CHAPTER 4

~Joanne

The weekend came faster than normal, and I could only wish I had some kind of special power to slow down time. I was still not prepared for what was to happen sixteen hours from now, and the anxiety was eating me alive.

My phone buzzed in my hand, interrupting my train of thought.

I sat up straighter as I looked down at the screen and saw a message from Sasha.

Sasha: Hey, girl, you landed yet?

I had actually arrived five hours ago, and Enzo didn’t even allow me to get settled in with Monica before bringing me to this upscale store to purchase his wedding outfit.

Apparently, he wanted me to help him pick the best fit. Like I know anything about men’s wear. I’ll just go with any color and design that appeals more to my eyes.

“Yeah,” I texted back to Sasha as I imagined her scowling at my short, almost boring reply.

Her typing bubbles appeared almost immediately. I mentally rolled my eyes, knowing she’d start gushing about how lucky I was to be in Vatican City.

To be honest, if I could trade places with her, I definitely would. She was more enthusiastic about the wedding trip than I was.

“I heard it’s a beautiful place,” she typed back quickly. “Promise me you will send me pictures before, during, and after the wedding.”

I actually rolled my eyes this time. Seriously? Like I am the official photographer of the wedding?

I closed our chat, too exhausted to text back, or maybe because I didn’t want to promise her anything. I’d probably even be back in the States before the wedding ended.

My gaze lifted just in time to see Enzo coming out of the changing room in a sharp sky-blue suit that matched the color of his eyes.

He looked like a hot angel from heaven with the way the fabric hung perfectly around his broad shoulders and strong thighs.

‘Get a grip on yourself, Joanne,’ I scolded myself as I snapped out of my head.

“What do you think, Jo?” Enzo carefully turned around and then raised an eyebrow at me.

“Very… nice.” I smiled.

Honestly, he looked more than ‘very nice,’ but my pathetic brain was still too blown away by his looks to give a better compliment.

“You sure?” He grimaced.

“Let me guess.” I cheekily teased him. “You prefer your signature black suit.”

“Couldn’t have said it any better.” He said with a soft laugh.

“Black is boring.” I shrugged my shoulders, giving him my honest opinion. “Blue is vibrant. Don’t be boring and try something different for the sake of your big day.”

“Oh wow, I never knew you knew how to rhyme words.” The grin on his lips widened. “Now, I’m very confident this is the best fit.”

“Silly.” I chuckled softly.

Enzo beckoned to the salesman.

“I’ll take this,” he said to him.

“Perfect choice, sir.” He smiled professionally. “Please, follow me.”

They left for the changing room while I sat there, waiting patiently. A few minutes later, they returned. Enzo had changed out of the suit, now wearing his earlier T-shirt and black slacks.

I noticed the frown on his brows as he walked closer, holding his phone to his ear and a shopping bag in the other hand.

“Is everything okay?” I asked carefully as I stood up. We were already leaving anyway.

He put his phone away and sighed frustratedly.

“It’s my brother.” He replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice. “I’ve been trying to reach him to come take you back to the hotel.”

I stopped in my tracks as my mind reeled. I almost thought he was talking about another brother and not the one I knew of. But then, Enzo only has one brother.

“Your brother in jail?” My voice came out sharper than intended, causing him to frown.

“Yes.” He replied, confused, and added, “Actually, he’s out of jail.”

I shot him a dirty glare, annoyed at the way he saw nothing wrong with that. I couldn’t believe he was actually gambling with my safety right now.

I scoffed sharply. “You’ve got to be joking.”

“I don’t get it.” His frown creased harder. Then, “Wait… You’re scared of him?”

Scared? Not really. I don’t even know what he looks like.

But of course, for someone who has a crazy criminal record, I honestly can’t take such a risk and pretend he isn’t dangerous and maybe even unstable. It’s better to be safe than pretend to be safe around him.

“Get me an Uber, Enzo.” I said firmly, avoiding his question.

“You are new to this place, Jo. You can’t be moving around with Ubers—”

“Then take me back yourself.”

I sternly cut him off.

“I actually have somewhere else to be, but fine.” He sighed loudly in resignation and opened the front door, letting me inside.

“Are we good now?” He asked as he joined me, starting the car.

“Just don’t make any arrangements that concern me without my knowledge.”

“I’m sorry,” he quickly apologized as always. “Still mad at me?”

I rolled my eyes at him, and he laughed softly.

God knows I couldn’t even get mad at him even if I wanted to. I was only disappointed he didn’t inform me beforehand. But then, I definitely wouldn’t have taken it lightly if his brother had arrived before I knew about his crazy arrangement.

Finally, we arrived at the hotel, warm lights spilling out of the tall glass walls and bathing the premises in a beautiful glow. Five-star hotel for a reason, looking warm, sleek, and unimaginably expensive.

“Damn.” Enzo said suddenly as he stopped the car. “I really want to see Monica.”

“Okay?” I said, brows raised, confused. “I don’t think anyone is stopping you.”

“Seriously, Jo?” He laughed softly. “Have you forgotten about the wedding myth?”

“Oh, that.” I scoffed beneath my breath. “You still believe in that? It’s total bullshit.”

He let out a deep exhale after going silent for a moment.

“Tell Monica that I love her…” He said so emotionally that my eyes softened for a beat. “And tell her I can’t wait to see her at the altar.”

“Alright.” I forced a smile.

“Goodnight, Jo.” He added, and then I alighted from the car.

I stepped into the lobby area and headed straight for the elevator, feeling exhausted. Tomorrow is going to be a very long, torturous day for me, and I could already feel it weighing down on me.

The elevator dinged, and the metal doors slid open. I took a few more steps down the empty hallway and arrived at our suite, sliding the keycard into the door.

Pushing the door open, my legs froze on the spot as I saw Monica on the couch with an equally naked man between her legs.

I blinked in disbelief, my brain shutting down on itself.

Monica’s eyes immediately met mine from across the room, and they went wide with shock.

“Joanne!” She gasped out between moans, pushing the man off her naked body.