CHAPTER SIX.

  SERAPHINA'S P.O.V.

"You look gorgeous"

  Layla, Sofia, and I, hooted at and applauded Janelle as she walked out of the dressing room in a sexy and elegant fuschia colored silk slip dress.

"It's gorgeous but I don't think it would be appropriate for a wedding" Layla said.

"That's true. Adrian's sister is going to be a member of the bridal train. She's still a girl; I don't think her parents and brother would like seeing her in such a dress" Sofia added.

"I think I would disagree to agree with that point." a smooth voice purred.

My friends and I turned to see a dark haired beauty. She was tall and was elegantly dressed in a navy blue two piece suit and silver stilettos. Her perfectly manicured fingers clutched a small silver purse and silver jewelry adorned her ears, neck, and fingers. She did not look at all like the girl Sofia claimed she was.

"You must be Danielle." she said as she approached me.

Still stunned by her, I only managed to nod in reply. She beamed with elation and hugged me gently. After drawing back from the hug, she smiled at me, her pearly whites shining like they were cut out of a toothpaste advert, making me wonder if she was an ambassador for a toothpaste brand.

"I'm Alisia Valentino, your soon to be sister in law. You can call me Allie, only if you allow me call you Dannie." she introduced herself.

"Hi Alisia, you can call me Dannie, definitely. It's nice to meet you." I greeted.

"The pleasure is all mine, trust me" she said giddily.

  "These are my best friends, Layla London, Janelle Wang, and Sofia Vergara" I introduced.

"Hi! It's nice to finally meet you all. You're much more beautiful in person" Alisia said, her perfect smile still graced her face.

My friends blushed in unison and greeted her. They looked at her the same way she looked at me; their eyes shined with their approval of her.

"I'm sorry I came late; I got lost. I wanted to drive myself but I forgot an important. I have no sense of direction." Alisia apologized.

"It's okay. We were just starting anyway" Sofia assured her.

"That's great then. I can not wait to have a fun day shopping for the perfect bridesmaid dresses " Alisia gushed, her excitement matching that of my friends.

My friends squealed in unison and the four of them go around the shop, dress hunting, while I sat on a comfortable sofa, eating the mini muffins served to us alongside flutes of champagne as refreshments.

I stared at the several dresses that hung on mannequins and hangers. They were distinct, elegant and beautiful; each one of them having their signature designs. I sighed and for the first time, I wished I could enjoy shopping for my bridesmaids' dresses as much as my friends were enjoying themselves.

My phone vibrated with a new notification and I checked it to see it was a message from Chase.

I'm scheduled to land in New York by 4pm. I want to meet you, let's catch up.

  I sighed in exasperation. Being in contact with Chase was not something I needed at this moment. We had not been in touch with one another for almost seven years and now he has decided to appear from whatever hole he had buried himself in and ask to catch up with me in an obvious attempt to weasel his way back into my life.

He had sent three texts since yesterday and I had not brought myself to reply any of them. I had long ago decided that losing contact with him was good for me and I was not ready to bare the pain from the old wounds his presence in town was sure to peel open.

  Layla's laughter broke my train of thoughts and I refocused on the task at hand; getting the perfect design for my bridal train's dresses.

   "Are you ready?" I heard Janelle ask from behind the closed curtains of the dressing room.

  "I am" I said.

Sofia opened the curtains dramatically, and strutted out in a tomato red short backless dress;  a very simple and elegant dress, but it was not the one I was looking for.

Layla followed in a long, beige halter necked dress; a graceful dress, but it also did not seem like the perfect dress.

Alisia was next, dressed in a long lilac dress that has golden chains intersecting at the back; it was a beautiful dress, but it also, unfortunately, did not appeal to me.

Janelle was the last to come out, dressed in a long peach backless dress. The color of the dress was appealing and the silk material used in making the dress looked and felt fragile.

I decided my bridal train would look like angels in the soft and beautiful number.

"We'll go with the peach colored dress" I told the attendant that was waiting on us.

"In what sizes, ma'am?" she asked.

Alisia and my friends followed her to the reception to put down their dress sizes. A few minutes later, they joined me on the sofa and grabbed at the refreshments.

"Stop stuffing your face" Layla scolded me.

