Chapter 2

Valentina’s POV

I stood there staring at him after forcing my way into the room, my heart pounding as I took in what I had interrupted. In one hand, he still held the photograph of Vina as though it were something precious. His other hand was quickly adjusting his trousers, but what shocked me most was the complete lack of embarrassment on his face.

He simply tucked the photograph into his pocket, straightened his shirt, and looked at me with the same impassive expression he wore whenever he stood guard outside my door.

As if I hadn’t just caught him thinking about her.

I should have slapped him. Instead, I smiled.

“Need any help?”

My voice was sweet enough to hide the venom underneath.

His expression remained unchanged. “No need, Miss Aethon. This is a private matter.”

Of course it was.

He still called me “Miss Aethon,” even after three years under the same roof. I had once believed that distance was part of his professionalism. Now I understood that it was because his loyalty had never belonged to me.

Vina had only needed to smile, and the man who had guarded me through countless threats became someone else entirely.

I turned and walked away before he could see how badly it hurt.

I was finished chasing his attention. If Vina wanted to play the innocent daughter while everyone else protected her, then let her.

I would stop trying to be chosen.

**

“What are you doing here?”

I glanced back at Alexander and smiled. “Nothing. I just wanted you to accompany me to the fashion gala tomorrow.”

He looked uninterested until I casually added, “Vina will be there.”

His reaction was barely noticeable, but I caught it. His eyes sharpened, and something in his expression softened.

That was all the answer I needed.

The following evening, he waited at the foot of the stairs in a tailored black suit, a silver tie pin bearing the Aethon family crest fixed neatly against his collar. He looked every bit the disciplined bodyguard he had pretended to be for years.

For the first time, I walked past him without saying a word.

His expression shifted slightly.

I noticed.

I always noticed him.

The drive to the Limited Edition Fashion Gala was silent. Outside the tinted windows, the city glittered beneath a web of neon signs, luxury cars, and private security checkpoints. Inside, I kept my gaze fixed ahead, refusing to acknowledge the man sitting beside me.

Tonight, I wasn't attending as some forgotten daughter of the Aethon family.

I was Valentina Aethon, heiress to one of the city's oldest criminal empires and the future wife of Dante De Luca, heir to the De Luca syndicate.

Dante might still be lying unconscious in a private medical suite, but our marriage had already been negotiated between two powerful families. Once the ceremony took place, I would become the woman standing beside the next head of the De Luca organization.

Whether he woke or not, I would carry that name with pride.

The moment I entered the gala, conversations quieted around me. Cameras flashed, and whispers followed as people recognized the Aethon heir.

Then she arrived.

Vina.

She wore a gown of midnight blue silk that hugged her figure before falling into a silver train, her red lips curved into the same innocent smile she had perfected since childhood.

“Sister,” she greeted sweetly.

I turned toward her.

“Don't call me that.”

Her smile faltered for half a second before returning.

Alexander, standing behind me, stiffened. I didn't need to look at him to know where his attention had gone. When Vina glanced his way, his expression softened almost imperceptibly.

Again.

Always her.

I turned toward the designer's display before I could let the bitterness show.

Then I saw it.

A breathtaking midnight-blue gown embroidered with silver thread and scattered crystals, the design elegant enough for a woman entering one of the country's most powerful Mafia families.

“I'll take that one,” I said.

The designer smiled. “It's one of a kind. Several guests have already offered an extraordinary price.”

“Then I'll offer twice that.”

Before she could answer, Vina reached for the sleeve.

“Oh, I like this one too.”

“I already claimed it.”

She looked at me with practiced innocence. “I'm sure the designer won't mind a little competition.”

Before I could respond, a tall man in a charcoal suit approached the display. His expression was composed, but the armed men discreetly positioned around the room made it obvious that he wasn't an ordinary guest.

He glanced at Alexander before addressing the designer.

“I'll take the dress.”

The designer hesitated. “And you are?”

“Matteo. The Laurent family's underboss.”

The room immediately fell silent.

“Our boss instructed me that anything Miss Vina wants tonight is to be purchased for her, regardless of the price.”

Whispers erupted around us.

“The Laurent family?”

“Why would they spend that much on Vina?”

“Does their boss know her?”

Vina widened her eyes innocently. “I've never even met him.”

Then she turned toward me.

“Valentina, are you still going to fight me over a dress? I wouldn't want you to spend beyond your means.”

My fingers tightened around my clutch.

Alexander didn't even glance at me.

His attention remained on Vina.

Of course it did.

One dress became two. Then came the jewelry, the handbags, the watches, and finally a diamond necklace that cost more than most families earned in a lifetime.

Every time Vina admired something, Matteo purchased it without hesitation.

Eventually, I couldn't help myself.

“Does your boss intend to buy the entire gala for her?”

Matteo looked at me calmly.

“Our boss only cares about Miss Vina's happiness. The rest of you are irrelevant.”

The words struck deeper than I expected.

I looked toward Alexander.

He was smiling at Vina.

I had spent three years trying to earn that smile.

She received it without asking.

By the end of the evening, Vina was surrounded by designers, socialites, and wealthy heirs, enjoying every second of the attention.

I quietly slipped away.

I needed somewhere dark enough that nobody would recognize the cracks beneath my composure.

“Bloodmoon Club,” I told the driver when I reached the car. “Take me there.”

I had barely closed the door when Vina appeared.

“Sister, I'm bored. Can I come with you?”

Before I could answer, she climbed inside.

Alexander opened the other door and settled beside her.

“Drive.”

I stared out the window, silently cursing him.

On the way to the club, Vina chattered about the Laurent boss.

“Isn't it strange? I've never even met him, but he's already buying me everything I want. They say he's incredibly handsome, too.”

Alexander chuckled.

“Maybe he likes you.”

Vina's cheeks turned pink. “Do you think so?”

“I'd say you're special.”

My jaw tightened.

After a moment, Vina glanced at him.

“Alexander, do you like me too?”

He hesitated.

I didn't give him the chance to answer.

“If you two want to flirt, get out of my car.”

Vina immediately lowered her eyes.

“Sorry, Sister.”

I turned toward the window.

In the reflection, I saw Alexander watching her with a softness I had never received.

Then his gaze shifted toward me.

Whatever warmth had been there disappeared.

His eyes became cold, distant, almost contemptuous.

I smiled bitterly at my reflection.

Perhaps this was what men wanted after all.

Sweet smiles. Soft voices. Fragile tears.

Not a woman who knew how to survive in a world ruled by guns, blood, and family names.

Not someone like me.