A Burning Flame by Daniella Kunz (book recommendations txt) 📕

I order a glass of wine. Taking a sip as soon as it is handed to me, I shake off the strange encounter and turn to begin the dreaded mingling.

Spinning on my heels, I almost bump into another man. It only takes me a moment to realize it is Rafael standing behind me. A smirk pulls at the corner of his lips upon inspecting me. His eyes settle on the glass of wine in my hands before he shakes his head. "Gianna." He greets me. "You know when you are my wife, you will need to cut back on the alcohol. It makes women fat, and to ensure you stay as pristine as me, you will have to follow a strict diet. I picked you because you are the closest thing comparable to my looks. I can’t have a fat wife distracting people from me."

I force a cringing smile out. "Oh, how kind of you. Thank you for the compliment."

"It was more of an assessment than a compliment, but you get my point."

My smile drops at his words. I cannot stand this man, to hell with good sex. "Well, it's been lovely, but my father needed to see me. I should be on my way." I tilt my head in goodbye as I brush past him. Not wanting to hear how much of a pleasure it was for me to have seen him tonight. I roll my eyes as I walk away.

It's not long after until Amo finds me, asking me to dance with him. I'm already dreading it before I even walk out to the floor with him. Taking my hand and my waist with the barest of touches, I have to keep looking down to make sure it's still on me. He lightly moves me to the music, shifting us back and forth in the most boring steps I can imagine. "So how have you been, Amo?" I try desperately to convey small talk.

"It's good." He says, dead-ending my attempt at a conversation.

"Have you done anything exciting lately?" I ask though I already know he hasn't.

"No." He replies in a short answer. I huff out, exasperated that these two are my marriage proposals. We finish off the rest of the dance in silence. Once it's over, I tilt my head thanking him for the dance before walking away. Not giving him a chance to stop me, even though I can tell he wishes to keep my company.

Wandering around the crowd, I am beyond bored. Trying my best to mingle as I am expected to while avoiding Rafael, Amo, and most of all, Mario, who keeps trying to pin me down every time he sees me. Needing a moment to myself, I break away from the crowd. As I slip down an empty hallway, turning the corner, I breathe out a sigh of relief at finally being alone. I lean up against the wall, closing my eyes as I draw in a relaxing breath.

My mind travels to Liliana as I wonder what she is doing. I need to talk to her about the marriage situation; finally, I should have before, and maybe she could have helped me decide. I sigh to myself. I just hate that I got a choice in the matter when she got none.  Ultimately, I know she won't care. She never has. Never was jealous or resentful of my life compared to hers. She will probably be upset that I waited so long to tell her though.

“Is there a reason you strayed away from the crowd all by yourself?” An unsettling voice carries ominously to me. Goosebumps rise across my flesh at some instinctive feeling I get to flee. Opening my eyes, I find the man from earlier who was staring at me by the bar. His presence fills the empty hallway.

Despite my rising panic, I draw up some of my courage, not wanting him to see he intimidates me. “Yeah, actually, I came here to do just that, be by myself.” I enunciate the word, letting him know he isn’t welcome with me.

“Hmm, well, that's a shame. A woman that looks like you should know better than to wander off by herself with a room full of malicious men watching her. You never know if one might have dishonorable intentions.” Something crawls under my skin, and my stomach settles in unease at his words. I straighten up, trying to push away the sinister feeling he gives off.

“I’m sorry, but is there something you want, or can you just leave me alone? I clearly didn’t want company.” He narrows his eyes at my impolite words as he stalks towards me. Unthinking, I take a step back, which his sharp eyes don’t miss. My retreat causes a mischievous smile to appear on his face.

“Gianna, is that any way to treat the main guest of the party?”

Enzo… His name crawls its way into my head. I suddenly am very aware of who this man is, of what he does. I have heard of his reputation, how he beats and rapes women, I have heard of the long list of women who have claimed accusations against him. And why does he know my name?

My body stands unmoving as I watch him with wary eyes. Knowing if he tries to make a move, all I have to do is scream loud enough for anyone just down the hall to hear. He wouldn’t get away with it, not here. If any of our men caught him, he would be killed on the spot, with no hesitation, and no redemption. There are only two rules in the mafia. You don’t betray it, and you don’t mess with women and children. They are to remain untouched and pure. It’s a known rule among all, though that doesn’t mean everyone follows.

Enzo must be good at sneaking around. He hasn’t been caught yet. Despite all the women coming out and accusing him, he hasn’t been punished either. Realizing he isn’t stupid both gives me