Hades never ignored me. In fact, he paid too much attention to me. “I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “At least I’m rich, right?”
When it was getting late, I approached the drawing room. If I asked Hades to take me home, he would. The night had been stale from when I walked in the door, but now it was worse. I had work in the morning, and it was almost eleven.
There was a crack in the door, and I could see the three of them gathered in armchairs. Smoke from their cigars lingered at the ceiling, and their glasses of scotch had been depleted. I was just about to push the doors open when the potential client spoke.
“Hades, how’s married life?” He shook his glass of scotch, letting the ice cubes roll around loudly. He didn’t even take a drink, so his behavior was simply obnoxious.
Hades had his legs crossed, his elbow on the armrest and his fingers grazing the shadow of his jawline. His brown eyes matched the colors of the drawing room, the old wood, and the aged scotch on the table. “No complaints.”
“I would assume so,” he said with a laugh. “With a wife like that…”
“Yes, she’s beautiful,” Hades admitted. “She’s also smart, compassionate, and strong. She runs the Tuscan Rose and does a great job of it. I’m very lucky to have her as a partner.”
Whether he meant that or it was all bullshit, it touched me. He fought for me in his own way, showed the men in the room I wasn’t just a trophy wife he fucked at night. I was also valuable to him with my participation in this marriage. If someone were to ask him about Damien, he would have given a similar answer because they were partners. And he talked about me like I was his partner too.
“But I doubt any of that is as important as her ability to fuck.” The man laughed before he took a deep drink, as if he didn’t believe Hades was being genuine at all.
Hades watched him for a long time, his eyes open and filled with a hint of hostility.
Damien glanced at him, like he knew Hades would explode if his buttons were pushed any harder.
The older gentleman refilled his glass once more. “My wife is good enough, but I can’t say I’m not jealous. What’s it like to fuck a woman like that? To own a woman like that—”
“Keep talking, and that’s the last thing you’ll ever do.” Hades’s words sliced through the air like a double-edged knife. His fingers slowly tightened into a fist, and his knuckles turned a slight shade of white. With unblinking eyes and a gaze full of ferocity, he stared down his own client like an enemy. “I came here to talk business, not discuss my private relationship with my wife. She isn’t just the woman in my bed. She’s my partner in life, equal owner of everything I do. Disrespect her, and you disrespect me. You don’t own family—and she’s family. So, unless the next thing out of your mouth is an apology, Damien and I will withdraw our offer and you can find a solution elsewhere.”
The man stopped shaking his glass, stopped drinking his scotch. He avoided eye contact with Hades for a long time before he finally mustered the courage. “I apologize…”
Thirty minutes later, we finally left the house and walked to our car in the driveway.
I’d never interrupted their conversation and chose to pretend I had no idea what was said. I’d spent the next thirty minutes drinking wine at the table, suffering through the wife’s mediocre conversation because I was in shock from what I’d just heard.
Hades stood up for me.
He was loyal to me—just as he promised.
I could have easily ended up like the poor woman in that house…treated with insignificance. But my husband respected me, defended my honor even when I was nowhere around. He was willing to walk away from a big deal if I didn’t get the respect I deserved.
Now I proud to be his wife.
Hades helped me inside the car first before he took the seat beside me. His hands stayed on his lap, and he looked out the window, clearly upset by the turn of events. He wasn’t affectionate, and he didn’t ask me how my night had been.
Damien seemed to be in the same foul mood.
Our driver took us back into Florence and headed to Damien’s home. He also lived in the city, in a large building just like Hades.
My eyes kept glancing at Hades’s hands in his lap, thinking of something I could do to show my gratitude. I could pretend not to know anything, and maybe that was smart, but I still wanted to show my appreciation for what he had done. We had a murky past filled with resentment on both sides, but we still had a future together.