Chapter 61: A Fiancée’s Unwanted Dinner [3]

Samuel had been many things, but he had never been anything like Lorenzo. Unfortunately, Lorenzo had become him, carrying the same ruthless instincts and the same inability to deal with things that couldn’t be solved through power.

And now, for reasons he couldn’t entirely explain, he was trying to do the one thing that had never come naturally to him.

Win a woman’s affection.

Lorenzo glanced at Sofia.

She was busy cutting another piece of steak, seemingly unconcerned with his existence.

He needed to change the atmosphere before the dinner ended with nothing but another argument.

Unfortunately, he had no idea how.

His gaze wandered briefly toward the restaurant’s elegant decorations before returning to Sofia. He remembered reading about ancient mythology once, and one particular figure suddenly came to mind.

It was ridiculous.

It was embarrassing.

It was probably going to make things worse.

But he had to try something.

"Do you know Aphrodite?"

Lorenzo’s unexpected question made Sofia pause mid-bite.

"Aphrodite? No, I don’t."

Now, what nonsense is he talking about?

Lorenzo looked at her for a moment before leaning forward and taking her free hand.

Sofia flinched at the unexpected contact but didn’t immediately pull away.

"Let me tell you a story."

What?!

Sofia blinked in surprise.

Lorenzo Riina wanted to tell her a story?

The very idea was absurd.

Yet, judging by his expression, he was completely serious.

She glanced at their joined hands. His grip wasn’t particularly tight, but the contact made her skin crawl. She wanted to pull away, yet she resisted the urge, knowing that showing him her discomfort sometimes only encouraged him to push further.

For now, she decided to hear him out.

Lorenzo took a breath.

"Aphrodite was the ancient Greek goddess of love, beauty, passion, pleasure, and procreation."

Sofia stared at him.

For a moment, she wondered whether she had misheard.

Then she looked at the hand he was holding.

What the hell is wrong with this man?

She had expected another complaint about her table manners, perhaps a lecture about how a woman from a respectable family should behave.

Instead, he was talking about an ancient goddess.

And judging by the way he was looking at her, this wasn’t merely a history lesson.

"They say Aphrodite was the most beautiful woman the gods had ever seen," Lorenzo continued. "I believe they lived too early to meet you."

Sofia blinked.

Once.

Twice.

She genuinely didn’t know how to respond.

"Lorenzo..."

"Hm?"

"Did you hit your head today?"

His smile froze.

"...What?"

"Did you hit your head?" she repeated, looking genuinely concerned. "Or did you eat something strange? Should I call a doctor?"

Lorenzo stared at her.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then he laughed.

Not because her question was particularly funny, but because he should have known she would react this way.

This woman really doesn’t know how to appreciate a compliment.

He had spent a considerable amount of time thinking about what to say to her. Unfortunately, his previous experiences weren’t exactly useful.

Samuel had never been particularly good at romance. In fact, he had been an emotionally detached mafia boss who cared about little beyond reaching the top.

Romance had never been part of his life.

Lorenzo, on the other hand, had spent most of his existence treating relationships as something that could be obtained through power, money, or intimidation.

And when none of those things worked, he usually resorted to force.

It was a rather pathetic skill set for someone trying to win back a woman’s affection.

"At least let me finish," he said, rubbing his forehead. "I’m cringing so badly right now. This isn’t my style. I’d rather kill someone than say something like this, but here I am, doing the exact opposite."

Sofia nodded, a knowing smirk spreading across her face.

"Go on, then."

Lorenzo gave her a suspicious look.

"You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?"

"Not at all."

She was obviously lying.

He sighed and decided to get it over with.

"Let me tell you this, Sofia. If the goddess of beauty, Aphrodite, stood before me, crowned in gold, while you stood beside her wearing nothing but simple clothes, Olympus would lose my attention.

"Let poets praise Aphrodite. Let kings carve her face into marble. Let entire kingdoms kneel and call her divine. I would still search every crowded hall for you.

"Because Aphrodite may have taught the ancient world what beauty was, but if those poets had seen you through my eyes, they would have put down their pens.

"For they would have realized that the beauty they once believed belonged to the gods had been standing among mortals all along."

Sofia stared at Lorenzo as he finished speaking.

For a moment, she genuinely forgot what she had been about to say.

Not because his words had touched her heart.

Absolutely not.

She was simply trying to understand how the same man who had threatened to destroy her family, raped her, and called her a whore could now sit across from her and recite something that sounded like a poem written by a lovesick bard.

And the worst part?

He looked embarrassed.

Lorenzo rubbed his forehead and leaned back in his chair.

"God, that was awful."

Sofia’s lips twitched.

"What was that supposed to be?"

"A romantic declaration."

"That was a declaration?"

"Don’t rub it in."

"Haha...!"

For the first time that evening, Sofia couldn’t hold back her laughter.

It was brief, but genuine amusement escaped her lips before she could stop herself.

Lorenzo stared at her.

Then, slowly, his expression softened.

She’s laughing.

He couldn’t remember the last time Sofia had laughed in his presence without forcing herself to do so.

Of course, she was laughing at him rather than with him, but he decided not to be particular about the details.

Progress is progress.

Meanwhile, Sofia quickly covered her mouth and looked away.

Damn it.

She hadn’t intended to laugh, much less give him the satisfaction of seeing her enjoy herself.

But his expression had been so painfully serious while delivering that ridiculous speech that she couldn’t help herself.

Sofia rolled her eyes.

Then she noticed that he was still holding her hand.

Her laughter faded.

"Lorenzo."

"Hm?"

"Let go."

His smile disappeared.

For a moment, he looked down at their joined hands as though he had only just remembered what he was doing.

Then he released her.

Sofia immediately withdrew her hand and placed it in her lap.

The movement was small, but Lorenzo noticed it.

Of course, he noticed it.