6

Chapter 6 - Welcome Dinner

On Saturday, Brenda carefully dressed for the dinner organized by Giovanni's company in her honor.

She had opted for a black dress with sequins that made her look older than she was, so the age difference between them wouldn't be so evident.

The dress was low-cut, but not overly so, elegant and discreet at the same time.

She wore shoes with the highest heels she could bear due to her lack of habit, also to compensate for the height difference. She also applied more makeup than usual to make herself look a few years older.

When she saw herself in the mirror, she felt satisfied. She hoped to make a good impression and to perfectly represent the role of the wife she had been hired to play.

So far, he had fulfilled his part of the deal in every way, and she had not yet been able to reciprocate.

The balance of their first week of marriage had been positive for Brenda. Her expectations had been met, and the only inconvenience was that she couldn't quite relax when Giovanni was at home.

Something told her that despite appearances, she shouldn't trust him completely.

It had to be acknowledged that he hadn't tried to enter her room at any point. He had simply installed the lock he had bought himself and teased her occasionally, though. Apparently, he found her behavior immensely amusing and treated her like an immature and whimsical child.

But tonight she would show him that she was up to the role assigned to her and that she would fulfill her part of the deal perfectly with the maturity of an adult, which she actually was, even if he thought otherwise.

"Brenda, it's time," Giovanni called from outside her room.

"I'll be right out."

He was waiting for her in the living room. He had also changed out of his casual clothes and the jeans he usually wore to work and had put on a black suit with a white shirt and a dark gray tie.

Brenda had to admit that he looked handsome in that attire and that he lost much of his wild appearance. Even his typically long and tousled hair had been styled with gel.

"Well, what a change... Looks like you want to make a good impression on your company," she sincerely praised.

"In my company, they already know me too well. They won't change their opinion of me because of a suit and tie," he explained with a smile, "but the guest of honor can't just show up any way, and we have to acknowledge that you also present a very flattering change."

"Thank you."

"Dressed like this, you don't look anything like the ghost who wanders the hallway every night. You even seem like a woman instead of a girl," Giovanni teased this time.

Brenda felt annoyed by his mocking words, but then she thought it was better for him to see her as a girl; at least that way he would leave her alone.

"Let's go, or we'll be late."

"Will I have to ride the motorcycle in this outfit?"

"Not today, we'll take a taxi."

When they arrived at the restaurant, several people were already at the door, Marco among them.

Giovanni introduced her to his boss, the owner and director of the magazine, and several colleagues. Finally, he approached a tall, slender girl with dark hair; the same one she had seen in the photo.

"This is Francesca, my assistant," he introduced her, excitedly. "You owe her thanks for getting into the art academy; she can do everything perfectly."

Both approached each other and exchanged a cold cheek kiss. Brenda couldn't help but feel annoyed by Giovanni's words.

If she had managed to be admitted to the academy, it was thanks to her merits; it wasn't Francesca who had passed the exam.

Brenda realized that while they greeted each other, everyone's gaze hadn't left her, and she sensed something strange, like a kind of pity or mockery.

She couldn't quite identify what it was, but the truth was that everyone was focused on both of them.

They entered the restaurant and took their reserved table. Giovanni took her arm familiarly as they did and sat next to her. His boss sat on the other side, and Francesca sat across from them.

Brenda realized that a couple of times she caught Francesca looking at her strangely, as if evaluating her.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm not some weird creature," she thought irritably.

Something in the way Francesca looked at her made her realize that she knew what kind of relationship existed between Giovanni and her. She wondered to what extent he told her everything about his life.

Giovanni's boss talked about him and his work at the company. Apparently, he was highly appreciated there and was well regarded for promotion in his position.

During dinner, Brenda couldn't shake off the feeling that everyone was paying attention to Francesca and her.

She had fewer and fewer doubts that there was something more than a working relationship between Giovanni and that woman, although both were being very discreet, and nothing in their attitude betrayed anything else.

After dinner, the boss and a couple of couples left, and the rest, including Francesca and Marco, decided to go to a nightclub to dance and have some drinks.

They split into cars, and they got into Marco's car.

"Was it terrible for you to meet us all at once?" he asked, smiling.

"No, I thought it could be worse. At least I already knew you," Brenda said, shrugging.

At the nightclub, everyone else was already there, and they made room for them.

They danced to fast-paced rhythms for a while as a group, then sat at a table near the edge of the dance floor. They ordered drinks, and Brenda, who usually didn't drink alcohol, refrained from ordering a soft drink upon catching Giovanni's gaze.

If she did, he would probably continue to see her as a child, and she was determined to make him understand that she wasn't and that she was perfectly prepared for the role he expected of her that night.

"I'll have a whiskey with Seven-Up," she said.

He raised an eyebrow, and she looked away, trying not to see the mocking expression in his eyes contrasting with the seriousness of his face.

When the drink arrived, Brenda took a cautious sip to taste it and was unpleasantly surprised by how rough and strong it was. It tasted awful! But she would drink it to the last drop, albeit slowly.

She didn't even dare to look at Giovanni; she knew he would be watching her to mock her. So she started talking to Marco, completely ignoring him.