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"𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐬"

The sound of my heels clicking on the glossy tiles could be heard along the quiet marble staircase as Nicolo and I descended it.

Voices in the distance, the sound of my mother's laugh, and another voice I didn't recognise were also heard.

When we got to the bottom, Nicolo put his hand on my lower back and walked us to the front doors, where everyone seemed to be waiting.

My vision had been connected with my mother, father, uncle dre, a blonde woman, and a man as we rounded the corner.

Three suited men were behind them, which I believed were bodyguards.

As we got closer to them, I scrutinised the woman's features, noticing that she appeared to be my mother's age or younger, her hair was banana blonde and trimmed to her shoulders, her frame was petite and she wore a tight-fitting short velvet red dress with six-inch heels while clinging to the man's side, but that her eyes were clearly not on the man she clung to, but rather on my father.

That made me mentally roll my eyes; it wasn't something new for us.

Then, because they had spotted our arrival, all of their attention was drawn to Nicolo and myself. I put on my famous charming smile and turned to face the two newcomers.

"Arabella, Nico, this is Lucian Agnello and his girlfriend, Melinda," Mum introduces with a smile.

"Actually, it's Melissa," The woman corrects kindly, Mum laughs and apologises to the woman, though the small glint in her eyes indicated to me she wasn't very apologetic.

"It's nice to meet you both." Lucian says.

I give him a friendly grin and let my glance wander over his features; he was a muscular man with black hair that was jelled back and a strong bone structure.

While I stood beside him, Nicolo shook his hand and introduced himself, and after Nicolo, I introduced myself to the couple.

Then, all of a sudden, the front doors open again, drawing everyone's attention to them.

My breath catches in my throat as I come face to face with maybe the most gorgeous person I've ever seen.

Now, I've seen plenty of good-looking men and women with decidedly model-like features, but this boy is by far the next level of a Greek god.

As he enters through the doors, he shows no expression on his sculpted face while he looks around.

"Ah, yes, this is my son, Roman." Lucien introduces.

Oh fuck, help me Jesus.

My gaze was drawn to his raven black hair, which was adorned with soft curls that nestled comfortably on the top of his head. Some of the curls landed on his forehead, drawing my gaze to his naturally arched brows, then to his amber eyes, which were a blend of golden brown and green.

His complexion had a sun-kissed glow to it, which enhanced the attractiveness of his features. The high cheekbones and hollow cheeks of his cheeks complemented his red, luscious plump lips.

I wouldn't be surprised if he was a god or even a devil, considering his sharp and flawless appearance, this boy literally screamed dangerous and forbidden. And you could tell he was because his aroma exuded it.

Roman shook my mother's hand and did the same with my father. Then Nicolo walked away from me and shook his hand as well until I was the last one left.

He switched his piercing gaze from my brothers to mine.

I cleared my throat and gazed up into his amber eyes, "Arabella," I introduce myself.

Just when I thought he couldn't get any more attractive his tongue darted across his lips before speaking.

"Roman."

When I hear his voice, my eyes instinctively widen.

It was the same voice I had been obsessing over in the alleyway the other night, and I can honestly say I've never been happier that it belonged to the gorgeous man in front of me.

Due to the lack of expression on his features, I couldn't determine if he recognised me as well.

I held my hand out in front of him, keeping his gaze on mine as his large, rough hand linked in my small one, the strange electricity that I thought was only an exaggeration in movies and novels, was strangely real. His cold touch shot a thrill through my body, and all I could think was if he felt it as well.

I swallowed hard as I felt the cold rings on his fingers; I'd always had a thing for tatts and rings. Shifting my focus to our hands, I noticed that he had multiple tattoos on his hand that extended all the way up to his arm, but they were hidden by his black coat's sleeves.

Our hands retreated, and I averted my gaze from the pathetic illusion I had just been in. He did the same, clenching his jaw and shifting his attention towards his father.

I walked behind Nicolo and Uncle Andre, who was just behind Roman and his father, as Mum led everyone to the dining room.

We all entered the dining room and took our seats; Nicolo and I always sat together, while Uncle Dre sat next to either me or Nicolo and in this case, I was placed in between the two.

When I saw Roman take a seat across from me, my heart skipped a beat. His father sat next to him alongside his father's girlfriend and my parents sat across from them.

Severs began to emerge with champagne, and everyone immediately began to converse. As they finalised what they were intending to do with their Mafias, Nicolo and Mr Agnello talked about business, as did Uncle Dre and my father.

I stopped listening because I was too preoccupied with the boy in front of me, who looked disinterested about what was going on as he observed them interact with each other, only speaking when necessary.

