Chapter 148
Catherine’s POV
I stood at the massive wrought-iron gates of the estate, feeling small and suddenly very uncertain. I had come here because I had to, driven by a gnawing sense of guilt towards Dante. He deserved an apology, or at the very least, a proper explanation that didn’t involve me crying into his expensive shirt.
“State your business,” a voice crackled through the intercom.
“I’m here to see Kiera. And Dante. It’s Catherine Vaughn p>
The security guard behind the reinforced glass of the gatehouse stared at me for a long moment before picking up a phone. I waited, tapping my fingers on the gate. It took nearly three minutes of whispered confirmations before the gate finally groaned open. As I walked in, I couldn’t help but wonder—again—just how much money Kiera’s family actually had. Their mansion made the Vaughn estate look like a guest house.
I parked and walked up to the front entrance, where a man in a black suit was already waiting.
“Good morning, Miss Vaughn,” he said, his posture rigid. “Our boss is not currently on the premises. She’s out for a meeting, but she will be back home shortly p>
I nodded, adjusting the strap of my bag. “I see. Thank you. Is Dante inside p>
The guard’s brow furrowed. He looked at me with a blank, confused stare, as if I had just spoken a language he didn’t recognize. “Dante p>
My lips pouted in confusion too. Seems like they used different names in different circles. “I’m sorry. What I mean is Is her brother inside p>
“Ah,” the guard’s expression cleared instantly. “Yes, he is in his quarters. Please, come in p>
He opened the heavy doors, and I stepped into the foyer. A few staff members in crisp uniforms moved through the halls, pausing to offer me polite greetings. I greeted them back, feeling increasingly out of place.
“Excuse me,” I stopped a woman carrying a tray of linens. “Could you tell me which room is Dante’s? I mean, the brother’s room p>
“Of course, Miss,” she said with a small smile. “Go to the top floor. His suite is at the very end of the left corridor. You can’t miss it p>
I thanked her and headed for the stairs. As I reached the top floor, the silence of the house was abruptly shattered. A heavy beat began to vibrate through the floorboards. It was “Calm Down” by Rema, the volume turned up high enough to shake the frames on the walls.
I followed the sound to the end of the left hallway. The door was slightly open, only by a finger’s width, allowing the music to spill out into the corridor. I reached out to knock, but my hand stopped mid-air. Curiosity got the better of me, and I leaned in to peep through the gap.
Dante was in the center of the room, and he was dancing.
I felt the air leave my lungs when I saw his body. He was half-naked, wearing nothing but a pair of dark denim jeans. The jeans were hanging low on his hips, dangerously close to revealing more than they covered. I swallowed hard, my eyes involuntarily tracing the lines of his body.
He looked like a temptation designed specifically to ruin a woman’s common sense. His back was to me, revealing an eye catching map of tattoos that climbed up his spine and spread across his shoulder blades like dark wings. When he turned with the music, I saw his chest and abs fully defined, hard, and glistening with a light sheen of sweat. He had the kind of raw, muscular build that made him look like a professional fighter. He looked exactly like a bad boy from a movie, a Massimo-type figure who walked with a dangerous grace that needed no efforts.
I quickly turned around and shut my eyes tight, my heart hammering against my ribs. Stop it, Catherine, I scolded myself. You are here to apologize, not to drool. I tried to shove the image out of my head, but it was burned into my mind. He was hot… unnervingly so.
I took a deep breath, composed my face into what I hoped was a neutral expression, and turned back to the door. I knocked loudly, trying to be heard over the music.
The music didn’t stop, but a hoarse, deep voice shouted over the beat. “Who is it p>
“It’s me! Catherine!” I yelled back.
In a flash, the door was pulled open. Dante stood there, taking up the entire doorway. He hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt. He was breathing slightly hard from the dancing, and his gorgeous, dark eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that felt like a physical weight.
“Catherine?” he asked, his voice low and vibrating.
I stood there, paralyzed for a second by the sheer proximity of his bare chest. “Hi. I… I didn’t mean to interrupt your dance session p>
He leaned against the doorframe, a slow, knowing smirk spreading across his face as he realized I’d probably seen him through the gap. “Don’t apologize. I’m always happy to put on a show for a captive audience p>
“I wasn’t—I wasn’t watching,” I lied, though the heat in my cheeks told a different story. “Your security didn’t know who ’Dante’ was,” I said, trying to shift the topic.
“Ohh. Yeah. They know me by a different name here. In our family, we are a bit protective of our privacy p>
“I noticed,” I muttered.
“Besides, you know… I don’t really stay here. I only came because of you… apparently p>
Before I could start blushing again, I hurriedly went straight to the point.
“I came to talk. To apologize for last night. For Julian and Gabriel p>
Dante lowered his head to me. “You don’t have to but if you’re here to apologize, who am I to stop you p>
He was teasing me again, I knew it. “Shut up p>
He paused for a while, his eyes darting around me.
“What p>
“Nothing. Just looking for the flowers p>
I didn’t understand what he meant. Flowers? From? “You are making my brain go wild with questions. What do you mean by flowers p>
He let out a low laugh. “You came to apologize right? With no flowers p>
I smacked his head, realizing what he was trying to do. “Stupid p>