CHAPTER 89: THE LORDS TABLE

Luciano returned to the hall first, and on his way to Daniela, Ross Voltron himself, intercepted.

"Where is my future wife?" He questioned him.

"You’re a very bold man, Ross," he replied monotonously.

Ross lifted a brow. "What are you talking about? I just want to see my wife."

"Are you not being a little hasty? I mean you’re not married to the girl yet. Although, I’m quite curious how you knew she was here. Because we both know you’re not walking around with no damn ring. So who clued you in?"

Ross smirked. "Who would have thought a man as rich and powerful as you would still have traitors around him. Does it scare you to know that there are people watching your every move and reporting back to your enemies?"

Luciano’s hand clenched and unclenched. He knew Ross was trying to edge him into losing control. And so he refused to fall for the bait.

"As with every powerful man on the planet. What’s your point?"

"My point is you need not doubt your men. They told me nothing. In fact, the girl did."

Luciano came to an abrupt halt, and Ross, already predicting it, stopped as well.

"No she didn’t."

"Why do you sound so sure? It’s almost as if there is something between you two. Which is probably just my imagination considering the beautiful woman you’re marrying soon."

Luciano’s gaze swept from his feet up to his eyes. "I know for a fact she didn’t call you because she had no access to a phone."

"Oh Luciano. You poor thing," his hand brushed against his shoulders provokingly. "Do you want me to show you my call history? She called begging me to come take her away. She couldn’t stand the sight of you. And who can blame her? Not only did your father murder her parents, you also sent thugs to break into her museum and steal all of the artifacts her family owns."

Luciano’s eyes narrowed. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Let’s not be too aggressive now, Luce. Not in the presence of your in-laws, at least. We wouldn’t want them second guessing their daughter’s marriage to you now, would we?"

He threw Luciano a taunting wink, and then walked away.

Chris watched from afar, counting scores in his head.

He didn’t need to be close to predict what they had just discussed.

And from the look of the LuceNera, Ross had gotten the last blow in.

"Perfect. Just perfect," he whispered, and downed the rest of the wine in his glass.

Vittorio replaced Ross beside Luciano.

"Inform the lords and ladies at once. In the next one hour, we’re going into the secret room for the meeting," he whispered to him.

"Tell me you know what you’re doing, Luciano?"

"What do you mean?" He was asking when he followed his gaze.

Valentina, walking into the room with Elio.

"Ho—"

"I sent him to bring her back in to reduce suspicion. And don’t worry, he never made it back to the party all the time you were away. He waited so everyone would think he was still with her."

"Good man." He tapped his shoulders gratefully.

"Just be careful, Luciano. You invited them in. All eyes are on you."

Vittorio slipped into the shadows to begin Luciano’s orders, and Luciano returned beside Daniela.

"I can’t believe you left me all alone for that long." She made long faces at him, as he sat down.

"I’m sorry, amore

. It wasn’t that long though. There was some–" he paused a few seconds as Valentina walked past his table. Subconsciously, he licked his lips. "Something important I needed to do. But I’m back now." He offered a smile.

Daniela was a little too distracted by Valentina to react immediately.

The frown on her forehead grew into wrinkled lines when she searched Valentina’s fingers for the ring just given to her, yet couldn’t find it.

"Babe, is it just me, or is Valentina not wearing her ring anymore?"

"She isn’t?" He followed her gaze, relieved he could freely look at her now, without risking Daniela nagging at him.

Valentina walked into the conversation between Lorenzo and Ross.

"Can I?" She requested for the seat next to him.

"Oh darling, you absolutely should. Welcome back to my side."

He rose from his own seat, and quickly dragged out the seat for her.

Valentina was now seated at the lord’s table.

"We have so much to catch up on, Valentina. I can’t believe you’re alive," Lorenzo Barone said to her.

Her unimpressed eyes rested directly on him.

"Of course you can’t," she smiled.

He blinked questioningly.

"You, like others, thought Bianca Barone and everything that had to do with her was dead," she continued, not bothering to clear up any misconception he might have.

"That’s true. You must know that on that gory night, I searched all over for you. My sister was already bleeding in a pool of her own blood from the shot that Matteo Alvarez bastard fired at her. That night still haunts me, Valentina."

She smiled wryly. "As it should of course."

"Huh?" His brow knitted.

Everyone else on the table listened in, both fascinated and curious about Valentina.

"Anyone who witnessed such a traumatic event would definitely be haunted forever, wouldn’t they?"

"Oh that’s what you meant?" He laughed, covering off the huge exhale that had left him.

"What else would I mean?" She chuckled, but it was devoid of humour.

Luciano watched her interact with the lords from his table, with a hint of pride in his eyes.

Her gaze never faltered for once. She held their eyes, steady and calm.

To Valentina, they could as well be just anyone. There was nothing special about them. Not in her eyes anyway.

However, underneath his pride, doubt struck.

If there was any credence to what Ross had told him, then someone had definitely helped Valentina with a phone.

He also would have severely underestimated just how much she wanted him out of her life.

Valentina’s hand reached forward to pour herself a drink, and that was l the moment Ross saw her empty finger.

"Where is your ring, Val?" He leaned in and whispered to her.

She looked down on her finger, as if noticing the ring’s absence for the first time.

Luciano who was watching could tell there had been a discovery.

He sat up, waiting for what was to follow.

"Oh my God! I must have forgotten the ring in the restroom. I just hope someone didn’t pick it up."

Ross’ eyes flashed bright red for a brief second, as his charming mask slipped.

"I should go find it," Valentina offered.

"Oh no. You don’t have to stress yourself. A diamond ring is easily replaceable, as long as you’re by my side. Besides, you already agreed to marry me right?"

He lifted her hand, and brought it to his lips.

Valentina waited to see if she would feel something. A spark, or even a jolt. Anything at all to justify her accepting his proposal.

But in her search, she discovered Luciano had been right.

She only accepted his proposal to spite him.

"It’s not as if that’s not a damn good reason anyway," she muttered under her breath.

"So Valentina is it? Tell us how you managed to come into Italy without anyone recognizing you? Because if you must know, your face is the exact replica of your mother’s. Also, how did you end up in Luciano’s house? Do you know who he is?" Enzo Romano instigatingly questioned.

Valentina’s gaze shifted lazily to him, and in just one quick read, she could already tell the nosey man was in bed with her filthy uncle.