The Temptation of Thievery

eleven

i quit that job that i mentioned in the last update. i realise that i prefer hanging myself over hanging clothes so i left! 😄
here's the update i failed to provide last week. love y'all x

(into it by chase atlantic)

CIRO

It was ten by the time dinner crossed our minds.

I stole a glance at Raimona, face flushed either from the drinks she'd been offered or the game. A cloak that Sanfrico materialised out of nowhere was hung loosely around her shoulders. She looked happier than I'd ever seen her, and for a moment, I only saw the woman I was to marry. Nothing of the heiress or the wolf beneath her skin.

Her eyes were clear still, the forest fire raging in them. Nothing of the unforgettable, haunted expression I'd managed to glimpse once during our conversation in the park. I had to get to the bottom of that.

We had been speaking about the fight that occurred during the ball. It was an especially interesting subject to broach now that I'd met the cheerful and carefree Oslo.

He had an obvious infatuation with my wife. But I was hers now, and he'd have to make do with that.

"How'd you meet Oslo?" I asked her. It was an innocent question, but she was immediately suspicious.

"Why?"

"He's your friend, which means I'll see him often when we marry."

She nodded. "We've known each other since childhood. He is London's brother."

"City names," I mused.

Our food choices arrived at that moment, halting our very civilised conversation. Raimona was being uncharacteristically polite or as polite as two responses could be.

We ate in silence for a moment, but a persistent question boggled my mind. This casino belonged to the family, and the property belonged to Vincenzo De Luca. And yet, the respect reserved for Raimona, his daughter, was outstanding. She'd be acknowledged for certain, but that wasn't the case; here, she was practically worshipped.

"Did you know," Raimona started, taking a sip from her wine glass, her pink lips closing delicately around the rim, "that I was born here?"

"In this casino?" I asked in disbelief.

She nodded. "My mother went into labour on the opening day of De Luca Casino. My father had his healthcare team on speed dial, so they came to us."

That was fascinating, but it didn't explain my confusion. "Interesting as that is, I doubt it's why the people here kiss the ground you walk on."

"Do you wish it were you they welcome so warmly? How greedy for you to want more than you already have," she said with a smug lilt. I almost smiled; I realised that I quite missed the asshole she could be.

"Wouldn't they, soon enough?" I returned.

She surveyed me for a moment. As if considering if I were a snake. "This is my casino. Through and through, except on paper."

I was taken aback. From my knowledge of Raimona De Luca, she was an heiress until she turned twenty-one. She must have prepared relentlessly to fit into the role she'd been born into, but she was only fed theory.