From the moment she came down the stairs Adriano felt his whole world stop. If he had thought Ximena looked beautiful before, tonight she indubitably exceeded that. Dressed in a gleaming gold tight fitting evening gown that had slits at the side to reveal tan long legs that had golden strappy heels so high...she seemed so unreal. Her lush black hair was pulled up in an elegant bun with stubborn curls spilling from it and resting on her heart shaped face, which barely had make-up save for the bright red lipstick. Diamond studs sat defiantly on her ear-lobes, adding to her resplendent self.

Overall, she looked regal.

If he had any doubts before about her being the most stunning woman, he'd laid eyes on, then he was sure of it now. When he'd complimented her, she all but blushed coyly as though she had no idea about her dazzling looks. And when he presented her with her gift, he could have sworn he'd seen tears in her eyes but as quickly as they appeared they disappeared, making him question if they'd really been there.

He placed the black box by a small table conveniently by the staircase and took her by the hand. Gently spinning her around, he clasped the necklace around her neck slowly, taking the opportunity to breathe in her odd but pleasant scent of peaches and lavender. Her hand flew to it and she stroked it, as though she couldn't quite believe it.

"Thank you, Adriano," she said once she'd turned around to face him once again with a demure smile.

"As much as I'd like to stand here and look at you all night, we better be going because I'm pretty sure we're late," he said taking her by the hand and led her out the door. He didn't miss the way a blush dusted her cheeks in response.

Instead of his usual bronze Bugatti, for the special occasion Adriano had opted for his white Ferrari he rarely brought out. It had cost him a lot so he'd figured he'd only drive it when it was completely necessary. Her eyes nearly fell out of their sockets when she got a glimpse of it.

Once inside and all buckled up, she ran her hand over the beige seat and dashboard in appreciation. "This is a beautiful car. Smooth like it's owner," she remarked with a flirtatious timbre, as he drove up the driveway to the gates. His lips twitched.

"I always aim to please," he retorted smugly, shooting an irresistible wink her way and she laughed.

Most of the drive there was quiet, only the soft music disturbing the non-verbal exchange. Traffic was forgiving which resulted in them reaching their destination sooner than he had expected. Outside the five-star hotel whose ballroom her parents had rented, Adriano stationed the car. When he looked at her, he noticed how her demeanor had completely morphed into rigidity and discomfort.

"Are you okay?" he asked her concerned and she gave him a stiff nod. He wasn't at all convinced.

From the dashboard he retrieved yet another black box but this one was smaller in size. In it was an obscenely large diamond ring. He took it out and held it in between his index finger and thumb.

"It's our engagement party after all," was all he said before he took her left hand yet again and slipped it onto her ring finger. Her lips pursed as she eyed it warily, her face a blank mask. She muttered a small 'thank you' which had an underlying meaning and Adriano exited the car to jog to the other side to open the door for her. Once he'd helped her out, he gave the valet his keys and they proceeded to enter the building.

As they approached the door leading to the ballroom with bulky men positioned in front of it, Adriano stopped walking. Noticing this, Ximena also halted in her tracks and turned back to face him. "What's wrong?" she inquired, and he slid his hands into his pants pockets.

He cleared his throat. "Why don't you go in first. I'll follow behind you. If we go in together, it'll draw too much attention," he reasoned and she nodded understandingly. Reluctantly she went up to the door and the security guards let her pass with no qualms.

What he had said was true but the real reason he hadn't gone in with her was because of the sudden rush of nerves he was feeling. The reality of what lay ahead of him became too real and threatened to suffocate him. There was no turning back now. It would be official and the tabloids would eat it up. The news of their engagement would spread like wild fire and just the thought of it made him nauseous since it was all but a farce.

Running a hand down his face, Adriano was about to leave when a voice made him stop short once again. "The party's this way hijo." That voice, he knew it anywhere. Whipping his head around so fast he almost got whiplash, Adriano shot the culprit a scathing looking.

Humberto grinned his evil grin. He was donning a brown Hugo Boss suit with a crisp white shirt, a black tie and shiny dress shoes. Him and Adriano could have been passed off as brothers if it wasn't for his silver-streaked hair and few wrinkles.

"I just needed some air," Adriano replied in Spanish, forgetting to mask his irritation.

Humberto tsked and took a step forward so he stood in front of his son. His green eyes were hollow as usual but had a certain arctic glint. "You were going to run, I know. If you're going to do that then you're just like your pathetic mother," he taunted causing Adriano's fists to clench at his side. He could have just punched him then and there but he knew that's what his father wanted; to get a rise out of him so he decided to school his temper.

Adriano lips broke into a wintry smile. "Whatever it is you're trying to do, it won't work Humberto. I don't know what you have up that filthy sleeve of yours but I can guarantee you will not get away with it," he warned with a snarl and then brusquely brushed past him, bumping his shoulder in the process.

The same burly guards let him through without a second guess. Once in the colossal room he quickly registered that the party was already in full swing. There had to have been at least fifty people in attendance, mostly older people. There were few people of Ximena's age. Clearly this was more of business gathering than a birthday. Waiters were scurrying about handing out hors d'oeuvres and the soft tunes of jazz music permeated the air.

This was indubitably not his scene, and by the looks of it neither was it Ximena's. From afar, he could see her smile tightly at the group of people that were huddled around her and her family. Adriano's eyes continued to scan the room, trying to find a familiar face until an arm slid across his shoulder. He tensed but then soon relaxed when he noticed it was only Santiago.

"I didn't think you were gonna show up," Adriano muttered, his arms crossed across his chest as Santiago moved to stand in front of him. He was wearing a wine-red dinner jacket and his hair was also jelled back.

Santiago grinned. "And miss your engagement party? Nunca. I even brought someone with me," he said and motioned behind Adriano. A young man of Arabic descent emerged, dressed in an emerald tuxedo.

"Nice to see you again, Dos Santos," he drawled haughtily in a thick British accent.

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~Deetronite