Page 13 of Sins of Sorrow


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“That’s very kind of you, Mr….”

“Emmons. But you can call me Ansel.”

“Well thank you, Ansel. You were right—Idoneed a break from the young men. They’re exhausting.”

Ansel chuckles and spins me outward before pulling me back in.

As we dance, we maintain casual conversation, and it's the most relaxed I’ve felt all evening.

With the song coming to an end, I decide to ask Mr.Emmons for one more dance. Graciously, he accepts, and we continue dancing.

Halfway through our Vietnamese waltz, I catch sight of my brother and his slimy friend, August, leaning against the wall, their eyes pinned to me. The disgruntled sneers on their faces make every nerve ending in my body prickle with awareness.

I try to shake it off as Ansel turns us, changing my line of sight. The relationship between me and my brother, Joseph, has gotten progressively more tumultuous as the years have gone on. It’s no secret that he hates me, but his efforts to hide it have completely vanished, and though he’s never actually made any moves to physically harm me, his emotional and mental persecutions have only intensified.

You’d think with age and distance, he’d choose to simply remove himself from my life, but he’s done the opposite. He considers our family to be New York royalty, and despite him being the second-born son, he has plans to take over our father’s empire.

The underground empire, that is. He couldn't care less about the coffee business.

As for why he won’t leave me alone, time has proven that it’s pure, spiteful jealousy. We’re the closest in age, but we couldn’t be further apart in personality. And as the only daughter, I’m doted on by both of our parents—not that I ask for it.

On the contrary, I’d rather be ignored from time to time. I’ll happily share the attention I’ve never asked for. But Joseph doesn’t see it that way. He feels like I’verobbed him of something and clearly has a vendetta against me.

“Is everything okay, Miss Paladino?” Ansel asks as we slow with the music.

Pulling myself from my thoughts, I nod and smile politely. “Yes, I apologize. The music carried my thoughts away.” Stepping back, I curtsey, and Mr. Emmons bows as low as his body will allow.

He reaches for my hand and places a gentle kiss on top of it. “Thank you for the pleasure of not one, but two dances.”

“The pleasure has been mine.”

I watch as he walks back to his table, the music starting again with a melody to carry a tango.

Fitting that a dance that tends to highlight the attention of a male would begin just as the devil himself steps into my line of sight.

Roughly, he grabs hold of my hand and my waist, not giving me the option of refusing, and starts to guide us across the dance floor.

Chapter 5

Sly

The last thing I want to do tonight is sit at a masquerade ball pretending to care about what the people around me are saying. Somehow, though, I let Sully swindle me into accompanying him. He was here on behalf of his father; his attendance was mandatory.

And to Sully, that meant mine was too.

Sullivan ‘Sully’ Rochester is the son of an oil tycoon and my closest amico—aside from my cousin Enzo—despite my trying to cut ties with him a time or two over the years. Not that I would actually want to end our friendship, but sometimes the man had an immature streak rivaling a prepubescent boy.

Particularly when it came to women.

But he makes for an excellent travel partner and is up for any adventure I throw his way. Which is why, when I suggested we move to Europe for a much-needed break from New York, he didn’t hesitate to follow me across the globe.

We just returned to the States after two and a half years abroad, traveling and moving to different countries every couple of months. Over the course of our journey, Sully worked remotely for his father, and I…well, I had plenty to keep me afloat, and to pass the time, I took on odd jobs as I found them and as they interested me.

Shortly after I turned twenty, Mamma successfully talked me into medical school. After years of rigorous studying, around-the-clock rotations, and incredibly challenging tests, I passed the board exam. I’d never seen as much joy in my mother's eyes as the day I received my test results. Then, that joy quickly diminished when I told her I wouldn’t be accepting a residency and instead, was leaving to live abroad.

To visit Verona.

I needed a fresh start, if only for a while.