"I'm bored out of my mind" I told her.

"At this rate, you'll be fatter than Pluto" Sofia said.

Pluto was Sofia's 5 year old French bulldog. He was a fat dog that eats anything in it's path.

"How dare you?" I cried out in mock pain.

"Your dress is going to be the most beautiful and elegant wedding dress anyone has ever seen" Layla said dreamily.

"That IS true. Mum is getting it custom made by only the best designers in Paris" Alisia also gushed.

I smiled weakly, trying and failing to feel excited. I sipped a glass of champagne and listened to the girls talk amongst themselves.

"I think the best place to have your bachelorette is Vegas" Janelle said.

"Why Vegas?" Sofia asked.

"It's the wildest city in the country" Alisia replied, making me wonder if she had ever been to the city without supervision from either one of her parents or her brother, Adrian.

"That is true. It's going to be a crazy night out" Janelle added.

"Wouldn't it be better to plan a trip instead of going there for just one night?" Sofia asked.

"That actually makes more sense. That way, we'll have more time to explore the wildness of the city" Layla said mischievously.

"What do you think, Dannie?" Alisia asked me.

"I'm fine with whatever you guys have in mind. In fact, I'm counting on you guys to surprise me" I said.

"Surprise you, we shall" Janelle said with a wicked smile plastered on her face.

I laughed alongside the girls, Chase's text message still lingered at the back of mind.

 

      I RUBBED my sweaty palms on my dinner dress for the 15th time in 30 seconds.

Dad and I were on our way to the Valentino mansion for the formal introduction of the families. I had no idea what the preparations for the wedding were; I chose to be oblivious and I believed Adrian was doing the same while our fathers and his mother were in charge of the planning of the wedding and invitation of guests.

Our car pulled into the Valentino estate and I took deep breaths to calm myself down. As we approached the large fountain in front of the mansion, the marbled infrastructure, which stood tall and intimidating, gave me the eerie feeling that I was about to walk into a lion's den or a wolf's lair.

Once inside the mansion, I was surprised to find that the indoor was the complete opposite of the outside. Unlike the chilling aura the exterior  gave off, the interior was warm and cozy. 

A baron led us to the dining room while workers in uniforms scurried in and out of the room with platters of food.

"Welcome" Alfredo patted my dad on the back once we were in the dining area.

"Thank you for having us" dad said with a smile. He followed Alfredo to the dining table.

"You must be Danielle" a woman said.

She seemed to be in her late 30s or early 40s.

"Yes, I am" I curtsied respectfully.

"You're much more beautiful in person" she complimented.

"Thank you" I felt my face turn scarlet from a blush.

"I'm Alvida Valentino, Adrian's mother" she introduced.

"She's lovely, isn't she mum" I heard Alisia say from the dining table.

"She is" Alvida agreed with a comforting smile.

My face burned from the compliments being thrown my way and I could not do anything but smile awkwardly.

"Come, come. We had the chef make a variety of dishes. I hope you enjoy them" Alvida says as she led me to the dining table.

  She seated me beside an empty chair and went to the other end of the table to sit beside her husband.

"Adrian is on his way, he'll be here soon" Alfredo said.

I looked at the array of food that were spread on the dining table before me and I salivated in anticipation. They looked so delicious, I didn't think I could keep up with the facade of being a well cultured lady any moment longer.

   Alfredo signalled for us to start dinner and I dug in with gusto. Alisia chuckled beside me as she watched me basically stuff my face with the food.

I was so entranced by the deliciousness of the food that I did not notice Adrian's entry. I only looked up from my food when I heard someone clearing their throat.

"Nice going, bride. Why don't you stuff yourself and do me a favour by bursting before the wedding? That way I don't have to be shackled into a marriage with you" Adrian said coldly.

"You wish, my groom. Only in your wildest dreams. Let's be miserable together."

I shot him a glare and continued with my food. Alisia, who was apparently the only other person paying attention to us, giggled in amusement.

Adrian rolled his eyes and helped himself to dinner.

"Let's get down to business. We have a wedding to plan" Alfredo said seriously.

Adrian and I groaned in unison and then glared at each other.

At least we agreed on one thing; the fact that the marriage was anything but consensual.