‘That tagline is probably the only part of my original work that still lives on.’ He tutted. ‘Young people want to make everything modern.’
Dara nodded in agreement. The old man was nice. He had a cantankerous warmth about him that made her feel instantly comfortable.
The champagne hour was going well, she thought as she looked down across the crowd of Milan’s glittering elite. All here to be photographed for the society pages, no doubt. Soon the lights would dim and the official event would fade into the background, allowing them to use the club for its true purpose. Privacy, anonymity and sin.
The music was lowered and a tinkling sound resonated through the air. Dara looked down to see that Leo had moved up to the small stage erected in the middle of the dance floor. Gianni took her elbow and they made their way down to the lower floor as Leo began speaking.
He began to outline the concept of the club’s renovation, explaining the fluid lines and mirrored backdrops. Gianni made a few more tutting noises beside her, commenting that it had been fine just the way it was.
Leo smiled brightly, ever the charismatic host, and he finished by thanking his team of staff in detail for their support.
‘Finally, I have the greatest pleasure to introduce you all to a rising star in the industry—Miss Dara Devlin.’
To her horror he pointed her out in the crowd and she suddenly became the focus of three hundred curious stares.
What was he thinking? She was a nobody here. These people were looking at her as though expecting her to burst into song.
Leo smiled, oblivious to her horror. ‘Miss Devlin is a recent discovery of mine, she is a rare creative talent in the industry. Such is her dedication to detail she even gave the Platinum uniform a facelift to fit with our new theme.’
The crowd gave subdued applause, curious eyes glancing from the scarlet-faced event planner to the now very sleek waiters walking around all in black. Dara prayed for him to move on to another topic, breathing a sigh of relief when he began to wrap up the speech.
Gianni raised his brows beside her, seemingly quite entertained by the proceedings. ‘He seems quite taken with you, carina.’ He smiled.
Dara straightened her shoulders, trying in vain to dispel the heat from her cheeks. ‘Mr Valente is a very successful man. I’m grateful to be working with him.’ She took a sip from her cool soda water, feeling it hit her painfully dry throat.
‘You are quite naive if you think he’s just thinking about work.’ His eyes twinkled,
Dara ignored the uncomfortable sensation in her stomach at his words. Leo was taking her seriously, now that she had proved her talent. There was a playful tension between them, of course, but she had no plans to act on it. Not at all.
She decided to ignore Gianni’s comment, straightening her shoulders and saying, ‘Actually, I’m negotiating an event contract for Castello Bellamo.’
The old man stilled, clearly taken by surprise with that information. Dara waited for him to speak, but he remained silent. Thinking it best to give him a moment, she looked out across the dancefloor. Leo had just stepped down from the podium and began conversing with a group of men in sleek suits.
She looked down and saw that his eyes were trained on her even as he spoke. He was watching her intently, his green gaze seeming to reach across the dance floor to her. She should look away. She should restart her conversation with Gianni—something.
She turned back to see Gianni watching Leo with the most ferocious expression she had ever seen. ‘Mr Marcello, is everything okay?’ she asked tentatively.
‘He’s playing dangerous games. Excuse me for a moment.’ His eyes darkened to furious points, and without another word the man began weaving forward through the crowd with a look of intent.
Dara followed suit, her heels forcing her to tread more carefully. ‘I’m not sure what I said to bother you, but this is hardly the place to cause a scene.’
Gianni turned his head, still walking, ‘You don’t need to witness this.’
Leo saw them approach and instantly shooed away the group of people surrounding him. ‘Gianni, you’re looking a bit more colourful.’ He smiled.
The old man jabbed a finger into Leo’s chest, standing so close they were almost nose to nose. ‘You say you’re not playing games, boy? Then explain what kind of agreement you have with this young lady? Do you plan to sell off the only link you have left to your family?’
Leo looked genuinely shocked for a moment. ‘Will you keep your voice down?’