"You’re mistaken. I have nothing to do with any of that. I was merely invited to attend the event."
Beside me, Nicholas let out a cold scoff.
"Drop the act. You deliberately arranged to sit next to me. Who knows what you're up to?"
He turned to face me fully, his voice laced with warning.
"I'm telling you now. If you dare do anything to hurt her, I won’t show you any mercy."
Gasps rippled through the crowd as Nicholas’s words were captured in full by the rolling cameras.
The red-hatted reporter’s excited voice rang out,
"Our Best Actor fiercely defending his woman. This is sensational! A guaranteed headline!"
Before I could respond, a rough grip yanked my wrist.
"Isla Vasquez, who gave you permission to be here?"
That familiar voice. It was my half-brother, Matteo.
His grip was painfully tight, his expression dark with fury.
"This isn’t a place for you to stir up trouble. Come with me!"
A sharp pain shot through my wrist as I instinctively struggled.
"I'm here for business. Let go of me!"
My resistance only fueled his anger.