The Foiled Plan (War of Sins Book 2)

‘You look gorgeous, Noelle.’

I turn to see Yuyu come into my room.

‘Thank you,’ I murmur, studying my appearance in the mirror.

I’d donned on a black dress that thankfully covered all of my scars. My unblemished legs are emphasized by the cut and length of the dress, and that makes me slightly more comfortable.

‘Do I really have to come too?’ I ask on a breathless sigh.

For weeks now I’d heard about the ball that Cisco has been organizing, all in an effort to bridge the gap with the other crime families of New York and reinstate DeVille to its former glory. After all, my marriage with Raf had been part of that plan.

My brother has spared no expense in trying to make the event as ostentatious as possible—no doubt trying to dazzle his way into the inner circles.

His plan is simple. Pave the way for closer relations between DeVille and the other big players in the city, all the while undermining Raf’s brother’s power and making a show of a united front with Raf as his brother-in-law.

But that also means that everyone invited is a criminal. And that scares me.

‘You know you must be seen.’ She explains gently, placing a hand on my shoulder. ‘People need to see the physical evidence of a DeVille-Guerra union.’

‘I wish I didn’t have to…’

‘I know, sweetheart, I know. But this will be the biggest event in decades. You know our family has always been isolated from the rest. To have DeVille back at the negotiation table is monumental.’

‘How do you do it, Yuyu? How can you stand all of this?’

Being Cisco’s wife, she has even more responsibilities than me. And I’ve never seen her as anything but cordial—always with a smile on her face.

‘It takes practice,’ she gives me a tight smile. ‘You may not be aware because you were too young. But it wasn’t easy for people to accept me as your brother’s wife. I had to hear their backhanded comments for years. I still do. In the beginning it got to me—it would have gotten to anyone. But at the end of the day, does their opinion really matter? I have your brother and that is enough for me.’

I look at her for a second, unable to believe that someone as nice and gentle as Yuyu would willingly marry my brother. He might not be bad looking, but he is many bad things. And I know Yuyu is aware of every single fucked up thing he’s ever done, yet she’s never left his side. She’s supported him through thick and thin, and that makes me really wonder about the nature of the relationship. After all, I don’t think many people would be able to put up with Cisco.

‘I’ll do my best,’ I force a smile.

‘Good. Because you also have Raf, and I see the way you two look at each other.’

‘What do you mean?’ I frown.

‘Oh, come on. He’s always looking at you as if he couldn’t wait to get you alone and,’ she pauses, a mischievous look on her face, ‘have his wicked way with you.’

‘Yuyu,’ I exclaim, scandalized.

‘It’s true. I knew from the beginning there was something between the two of you. He could never take his eyes off you. It’s why I told Cisco to monitor your relationship closely, and if the opportunity arose, to approve of it.’

‘You?’ I ask, surprised. But then I shouldn’t be since Yuyu is the only person my brother listens to.

‘Sometimes, two people are just made for each other.’ She comes in front of me to arrange the small bow at the top of my bodice. ‘And when you find that person, you hold on tightly.’

‘Is that what happened with you and my brother?’

‘Yup,’ she nods, a genuine smile on her face. ‘I wouldn’t be here without your brother. And he wouldn’t either,’ she says cryptically before walking away, giving me a wink as she tells me she’ll meet me downstairs.

I spend a few more minutes in the mirror, giving myself a pep talk and trying to will the fear away.

After all, I’ll have Raf.

And considering how he’s been with me for the last few days…

I shake myself, not wanting to go there.

But in spite of my reservations, he’s slowly charming his way into my life.

He’s nothing short of a gentleman. He opens my door, he pulls my chair for me at the dinner table. He does everything short of feeding me himself—which, granted, would be a little weird. At night he burrows his way into my bed, citing that he’s looking out for my health as the main reason.

But I’ve also seen the small efforts he puts in making sure I’m never uncomfortable.

Since the first night, he hasn’t gone to bed shirtless again, making sure he’s fully dressed before climbing next to me. He always asks me if I’m comfortable, and has even taken it upon himself to taste my water to make sure the temperature is just right.

Why, he even offers me a massage before bed every single night.

His behavior is nothing short of astounding. But I have to admit it also makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, his regard not going unnoticed or unappreciated.

He’s been by my side this whole time, offering to talk about my baby and how finding out about it made me feel. But considering my memory is one giant black hole… I’m not exactly sure how to feel. Still, his support has helped me tremendously in coming to terms with yet another thing that Sergio had stolen from me.

The only thing that surprised me—and I’ve yet to figure out if positively or negatively—is that he hasn’t tried to make a move on me.

Not even one.

He kisses my forehead every night before sleep and he gives me a peck on the cheek every now and then. But he hasn’t tried to take it further.

For all his talk of wanting me, he’s barely touched me.

Even when we sleep, he always lays on top of the blankets, as if he can’t stand for our skin to touch.

