Out Of Shadows: The Invisible Girl Shines

Sienna POV:

"Seal it!" a Capo roared over the thumping bass of the club.

"Seal the alliance, Moretti!"

Julian rose from his leather chair.

Moving with the soundless weight of a panther that had just fed, he rounded the table and pulled Valentina flush against his chest.

He did not hesitate.

He crushed his lips to hers in front of fifty Made Men, claiming her right there in the glaring light of the Commission.

My stomach bottomed out, a leaden sickness seeping through my veins.

I tasted the bitter sting of bile in the back of my throat.

For three years, he had only ever kissed me in the shadows of dark corridors and the sterile quiet of hidden safehouses.

He had always told me public displays of affection were a weakness.

He had lied.

A Capo lounging near the bar pointed his scotch glass at me.

"What about the soldier's daughter?" the man mocked, a cruel laugh escaping him.

"Her heart rate almost exploded for you, Jules."

Julian finally broke the kiss, though he kept his arm wrapped possessively around Valentina's waist.

He slowly turned his head to meet my gaze.

There was no discernible warmth in his striking features-only a terrifying, calculated emptiness.

"A mere soldier's daughter is not my type," Julian stated, his voice carrying over the sudden hush of the room, loud and unequivocally clear.

"And she never will be."

The room erupted into a chorus of mocking laughter again.

The entire Underworld had found its chief amusement for the evening.

I was a foolish commoner dreaming of a crown I was never meant to touch.

Swallowing the jagged lump forming in my throat, I backed away toward the exit.

Nobody tried to stop me.

Nobody cared enough to even look.

I pushed through the heavy iron doors and stepped blindly out into the alley.

A torrential rainstorm was already flooding the cobblestone streets.

The freezing water instantly soaked through the thin fabric of my dress.

Grabbing a discarded black umbrella from the brass stand near the door, I popped it open.

I just wanted to go home.

I desperately needed to scrub the suffocating smell of the club off my skin.

The heavy doors banged open behind me.

Julian strode out into the night.

Valentina was tucked firmly at his side, shivering delicately in her expensive silk dress.

Julian saw me standing there in the deluge.

Yet, he refused to look at my face.

He marched straight toward me and violently snatched the umbrella right out of my trembling hands.

The metal handle scraped painfully against my palm, tearing the skin.

The freezing rain immediately crashed down on my unprotected head and shoulders.

Without missing a beat, Julian thrust the umbrella into Valentina's hands, ensuring she was perfectly shielded from the raging storm.

"Go warm up the armored SUV, Costa," he murmured to her.

His voice was softer and more tender than I had ever heard it.

"I'll be right there."

Valentina shot me a passing glance of hollow pity before walking away, safely huddled under the black canopy as she headed for the car.

I stood completely exposed in the relentless downpour.

My soaked hair plastered to my freezing cheeks.

Meanwhile, Julian stepped back under the club's heavy canvas awning, perfectly immaculate and dry.

He pulled out his phone and rapidly typed something.

A second later, my burner phone vibrated heavily in my wet pocket.

Numbly, I pulled it out.

It was a mass notification from the Syndicate's encrypted network.

Julian Moretti had just officially announced his betrothal to Valentina Costa.

Attached was a high-resolution picture of them standing united in the VIP room, sealing their power.

I slowly looked up from the glowing screen at the man standing a mere few feet away from me.

He was already turning his broad back to walk away through the rain toward his new queen.

With a trembling thumb, I held down the power button on my phone until the screen finally went pitch black.