Crave

Beyond the Gates

Chapter Two

Eliana

"El! Hurry up! We're going to be late!"

Marco's voice echoed through the house from somewhere downstairs.

I smiled to myself as I gave my reflection one last look.

Maria had spent nearly an hour helping me get ready. My silver hair fell in soft waves over my shoulders, and the pale blue gown she had chosen made my hazel eyes seem brighter than usual.

For someone who rarely left the house, I had to admit...

I looked beautiful.

I picked up my small purse, gathered the skirt of my dress, and stepped out of my room.

The moment I reached the staircase, I spotted Marco waiting impatiently below, tapping his foot against the polished floor.

He looked up as soon as he heard my footsteps.

"About time Your Highness decided to grace us with her presence," he teased.

I rolled my eyes.

"You've been waiting for all of three minutes."

"And those were the longest three minutes of my life."

I laughed.

His teasing expression softened as he looked at me.

"You look beautiful, El."

"Thank you."

He offered me his arm, and I slipped my hand through it.

As we walked toward the front door, I frowned.

"Where's everyone else?"

"They left a while ago," Marco replied. "Mika had to be there early for rehearsal, and Mama didn't want him arriving late."

A knot tightened in my stomach.

"What if... they changed their minds about taking me?"

Marco immediately stopped walking.

"They didn't."

He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Mr. Petrov is driving us separately."

I let out the breath I'd been holding.

Sometimes I still expected my freedom to disappear the moment I reached for it.

Moments later, one of Papa's black cars rolled into the driveway.

Mr. Petrov climbed out and opened the rear door with his usual polite smile.

"Good evening, Young Master. Miss Eliana."

"Good evening, Mr. Petrov," I replied.

There had always been something comforting about him.

He had worked for our family for as long as I could remember, and whenever he smiled at me, I felt strangely safe.

Marco climbed into the car first, and I followed after him.

As the car pulled away from the estate, I pressed my forehead lightly against the window.

For the first time in what felt like forever...

I was going somewhere.

The journey from home was longer than I expected, but the view was worth every minute.

The school stood proudly against the afternoon sky, its blue-and-white walls gleaming in the sunlight like a castle.

As the car rolled to a stop, a valet approached and directed Mr. Petrov to a parking space.

Marco stepped out first before turning to offer me his hand.

I took it gratefully.

Together, we walked toward the grand entrance.

If I thought the outside was beautiful, the inside left me completely speechless.

The high ceilings, elegant chandeliers, and polished marble floors made the hall look like something out of a fairy tale.

"Wow," I whispered.

Marco laughed softly.

I nudged him with my elbow.

"Oh, go ahead and laugh."

"I'm not laughing at you," he said with a grin. "I just forgot this is your first time seeing the school."

My eyes wandered across the grand hall. The chandeliers glittered overhead, scattering golden light across the marble floor until it looked almost liquid.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.

"It is," Marco agreed.

As we continued walking, the familiar ache returned.

The longing.

The same longing I felt every afternoon when my brothers came home from school with stories to tell.

For years, I had buried that feeling deep inside me because wishing couldn't change anything.

I still wasn't allowed to attend school.

"The auditorium is this way," Marco said, gently leading me forward.

When we entered, the hall was already crowded.

Almost every seat was occupied.

"Our seats are in the front row," Marco said. "Mama reserved them for the family."

I looked toward the front and immediately spotted Mama's silver hair among the crowd.

Just as we started walking toward her...

A strange feeling crept over me.

It was as though someone was watching me.

I slowed my steps.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

Almost instinctively, I turned toward the back of the hall.

There he was.

Antonio.

Standing alone in the shadows.

Watching me.

Our eyes met.

Something had changed.

The last time I'd seen him, his gaze had been warm and almost gentle.

Now...

There was something darker about it.

He stood with one shoulder against the wall, half-hidden by the shadows at the back of the hall. His eyes never left mine.

Slowly, his gaze drifted from my face to my neck.

Then lower.

It lingered for a brief moment on the neckline of my dress before traveling to the hem of my skirt.

Heat rushed to my cheeks.

I suddenly became painfully aware of how exposed I felt beneath his stare.

His eyes finally returned to mine.

A slow, satisfied smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

It had been almost a month since he'd climbed through my bedroom window.

In that time, nothing about him had remained the same.

He looked... older.

Harder.

There was a sharpness in his expression that hadn't been there before.

He was still handsome.

But now there was something dangerous about him.

"What is it?"

Marco's voice pulled me back to reality.

"Is something wrong with your dress?"

I blinked and realized I'd stopped walking in the middle of the aisle. People behind us were beginning to gather, waiting for us to move.

"Oh."

I gave them an apologetic smile and stepped aside.

"I'm sorry."

As Marco led me toward our seats, I couldn't resist glancing over my shoulder one last time.

