Chapter 57

DANTE'S POV

I sat near the edge of the hall, pretending to listen to the small talk going on around me, but my mind was somewhere else entirely.

I couldn’t get Aria out of my mind. She had given Grandfather the Tears of the Moonstone, which definitely got everyone's attention.

Don't get me wrong, it was a kind gesture. I should have been impressed, and I was — sort of. But there was something about it that bothered me.

Why did she feel the need to bid against me for it at the auction if she was already planning on giving it to him? Was she giving it to him out of some sense of loyalty or affection? Or was there another motive?

Lately, Aria had become a puzzle I couldn’t figure out, no matter how many pieces I tried to put together. Every time I thought I had her figured out, she would do something to completely throw me off. And if I was being honest with myself, thoughts of her had been keeping me up at night.

I shook my head, trying to clear the anxiety. This wasn't the time or plac