Chapter 5 - THE TIPPING POINT
Every drop of blood in my body ran cold.
I realized my mistake instantly. By coming out here, I had given Julian a target.
Luca turned slowly. The moment he saw Julian walking toward me, something inside him snapped entirely.
In a fraction of a second, Luca closed the distance between them. He grabbed Julian by the velvet collar of his jacket and slammed him backward against a marble column with terrifying force. The sound echoed across the silent ballroom, causing several women to gasp.
"Touch her," Luca whispered, his voice dangerously low, echoing like thunder in the quiet room, "and I will bury you under the concrete of Pier 4."
Julian gasped for air, his eyes wide with genuine shock. He hadn't expected Luca to drop his cold, calculated business facade in front of hundreds of high-society guests.
"Luca... easy..." Julian choked out, holding up his hands. "It was a joke..."
"Get out," Luca growled, shoving Julian away.
Julian didn't hesitate. He signaled his men, turning quickly and practically sprinting toward the side exits of the hotel, thoroughly humiliated.
The ballroom remained deathly quiet. All eyes were on Luca Castellani.
Luca adjusted his cuffs, his dark eyes slowly moving across the crowd until they locked onto me. He didn't care about the whispers. He didn't care about the corporate reputation he had spent years maintaining.
May you like
He walked directly toward me, taking my hand firmly in his.
"The wedding is starting," he said softly, his touch remarkably gentle despite the violence he had just displayed. "And you are sitting with me."