Chapter 4: Dress Picking

*Rosie Fay-Donovan*

New York’s Annual Business Gala was an event my father made sure to attend every year while he was still alive. It was without a shadow of a doubt the best place to network, meet new people, and guarantee new investors and partners in the market. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but I couldn’t deny I liked the party mode.

Champagne, great food, good music, elegant people—what’s not to like? Sure, most of those attending were arrogant sons of b*tches who thought they ruled the world just because they had money. That was where my family stood out from them.

No matter how much money and power we had as a mafia gang, my father always made sure to be humble and teach me how to be as well. He always took care of the members and made them feel like they belonged like they were an extension of our family in a way.

My father also made sure to donate lots of the money we had, host charity events, and donate medicine and books to hospitals and schools every year. We had dirty money in our pockets, that was true, but we also had clean money, so if we could give it back to society somehow, why not?

But the ones attending the annual gala were nothing like that. They just liked to brag and shove in each other’s faces their success and money. Competing who held more power and influence. It was lame.

But I always looked forward to this event. Call it a guilty pleasure, whatever.

I wasn’t sure that Archie would be willing to go this year though. He missed the one last year, for reasons I still didn’t know, and the year before that we were still grieving the death of my father, so the entire night was pretty much a blur to the both of us.

Johnnie welcomed me home as soon as I unlocked the door and told me dinner would be served in a few minutes. I thanked him and flashed him a smile, appreciating the fact that he was always there for me. I didn’t think I ever said that to him, but I was certain he knew how I felt.

“Is Archie home?” I asked as I headed to the stairs.

Johnnie nodded subtly. “In his study room, Mrs. Rosie.”

“Thanks, Johnnie. I’ll be down in a few.”

As I headed to the second floor, I wondered how I should approach the subject. I hadn’t seen Archie since yesterday, and I had no idea how his mood was today.

I knocked on the door, finding it odd that it was so quiet inside. Normally, Archie would have his men with him or he’d be on the phone discussing business. It was rare to find him in complete silence.

“Come in,” his muffled voice ordered from the other side.

I turned the doorknob and walked inside. Archie was seated at his desk, a glass of whiskey in one hand and a stack of paper in the other. I assumed they were contracts he was revising, but I didn’t care to ask.

“Hey,” he said as soon as he saw me. “Good evening. How was your day?”

It was good to hear him asking about my day. He always did and he always seemed genuinely interested in my answer.

“It was nice. We’re preparing for the launch of the new collection, so everyone’s excited about it.”

He nodded, smiling at me. “I'm sure it’s going to be amazing. I’m happy for you.”

I strutted in his direction, stopping in front of his desk and sitting in one of the chairs.

“So, I was wondering if you’ll be going to the annual gala on Saturday with me.” I decided to simply ask the question instead of beating around the bush. The way I asked wouldn’t matter to Archie if he didn’t want to go.

He seemed surprised by my question though, his eyes widening slightly at me.

“Of course I’m going. Did you think I was going to let you go by yourself?” he asked in disbelief.

I raised my brows at him and grinned. “Well, you did last year.”

“I—” Archie paused to consider what I said. “I did, right? I must have had something going on that couldn’t be postponed, but you can count me in this year. Dad will be there too.”

“Oh, really?” I asked, excited. “That's great. It feels like years since I last saw him.”

“Yeah, well, ever since he moved to Cincinnati, he’s barely had any time to visit,” Archie agreed. “But we’ll probably see him again later this year. It’s the company’s 50th anniversary.”

Logan was the creator and owner of LD Couture, one of the most successful Haute Couture companies in the world. His dresses were to die for. I was glad I could wear his designs whenever I wanted. At least something good came from marrying Archie, I supposed.

“That sounds nice,” I replied. “Alright then, I’ll take a shower. Dinner will be served in a few, in case you decide to join me tonight.”

I didn’t mean to sound judgmental or to touch on a sore spot, but that’s how it came out. I stood up before he had the chance to reply and excused myself, leaving his office before he said anything else.

While I washed my hair, I thought about what kind of dress I’d like to wear for the gala. I’d wear one of Logan’s dresses, that was certain. I was normally photographed at these events, so I had to look incredible. And since I loved his dresses, it wasn’t that much of a hard job for me to pick one.

As I towel-dried my hair, I grabbed my phone and texted Sienna, asking for her help to go find a dress the next day. We’d have a meeting after lunch, so I asked her if she’d be willing to go shopping after that. It was no surprise to me when she texted me back saying she’d love to. If anything, Sienna was a shopaholic.

Dinner was calm, but Archie ended up joining me. I wondered if he did it just because I mentioned it or because he was feeling guilty for not having dinner with me last night. Whatever it was, it was nice to have him on the other side of the table.

Whenever he wasn’t working, Archie was a great company. I loved when he allowed himself to be carefree and just talk about normal life stuff. We talked about different things, from boring, formal business talk to gossiping about someone else’s lives.

Of course, he changed the subject every time I tried to approach a deeper, darker topic, but I was used to it. It never hurt to try though.

After a couple of wine glasses, sleep came easy for me. The next morning flew by as I searched online for some of the new dress designs from LD Couture. I even texted Logan to see if he had something he specifically wanted me to wear, so he said he’d call his New York store and ask them to pick a few for me to try on.

Sienna was equally excited as we left the meeting and headed to the store. 5th Avenue’s traffic was busy, but she was so chatty that we didn’t even notice it.

“I'm sure Logan has the best dresses separated for you,” she said, keeping her eyes on the road ahead. “This is your chance to catch Archie’s attention. You barely get out of the house with him, so use your femme fatale power to keep him hooked the entire night.”

Her optimism always impressed me, but she was on a whole new level lately.

“Sienna, this is a business event. Do you really think Archie will be interested in me? He could have dozens of contracts signed in just one night,” I pointed out the obvious.

“Girl, please! No wonder you don’t get laid for years. Move your a*s and do something!” she scolded me, glancing over her shoulder and smirking at me.

“B*tch, you don’t have to rub in my face that I haven't had sex in years,” I complained. “If you weren’t driving, I would hit you.”

Sienna laughed, signaling to the vehicle behind us that she’d turn right. We parked in the reserved spot in front of the store and Sienna turned off the car.

“Look, mark my words. Tomorrow night will be your opportunity to change things between you and Archie. I’m tired of you living this shameless marriage,” Sienna added, looking at me with a new determination in her eyes. “I’m just bummed I won’t be able to go and see Archie drooling all over you.”

I fought the urge to scoff. I wished I had this much confidence. But deep down, I hoped that Sienna was right.

At least, just this time.