“What do you think you’re doing here?” he demanded, looking down at me with an expression of exhaustion rather than outright menace.
I looked back up at him, meeting his gaze, running through the speech I’d prepared during the drive over to the gallery.
“Claude.” I looked at him intently. “Please. You have to let me in there. I’m just here to see Aria and her father. I’m not going to try and steal her away or anything. I just need to talk to her.”
Claude looked down at me, jaw set in a hard line, but to my shock, something changed in him. His arm dropped back down by his side. He glanced over his shoulder into the event with a flash of concern in his eyes.
“She’s been depressed since you guys split up,” he confessed, and the softness in his tone took me by surprise. It didn’t feel like a man of his size should be capable of this sort of tenderness, but here it was.
“I know, so have I,” I assured him.
“She used to be so happy and bubbly and energetic, but now, she can barely get out of bed. I’m worried about her.”
I looked up at him, imploring him with my eyes. If I could get Claude on my side, then this entire venture would be a hell of a lot easier.
“Then let me in,” I begged him. “Let me in there to see her. I won’t be long, and I need a chance to speak to her father in person, so it’s not like I’ll be sneaking around behind his back. I need to explain to him just how serious this is. Can you let me do that?”
Claude stared down at me, clearly going over his options in his head. Yes, he would end up in a fuck ton of trouble for what he was about to do, but he knew how miserable Aria was without me. To my elation, he stepped aside and allowed me through.
“Be quick.” He glanced around. “And don’t do anything stupid. Because I will kick your ass if that happens.”
“I won’t.” I slapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks, buddy. You won’t regret this.”
I ducked into the party, adjusting my tie. I’d come across the event online when I was trying to figure out what her father had been up to, and I knew it’d be a black-tie affair.
I scanned the room, an enormous hall lined with beautiful pieces of art and packed with hundreds of Hollywood elite, some of whom I recognized from movies or TV. But I didn’t care about any of them. I only wanted to see Aria, and I had no idea where to find her.
I started to move through the room, keeping my head down, assuming Claude wasn’t the only security Aria’s father would have watching her tonight. The rest of them might not be as understanding as Claude. I walked quickly, shooting furtive glances around the room as I did so. And then, from behind me, I heard a voice.
“Elliott?”
I spun around and found myself face-to-face with the woman I hadn’t been able to get out of my head. She looked stunning. Her red hair cascaded down her back, and she wore a green dress with a fishtail cut that flared out behind her. She stared at me in surprise, and then a smile broke out across her face. She threw herself at me, the gesture big enough that it caught the attention of a few people standing around us. To my surprise, she planted her lips on mine.
She breathed against my mouth before pulling back. “I can’t believe you’re actually here,” she said. And then she frowned. “How did you get in? Does my father know?”
“Claude let me in,” I said. “And no, your father doesn’t know. But I want to talk to him.”
“What?”
“I want to talk to him,” I repeated. “I deserve a chance to make my case to his face, don’t I?”
“No, let’s just get out of here,” she pleaded. “He never has to know you were even here.”
“Elliott Marshall?” a voice boomed from across the room.
The two of us turned our heads to see a man who was clearly Aria’s father marching toward us. He had the same eyes, except his weren’t bright and light but dull and empty. Well, except for the anger written all over his face.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing here?” he demanded, jamming his face close to my own. His breath smelled of expensive scotch, and he reminded me of my father for that very reason. I pulled away, pushing Aria behind me.
“I just wanted a chance to make my case to your face, sir,” I said, trying to keep my voice measured and calm, even though I was freaking out inside.
“Don’t ‘sir’ me,” he sneered. “Like you’ve had any amount of respect for anything I’ve said or done all this time.”
People began gathering around now, enjoying the unfolding drama that came free with their ticket to this fundraiser. I ignored them. I only cared about one thing.
“I want to be with your daughter.” I glanced over at Aria. “And I know she wants to be with me, too.”
I could see something in his eyes flickering as he registered the two of us together; his gaze moved back and forth between us, as though he was finally understanding we actually cared about each other. It was probably easier for him to pretend nothing was happening between us when we weren’t standing next to each other. That’s why I’d shown up here tonight. I wanted him to see it in person. Because I didn’t want him to be able to deny it any longer.
“Dad, I want to be with Elliott.” Aria echoed what I’d said. “I really do. And I want you to be okay with it.”
“Well, I’m fucking not,” her father snarled, and he turned away, planting his hands on a catering table, refusing to look us in the eye. “You know how I feel about this. You know what your father did to me. How dare you show your face to me? The two of you are over.”
“My father’s already disowned me because of this relationship,” I said. “He doesn’t want me anywhere near Aria than you do. Doesn’t that tell you I’m serious about this? So I don’t even come with family attached now. It’s just me, telling you I want to be with your daughter, and I want you to be on board with it. I don’t care about your feud with my father.”
“Feud? Is that what you think it is? A mere feud? Your father is a criminal.”
“Sir, that’s what he says about you. So, somewhere the truth is muddled, but that’s not what this is about.”
“Muddled? Don’t tell me about the truth. I know what happened. You don’t. And you’re lying just like your father.”
He didn’t turn around, not even allowing me the dignity of talking to his face. And finally, that seemed to be it. Aria exploded.
“I don’t give a shit what you think anymore!” she yelled, her voice bursting out of her like she’d been doing her best to keep all of this so inside and couldn’t do it any longer.
“I’m going to be with Elliott whether you like it or not,” she said, and her voice suddenly bubbled over with the kind of anger I’d never heard from her before. “I don’t need your permission. So, you can either accept it, or you can accept that you’re never going see me again.”
Slowly, her father turned around. By now, a bunch of people had gathered around to watch the drama, and I couldn’t blame them. This was better than the densest, deepest soap opera or the craziest drama Aria had ever starred in. Her father’s eyes widened as he looked behind us, and both of us glanced over our shoulders to see Claude standing there, looming over the two of us. Aria rolled her eyes, but I nudged her. This could actually play to our advantage.