Page 61 of Contract of a Billionaire

My parents never pushed to know what happened. Dad hadn’t demanded to know who the father was. Sometimes I wondered if he suspected. Worried gazes when he talked about the Russos. Like he said too much. Or maybe not enough.

“I hope people like it,” I admitted. “But if they don’t, that’s fine too. I enjoyed taking every single one of those photos.”

It was true. Photography was something that I did for me. It made me happy. Sometimes it felt like I saw a whole new world through a lens. A richer, more detailed world.

“I eavesdropped on some of the visitors,” Father said conspicuously. “I have yet to hear a negative comment. Although if they dare to say it, I’ll break their necks.”

Maman threw her head back and laughed, then patted him on the hand. It was hard to imagine my father as a killer. Though he had to have killed someone during his career. Not that he’d tell me.

“Come on, killer,” Mom murmured, her voice doting. “Let’s go take our grandson from Branka’s hands so she can enjoy some of her evening too.”

With another peck on my check by both of them, they left me, while I watched after them wistfully.

That was all I wanted. To grow old with someone who would look at me the way my father looked at my mother. But I had come to the realization that what my parents had was as rare as red diamonds.

A dull pain was still a hollow presence in my chest. Just as Maman promised, it got better, but it never healed. Alessio was a constant whisper in my soul.

Laughter rippled through the gallery and my gaze traveled to it. Unsurprisingly, it was the crew fromNational Geographicthat took me under their wing four years ago. They insisted on coming in to show their support. They were the most amazing group I had ever met.

Much like me, they didn’t bother dressing up. When you spend months on the road, you end up preferring comfort to fancy. I opted for jeans, emerald flats and a green crew neck blouse. It fit the whole summer vibe in New York City.

The four crew members made it over to me.

“How is our star?” Loren exclaimed, and I couldn’t resist rolling my eyes. “What? You are a star. None of us had a gallery exhibition before. And we’ve been around about three decades more than you.”

“Two decades might be pushing it,” I retorted, smiling. “You guys are not that much older than me.”

“Pfft. You’re a baby,” Loren remarked.

“I tried to buy one of your photos, but I was told it’s all sold out,” Alex complained and my eyes snapped to him in shock.

“What?”

The whole thing just started. I certainly hoped my parents didn’t get a bright idea and buy the entire exhibition. They’d be bankrupt. We’d be bankrupt.

“Yeah,” Sarah chimed in. “How in the hell did we miss out? I barely blinked and poof, the whole thing is sold out.”

An awareness trickled down my neck and I turned my head. For a moment, I froze. I recognized that face.

Cassio King.

Peeling my eyes from him, I glanced frantically around, searching for the gray eyes that haunted all my dreams.

Nothing.

Excusing myself from the group, I walked over to the mobster. Jesus Christ. I should be running the opposite way, not towards Cassio King. It was only once I was two feet away that I spotted a woman on his arm, and another couple next to him.

A double date. How sweet.

My eyes traveled over the four of them. It would seem Cassio and his friend preferred redheads.

The red-haired woman on Cassio’s arm had ocean blue eyes. But the other one had the most unusual eyes I had ever seen. Unless the lighting was throwing me off, they were violet. I had never seen anything like that.

“What are you doing here?” I blurted out, returning my eyes to Cassio and glaring at him. Yeah, I wouldn’t win the award for hospitality.

“Hello, Autumn,” Cassio greeted me, unfazed by my rudeness. “Nice to see you again.”

“I can’t say the same,” I grumbled, then immediately scolded myself. That was beyond rude. And still, no apology came out of my mouth. “So what are you doing here?”