Chapter 3
Everyone turned toward the sound. In a shadowy corner of the hall, a tall man stood, his presence as intimidating as an abyss.
His face, devastatingly handsome, was now dark and stormy.
The onlookers froze. After a few seconds, someone finally stammered, "D-Dante Falcon!"
It was like a bomb had dropped. The crowd exploded.
Standing there was Dante Falcon, Zicago's undisputed king.
He could erase an entire family from existence with just a wave of his hand. For families like ours, he was a legend we'd never lay eyes on in our entire lives.
People looked at each other in disbelief, wondering why someone like him would show up here.
The girl cried out, "Dante, please tell this lady I really didn't mean it."
She dashed into Dante's arms as she'd finally found her hero, her tears spilling over the moment she got there.
"Mr. Falcon, this is all just a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!" Henry Monti, Marcus's father, called out, trying to defuse the situation with a nervous smile as he stepped forward to shake Dante's hand.
But Dante sidestepped him without missing a beat, his eyes cold and razor-sharp as he zeroed in on Valentina.
"With so many people watching, the Falcon family deserves an explanation. Let's check the cameras," Dante said, his voice icy and authoritative.
At the words "check the cameras," Valentina went rigid, her whole body locking up in an instant.
She shot Marco a desperate, pleading look, her eyes wide with panic.
"Honey, we really don't need to check the cameras, do we? I accidentally bumped into Isabella. I'm sorry," Valentina pleaded, her voice trembling.
But it was already too late.
Dante wasn't about to listen to her excuses. With a sweep of his hand, the hotel's security footage flashed up on the big screen for everyone to see.
It showed Valentina spotting Marcus getting cozy with another woman at the party. Valentina was seething with anger, but she didn't dare take it out on Marcus.
Instead, she targeted Isabella, who was standing all by herself and looked like an easy target.
She strode right over and deliberately shoulder-checked her, and after that, everyone saw what unfolded.
With her scheme exposed for everyone to see, Valentina's face turned ghostly pale.
She kept casting frantic glances at Marcus, hoping he'd come to her rescue.
But Marcus, being the Monti family's illegitimate son, was already fighting to survive. Now, with this mess blowing up, things had gone from bad to worse for him.
He was livid, wishing he could wring Valentina's neck. Helping her was the last thing on his mind.
Dante drawled, his voice calm and unhurried, "Since the Monti family seems to have a misunderstanding with my sister, I think we'll have to put our shipment deal on hold for now."
With that one sentence, all the Monti family's efforts to hitch their wagon to the Falcon family were instantly wiped out.
Henry's eyes rolled back as he clutched his chest, nearly collapsing from fury.
The scene devolved into utter chaos. The Monti family was gripped with dread. They knew all too well what fate awaited anyone who dared offend Dante.
Panicked, they scrambled to plead for forgiveness, but Dante coldly ignored their desperate appeals. Without a second thought, he gathered Isabella and headed for the exit, leaving the Monti family in the dust.
As he passed by me, Dante suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He asked, "Are you Kiara Reed?"
I blinked, caught off guard. I asked, "Do you know who I am?"
For the first time all day, Dante gave me a faint, almost invisible smile. "Looks like the Reed family finally has someone clever. Thanks for speaking up for my sister today," he said.
Isabella was so grateful, she wouldn't take no for an answer. She was determined to get my contact info. Honestly, it was nothing but good for me.
As they were leaving, Isabella kept thanking me over and over.
She said, "Thank you, Kiara. I'll come find you and hang out when I get the chance."
But before she could finish, Dante swept her up and whisked her away.
Back in the hall, Marcus had already hauled Valentina out, leaving the guests buzzing, eager to dish about everything that just went down.
By morning, this scandal would spread like wildfire through Zicago's underworld.
Valentina was in for a rough ride now. But she had no one to blame but herself.