Chapter 2 - The Mafia King’s Coat|
Bianca glanced toward a man seated near the center aisle. “Was Niko next?”
Ava followed her gaze. Niko Moretti sat motionless in a tailored black suit. His public title was chairman of Moretti Holdings, the company that owned the Aurelia Grand. People used another title when they believed he wasn’t listening: the mafia king.
He stood.
Conversations stopped completely as Niko crossed the stage. Bianca’s expression softened in eager anticipation, stepping forward as if to receive him.
He walked straight past her.
Without a word, Niko removed his heavy charcoal wool coat and draped it around Ava’s trembling shoulders. The heavy warmth and the subtle scent of cedar and rain nearly undid her.
“No one strips a woman in my hotel,” Niko said, his deep voice carrying into every quiet corner of the room, “and calls it justice.”
Bianca’s face flushed red. “Mr. Moretti, you don’t understand! She’s a thief—she took the necklace and my custom design!”
Niko raised one hand. Bianca’s mouth snapped shut instantly.
Ava clutched the heavy lapels of his coat together over her chest. “I don’t need your pity, Mr. Moretti.”
“Good,” Niko said, his dark eyes locking onto hers. “Pity won’t fix this.”
He bent down to pick up a torn strip of emerald silk trailing on the polished stage floor. As his fingers brushed the altered hem, something heavy slipped from the damaged lining.
Clink.
A tiny gold key struck the floorboards, rolling to a stop beside Niko’s shoe.
At its bow was an intricate black rose engraving—the exact emblem Eleanor Monroe had drawn on birthday cards and notes before her death ten years ago.
Ava stopped breathing.
Niko’s expression changed instantly, his jaw tightening as he picked up the key. Across the ballroom, Victoria Whitmore stood up so abruptly her chair scraped loudly against the marble.
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“Security,” Bianca snapped, her voice high and panicked. “Take that key from her!”
Niko closed his long fingers around the gold key and looked up at Victoria. Ava realized in that terrifying second that her stepfamily wasn't angry about a dress—they were terrified of what was hidden inside it.
