Vivienne dragged me down the stairs to the kitchen. For the first time, I took a good look at the house. It had a black Gothic design. The ceilings were high and the staircase was spiral. It had black marble floors that glinted in the light. The windows were floor-to-ceiling and they were covered by black and gray curtains. The kitchen was very spacious and it had a black counter in the middle. Contrary to the design of the rest of the house, the kitchen was white and gray. I was convinced that it was the only bright room in the house. The devil had made his house black like his heart. Vivienne guided me to sit on a stool that was near the counter. I was worried that she would get in trouble with Nikolai for being nice to me. “ Hey, Patrizia. I’m sure you know, Brie. Please give her your infamous chocolate cake so she can feel better. “ Vivienne said to a middle-aged lady with dark hair. She looked between us and smiled. “ Hey, Brie, “ she greeted and I greeted her back. Sh
I looked at my reflection in the mirror as the girls moved around while trying to get me to look presentable. The dead look in my eyes scared them. No matter how hard I tried to smile, I ended up looking constipated. “ Honey, are you okay? “ One of the designers asked. I nodded my head even though I wanted to shake it. I knew if I told her what was going on, I would probably get her killed. She wanted to ask more but she must have thought better of it because she snapped her mouth shut. The door opened and the groom came in. He smirked at me through the mirror and turned to face the girls who were working on me. “ Leave! “ His voice boomed and the girls scurried away. It was just me and him in the little room he had kept me prisoner in. He looked good in his black Armani suit and his hair slicked back. With great difficulty, I peeled my eyes away from him. “ Don’t you know it’s bad luck to see a bride in her wedding dress before the wedding? “ I asked with a bored look on my
The ceremony went by in a blur. I could barely remember reciting my vows and saying yes to being Nikolai’s wife. The only thing I remember vividly was the kiss. Oh, the kiss. I could still feel his lips lingering on mine. Every now and then, I found myself touching them. They still tingled and it was a feeling I could not explain. I wanted to hate him but it seemed my body thought otherwise. “ Smile, mìa regìna, “ Nikolai said. We were in the car and headed to the venue for the wedding night reception. I hadn’t even realized that he was looking at me. He had been so busy with phone calls ever since we got into the car. News of our marriage must have traveled like wildfire. His vows must have traveled the fastest. Nikolai had me there. He expressed such emotion that if I wasn’t the bride, I would have believed that he loved me with all his heart. If only they knew how much he hated me. “ What does that even mean? “ I asked, irritated. He always called me names in Italian and I
" I'm taking my wife home now, " Nikolai announced to the men he had previously introduced me to before they started talking business.They laughed and congratulated him once more before he guided me away with his hand on the small of my back.It felt protective and somewhat territorial, like he was letting everyone know I belonged to him.I had already informed him that Lily was not leaving Italy and he had agreed to host her in his–our house. He led me to the car, and acted like a perfect gentleman by opening the door for me. I rolled my eyes at his silly attempt to prove to me that he was a decent man." I'll fix that attitude of yours, " he muttered." Maybe if you had courted me the right way I wouldn't have an attitude. " I replied with a scoff.There was silence after that. Nikolai smirked and stared at me the whole way back. It was like he knew something I didn't.The feel of his eyes, however, sent a shiver down my spine. It felt good for a man that handsome to eye me like t
When I woke up the next morning, the spot next to me on the bed was empty. Nikolai had worked the whole night.Did he ever rest? He reminded me of my father. My mother would always complain that my father was never home. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to have the same fate as her.I shouldn't have cared anyway because it was a fake marriage. I got out of bed, showered, and wore a blue long-sleeved sundress with white flowers on it. I also wore white sandals to go with it. I headed downstairs and found Lily in the kitchen munching on Patrizia's infamous cake. She jumped when she saw me and her eyes gleamed with mischief and curiosity.She pulled me to the chajr next to hers and sat me down." So, is he a beast in bed? " She asked and I choked on the cake I had bitten from her plate.She rubbed my back and I blushed profusely when I recalled the moans of pleasure I heard from the girl he was having sex with a few days before.He must have been a beast in bed. I would never f
I was sitting in the garden reading one of the novels I found in the library when I heard cars enter the estate. Cars usually entered the estate but this time, it was many cars at once.That meant someone important had come to the estate. I shrugged my shoulders as it wasn't any of my business.A few minutes later, Lily came to the garden and stood in front of me with her arms crossed against her chest." What are you doing here? " She asked and I raised an eyebrow at her wondering what she meant.I raised the book to show her something that was already so obvious." Your father is here and you're just sitting here? " She asked.I didn't believe what I was hearing. Didn't he go back to New York? I laughed realizing that Lily played pranks like these all the time." If this is some silly joke-"" Your father is here! " Lily exclaimed.She had a serious look on her face so I stood up and left the garden in a hurry. Sure enough, my father's cars were parked around the fountain.Had the o
The issue of Lily and Lorenzo was still on my mind. Lily was mad at me for sure. She hadn’t spoken to me during dinner and she ignored me when I tried to talk to her. I had taken that opportunity to glare at Lorenzo as hard as I could. “ You’re thinking about something, “ Nikolai said from the door and my head whipped in his direction. I hadn’t even heard him come into our room. I put my lotion down as I had been applying it on my legs for too long. “ You’re here, “ I stated, surprised. He hardly ever came to our room at night. At first, I thought it was because he was working but I figured that he was giving me the space I needed. Looking at him, I realized that he looked very tired. His shirt was almost completely undone, giving me a peak at his tattoos and his hair had been ruffled. It was like someone had run their hands through it repeatedly. I hated the feeling that settled in my chest at the thought. I couldn’t afford to be jealous. I needed out of that marriage, not to fi
To say I was bored was a complete understatement. My excitement for the grape field had already died down and all I felt was a hollow space in my heart. Nothing interested me. At all. Lily wasn't talking to me and I barely even saw her.' She is probably busy with Lorenzo, ' I thought.I had neglected to tell her about the creepy conversation I had had with Viv because I was afraid to destroy our friendship to the point of no return.Over a man.That was the one thing we had promised each other not to do. Look at us now.I sighed and clutched my head as I was already feeling a headache coming. I decided to hang out with Viv. Maybe I would get to know her better if I did.However, my hopes were crushed when I found her furiously typing on her MacBook in the kitchen. It looked like she was busy.I admired her ability to drown out the noise because there were boisterous activities taking place.. For some reason, I got angry that I had no one to talk to. It all came back to Nikolai and