take a genius to figure out that my presence here wasn't a coincidence.

“Restrictions are usually meant to be broken,” Nico murmured softly. “Tell me, Luna, what brings a bright young artist like yourself to a dull charity gala filled with corporate sharks?”

“Oh, you know,” I replied sweetly, letting my gaze drift casually toward the Rossi family table in the distance. “I just wanted to see how the other half lives. Especially the ones who think they can trade down without consequences.”

Nico followed my line of sight. Across the ballroom, Liam had finally noticed us.

His whiskey glass slipped from his fingers, shattering against the marble floor with a sharp clank.

Beside him, Amber froze mid-sentence, her jaw dropping open as she stared in sheer, unadulterated horror at the sight of me standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the most powerful man in the room—a man who happened to be sharing his last name.

Nico didn't flinch. He didn't look surprised. He simply observed his son’s panic with a cold, detached amusement that told me he had despised Liam’s spineless nature long before I ever came into the picture.

“It appears,” Nico said smoothly, turning his attention back to me and extending his arm, “that my son is having a rather difficult evening. Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the main table, Luna? I believe my family is overdue for a reunion.”