I could’ve sworn he’d been less insufferable before he got married. Pre-Vivian Dante would not have given a shit about other people’s “troubles” unless they intersected with his in some way.
However, since he was here and clearly didn’t have plans to leave anytime soon, I might as well take advantage. “You didn’t like Vivian when you first got engaged, right?”
Wariness spread across his face. “It was a complicated situation. But no, I didn’t.”
“And she didn’t like you.”
“No,” he said, more grumpily.
“So how did you go from hating each other to falling in love and having a kid?”
Dante frowned, his expression pensive. He appeared to give my question actual thought before he answered. “It didn’t happen overnight. It wasn’t like a switch flipped one day, and we were suddenly in love. It took months before I admitted to myself that I might not hate her, and it took even more time for me to tell her that.”
“Did you know how she was going to react before you told her?”
“No one ever knows when it comes to this stuff, and if theysay they do, they’re lying.”
“What would you have done if she didn’t feel the same?”
I was turning our meal into an interrogation, but I couldn’t ask anyone else these questions. Xavier would see right through me, and my other friends had different dynamics with their partners. Dante’s situation wasn’t the same as mine, but his came the closest.
“Why would you ask me that?” His scowl returned. “That’s fucked up.”
“It’s a hypothetical. Indulge me.”
He looked like he was seriously regretting his decision to sit with me, but after a long pause, he said, “If I sensed that she had even a bit of affection toward me—which she did—I would’ve tried to change her mind. That was basically what I had to do after we ran into some, ah,obstaclesduring our engagement.”
“You mean when she found out you used her as a pawn to take down her father?”
Dante glared at me. “For someone who’s grilling me like this is a fucking job interview, you’re being a real pain in my ass.” He released a long, controlled breath and said, more calmly, “The point is, I put aside my pride and did what I needed to do to win her back. Because I loved her that much.”
I drank silently and turned his words over in my head. They made sense, but they weren’t applicable to me.
All that time, only for me to hit another dead end.
Dante eyed me. “Why do you ask? Did you fall in love, Laurent?”
“No.” My laugh rang a little hollow for my liking. “I was curious, that’s all. Love isn’t for me.”
“Hmm.” He picked up his wine, his expression knowing. “That’s what I told myself at first too.”
CHAPTER 22
Sebastian
RADHIKA SINGH’S WEDDING TO HER EQUALLY WEALTHYfiancé took place in Jaipur, a city located in the northwestern state of Rajasthan. Also known as the “Pink City” for its trademark pink and red sandstone buildings, it was the perfect host for one of the year’s most anticipated social events.
The weeklong festivities started with a welcome dinner on Thursday, two days after my meeting with Maya. That segued into a whirlwind of themed parties, musical performances, and formal ceremonies held at various venues throughout the city. However, the highlight of the week was undoubtedly the grand reception. It took place on the lavish grounds of the equally lavish palace hotel where half the guests were staying, and the wedding planning team had managed to turn the outdoor venue into a temporary indoor one large enough to fit two thousand guests.
Between the structured roof and walls, multiple performance stages, and wall-to-wall flooring, I almost forgot we were technically inside a tent instead of an actual ballroom.
“Sebastian!” Maya’s father found me on the east side of the tent, watching a live artist paint scenes from the revelriesin real time. Their details were so exquisite, they could pass for photographs. “How are you enjoying the party?”
“It’s great. There’s no wedding like a Singh wedding,” I said smoothly.
He smiled, his mustache bristling with pride. “That’s true.” He lowered his voice. “Priya’s wedding will be even better than this. But you didn’t hear that from me.”
Maya obviously got her competitive spirit from her dad.