Chapter 3 - Table 4
Sadi felt Roman’s thumb trace a slow, reassuring circle against her hip bone through the silk of her dress. The gesture was possessive, subtle, and wildly effective at keeping her grounded.
"Good evening, Mrs. Miller," Sadi said, her voice steadier than she believed possible. "This is Roman."
Derek had stepped forward, his eyes wide as he took in Sadi's appearance. He hadn't seen her in two years. His gaze moved over the rich green dress, the flush of color on her cheeks, and the way her curves seemed to fill the frame of the dark, imposing man standing beside her. A look of sharp, unvarnished confusion flashed across Derek's face.
"Sadi," Derek said, his tone strained as he adjusted his lapel. "I... I didn't think you were bringing anyone."
"Sadi almost didn't," Roman interjected smoothly, his voice cutting through the quiet terrace like a blade. He didn't offer his hand to Derek. He didn't even look at him directly, addressing the group at large while keeping his dark eyes fixed on Sadi’s mother. "She tried to keep this event a secret from me. She claimed I would find a suburban rehearsal dinner boring."
Roman turned his head, looking down at Sadi with an expression that looked shockingly like genuine affection. "She forgets that I go wherever she goes."
Helen Miller looked as though she had swallowed a lemon. She glanced from Roman’s expensive wristwatch—a timepiece that cost more than her husband’s annual pension—to the matte-black SUV idling at the curb.
"I... see," Helen stammered, pulling out her seating chart with trembling hands. "Well, Sadi, as I mentioned in my text messages, we had assigned you to... well, Table 12. Near the service entrance. We didn't plan for a... guest of this caliber."
"Table 12 won't do," Roman said. His tone was not angry; it was absolute.
"Excuse me?" Helen blinked.
"Sadi sits at Table 4," Roman said, his gaze finally shifting to Derek and Amber. "Directly across from the best man and his fiancée. I prefer to keep my eyes on the people my girlfriend spent her young life wasting time on."
Amber let out a high-pitched, nervous laugh, glancing at Derek, whose face was rapidly turning an unsightly shade of crimson.
"Mr... Roman, is it?" Derek began, stepping forward to assert himself. "The seating arrangements were made months ago. Table 4 is reserved for close family and—"
Roman turned his head slowly. The shift in his demeanor was instantaneous. The air around them cooled, the faint aura of civilized wealth vanishing to reveal the cold, lethal predator underneath. He looked down at Derek as if he were an insect crawling across a marble counter.
"Are you telling me where my woman sits?" Roman asked quietly.
Derek stopped mid-sentence. The color drained completely from his face. He stepped back, bumping into Amber, who grabbed his arm in terror.
"Table 4 is fine!" Helen blurted out frantically, waving her seating chart in the air. "Table 4 has plenty of room! I'll have the caterer add two chairs immediately!"
Roman’s face relaxed back into its neutral, unreadable mask. "Thank you, Helen. You're very accommodating."
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He led Sadi toward the grand dining room, his hand never leaving her waist. As they passed Derek, Sadi caught her ex-boyfriend staring at her with an expression of raw, unadulterated shock. For twenty-eight years, Sadi had felt small in every room she entered.
Tonight, standing beside a monster, she felt like a giant.
