SWITCHED ✔️

CHAPTER 24

Arias POV

The room was covered in an irritating silence as I talked to Elijah, Dom, Ivan, and Elena next to me. All three of us felt the heat of Nikolai, Hayden and the rest of my brothers' eyes. I'm starting to feel I've got too many to even have the energy to remember their names.

Instead of following the heat of their gaze. Likewise, as everyone else around me, observed where the sudden silence was demanded from.

A warm breath whispered in my ears as the lights of the gigantic hall dimmed, "Ready for the show to begin?"

Elijah's face grew with a smirk as I watched his pupils dilate adjusting. I felt a wave of nausea come over me, and I repeatedly tapped my fingers against my palm. I hated the random rush of anxiety. I haven't felt it often, since James was out of my life.

 I remembered the note once again, I can never let Belle be near that man again. I recall the nights of what he would do, and when my adopted mother, would come back home. I'd told her everything and she overlooked every word as if I copied my sentences from a movie.

 I hated it. I made a mental note to call Belle's grandparents and check in on them.

Pulling me out of my thoughts, classy music started playing. Beautiful dancers with long feathers and boas came out. With fucking stunning hourglass bodies, I could barely make out their faces but I'm sure they were the definition of perfect. They started doing some cultural dance, I was tempted to pull out my phone and record them after some fire-breathing shit. As the dancers and fire breathers did their thing, I noticed many men began gawking at the young girls.

I began noting many women and some men's gaze began drifting towards the grand stairs that we came in from. Dom began creating conversations, mostly with Ivan. each twin has an incredibly strong connection with the other. Ivan and I had gotten very close in the past month. He shifted in the group to be next to me. Elena had retreated back to her brother, not too long ago so the four of us were just talking about who we thought would get the drunkest tonight. As Elijah as whispered in my ear, who was a part of each mafia. It helped immensely. Dom and Ivan appeared to be slightly panicking about...something. Elijah paid no mind.

"Chto, chert voz'mi, oni podumayut o ney?" (What the hell will they think of her?) Ivan said loud enough just for us to hear.

It's clear he had no meaning of me understanding what he said, still, both Elijah and I started at Ivan.

"Bros really got no spatial awareness skills," Elijah spat out laughing out loud resting his hands on my shoulder.

Ivan and Dom looked clueless causing me to begin laughing too. Maybe my first genuine laugh today.

My two brothers started at me asking for confirmation if I understood what they were speaking about.

I gave them a loving nod, translating A for effort.

"She also knows about what you two were spazzing over before," That made me laugh harder. It wasn't even funny but I appreciated Elijah telling them in a way so I could genuinely show them, I'm okay.Elijah be filed them over a bit better, to which they both grabbed me in a tight hug. Cutting off my oxygen. Who needs to breathe anyway?

At this point, the majority of the eyes of the room were set on the stairs. Elijah released a low whistle, changing his face from a smirk to a random serious face within seconds, making eye contact back with Nikolai. He was back fixed on the stairs, I followed the direction seeing a man, from the far distance I could make out, that this man was tall. He appeared to be semi-analysing the room. I figured it was someone well feared as each person in that room looked like they had gotten bitten by a piranha in the no-go zone.

The dances were still continuing in the back, but nobody paid them any mind. I tried piecing the pieces of the puzzle in my mind, I'd nearly spotted every man Elijah had told me to study except one.

Luka De Angelis

Head of the Italian Mafia.

Everything fell perfectly. The fear, the men who were previously gawking because they can't get laid, pissing their pants.

For some reason, I felt no fear. I was excited to see this man. I had no interest in approaching or exchanging any words.

Although the man I assumed was Luka was already down the stairs with women in his arms, had maybe 8 girls clowning around him at a distance. I still couldn't make out any of those faces.

"Stay close," Elijah whispered as the lights had dimmed further. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Nearly 30 minutes later, the party was back in full swing, with Elijah, Dom, and Ivan steadfastly at my side.

I soon discovered that many of the guests assumed I was attending as someone's date. To maintain that illusion, my father and brothers discreetly kept their distance, evidently not thrilled about my presence here.

Everything started feeling normal, just as a sudden cool sensation seeped into my dress,

"Oh shit," I mumbled to myself.

A waiter had knocked a glass of wine into my chest.

CHAPTER 24 COMPLETE

Not in love with this chapter but i promise ill try harder in the next one!!!

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