Antonio was laughing.

Not loudly.

Just enough for his shoulders to shake.

When he noticed me looking, his grin widened.

I narrowed my eyes and shot him an annoyed look before turning away.

His laughter followed me all the way to the front row.

I quickly looked away and followed Marco to our seats.

Mama smiled warmly as we approached.

"There you are," she said. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

"We're only a few minutes late," Marco replied as we settled into our seats.

Mama shook her head with a smile.

"Only because someone took forever to get ready."

She looked directly at me.

I lowered my head, trying—and failing—to hide my smile.

"Sorry," I said trying my best to look remorseful.

Papa chuckled softly.

"You look very beautiful malyshka."

A warmth spread through my chest.

"Thank you, Papa."

Before anyone could say another word, the lights dimmed.

Conversations around the hall gradually faded until silence settled over the audience.

The curtains slowly parted.

A spotlight illuminated the center of the stage as the announcer stepped forward.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, "thank you for joining us this evening for our annual performing arts recital."

Polite applause filled the hall.

I looked around in amazement.

This was unlike anything I had ever experienced.

The excitement.

The music.

The laughter.

The applause.

For the first time in my life...

I felt like I was part of the world instead of watching it through a bedroom window.

I smiled.

***

Antonio

I had always found recitals boring.

Probably because I had spent most of my life attending events like this. Boring events, if I might add.

Hosted by influential people—inaugurations, auctions, charity galas, weddings... you name it.

But weddings were the worst.

Watching couples stand there with fake smiles plastered across their faces, exchanging vows we all know don't really matter. In the end, it's nothing more than a business arrangement made for the sake of their families.

A position I would one day find myself in.

Not that I minded. I didn't believe in love, but I wouldn't mind if my future wife had a little personality. A woman who wasn't obsessed with Daddy's money.

Speaking of Daddy...

I was only here representing him because our school's music director thought it was a brilliant idea to invite him.

A woman I was almost certain he was sleeping with. It wouldn't be the first time he'd cheated on Mother with one of my teachers.

The thought alone reignited the urge to put a bullet between her eyes.

Not because I cared.

Simply because there were far more important things I could have been doing with my time.

I pushed myself out of my seat. If I spent another second in that hall, I'd end up imagining everyone in it dead.

Adjusting my suit jacket, I made my way toward the back of the hall, where there was little to no light.

There was just something about the darkness.

It gave me a strange sense of leverage.

Or perhaps...

Control.

I hid myself in the darkest corner of the hall. I loved the comfort it brought—the fact that I could see everyone clearly while remaining unseen. I could watch their every move without them ever realizing it.

Then, suddenly, something shifted in the air.

Some kind of force.

One I had become far too familiar with lately.

As always, my eyes found her.

Eliana Rinaldo.

In all her glory.

She wore the most beautiful black dress I had ever seen. Its lace framed her figure, elegant enough to command the room without demanding attention.

She walked in beside her brother, Marco—one of the few men I could actually tolerate. Unlike the rest, he didn't spend every conversation bragging about his thousand whores or the wealth he had done nothing to earn.

I had seen their family earlier and assumed she wouldn't be attending, as usual.

I'm not one for surprises.

But I had to admit...

I liked this one very much.

Maybe I'd spare my music teacher after all.

I watched her stop in her tracks.

That's it.

Find me.

There was something oddly satisfying about knowing I wasn't the only one aware of her presence.

What bothered me was the fact that I could sense her in a room filled with hundreds of people.

And that troubled me far more than I cared to admit.

Her eyes finally found mine.

I didn't bother wondering how she had managed to find me in the darkness.

I already knew the answer.

Our eyes locked, and I took my sweet time staring back at her, scrutinizing every inch of her from head to toe.

I had no business looking at her the way I was.

She was too naive.

Too innocent for the likes of me.

She still had that untouched innocence people like me lost years ago.

And I refused to be the one who tainted her light.

She looked like the kind of girl who believed in unicorns and shat gold.

Ridiculous.

Yet somehow...

It suited her.

Besides, my father would kill me if he knew the thoughts running through my head about his golden ticket.

The girl I was supposed to be watching.

The girl whose every move I was meant to report back to him.

My eyes drifted back to her, and the corner of my mouth curled into a small smile.

I watched her cheeks flush pink.

They always did.

Marco called her name.

I wasn't sure she'd heard him because her eyes remained locked on mine.

He called her name again, louder this time.

She blinked and turned to him with a start.

The laugh I'd been holding back finally escaped me.

It shook my chest so hard I had to steady myself to keep from doubling over.

Marco frowned, glancing over her dress as though searching for the reason she'd stopped in the middle of the room.

She offered a quick apology to the people behind her before continuing on her way.

Not without throwing me one last unimpressed glare, of course.

Which only made me laugh harder.