Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
I follow my father’s gaze to Allegra who is standing where I left her a few feet away. He doesn’t quite smile though. He just looks confused for a long minute before taking a deep breath in like he’s preparing himself for something. “Ah. You’re here.” He steps toward Allegra and takes her hand, the one not holding her cocktail. He bends to kiss it. “My boy keeps you hidden away, doesn’t he, Vivi.” He shakes his head, turns to me.
“Vivi?” Allegra asks, looking up at me.
“Let’s go upstairs, Dad,” I say, taking his arm now, turning him toward the elevator which, thankfully, a soldier is holding.
“Don’t pull at me, Seth. For Christ’s sake, you’re not a little boy anymore.”
“It’s not Seth, dad. It’s me, Cassian.”
My father stops, looks up at me, his forehead wrinkled. It takes him a minute. Does he really see Seth when he looks at me warmly? Because I know the instant, he realizes I’m not Seth. The moment he knows I’m his other son.
The one whose birth killed the woman he loved.
“Where’s Seth?” he asks loudly as he tries to pull away from me.
“Seth isn’t here tonight. Come on, Dad,” I say, managing to take a step toward the elevator.
But he’s not so easy to move. He’s agitated. And fuck knows where his head is. What year he thinks this is. What he’ll say.
“Where is Seth? Where’s my boy? What did you do with him?” he barks and I’m sure everyone hears him, even with the band playing like they are. “How could you put him in that place?”
“Samuel, it’s time to go,” Sybil tells him, but he slaps her hand away and pulls free of me, too.
“How could you put your own brother in that terrible place?” he asks, his eyes bright and shining with tears. “How could you?” But then he turns to Allegra and, before I can stop him, takes a step toward her. “And you. Keeping my grandson from me. I have every right to see him. Every right!” He spits the words and Allegra flinches.
“Get her out of here,” I start, taking my dad by the arm again, not sure who I’m telling to take Allegra away.
“You were never good enough for him!” he grabs Allegra’s arm and jostles her. Her cocktail spills all over the front of her dress.
“That’s enough!” I say, stepping between them. “Get her out of here,” I tell a soldier who takes Allegra by the arm and leads her away.
“You took my boy and turned him against his own father, you fucking bitch!” My father calls out the entire room openly watching now.
“Get her out! Now!” I order and take my father more firmly than I want to. I turn him toward the service doors and march him through, Sybil following, Severin staying behind to do damage control I suppose and it’s only when Dad sees Angelo, only when my father recognizes him does he calm down. Does he relax enough that I can walk him out of the ballroom and away from all those prying, vulture eyes. All those wagging tongues.
24
ALLEGRA
I’m hustled out of the ballroom and into the corridor so quickly, I barely see Cassian as he tries to maneuver his father out of there. My dress is sticky against my chest, and I stumble as we hurry toward an elevator. I’m only released once we’re inside it, the two hulking men blocking my view as the doors slide closed.
“Hold it,” a man calls out and an arm blocks the doors from closing fully.
A soldier steps forward I assume to stop the man from entering, but when the doors reopen, I see it’s Jet. They do too. There’s a moment when I swear the soldiers glance toward the ballroom. Are they looking for Cassian? These are the same two who let Jet into Elenora’s.
“Relax, guys,” Jet says, climbing onto the elevator, glancing at me as he pushes the button to close the doors before tugging the sleeves of his jacket back into place.
The two men exchange a look, but they don’t stop him.
“What’s happening?” I ask as the elevator climbs up. “What was that?”
Jet signals for me to wait until we’re alone. The ride feels like it takes hours before the doors finally open on the penthouse floor. The soldiers part to let Jet out. I follow him, glancing back to watch them trail us as we head toward Cassian’s penthouse where I watch, surprised, when Jet enters the code to open the door.
“I’ll take it from here,” Jet tells the soldiers.
“Mr. Trevino didn’t say anything about that.”
“Mr. Trevino didn’t say anything about earlier, either.” He takes his wallet out. “Besides, Mr. Trevino is a little busy.” He pulls out several hundred-dollar bills, and hands them to one of the men. “I said I got this.” When they don’t look convinced, he raises his eyebrows. “Don’t worry, boys, I’ll be gone before he’s back.”