Breaking Midnight (Il Paradosso Series Book One)

Chapter nineteen

While Kenny and the girls were downstairs having their late dinner, I did a bit of pampering; slipping into something more presentable as I knew my friends would be expectant of that.

Giada informed me that Antonio wasn't expecting guests tonight, and it was going to be just the four of us. She had persuaded him to let us have the mansion all to ourselves.

I was amazed at the amount of respect he had for her, allowing us to do so on her behalf.

I sat in front of the dresser, examining myself in the mirror while admiring the new lashes that Giada had adjured me to have placed in earlier today. They in fact, did make my eyes look a lot bigger.

I was so grateful to Cecilia for putting all of the shopping bags away but felt bad that she had to clean up after my mess. I made a note to myself to thank her.

"Why does everything have to be so low cut," I cursed under my breath, tugging at the line of my satin dress, squeezing it over my breasts.

It was a dark navy color with a wrap in the front that went around my waist, and a thin cross back. Luckily my long hair covered most of my skin, including Niccolo's hideous tattoo. I matched it with a pair of black stilettos, choosing the smallest heel I could find in the wardrobe and hoping they wouldn't make my feet hurt before I headed down to meet my friends.

I found them already enjoying their evening in one of the spacious living rooms that looked more like a glitzy nightclub than a normal party room. Both opposite walls of it were aligned with large sets of black and grey leather sofas that each had two separate loungers on the side, and black rectangular glass tables to match the crystal chandeliers.

A lavish bar sat at the corner of the room with an unfamiliar face behind the marble counter. He glanced up from the drinks he was pouring, flashing me a boyish smile.

"You must be Adriana," he shouted over the music that was bouncing off the large built-in stereos at four corners of the room.

I stared at him like a lost sheep but didn't say anything.

"I'm Luca. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person." He paused, scanning my face with a look of incredulity. "Mio dio, if it isn't the reincarnation of―"

I hesitated for a minute, and after sensing it was rude to just stand there while he was offering out his hand, I shook it briefly.

He was a bit shorter than Antonio but had the similar facial features to Niccolo. My brain was a mush at this point but as we stood there in a stare down, images of last summer instantly flashed before me.

The night that we'd taken the ferry back to the city, I had used the toilet. Upon exiting, I bumped into a man wearing a grey suit, whom had pardoned himself in Italian. I only caught a glimpse of his face as I nodded politely to him and made my way back to my friends. A few minutes later, realizing that my phone was missing, I ran back to the bathroom in a panic, only to find it sitting beside one of the sinks. I could have sworn I never took it out of my purse but decided to dismiss it as a careless error of mine.

I sucked in a deep breath, drawn back to reality when he pulled me into a tight hug. "Smile, Adriana. You look like you've seen a ghost."

My eyes darted to Emma, wondering if she had heard that but she was engaged in a debate with Kenny and Amanda, who were both arguing about something I was unable to hear over the sound of ringing in my ears.

I quickly withdrew from him, crossing my arms over my chest defensively. The green pigment he shared with his brother seemed to switch to a darker shade as his face grew more serious. Something I had noticed in Niccolo when he was either intrigued or on the brink of a malicious intent.