Chapter 11%
The scent of expensive wine and ambition filled the air. I leaned back in my chair, swirling the deep red liquid in my glass, my lips curved into a soft, almost teasing smile as the man across from me kept sneaking glances at my legs.
“Tell me, Ms. Velasquez,” the man said, his voice smooth, practiced. “How does a woman as beautiful as you end up in a room full of ruthless businessmen?”
I took a slow sip of my wine, letting my lashes flutter slightly. “Isn’t that the only way to survive in this world, Mr. Carter? I murmured, tilting my head slightly. “By playing in the lion’s den?”
The men at the table chuckled, their eyes lingering on me. Greedy, Predictable. Men were always the same.
Jason Romano, however, was different. I could feel him watching me. Even across the ballroom, even with a hundred voices between us, his gaze burned through me like a brand.
It had been two weeks since the airport. Two w And now? Jason was unraveling.
weeks since I let him see my face. Two weeks since I planted the seed of doubt in his mind.
He was trying to act unaffected, standing by the bar with a drink in his hand, his usual cold mask in place But I knew better. His fingers gripped the glass too tightly. His jaw ticked whenever someone got too close to me. And the moment I laughed at something Mr. Carter said, Jason stiffened. I almost wanted to laugh. Good. Let him burn.2
But I wasn’t just here to haunt Jason. I had another rat to deal with. Lily Romano I
The moment I stepped into the ballroom, her eyes had found me. Now, she was standing across the room, gripping her champagne flute as if she wanted to snap it in half.1 could almost hear her thoughts.it
Who is she? Why does she look like…2
She didn’t want to say it. Didn’t want to acknowledge the truth she feared the most. That I looked exactly like the woman she helped destroy. Me
I met her gaze and smiled. Lily’s fingers twitched. She wasn’t just staring at me. She was studying me–my dress, my hair, my jewelry. She was looking for cracks, trying to find proof that I was just some cheap imitation
I stood, lifting my wine glass as I made my way toward her She didn’t move. She was waiting for me. Good.
“Mrs. Romano,” I greeted, “Lovely evening, isn’t it?“)
Her lips pressed into a thin line. “It is.” She didn’t return my smile.
“How rude of me,” I continued, pretending to just now recognize her. “We haven’t been introduced properly. I’m Seraphina Velasquez.”
She gave a forced smile. “I know who you are.“}
My lips twitched. “Oh? That’s interesting” I sipped my wine. “And how exactly do you k
know me?’
She lifted her chin slightly. “You helped my husband at the airport.“”
Ah, So she was acknowledging it. Her voice was polite, but her eyes were screaming questions. Why do you look like her? Why does Jason keep staring at you? Who the hell are you?
I smiled sweetly. “Yes, I did.”
Silence. Lily shifted uncomfortably. She wasn’t used to being ignored. She expected me to be intimidated. I wasn’t,
Instead, I tilted my head, pretending to study her. “You’re staring, Mrs. Romano, I pointed out playfully.
She stiffened. “You just look… familiar
I let out a soft chuckle. “I get that a lot.”
Her fingers curled slightly against her dress. “Do you?”
I leaned in slightly. “Yes. Some people say I remind them of someone they lost.”
Lily’s eyes darkened. That struck a nerve. Good.
Jason was still watching. I turned slightly, pretending not to notice the way his gaze flicked between me and Lily, his grip tightening around his glass.
I lifted my wine glass to my lips, taking a slow sip. Let him stew. Let him question. Let him obsess
JASON’S POVE
Who the fuck was she?!
I wasn’t a man who got rattled. Hell, I built my empire on control, on calculated moves. No one–no one–messed with Jason Romano and walked away unscathed. And yet, ever since that goddamn airport, she had been in my head.
Seraphina Velasquez. Her voice–Her–face. The way she fucking looked at me like she knew something I didn’t. Like she was amused at my confusion. And that smile. That smile. It was Emma’s. But not. Her hair was different. Her voice had a softer lift. But when she tilted her head, when she met my gaze with that unreadable smirk–my blood ran cold.
And my body? Fucking traitorous. My pulse kicked up whenever she was near. My jaw clenched when she laughed with other men. My hands curled into fists when I saw their eyes lingering on her, full of hunger. She had been in my thoughts for two fucking weeks. I had never been this obsessed. Never. Not even with Emma. This was different. It was dangerous.
I watched her now, standing across the ballroom in that sleek black dress that clung to her curves like sin. A glass of wine in her hand, Laughter on her lips. Too fucking perfect. And the men around her? Like dogs in heat. I fucking hated it
12:35 PM c
I downed my drink, ignoring the bum as I turned to Donovan, my head of security. “Who the fuck is she?” Donovan didn’t even blink. “She checks out. Clean record. A high–profile investor, but no shady dealings.”
I laughed, low and sharp. “That’s bullshit. No one is that clean.*%
Donovan hesitated. “She’s been in Europe for years. Built a name for herself in business. Recently relocated here.”
My jaw tightened. Too perfect. Too fucking convenient. There was no way she just happened to be at that airport when I nearly fucking died. No way she just happened to have the antidote I needed. And now, she just happened to be here? Slipping into my world, into my business?0
I wasn’t buying it. I wasn’t fucking stupid
I lifted my glass again, eyes locked on her as she turned–and looked straight at me. And smiled. A slow, knowing smile. My grip tightened on the glass so hard I almost shattered it.
She was fucking with me.
I didn’t know how, I didn’t know why, but Seraphina Velasquez was playing a game. And if she thought she could toy with Jason Romano, she was dead fucking wrong.
Because I would find out the truth. And when I did?!
She was mine.
