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Chapter Seven

Julia

T he woman looking at Matteo like she knows him looks like she walked off a runway.

Long-legged and long silky hair. A beautiful smile and even more beautiful eyes.

Even though I’ve been told by people that I’m beautiful, I still feel a little inadequate next to her.

The reason is because she clearly knows Matteo, which only reminds me that I might not be the only woman in Matteo’s life.

“Elizabeth,” Matteo says in a tight voice.

“Hi. It’s been a few years since I last saw you.” Her eyes flick to me. “Who’s this?”

“Julia,” I say, extending my hand out to her. She looks down at it as if confused by what I’m doing before she shakes my hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too. Are you and Matteo dating?”

“No!” I say too quickly and too loudly. It makes a few people nearby turn to look at us. I can’t draw too much attention. “I mean, no. We’re just… friends.”

“All right.” She sets her eyes back onto Matteo. “Well, if you’re single then, you should come to a party I’m hosting. It would be nice to reconnect.”

He hesitates, then sighs. “Elizabeth, I’m not sure that would be the best idea.”

“It was just an offer,” she says, suddenly defensive.

“I know. But I’m still busy with work. You have your modeling. Nothing has changed.”

So, she is a model. Another reason to feel a little insecure.

Elizabeth stands up straighter. “I understand. It was just an offer to reconnect, Matteo. Not an offer to start dating again.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Well, here. Do you still have the same number? I’ll text you the information in case you want to come to the party. Both of you could come if you want.” Though she says it begrudgingly like she really doesn’t want to invite me but she’s just being nice.

“I still have the same number,” Matteo says. “I’ll try to come but I can’t promise it.”

“Fair. Well, it was nice seeing you again.” She doesn’t even look in my direction as she goes.

“Who was that?” I ask, not that it’s any of my business.

“Someone I used to date. It didn’t end well. She wasn’t happy with how much my job takes of my time. We used to fight a lot. It was better we ended things.”

“You couldn’t spend more time with her?”

He rubs the back of his neck. “I could have, I’ll admit. But I just didn’t want to. We were going through the motions. We weren’t meant to be.”

“Right.” I’m suddenly aware of just how implausible Matteo and I are. If he couldn’t be with a normal woman because of his job, then there’s no way he can be with me. Not when we’re on opposite sides of a war. “I’m going to go home now.”

“Julia, wait.” He touches my arm. “Are you upset?”

“We shouldn’t be talking here. Remember?”

“I know but just tell me. Are you upset?”

“I’m not upset.” Another lie. “I just realized that we can’t do this again.” Even though we keep saying that to each other, it has to be true this time. I can’t be with Matteo. I need to focus on Connor and try to get myself to like him. I wish I could just shut off all of my emotions.

“Julia,” he says but I’m already walking away.

The wedding needs to be planned so the first step is wedding invitations. Inessa comes with me to the shop to pick them out.

“Shouldn’t Connor be doing this with you?” she asks as we go through invitation after invitation, trying to pick out the best one.

“I don’t really want to be around Connor.”

“I know you don’t like him but is there any specific reason why? I mean, he’s handsome. He’s seems charming in a way.”

“I just don’t trust him. I feel it in my gut.”

She sets down the cream colored invitation and sighs. “Then you need to tell Viktor that. He’ll listen to you. He loves you. He won’t force you to marry a man you’re afraid of.”

“I never said I was afraid of Connor.”

She gives me a pointed look. “I’ve seen your face every time his name comes up. You’re afraid of him. Why?”

I can’t look at her as I go through the stack of invitations. They all look the same.

“Does this have anything to do with you sneaking out?”

I pause. “What are you talking about?”

“Julia, I know you’ve been sneaking out of the house.”

Stay calm, I tell myself as I look at her. “What are you talking about?”

“I know what it’s like to hold onto a lie. And you’re lying about something. What?”

“How do you know I’ve been sneaking out?”

“Because I saw you. Yesterday. You waited until the guards weren’t in the backyard and you snuck out the back gate. If you were going somewhere your brother approved of, then you wouldn’t need to go out the back gate. So what’s going on? You can trust me.”

“You’re Viktor’s wife. I can’t ask you to lie to him for me.”

“You’re right,” she says. “I don’t want to lie to my husband ever again. But if something is happening, then you tell me. I can keep your secret until you’re ready to voice it yourself.”

“I can’t do that to you.” I push the invitations away. The sight of them is making me nauseated.

“Tell me.”

