Chapter Ten: Public Property.

Aria’s POV

I regretted agreeing to this marriage the moment I opened my phone, my face was everywhere.

News articles, social media, blogs, and even vdeos.

Comment sections filled with people who had apparently made it their life’s mission to discuss my terrible decisions.

RUNAWAY BRIDE FINDS NEW FIANCÉ.

MYSTERY WOMAN ENGAGED TO ROMANO CIEL.

LOVE OR STRATEGY?

I groaned and dropped the phone onto the bed.

Three days ago I had been planning a wedding and today half of Italy apparently had an opinion about my engagement.

A knock sounded on the door.

“Come in.”

Dante stepped inside carrying a tray of breakfast which he dropped on my bed before speaking.

“Good morning, future Mrs. Ciel.”

I immediately threw a pillow at him, but unfortunately he caught it, Dante has been more like the brother I never had, a sense of relief in the mansion.

“Violence already?” he asked. “The marriage hasn’t even started.”

“Get out.”

“No.”

He sat comfortably in one of the chairs.

“I came to warn you.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“That sounds threatening.”

“It is.”

“About what?”

His grin widened.

“You and Romano have dinner tonight.”

I froze.

“Dinner?”

“Important dinner.”

I hated the sound of that.

“How important?”

“The kind where powerful people judge you while pretending they aren’t judging you.”

“Wonderful.”

“I know.”

Before I could respond, another voice came from the doorway.

“You are not helping.”

Romano entered the room and Dante stood immediately.

“That’s my specialty.”

Romano looked at me.

“You’ll be ready by seven.”

I stared.

“Was that a request?”

“No.”

Dante laughed and I considered throwing another pillow.

“Where exactly are we going?” I asked.

“A council dinner.”

That sounded even worse.

“What happens if I refuse?”

“You won’t.”

The confidence in his voice annoyed me.

“You’re very sure of yourself.”

“I am.”

For some reason that made me smile and I hated that.

By six-thirty I was beginning to understand why people hated formal events, the dress alone was a battle.

When I finally walked downstairs, I was already exhausted.

The grand staircase curved into the main hall.

Halfway down, I noticed Dante first, then Romano. They were discussing something near the entrance, Romano looked up and stopped talking completely.

I slowed.

Dante looked from Romano to me and then immediately started smiling. A dangerous smile.

Romano let out a fake cough.

“You took long enough.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Good evening to you too.”

Dante looked delighted.

“I think she looks beautiful.”

“Nobody asked you,” Romano replied.

Dante’s smile widened.

“Oh.”

He looked at Romano.

“Oh.”

I frowned.

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

“It means something.”

“It doesn’t.”

It absolutely did.

Romano looked ready to murder him and Dante seemed thrilled by that possibility. I reached the bottom of the stairs and for one strange second nobody spoke.

Romano’s gaze moved over me briefly before he looked away.

Something about that made my stomach do something unfamiliar, I was confused.

“Can we leave now?” I asked.

“Please,” Romano said.

Dante helped me all the way to the car.

The venue was exactly what I expected, it was expensive, elegant and intimidating.

The ballroom glowed beneath crystal chandeliers while powerful people moved through the crowd in designer clothing and practiced smiles. I instantly wanted to leave and Romano noticed.

“Stop looking nervous.”

“I’m not nervous.”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“You’re crushing my arm.”

I looked down and unfortunately he was right.

My hand was wrapped tightly around his arm. I immediately let go.

“That never happened.”

His mouth twitched.

“Of course.”

I hated how amused he looked.

A woman approached us almost immediately, she introduced herself, then another, then another. People kept appearing and shaking hands and asking questions, while studying me .

Most were polite but some weren’t.

One woman looked me up and down before smiling.

“I suppose life changes quickly.”

I smiled back.

“It certainly did.”

The woman seemed disappointed that I wasn’t offended, Good. Romano appeared beside me moments later.

“Problem?”

“No.”

The woman quickly excused herself.

I watched her leave.

“Do people always run away from you?”

“Mostly.”

“Interesting.”

