Fortunately for him, despite Amber’s status as the wife of the Ferraro family’s Don, she was still a total amateur. Phantom would have turned a dryer on himself, maybe even the washing machine too.
But Amber’s voice floated back to him loud and clear in the otherwise silent room she’d pulled Olivia into to talk.
“We just wanted to help you. How did he get you to agree to marry him? Blackmail? Threats? Oh my God, is Butch holding somebody you love hostage?"
“No,” Olivia answered with a laugh. “He just asked me to marry him. No tricks.”
“And you said yes? Why? You’re way out of his league.”
Phantom had been about to walk in there and break this thing up, but he paused, wanting…needing to hear her reaction to that question. He was curious about the answer himself.
“What do you mean by that?” Olivia asked, her voice suddenly hardening.
“What do you think I mean? You’re wonderful in every way from what I can hear, and he’s a trained pitbull—only good for killing and hurting.”
Okay, letting the conversation continue had been a mistake. He should have gone in there as soon as he heard them talking. Phantom knew that now.
Because after Amber said that, all he could do was stand at the door, paralyzed by fear.
He’d worked to keep this part of his life separate from what he had with Olivia. But now Amber was telling her the truth—the whole truth about who he was outside the paradise they’d made in his penthouse.
And Amber kept going, “I’m pretty sure the only reason he gets to be a Dragon is that Victor’s his cousin—”
“I’m going to stop you right there,” Olivia said, her tone disgusted.
Mirroring nausea popped off in Phantom’s own stomach because he’d known this would be how she’d react to the real him.
He inwardly cursed himself for accepting that blow job. He should have kept her at his apartment. He should never have brought her to this party. Now she’d probably call things off or insist on living somewhere other than his place—
“I understand you’re an East Coaster through and through,” Olivia said to Amber, interrupting his panicked thoughts. “But in Kentucky, where I’m from, we do not insult future husbands to their fiancée’s face. I could unleash some opinions about your husband, who I was somewhat concerned was keeping you prisoner when we first met. And as cute as that performance was, I’m fairly sure Victor must have done something pretty atrocious to Dawn if his proposal had to be prefaced with a full-out performance of ‘I’m Sorry’ by Justin Bieber.”
“I’m not trying to insult—”
Olivia kept going, running right over Amber’s response. “My fiancé came out to Kentucky and asked me to marry him in front of my family. He’s been nothing but kind and protective and understanding ever since. And as for his Dragon status, I’ve watched him drop everything to help Victor and Han several times in November and December alone. From what I’ve seen, he always shows up when people need him—even people like Dawn, who don’t appreciate him. And no offense to your husband, Luca obviously didn’t practice as hard as he did to make sure the proposal went off without a hitch. Obviously.”
“Now you’re bringing my husband’s dance moves into it?” Amber asked, her voice pitching high with insult. “That fiancé you’re defending threatened to kill anybody who posted his performance on the internet.”
“And?” Olivia retorted. “Are you telling me your saintly husband hasn’t threatened worse?”
“I mean, sure but Butch—”
“But what, Amber? Because I hate to bring up your extreme pretty privilege, but you’re beginning to sound a lot like the catty girls I went to high school with—the ones who made fun of me because I was dark-skinned and acted differently from them. And, you know, I’m fairly sure my ex-boyfriend’s friends thought he was way out of my league too. Maybe they also tried to pull this intervention crap with him.”
Phantom shook his head in amazement. Olivia had said crap. She had to be really pissed.
Amber must have come to the same conclusion as him. Her voice sounded a lot less know-it-all when she said, “I’m not...I wasn’t trying to...”
“Then don’t. Check your privilege and do better,” Olivia answered. “And his name is Phantom. Please have the common decency not to call him by some random name you made up in the future. While I appreciate all the money you and Luca have donated to the clinic, I will not abide that kind of disrespect of my fiancé.”
Loyalty. No questions. That was his policy. He’d even gone to bat for Han to try to talk his woman Jazz out of being pissed at him. But he’d never in a thousand years would have expected anyone to defend him, especially behind his back.
Phantom’s heart softened with appreciation and shock.