Page 68 of Savage Empire

Glass shatters and Martha softly squeals. She dropped whatever she was working on and she doesn’t even care.

“Engaged!” She gasps. “Apollo Moretti, how dare you not introduce yourfidanzatato me properly!Where are your manners?”

“W-what? No, no?—”

“Where is her ring?” Martha questions, rounding the counter with her hands on her hips. “Boy I will beat you with my towel if you have proposed to this sweet young woman without a ring!”

“We’re not?—”

“Telling anyone,” Apollo cuts in, interrupting me. “And if you yell any louder, the news will be ruined much too soon.”

“What are you doing?” I demand in a whisper, squeezing his arm.

“Yordan is not aware, and Rayna doesn’t wish to dump this news on him too quickly. They’ve only just arrived and fled a bad situation. He must settle first.”

Again, I tighten my hand around his arm. “Are you out of your mind?”

“They can keep a secret,micina.”

“Micina,” Martha repeats on a coo. “How perfect! My lips are sealed. But you must show me the ring when others are not around.”

“Congratulations, son,” Dante replies, a smug smile gracing his lips. “We’ll have to celebrate when the news is ready to be broken.”

“There is no ring and there is no news to be broken,” I burst out, panicked. “There’s nothing going on between us?—”

“She’s afraid Yordan will hear from someone other than the two of us, don’t mind her. My fiancée is not quick to trust.”

“Apollo, I swear to?—”

This time he doesn’t cut me off with words, with some silly explanation that is alie.No, he silences me in an utterly shocking and unexpected move that stuns me speechless.

Swiftly, Apollo swoops down and presses his lips against mine. The kiss is only a short peck, but it’s enough to knock the air out of my lungs and strike me dumb.

“If you’ll excuse us, I’ll calm her down.”

I allow myself to be guided out of the room, mind spinning with confusion and…I don’t even know what else. It would be easy if it was anger. I could yell at him and lash out, but I’m not sure what emotion is stirring inside of me. I’m too baffled to process anything that just happened.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Apollo says, shutting us into a small private room.

“That didn’t just happen. It couldn’t have. This is a dream—no—this is a nightmare.”

“Flattering,” he muses.

His sass snaps me out of my stupor.

“Are you insane?” I demand, throwing my hands up. “What the fuck was that?”

“It was quite brilliant, actually.”

“Brilliant?”

He shrugs, unbothered by my shouting. “Rumors have already been flowing, clearly. My father wouldn’t believe us if we denied what he’s heard anyway.”

“He wouldn’t have heard anything if you didn’t keep letting people think we’re engaged!”

“I think you’re missing out on what a golden opportunity this is, Rayna.”

Golden. Opportunity?