Page 135 of The Strength Of A Woman

“He’s waiting for you,” she says. “Let’s go inside,” she suggests before we all move toward the house.

She leads us to a large room open on both sides of the house. Guests roam the backyard, where tables dressed in white linens sit, and servers, dressed sharply, carry trays of food and drinks.

As we walk inside, the men escorting us pull away from us slightly, creating a circle around Callum and me.

We make quite an entrance, judging by the guests' reaction.

A lot of ohs weave through their murmurs.

Some guests sit at the tables inside. Others stand, holding drinks and chatting.

A group of men stands by the exit in the back, where the breeze unsettles the women’s dresses.

Some of them look familiar, and as I look that way, I recognize the Sandoval Brothers.

Their drinks stop midair as they look at me, with a stunned expression on their faces.

They quietly greet Callum before devouring me with curious eyes.

They can’t look away as we walk past them.

One man stands out in their group.

His back is turned to us, his shoulders broad.

He shifts a little, aware that something important is happening behind him, and a devilishly handsome face enters my line of sight.

A jolt zaps through me in recognition.This can only be Andrea Mancuso, the man nicknamedIl Dracofor his wicked ways of handling business, and women in particular.

A tattoo crawls up his neck as he looks at me with possessive eyes.

I glance at Callum, who seems fully aware of the group’s obsession with me.

It’s part of the plan.

Marco’s green eyes glint with a knowing smile, as if Callum and I can’t fool him that we aren’t together.

Toni Sandoval’s amber eyes burn quietly beneath a canopy of eyelashes.I wouldn’t trust him with my luggage, let alone my life.

Maybe I bit the bullet with them.

For sure, I have.

The woman makes a small gesture to stop us before informing Callum that Varela will be conferring with him in a room upstairs.

“She’s coming with me,” he announces dryly.

The woman looks confused, not knowing what to say.

“Go tell him. She’ll be in the room with us, or we'll go home.”

The determination in his voice leaves no room for negotiations. She nods in acknowledgment and asks us to wait for a moment.

We remain standing, not far from the group of men across from us.

Mancuso has a cheeky attitude, which is probably nothing compared to how he is when he’s alone.

Callum abhors the attention that I get from him, so he turns to me and blocks Mancuso’s view.