“You sound impressed.”

“I am.”

An hour later I was beginning to survive, barely, Romano stayed close enough, Which was strange but comforting which was stranger still. I was speaking to one of the council members when Dante appeared.

“You’ve lasted longer than I expected.”

“Thank you.”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

“Then leave.”

He laughed.

“You’re fitting in surprisingly well.”

I looked around the room, there were powerful and dangerous people. People who had probably never worried about rent a day in their lives.

“I don’t fit in here.”

“You do.”

The voice came from behind me, Romano. Dante immediately disappeared.

I folded my arms.

“I don’t belong in this world.”

Romano studied me for a second.

“Neither do most people in this room.”

That wasn’t the answer I expected.

“What does that mean?”

“It means everyone is pretending.”

I looked around again.

Maybe he had a point.

The atmosphere shifted suddenly, not dramatically but just enough. Conversations ended, people straightened, several heads turned towards the entrance and I notice immediately

“Who is that?”

His gaze moved toward the doorway.

“My father.”

Ah, that explained everything.

Enzo Ciel entered the ballroom like he owned it; maybe he did. People greeted him with respect, o there’s with fear but most seemed unsure which one was safer and I understood why.

The man carried authority like a weapon is gaze swept through the room.

Calculating, observant and cold. Then his eyes landed on me, I held his stare, a mistake. Because I immediately understood where Romano got those eyes from, they were almost identical.

Enzo approached, I suddenly understood why nobody ever relaxed around him.

“Father.”

“Romano.”

No warmth, no affection. Just acknowledgment.

Enzo’s gaze shifted toward me.

“So.”

His voice was calm.

“This is the fiancée.”

I almost laughed, the fiancée, not Aria or even Miss Vale, well he didn’t know my surname just yet but just the fiancée.

“I’m Aria.”

Something flickered across his expression, approval?

Maybe.

“Enzo.”

I smiled.

“I know.”

A pause, then surprisingly, the corner of his mouth moved but barely.

Romano looked alarmed and I almost asked why. Enzo studied me.

“You’ve caused quite a stir.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“You don’t seem overwhelmed.”

I looked around the room.

“I am.”

That earned another small reaction, this man is interesting, very interesting I thought to myself.

Romano seemed even more uncomfortable now, which made me suspicious.

Dinner followed shortly afterward, I found myself seated between Romano and one of the council members.

The conversation moved between business, politics, and things I barely understood, thankfully nobody expected much from me.

Unfortunately that didn’t stop them from watching, Enzo sat several seats away, observing and always observing.

At one point I glanced up and found him looking directly at me, the feeling was unsettling; like I was being examined.

I looked away first.

Dessert arrived, the evening was almost over. Thank God.

One of the council members stood to make a short speech, people applauded politely; I only half listened.

Until I heard my name.

“…and we’d like to officially welcome Miss Aria Vale into the family.”

My attention snapped back.

“Finally somebody called me by my full name.”

Several people smiled, others raised glasses, normal, completely normal.

Then I noticed Enzo, his glass had stopped halfway to his mouth, his expression didn’t change, not visibly, but something happened.

I knew it, Romano knew it too.

Because I saw him looking at his father, watching carefully.

The room continued talking. Nobody else seemed to notice, only us. Enzo slowly placed the glass down then his eyes found mine again.

This time there was no indifference, no polite curiosity, only something darker. Something alarmingly close to shock.

A strange chill ran down my spine.

What was that?

Why was he looking at me like that?

The speech continued, people laughed, conversations resumed, yet Enzo never looked away.

————————————————————————————-

Enzo’s POV

Vale.

The name hit me like a gunshot.

For a moment, the noise of the room faded into the background, impossible.

My grip tightened slightly around the glass as my eyes returned to the young woman seated beside Romano.

Aria Vale, no, that wasn’t possible, the Vale family had been destroyed years ago. Buried and erased, every last one of them, hadn’t they?

A cold feeling settled in my chest, because if she truly was a Vale, then the past hadn’t stayed dead, it had just walked back into this family wearing my son’s engagement ring.