He exuded confidence and dominance, which I'm sure everyone in the room sensed.

"And Arabella, what is it that you do? I'm assuming you assist your brother with certain jobs."

I shift my glance to Mr Agnello before returning it to my father, who gave me a subtle nod and assured me that it was okay.

Outside of our family, no one knows about my little lothario; we keep it hidden since anyone who finds out ends up dead. And when I go on missions that need me to seduce men or women in order to obtain information, I make sure not to divulge my name or use a false one.

As a result, I am well-known in the underworld, though not in the literal sense.

"Yes, my brother and I undertake certain tasks together, however, we both have our own thing that we do separately."

From the corner of my eye, I see Roman's lips curl into a faint smirk.

He looks between Nicolo and myself and replies, "I see."

"Well, Roman will be taking over soon," When I hear his name, my ears perk up.

My glance shifts to Roman's, and he shifts his eyes to mine as well, before turning away and looking at his father.

"Really," Uncle Dre adds, his gaze falling on Roman.

"Yes, he's well-trained, and I'd say he's been ready for some years now." Mr Agnello smirks as he looks at his son.

"That's impressive," Uncle Andre adds, while Roman maintains a blank expression and gives a single nod to Andre.

Thankfully, no more questions were asked; one of my strange pet peeves was people inquiring about me unless I chose to answer or tell them; otherwise, I didn't want anyone to know.

It was towards the ending of the dinner, and Roman had barely talked as much as I had. He appeared to be a pretty closed-off person who didn't seem to enjoy interacting.

I mentally shook my head at my new fascination with this random boy; I, Arabella Malik, don't obsess over men or even consider them unless I'm looking for a fuck, which is rare.

"I'm just going to the bathroom," I say, and dad nods and returns his attention to Mr Agnello.

I swiftly rise from my seat, keeping my head up as I turn around and walk towards the restroom.

I arrive swiftly, lock the door behind me, and handle my essential business.

I cleaned my hands and walked back out into the hallway, opening the door and walking along the corridor.

As I approach the dining room, the faint sound of a heavily laced Italian accent emerging from the front doors causes my footsteps to slow.

I walk towards the angry tone, my curiosity piqued, and my vision is rewarded with an angry Roman.

He listened to the other person while standing outside the porch with his phone to his ear, leaning against the doorframe, his eyes shooting bullets to the floor. His locks fell over his forehead, his hollow cheeks were defined as he tightened his jaw in irritation, and he seemed impossibly more gorgeous right now.

As I was ready to walk away he had hung up just after speaking a few words I didn't recognise owing to his low tone.

"Arabella."

The sound of his voice calling my name sent tingles down my spine and into my lower region.

I bit my lower lip and spun around to face a nonchalant Roman.

"Yes?" I inquired softly as I walked slowly over to him, his towering body still leaning against the door.

I watched his eyes fall over my body; he never lingered on any particular place, but he made it perfectly clear that he was observing me.

"Is it common for you to listen in on conversations, Ella?"

"Ella?" I enquire.

He hums, his head tilted, as his concentrated gaze fixed on mine.

"That's a new one," I mumble.

"Fits," He shrugs, his lips twitching at the sides.

"I didn't know we were on a nickname basis now."

He scoffs, rolling his eyes and turns his head to the side.

"After your stunt the other night, I think otherwise."

As I looked up at him, a genuine smile appeared on my lips, and it was only then that I realised our great height difference.

"So, you do remember me?" With a little grin, I say.

He hums, and the deep sound causes havoc upon my insides.

Our gazes lock once more, and I find myself lost in the pits of his amber eyes. I could see the beautiful dark lashes he'd been endowed with, now that I was closer to him.

He appeared to be in the same daze as me before looking away as sounds from behind me jolted us out of our trance, forcing me to step away from him and turn towards the others approaching us.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Arabella." Mr Agnello smiles at me, his girlfriend clinging to his side.

"You too, Mr Agnello."

He chuckles and smiles at me, "Please call me, Lucien," as he speaks, his heavy accent comes through.

I return his smile and nod, shifting to the side to allow him to pass.

Roman shakes my uncle's and father's hands, before turning to face me.

I grin and extend my hand in front of him; he maintains a blank expression as he joins his enormous hand with mine.

"Maybe I'll see you again?" I question, my voice soft enough that only he could hear me.

He looks down at me before responding with the same response he gave me the previous time.

"Maybe."

As he turns around and heads towards his car, my gaze is drawn to his dark figure walking away in his black mid-length coat.

"Well, that was different," Andre says from behind me, jolting me out of my reverie.

I turn away from the doors and enter the house, I nod my head momentarily.

"Very."