Chapter 0006

•CAMILLA•

I looked at the reflection in the mirror and sighed when I saw Francesca walking into my room. I got up from the chair and looked at her.

"Hey."

She scolded as she walked toward me and stood a few feet from me. She was upset with me, and I understood her reasons.

"I'm sorry, Francesca. I know I should've taken you with me, and I understand why you're mad at me."

She scoffed. "Is that why you think I've been avoiding you all morning? Camilla, I was supposed to be your friend, well," she rolled her eyes. "Assistant. Can you imagine how the last 3 years have been for me? Your father was on my neck 24/7, and I didn't even know what to say to him."

I leaned toward her and took her hands into mine. "Thank you for being a good friend and keeping my secret for me. I know my happiness was all you wanted, but I'm sorry that it had to cost you. I never wanted to make your job difficult for you."

She looked at me, and when I saw her mouth curling into a smile, I released a sigh of relief and giggled as I wrapped my arms around her.

"I thought you were going to be mad at me forever!" I chuckled as she pulled back from me.

"What? That's crazy. You're my girl," she smiled. "Besides," she rolled her eyes. "You're paying me a lot of money to keep sulking."

I laughed as I punched her softly on the shoulder and continued getting dressed for my small wedding outside the back porch garden.

"How does it look?" I asked as I looked at the dress in the mirror.

"You look beautiful, Cammy. Where did you get it?" She asked as she leaned forward and helped me with the zip at the back.

"It belonged to my mother. It's the same dress that she was wearing when she married my father, and her mother wore it as well when she got married to my grandfather," I sighed. "I hoped I would wear it one day when I marry someone I love and who loves me."

Francesca looked at me through the reflection in the mirror and caressed my back.

"I'm sorry, Cam. I know how important this was to you, but, you know, sometimes love doesn't come to us in ways that we expect."

I turned around when I realized how right she was. Since I was looking for someone to pour all my love into, maybe that was my downfall from the beginning.

"You're right," I chuckled. "Isn't it crazy that I endured a lot of bullshit all because I wanted a true love like my mother and father had before they had me and my brothers? I was so angry that my father agreed to my arranged marriage to an immoral man when he knew how important it was for me to find love on my own."

"Santino is not too bad."

I just looked at her and rolled my eyes before I turned to the mirror and looked at myself one last time.

"Please don't tell me you find a hopeless playboy attractive. Santino is very arrogant, and if it weren't for my pregnancy, I wouldn't have agreed to this ridiculous idea of marriage."

"You can't tell me you guys are going to be living in the same house and not fall for each other?" She scoffed. "His body is to die for, and you're going to see that every day!"

I laughed. "Alright, lover girl, come out of that little bubble of yours. I won’t share a bedroom with him, let alone a living room. We have everything planned out, so don't worry about me making the same mistake twice." I answered confidently as I turned around and smiled.

I was ready for my wedding ceremony so that I could start my life afresh and close my chapter with Lucius forever.

Francesca slightly tilted her head and looked at me as if she didn't believe a thing I had just said to her.

"He took your virginity, remember? So tell me, how are you going to ignore that as if you don't know his member inside of you when you guys live together?"

I rolled my eyes. "That happened years ago, before I even found out that he was Cecilia's cousin's son. Not only that, but he paid me the following morning like some common whore. That's why I hate him."

"You're right. I can't believe I forgot that," she fixed my hair a little and smiled as she leaned back. "Let's get you married and make his life miserable."

We laughed, and just when we were about to walk out of the room and head out to the garden, the door creaked open, and Cecilia and Asher walked in.

"Francesca," Cecilia directed, as she looked at her. "Can you please excuse me and my stepdaughter to talk for a moment, please?"

Francesca looked at me for approval, and when I nodded my head, she quickly walked past Asher and left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Before you go out there to tie the knot with Arya's son," she narrowed her eyes as she leaned forward. "I want you to know that I'll be watching you closely, Camilla. You may have your father and everyone else fooled that you and Santino agreed to go ahead with the arranged marriage, but you can't fool me."

"He agreed to the arranged marriage, and so did I, so what are you hoping to uncover, Stepmother?" I scoffed. "You, of all people, should be glad that I finally agreed to the marriage. Not only are you going to own 10% of the new company, but you're going to be running it since my father is close to his retirement age."

"You might think that you're smart, little girl, but I am going to expose whatever game you think you're playing." She pointed her finger at me, and when I looked behind her and saw how unbothered Asher was about the whole thing, I shook my head in disbelief.

"Asher, are you her lapdog now?"

"How dare you?" Cecilia scolded me as Asher stood beside her, scolding as well.

"You disappear for 3 years and think that everybody must drop to their knees and worship you as Daddy's little princess? Well, you're wrong, little sister." Asher responded.

"I didn't expect that you would stand beside her as if you're her bodyguard," I couldn't hide my disappointment in him.

He was my second-oldest brother, and before leaving home, he and Cecilia weren't really fond of each other.

"Unlike you, your brother knows the meaning of family and would never abandon us and come back for a day, and want us to do his bidding. This makes me wonder why you're so quick to want to marry Santino just because of the little bastard in your belly. I'm sure the rascal isn't even his."

I took my bouquet from the counter and sighed. "Well," I smiled at them. "You guys can continue entertaining yourselves with whatever is in your minds because I don't care. If the story that you just told me makes sense to you, then do what you can with it."

I turned my back on them and walked out the door. When I got outside the garden and walked down the aisle, my heart pounded in my chest.

When the minister was done with our vows and announced us husband and wife, Santino leaned toward my ear and whispered.

"Now that you are my wife, I have a surprise for you. Well, let's just say I have made your number one enemy my enemy, and as we speak, he's going to sell his company to me. It's yours, but don't think of it as anything but my wedding present."