King of Wrath (Kings of Sin #1) by Ana Huang

Buffy recovered quickly. “Of course,” she said. “How…modern of you. Speaking of Dante, will he be joining us tonight? It’s your big night. I’m surprised he isn’t here already.”

My smile tightened. She was too refined to ask outright about the ring, but she was clearly fishing.

“He had an emergency at work.” I hoped she couldn’t hear the thumps of my heart over the music piping through the speakers. “He’ll make it if he wraps up the call in time.”

“I certainly hope so. It wouldn’t be a proper Legacy Ball without a Russo in attendance, would it?”

I forced a laugh alongside hers.

Thankfully, Buffy soon excused herself, and I was free to breathe again.

I circulated the room, more aware than ever of the guests’ subtle digs and glances at my hand. I ignored them the best I could. I’d worry about the gossip mill tomorrow.

Tonight was my big night, and I refused to let anyone ruin it.

Dante’s conspicuous absence aside, the ballroom was packed with a who’s who of Manhattan high society. Dominic and Adriana Davenport held court with a group of Wall Street titans; a crop of the season’s “It Girls” flirted with floppy-haired trust fund scions near the bar.

The room itself was a masterpiece. Three dozen trees imported from Europe ringed the space, twined with ethereal strings of light that glittered like jewels against a leafy backdrop. Seventy thousand dollars’ worth of hanging flowers and shrubbery adorned the tables, where vintage key tags hand-calligraphed with each guest’s name delineated their seating assignment.

Everything was perfect—the four-tier cake with textural buttercream, floral garnishes, and edible twenty-four-karat gold leaf keyhole; the pink and white strawberry and rose towers; the mossy wooden arches and oversized Edison bulbs adorning the bar.

And yet, the stares and whispers continued.

I eased a deep breath into my lungs.

It’s fine. No one is going to make a scene in the middle of the Legacy Ball.

I whisked a glass of champagne off a tray in an attempt to drown the self-consciousness pricking my skin.

“The hostess drinking by herself on her big night? That won’t do.”

I smiled at the familiar voice before turning. “I needed a break from…” I gestured around the room. “You know.”

“Oh, I do,” Kai said dryly, handsome as always in a bespoke tuxedo and his signature glasses. “May I have this dance?”

He held out his hand. I took it and let him guide me to the dance floor.

Dozens of pairs of eyes honed in on us like laser-guided missiles seeking their targets.

“Is it just me,” he said. “Or do you also feel like you’re in a giant fishbowl?”

“A nice, expensive one,” I agreed.

Amusement touched his lips before it melted into concern. “How are you doing, Vivian?”

I assumed he was talking about my breakup with Dante. They were friends, but how much did he know about what happened?

I chose a safe, neutral answer. “I’ve been better.”

“I haven’t seen Dante in the ring this week. It’s unlike him. He usually goes straight for violence when he’s upset.”

The joke failed to pull a smile from me. I was too hung up on the mention of Dante. “Maybe he’s not upset.”

We hadn’t spoken to each other since I moved out. I should be upset with him. Most of the blame lay with my father, but Dante wasn’t completely innocent either.

Still, it was hard to summon anything except sadness when I thought about him. There’d been a time when I really thought…

“Maybe.” Kai glanced over my shoulder. His gaze turned speculative. “You know, I didn’t want to say anything while you were engaged, but you’re one of the most beautiful women I know.”

I blinked, startled by the sudden shift in tone and topic. “Thank you.”

“This might be too soon, but since you’re no longer with Dante…” Kai’s hand slid down my back and rested above the curve of my ass. Low enough to be suggestive but high enough to skirt the line of inappropriate. I stiffened. “Perhaps we can go out sometime.”

Shock and alarm bubbled in my chest. Was he drunk? He didn’t sound like the Kai I knew at all.

“Um…” I let out an uncomfortable laugh and tried to twist out of his hold, but it was hard in my dress. “You’re right. It is too soon. And, while I really like you as a friend…” I emphasized the last word. “I’m not sure I want to date right now.”

He wasn’t listening. He was too busy looking over my head with a wicked smile.

“Here he comes,” he murmured.

Before I could ask who he was talking about, a warm, familiar hand landed on my shoulder.

“Take your hands off my fiancée.” Dark and turbulent, the order was packed with so much tightly leashed danger it was a spark away from combustion.

“Apologies.” Kai released me, his expression strangely self-satisfied. “I didn’t realize…”

“I don’t give a fuck what you did or didn’t realize.” The lethally quiet statement poured ice down my spine. “Touch Vivian again, and I’ll kill you.”

Simple. Brutal. Honest.

Kai’s eyes flickered along with a ghost of a smile. “Noted.” He inclined his head at us. “Enjoy.”