Page 65

But then his gaze dropped. His hands stiffened around hers. His brows drew together.
He was staring at the ring on her finger.
The ruby ring.
“This isn’t the ring I gave you,” he said slowly, his voice suddenly colder.
Anya’s body stiffened as her eyes followed his. Her stomach dropped.
He was looking at the ring that Luca had given her.
His voice was low and hard now. “Isn’t this the ring from the auction?”
Her chest tightened.
She’d completely forgotten about it.
Luca had slipped it onto her finger after the auction, and this morning—rushed and jittery—she’d thrown it on without even realizing which one it was. She’d only been thinking about getting to Dante. About marrying him.
Now his grip turned rigid, and when she looked up, there was a fire burning in his eyes.
“What the hell is going on?” Dante’s voice thundered, his jaw clenched, face burning with fury as he glared at her. “Why do you have this ring?”
“I can explain,” Anya said quickly, her voice shaky. “It was a gift—”
“A gift?” he barked, stepping closer, his entire frame rigid with restrained rage. “Why the fuck would Luca Stanson give you a gift worth hundreds of millions? Who the hell is he to you?”
“Dante, it’s nothing like that.” She stumbled over her words, her chest tightening. “I know Luca—we’re sort of friends. That’s why he gave it to me. It doesn’t mean anything.”
He dropped her hand as if it burned him, but his eyes didn’t leave her face. His gaze darkened. The longer he tried to stay calm, the faster the anger bubbled to the surface.
“Afriend?” His voice dropped lower, more dangerous. “Are you fucking serious right now?”
The more he tried to keep it in, the more his anger flared. “At the auction, you acted like you didn’t even know him. Treated him like a stranger. When did he give you this ring? When the hell did he become your friend? When did he give you this ring?”
“On my birthday,” she said softly, desperation leaking into her tone. She tried to explain, to fix this mess before it slipped further out of control. “I was going to tell you. I didn’t mean to hide anything, Dante. Please—listen to me. It’s not what you’re thinking.”
“On your birthday?” His voice rose, bitter and sharp. “Anya, I wanted to give you this ring. I was ready to fight for it, to buy it for you. Andyoustopped me. You let that bastard take it, andnow you’re telling me you accepted it fromhim? What the hell is going on between you two?”
Her heart pounded in her chest. He wasn’t hearing her—just seeing red.
“Dante, please. He’s just a friend. I promise you, there’s nothing more. It’s an innocent friendship.”
She reached for him again, her voice trembling. “Remember I told you I wanted to talk to you today? To tell you something I’ve been keeping? This was it. That I know Luca. That he is—”
“I don’t give a damn anymore,” Dante cut her off, his voice low and trembling with fury. He took a step back, looking like her touch might break him. “You should’ve told me the truth when you had the chance. Is this what you do? Hide things from me like it’s no big deal?”
“Dante, please…” she tried, reaching for him again, her heart sinking. “Let’s just go in. Let’s get married first, then sit down. I’ll tell you everything. Every little detail, no more secrets. Just… please.”
He roughly jerked her hand away, a roar tearing from his throat, “I’m not marryingyou! You took a ring from another man—so go and marry him!”
His voice echoed off the walls, making her flinch.
Chapter 16 Fired
He turned to storm off when his phone buzzed with a special alert. He glanced at it—and then froze.
His eyes darkened.