Chapter 85 Marco's 'Fiancée' and Leonardo, Who Invited Me for the First Dance

Elena Garcia's POV:

"I'm Elena Garcia, Albert's sister," I said, nodding cautiously.

Leonardo's words sounded like a pick-up line, and in a different setting, I might have thought so.

"Thanks for the compliment. And thanks for helping me and my brother," I added.

"I'm Leonardo Bianchi. You can just call me Leon." Leonardo didn't seem like the gloomy guy Albert described, nor did he seem like a drunkard. He was positive, gentlemanly, and kind.

If this was an act, he was doing a damn good job.

I noticed he kept glancing at my neck, which puzzled me, but I soon figured out why.

A guy who seemed to be Leonardo's assistant quickly approached us with a gift box. Leonardo took out a beautiful scarf and said, "Please turn around, Elena."

Before I could respond, he wrapped the scarf around my neck and tied a beautiful bow.

Then I realized that Caesar had likely left some marks on my neck just then, and Leonardo's gesture made me like him even more.

Leonardo said with a hint of apology, "I'll give Caesar a talking to. I hope this won't ruin your opinion of the Bianchi family."

"Elena won't think that way," Albert, who was beside me, keenly sensed Leonardo's intentions towards me and interrupted our conversation.

Leonardo showed a regretful expression, realizing that Albert's vigilance made this an unsuitable time for conversation. He took my hand and kissed the back of it again. "See you later, Elena. Hope I can get the chance to dance with you later."

I hesitated and gave a farewell gesture without answering.

As Leonardo was about to leave, Marco ran in, his clothes a bit disheveled. Seeing me, his tense expression eased slightly. However, he quickly became tense again upon seeing Leonardo with me.

He greeted Leonardo warily, and after Leonardo left, he quickly ran to me. "Elena! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I reassured Marco, who clenched his teeth, the veins on his forehead becoming prominent, in a state of rage, especially when he checked and saw the marks on my neck under the scarf.

"Damn it! Where's Caesar?" Marco clenched his fists and asked Peter, who was following him. It seemed he already knew everything that had just happened.

Peter reminded him, "Calm down, Marco! Caesar probably saw Albert and wanted to teach him a lesson, he didn't intentionally target Ms. Garcia! Maybe we should handle this privately!"

Marco shouted furiously, "Why do I need to calm down? He dared to mess with Elena. I'll make him pay!"

I saw Marco place his hand on his lower back, where I knew he hid his weapon. But in any case, it was inappropriate to lose his temper at such a public banquet, especially since it was a charity banquet hosted by his agent, Francesco.

In the pleading eyes of others, I grabbed Marco and hugged him. "I believe in you, Marco. You will make him pay, but not now, okay?"

I didn't doubt Marco's words; his reaction made me feel warm. I cupped his face, kissed the corner of his mouth, and soothed him until he quietly looked at me.

"Sorry, I was too angry." Marco's emotions had calmed down a lot, and he kissed my forehead. "Stay away from us at the banquet with Albert, okay? There are many rest areas at the banquet, you can sit there and have some snacks."

Worried that I might encounter such things again, Marco instructed Peter to call West and have West follow me and Albert.

Because of West's previous identity, Marco thought this might make Caesar wary and not cause us any more trouble.

I nodded and agreed with Marco's arrangement.

When I re-entered the charity banquet hall, most of the guests had already arrived, and they were chatting.

Albert didn't introduce me to anyone; they just followed Marco's words and took me to the rest area.

I saw that Noah was also there, standing with Marco.

As the charity auction began, the tension between Marco and his two brothers escalated.

For any auction item, if Marco, Leonardo, or Caesar wanted to bid on it, the other two would definitely raise the price just to mess with him.

Francesco loved it. As long as they didn't start a brawl, it was great for the charity.

I noticed Noah whisper something to Marco, and then when a pair of ruby and gold earrings came up, Noah placed a bid.

Leonardo and Caesar didn't see Noah as a threat, so he won the bid easily.

Soon, Noah, who won the earrings, came over to me with them. "This is really exciting, I almost thought Caesar would compete with me for it, but luckily, when he saw it was me bidding, he just looked away!"

Noah winked at me proudly and placed the velvet box containing the earrings in front of me. "This should have been handed to you by Marco after a fierce bidding war with his brothers; he would appear in front of you with the spoils and receive your praise!"

Noah continued, "I mean, we can't let Caesar take advantage of us! That guy is too nasty, he might pay attention to which girl Marco is bidding for, but I'm different! How about giving the praise to me instead of Marco?"

I was amused. Noah always had a way to make people laugh, and I was happy to joke with him. "Really? Just change the praise? If it were Marco, I would also add a kiss."

"Don't do that, Elena! Then Marco would definitely strip me naked, throw me to the center of the banquet, and force me to perform a tap dance!" Noah showed a look of horror.

I laughed out loud. After Noah left, I continued listening to Albert telling me about the guests at the charity banquet.

I noticed a young girl suddenly sat down in the empty seat next to Marco, which originally belonged to Noah, who now had to awkwardly sit elsewhere.

"Who is that?" I asked Albert in a low voice.

Albert fell silent for a moment after seeing the girl, then spoke, "Don't bother about who she is. Marco will soon have her sent away."

Just as Albert said, I saw Marco frown, and even from a distance, I could feel his displeasure. But the girl didn't leave, instead, she hugged Marco's shoulder and leaned on him. This time Marco didn't make any move to reject her.

I stood up abruptly, anger rising in my heart. "Who is she? Albert, why won't you tell me her name?"

Albert had never hesitated when introducing others. He looked at my furrowed brows and, after some thought, reluctantly said, "She is the daughter of a high-ranking member of the Bianchi Group, named Sara. When Marco first returned to the family, she almost became his fiancée."

I was utterly consumed with rage right now. "Fiancée?"

Albert nodded and continued, "Yes, but back then, Marco was just a nobody, a total loser in Sara's eyes."

"So now, she regrets it, right?" I took a deep breath and looked towards Marco.

Marco was looking back at me, his expression somewhat helpless, but I only cared why he didn't shake off Sara's hand.

I felt a twinge of heartbreak.

I got up and headed towards the door, telling myself that maybe Marco couldn't refuse Sara because someone had influenced him or maybe he needed support from Sara's father.

But these justifications only made me sadder, and I walked quickly, hoping to find a quiet place to calm down. Albert called my name, but couldn't stop me.

But at this moment, the charity auction had ended, and the banquet had begun, the suddenly moving crowd blocked my way.

The first dance of the banquet was supposed to be initiated by the host Francesco inviting a lady, but he handed it over to the heir of the Bianchi family.

After Francesco finished speaking, I saw Marco walking towards me without hesitation. He looked anxious, and I thought maybe he wanted to explain.

But someone was faster than him, Leonardo appeared in front of me as I was about to leave. Leonardo extended his hand and invited me, his mature and handsome face exuding charming allure. "Elena, may I have this dance?"