"I'm sorry?" I question.

A proposition? What kind of proposition? And what is she talking about when she says she hates Matteo? I can't agree with her, as much as I do, I can't take the risk that she is working for Matteo as his spy or something, despite how unlikely that seems.

"I don't hate-"

"Look, it's your decision whether you want to follow through with this, but here me out okay? This benefits you more than it does me." She hisses, taking a look back towards where Matteo had disappeared to. "Let's take this somewhere more private."

Yanking on my arm, she begins the drag me away from Matteo and towards the hall where we had entered through. Passing by the minglers, we head further down the hall and away from the entrance of the mansion.

Suddenly, she pulls me into an empty room, slamming the door behind us and flicking on the light.

It's a large sitting room, decorated with huge plum coloured couches that look like they should be in some sort of medieval castle.

"How can I trust anything you have to say?" I query.

Katerina lets go of my arm and sighs, taking a step back, away from me heading further into the room. She runs her hand through her black hair , then balling her hands into fists at her side. "You can't." She says. "But it doesn't mean you shouldn't."

I honestly don't know what to think of this woman. "Why do you hate Matteo?" I ask, stepping further into the room, away from the door.

Katerina drops herself onto one of the couches, and places her head in her hands. She looks as if she's exhausted. "Matteo and I have a complicated relationship. All you need to know is that he betrayed my trust, and it cost me everything."

"I'm sorry, but that isn't enough for me to trust you. I don't care about your petty family drama." I state, my voice cold.

"Wow, I wonder what drew Matteo to you." She remarks chuckling.

I stare at her, waiting for some kind of explanation, and it isn't until I begin to back away towards the door, that she jumps up. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you. But this needs to be quick. Matteo will have guards patrolling the whole house for you any minute."

I nod, knowing full well the lengths that he will go to, to keep me in his possession.

"A few years ago, I met a girl--My now wife. I kept it a secret from my family for months, none of them could know that I was in a relationship with a girl, otherwise I would be cut off from the family, ties and funding--Everything." She sighs. "Long story short, Matteo found out, and told our father. And he was just as ruthless as I had expected him to be. Matteo took everything from me, so now I want to return the favour." Katerina smirks up at me, evilly.

She certainly has a motive to want to destroy him, but then again, I bet everyone who he's ever met does.

"Okay..." I nod my head.

If she is really serious about this proposition, I think I can trust her. It's not like I have much more of a choice, and what can Matteo do if he finds out? Sure he can threaten my mother, but he would never actually do anything, because then he would no longer have any leverage.

"So, what is it you are proposing?"

"One of my men works for Matteo, and he happens to have access to the elevator up to his penthouse. One o'clock, tomorrow morning, he can collect you and bring you to me. You'll be free, and I'll have made Matteo angry, we both get what we want. What do you say?"

I don't know what to say. How the hell am I supposed to ensure that Matteo wont wake up and find out what is happening? "How am I to know Matteo wont wake up?"

"I almost forgot," Her eyes widen and she searches in her purse that I hadn't realised she'd been carrying. She quickly pulls out a small clear bag with a capsule. "Just empty this into his drink, and he'll be out for hours."

Her smirk reminds me so much of him, it's unsettling.

I take the bag from her hand and shove it down the other side of my bra. "And what's to say you won't keep me prisoner?"

"I have no reason to." She rolls her eyes. "I just want to take everything Matteo holds so dearly, which is you, along with his precious mafia inheritance."

"Mafia inheritance?" I knew he was involved with the mafia, especially within New York, but I had no idea he was to inherit an entire mafia.

She chuckles. "You really don't know anything do you?"

"It seems I don't." I mumble.

"Well, we better get back to the party before Matteo gets too anxious." Katerina says, and I nod in agreement. She sweeps by me, opening the door and slipping through, as I follow closely behind.

Once we arrive back to the party, I sigh in relief. Thankfully I don't see any visible guards looking for me, but I'm sure there are. We enter the ballroom and head over to the centre, where we had been minutes ago. Hopefully Matteo won't be suspicious. That won't help if I'm wanting to escape tonight.

"Where the fuck did you go." Matteo growls from behind me, latching onto my arm. I take in a breath and turn to him. He looks calm and composed, then yet again he always does.

"I-" I begin.

"I showed your little pet to the ladies room." Katerina purrs. "I hope that is alright."

His eyes narrow as he scans over both me and his sister, as if detecting for any lies. "I want you to stay the fuck away from me and Mia. You wouldn't want father finding out about this, would you?" He sears.

Katerina does nothing but blink, taking one last look at me, I can feel all the emotions coming off of her. What Matteo did to his own sister was harsh, I don't know what it's like to have a sibling, but I would never do something like that to them, if I did have one. And I certainly wouldn't expect that from someone who is supposed to be related to me.

Just as Katerina leaves, Dante approaches us, with his eyes fixed on Matteo's sibling. "What's Katerina doing here?" He questions.

"Stirring trouble, as usual." Matteo mumbles, his hand still tightly wrapped around my forearm, and it takes everything within me not to snatch my it away from him. I need to be obedient, avoid any suspicion.

"Hmmm," Dante stops in front of us and looks to Matteo and then to me. "Is... Everything alright?"

"Everything's fine." I say. I can feel Matteo look down at me. Maybe I shouldn't have said that.

"Yes, everything is fine." Matteo confirms.

"Alright, well if you're done here, I suggest we leave. It's already eleven o'clock, and I can feel we're all getting irritable." Dante says.

Matteo nods his head. "Have the cars brought around immediately, and have the area scanned for any activity." Dante nods and disappears into the room of people, but not before looking hungrily at one of the almost naked dancers who he brushes up against.

"What did my sister say to you?" Matteo asks. His dark eyes are even darker in the dim lightly, and his clean cut jaw looks ever sharper in the shadows. Once again I'm reminded of this man's beauty.

"Nothing."

"I'm not an idiot, what did she tell you?"

"I don't know what is going on between you and your sister, Matteo, and I don't care. She showed me to the washroom and treated me like dirt. You and your sister are very much alike in that regard." I spit.

Matteo laughs. "My sister and I are not alike, in the slightest. And if you think I've been treating you like dirt, you've got another thing coming."

I frown and furrow my eyebrows. What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Just as I'm about to retort something back at him, Matteo receives a call from Dante, alerting him that the cars are ready and waiting outside, and that the perimeter has been scanned.

"Time to go home." He says.

I take a deep breath in.

Now the night really begins.

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