Page 15 of Humility

Lucas stood and looked at his father, Jasmine, and finally me. I knew I had a target painted on my back from now on.

“Understood,” he said.

Lucas and Giovanni left, and Jasmine looked at me. Her eyes searched my face, confusion shining back at me from their depths. Without another word, she walked out, and I was left alone with my father.

“You want to tell me what happened?” I turned to face my father.

“No.”

He poked me in the chest, his eyes narrowed into a glare. “Don’t embarrass the family and leave Lucas alone. I don’t want to see you look in his direction the rest of the week. Do you understand me?”

“Why am I getting in trouble when he is clearly the asshole.”

“That is debatable, but the reason is because he is still the Don of Don’s son. Keep your distance. One day, he will be your boss, and you need to be on good terms with him, or he could ruin the family. I have worked too hard to have that happen.”

I fucking despised that Lucas could hold that much power over me, but I nodded. “I get it. I’ll stay away from him.”

“Good.”

My dad marched out, but I needed a minute to cool off. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Things had gotten so confusing, and I wasn’t even sure when it happened.

“Hey.”

My eyes snapped open, and Jasmine was right in front of me. She cleared her throat as she smoothed down her t-shirt.

“I’m not sure why you did that, but…thank you.” Grabbing my arm, she raised up on her toes and kissed my cheek. My heart hammered, and blood pounded through my body. Her hand felt like it burned a hole through my skin where it rested. At some point, Jasmine had poured liquid wax on my heart, and she’d just stamped it with the softness of her lips.

I stared into her honey-colored eyes, but in a blink, she was gone, slipping out the door and disappearing.

I touched my cheek and knew that when the time came, I’d find a way to make her mine. The whys of how this happened didn’t matter. Jasmine Falcone would be my wife. I was sure of it.

Chapter Eight

JASMINE

SEVEN YEARS LATER

AGE 18

All I could say was thank God he didn’t pick me. Lucas had been loud and obnoxious all night, and although Rosa smiled the entire time, I saw the worry on her face and the uncertainty in her eyes. She was a year older than me and had tied herself to the most notorious cheater around. But Rosa knew what she was getting into. She had even fought for him. We’d hardly spoken in seven years, but she had become more ruthless each time I saw her. Gone was the shy girl I once knew.

The only other guy that came close to Lucas in his womanizing ways was Angelo.

I looked away from the wedding party at the head table and found Angelo and Dario talking to four girls who were all flirting with them. Why I thought things would be different between us when we left the villa that one summer, I couldn’t say. But Angelo had gone right back to being the asshole. Not quite as bad as before, but he still took his potshots when he could, and Dario went back to ignoring me. Temporary insanity was the only thing I could chalk it up to.

The only time Angelo was kind was when my mama passed away two years ago. He’d hugged me like he had at the villa, and I hated to admit that I missed those few blissful moments between us.

I couldn’t stand sitting here and staring at them any longer. “Do you want to dance?”

Ciro sat his wine glass down. “Are you talking to me?”

I tilted my head and blatantly looked at the empty chairs at the table. “Who else would I be talking to?”

“Good point. Sure,” Ciro said.

He looked around as we walked to the dance floor, and I leaned in and whispered. “Marcus isn’t here.”

“How did you know?”