Before, I knew he was attracted to me sexually, proof being his visible arousal when we’d be next to each other. Now, though? There’s a nagging feeling that he may feel disgusted by what he saw—by the scars on my body. He may feel more protective over me now, but I fear that may have extinguished any desire he had for me.

And that…

I shake myself, focusing on the task at hand and adding the finishing touches to my make-up.

When I’m done, I head downstairs.

He’s at the bottom of the stairs, engaged in a heated discussion with my brother. But as he hears me come down, he whips his head around, his eyes going wide with wonder.

The intensity of his stare makes my body erupt in goosebumps, and a slight blush appears on my cheeks.

Yuyu was right. He does look at me as if he’d like nothing more than whisk me away and have his wicked way with me. And that gives me some hope.

His mouth parts slightly, small beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

He tugs at his cravat ever so slightly before taking a step forward, offering me his hand. The moment my skin touches his, though, it’s like a bolt of electricity goes through my body, starting from the tips of my fingers and ending right into my core.

Heat travels down my neck and I’m aware of my color changing, embarrassment visible from the neck up. Yet he doesn’t seem as affected. His eyes are fixed on me, his irises a clear blue that seems to shine with intensity.

‘You look ravishing,’ he purrs, his deep voice increasing the voltage in my already electrified body.

And when he takes it a step further, bringing my knuckles to his mouth for a brief kiss, I’m pretty sure an audible sigh escapes me.

‘Shall we?’ He asks, tugging my hand in the crook of his shoulder.

I nod, giving him a shy smile as he leads me to our car.

Cisco organized the ball at one of our estates upstate—one of those old Georgian manors with a ballroom to occupy the entire ground floor.

In fact, the house itself had been converted as an events-only space. A place where all the raunchy crime talk takes place, no doubt.

Everyone is embarked in a car, and after a lengthy journey, we pull up the road of the house.

‘Nervous?’ Raf asks me as he helps me out of the car.

‘A little,’ I admit truthfully. ‘I don’t know anyone here.’

‘Don’t worry about it. Stay by my side and everything will be fine.’

He lays a kiss on my temple.

‘Ok,’ I nod, clutching on to his arm as we make our grand entrance.

Being my first time at such a grand event, I have to admit I’m not entirely confident of myself. And that confidence seems to wilt the moment I see the other guests.

My eyes are arrested by the sight of beautiful women walking in even more stunning gowns, as well as the dashing gentlemen that are by their side.

‘These are all criminals?’ I ask in awe, and Raf gives me a nonverbal grunt. ‘Why is everyone so beautiful?’

Turning to him, I frown when I see his cloudy expression, and the fact that he’s watching me with a semi-scowl on his face.

‘Is everything alright?’ I ask tentatively, afraid I’d said something wrong.

For a moment he doesn’t answer as we reach the middle of the dance floor.

But one moment we’re heading towards a group of people, the next he has me backed into a corner, his finger on my jaw as he tips it up to get me to look at him.

‘I’m not a violent man, Noelle,’ he starts in a harsh voice—harsher than I’ve heard coming from him. ‘But I find that you instill that feeling in me.’

‘Wh-what? What are you talking about?’ I ask in a shaky voice. Already I’m afraid I’ve committed a faux pas when it hadn’t been my intention to do so. But seeing as my experience in high society is limited at best…

‘You don’t get to call other men beautiful in my presence and expect me not to react,’ he says, and I blink in confusion.

The color of his eyes shifts, a stormy blue overtaking the previous peaceful one. There’s tension in his jaw as he grits his teeth, and I realize he is serious.

‘I didn’t mean…’

‘Listen here, and listen carefully.’ His voice drops an octave and chills spread down my spine. ‘You’re my wife, my woman, mine. That means you don’t look at other men. You don’t acknowledge other men. And you certainly don’t call other men beautiful. Is that clear?’

‘Uhm…’ He doesn’t let me speak as he continues.

‘Now retract your words,’ he orders, his tone serious.

‘What?’ My mouth opens in a scandalized o.

‘Retract your words, or we’ll be here all night.’ He taps his foot against the floor, his body caging mine like an unrelenting fortress.

‘They aren’t beautiful?’ I’m not sure what he wants to hear from me, especially as he raises a brow at my words, clearly not pacified.

‘Good,’ he says in a gruff voice, his breath fanning over my cheek. ‘Now say it like you mean it.’

‘I’m sure the others are waiting for us,’ I try to de-escalate. ‘They’re probably wondering if anything is wrong…’

‘The words, Noelle,’ he states in an impatient tone, and I realize that my best bet is to comply.

‘I was wrong in saying the people here are beautiful,’ I start. ‘I don’t find any of them attractive,’ I add for good measure.

‘Good girl,’ he purrs like a feline who just had his belly stroked. ‘You’ll learn that I’m a very fair man until it comes to this.‘

I nod enthusiastically, and a smile pulls at his lips.

‘I guess we better mingle with the others,’ he finally suggests in a cheerful tone, so unlike the one he’d used before. ‘Keep being a good girl and you may earn a reward,’ he whispers right before the tip of his finger comes down on my nose in a teasing caress.