I look into the eyes of my sister-in-law. She’s the only true friend I’ve ever had. If there’s anyone I can trust, it’s her. “Ok. But you can’t freak out.”

“Promise.”

I glance around the shop but there’s hardly anyone here. For good measure, I still lean in closer to her. “I’ve been sneaking off to meet with Matteo.”

Inessa blinks. “Matteo?”

“Matteo Conti. Dante’s… second.”

She goes eerily still. “Ok. That was not what I was expecting. This is a lot worse than I had been expecting. Julia. What are you thinking?”

“I like him.” It sounds pathetic to my own ears and I can tell Inessa thinks so too.

“Viktor would be so hurt if he knew you were going off to see Matteo, his enemy.”

“I know. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. I didn’t want to put you in this position.”

“I get it. And I’m glad I know. You could put yourself in danger. Matteo could be using you.”

I shake my head. “I don’t think he is. I think he truly likes me too. He’s proven that.”

“How so?”

“I might have told Matteo about Viktor’s plan to attack Dante’s club and Matteo made sure Dante wasn’t there to start a war.”

She drops her head into her hands. “Oh my god. You’re telling the enemy about Viktor’s plans?”

“I know. But Matteo could have hurt Viktor but he didn’t. He showed me that he doesn’t want to hurt me. He wants this war to end just as much as we do.”

“You really think that?” she asks, lifting her head back up.

“I do.”

“I don’t like any of this. But… I know you. I know how strong your convictions are. I know that you have a level head on your shoulders. If you say that Matteo is sincere, then I’ll believe you.” She bites her lip, thinking for a moment. “Have you considered telling Viktor any of this?”

“No,” I scoff. “He would just kill Matteo.”

“But maybe this is how we end the war. If you tell Viktor you like Matteo and that Matteo likes you, maybe he can make you two get married. It would create an alliance with Dante and Erik again. It could solve everything.”

“I suggested marrying Matteo once before and Viktor was not having it. He will not change his mind. For right now, I’m stuck with Connor.

That’s why I’m afraid of him. He knows about me and Matteo.

Sort of. And I met Connor before he came over to our house.

He tried to pressure me to take coke. It wasn’t good. ”

“Oh my god. You need to tell Viktor that. He would never let Connor even within an inch of you if he knew.”

“But then that would mean telling Viktor everything else and I cant have that. I can’t risk Matteo’s death. I just can’t, Inessa.”

She takes my hand and squeezes it tight. “I’m here for you. But I just know that this isn’t going to end well. I know keeping secrets is never the answer. If you want my advice, tell Viktor now before it all gets worse. Because if he finds out some other time…”

I don’t even want to think of the outcome.

When Inessa and I return home, Connor is there. Great. The last man I want to see.

He’s sitting on the couch like he belongs there. Viktor is seated across from him, chatting. They look like they’re getting along, which is not good for me. If Viktor likes Connor as a person, then he’ll be more insistent that I marry Connor.

“You’re back,” Viktor says. “Did you find the right invitation?”

When I don’t say anything, Inessa clears her throat and nods. “We did.” She gently nudges me.

I should tell Viktor. I need to tell Viktor. Now is the time.

But when I open my mouth, Connor stands up and says he’d like to talk to me in private. “About the wedding,” he explains when Viktor looks at him questioningly.

“Make it quick,” Viktor says. “I don’t want you being alone with my sister for too long before the wedding.”

“I understand.” Connor leads me into the kitchen. “So, wedding invitations.”

“Yes?”

“Was that all you were doing? Or were you with someone else?”

I blink. “What?”

The look he gives me is full of pure anger. “Don’t play me for a fool, Julia. One of my men saw you talking to Matteo at the Four Seasons hotel.”

Oh no. Matteo and I should not have gone into the lobby together. We knew it was na?ve but we couldn’t help ourselves. We just wanted another moment together before I had to go.

“So, you’re not denying it,” he says, cornering me against the counter. If Viktor were to see this, would he kill Connor? He grabs my arms tight, making me wince. “You are mine, Julia. You will be my wife. You will not see that fucker ever again.”

“Ok,” I whisper.

“I’m going to kill him. Get him out of your life for good. How does that sound? This way, you can focus just on me.”

“I’m going to tell Viktor you’re hurting me.”

He laughs like he’s not worried one bit. “Sure. Tell him. But he won’t believe you. I won’t leave any marks behind. There won’t be any evidence.” He lets my arms go. A slight red mark is left behind but it fades within seconds, taking any proof that Connor hurt me away with it.