WEDDING DRESS

Olivia's POV

I decided to have a look around my soon-to-be husband's mansion, knowing that it would soon be ours.

The living room I stood in had shiny crystal chandeliers, marble floors, plush carpets and priceless art works. Everything reflected Alexander's extravagant taste and lifestyle.

I was about to climb up the stairs when Mia came down. She smiled at me, but the smile did not reach her eyes. “Hi ma-I mean miss Olivia. Would you like to get your wedding dress now? Mr. Alexander told me it was time to go for your wedding dress.”

“Why are you Alexander's personal assistant?”, I blurted. “I mean don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with you. It's just that Alexander is a powerful Mafia boss who doesn't care about women, so I'm curious about knowing why he made you his personal assistant.”

She looked down at the floor and started to cry. I felt bad. I didn't mean to sound condescending, I was genuinely curious as to why Alexander had employed Mia to be his personal assistant.

“I, I didn't mean to hurt you”, I stammered. I did not know how to comfort her.

“It's not you”, Mia said. “I was actually sold.”

“Sold?”, I asked, one of my eyebrows raised. It was a habit for my eyebrows to get raised when I was intrigued.

“My dad gambled a lot at one of the casinos owned by Mr. Alexander, but he kept losing all the money he had. That did not stop him from gambling. He loaned from an agency which was still owned by Mr Alexander, and he kept losing. His debt piled up to an extent that Mr. Alexander stopped loaning money to him, and demanded that he paid what he was already owing. But my dad had no money, he had spent it all away by gambling. Mr. Alexander got him to sell the little property he had and to also sell me off. My dad willingly agreed thinking that it would be enough for Mr. Alexander. But it was not enough. Mr. Alexander got his men to beat my dad up until he got a severe skull fracture which led him to get brain dead. Ultimately, he couldn't survive. Mr. Alexander took me as his property, raising me to be his personal assistant, saying he was giving me a better life than being with my wretched father who couldn't take care of me. I was sworn in as a member of the Mafia and I can never leave”, she explained.

I was fuming in anger when she finished explaining. Alexander had single-handedly ruined a man's life and his family. How could he be so cruel? He had convinced Mia that he was doing her a favour, but he did not care. He only cared about control, power, and his benefit in the whole situation. Alexander was not only an arrogant man, but was also ruthless.

“What about your mother?”, I asked curiously. If her father had failed her, surely she was supposed to have a mother who did not.

“Mr. Alexander killed her too”, Mia said, still sobbing.

“What?”, I screamed angrily. The cleaners who were on the second floor came downstairs to ask if everything was okay, and I had to tell them everything was fine. 

“I'm not bothered about her, she was–”, Mia said, but stopped talking halfway.

“If you do not want to tell me, don't worry about it”, I said. Perhaps, Mia had been forced to do what she did not want to do or will not do on a regular day, but because she was in the Mafia, she went against her will everyday. I did not want to be like Alexander, forcing people to do what they did not want to do. If she did not want to tell me what happened to her, then it was not going to be a problem. I was ashamed of being rude to her, and my dislike for Alexander grew even stronger.

“No it's okay”, Mia continued, “My mum was a deadbeat mother, she neglected my every need, showed a lack of interest in everything that I did. She didn't try to provide financially, emotionally or physically. When my father went broke, she started to have an affair with another man whom I hated so much. That man was wicked and assaulted me on several occasions. I couldn't complete my high school, and head to college. I was just stuck at home trying to fend for my parents. I feel like a bad person for saying this, but I am grateful that Mr. Alexander ended their lives, and took me in. He is a ruthless man who takes anything he wants, but he didn't try to sexually assault me, he put me in business school and trained me to be his personal assistant. All he has needed and still needs from me is my loyalty. I owe him everything, so loyalty is the smallest way that I can repay him.”

I had no idea if this was Stockholm syndrome speaking or if this is the way Mia really felt. My parents were not the best parents, but they did not neglect my needs. I was cared for like a little princess. So, I had no idea how Mia truly felt. I was not as angry as I was before. Mia seemed to be well taken care of, and according to her, Alexander had never tried to get involved with her in a sexual way. He had also saved her from bad parenting and multiple assaults. A part of me was happy at the kind of man that he was. He was ruthless, but he had his standards. 

But, this was not the life Mia had asked for. She did not beg to be on earth to be maltreated by her parents then sold to a Mafia boss. I knew that being a member of the Mafia was very dangerous. Mia's life was always at risk for the rest of her life whether she chose to remain in the Mafia or leave. I felt sad for her, but I could not save her because I was going to be part of the Mafia family soon.

“Please don't tell Mr. Alexander that I told you all this”, Mia said, struggling to wipe away her tears. “I am only telling you because you would soon be part of the Mafia, and since I pledged to be loyal to the Mafia, my loyalty extends to you and I have to tell you the truth. But I wouldn't want Mr. Alexander to know that I ratted all these to you on the first day that you're coming over to his house.”

“I understand. I won't tell him anything”, I said, pulling her into a hug. Besides, Alexander was not a chatty type, it was tough having a regular conversation with him. He was mean for no particular reason and was very dismissive. 

Hugging Mia was the best way to comfort her, because she stopped crying within a few minutes.

We went out for some ice-cream to help Mia feel better, and I was happy to see her smile again. After that, we went to get my wedding dress. I was still pissed that Alexander had not followed me to get dressed, but deep inside of me, I knew that he would serve no purpose if he had volunteered to take me to the store. He was narcissistic, and would not care about what I would wear.

On our way to the store, I texted that I was going to get my wedding dress, and as expected, he did not reply. But when I texted the details for his back card, he replied in under ten minutes. Touché!

The store was filled with many beautiful wedding dresses of different amazing designs and lengths.

“They are all very beautiful”, I said, while the wedding gown boutique owner smiled broadly at me.

“You would look so perfect in them all”, she said, and I smiled back at her warmly. I liked her.

“You could start by trying on these three”, Mia said, stepping in front of me with three beautiful white wedding dresses she had already selected. I was in love with her selection, and I knew it was going to be tough deciding on the best.

I wore the first dress at the dressing room. I looked stunning! The dress screamed “Emerald goddess”. It had glittering emeralds and sparkling embroidery. The top part of the dress showed my cleavage. The dress was flowy and beautiful. I took a mirror picture capturing all the details of the dress.

I stepped out to show Mia and the boutique owner. Mia started to clap, the boutique owner made a loud whistle, and I giggled. I completely forgot that I was not supposed to be happy about all of these. I was getting married to someone that I did not love, and my lover did not know that I was getting a wedding dress.

“I love this”, they both said together.

“I do too”, I said. “But I love the rest as well. I need to try them out.”

I went back into the dressing room to try on the second dress. The second dress screamed "Luxurious Siren". The fancy wedding dress had a high slit that showed my legs. The dress was tightly fitted and showed off my hourglass shape. It was made of fancy materials, and had pretty beading. It was simple yet gorgeous; I loved it.

I made a mirror picture that captured every detail of the gorgeous dress.

When I stepped out of the dressing room. I got even more praised than the first time, and all I could do was smile. 

I got into the dressing room to try out the third wedding dress. It screamed “Fairytale Ball Gown”. The top of the dress was fitted, and had pretty lace with sparkles. The rest of the gown was big and flowy. It was beautiful, and perfect for a princess.

I took another mirror picture. It captured the amazing details of the wedding gown. 

When I stepped out of the dressing room, I got praised yet again. The dresses were all pretty and it was difficult picking one. Both Mia and the boutique owner had a tough time judging which of the dresses was the best. 

I decided to do something I thought was ridiculous. I sent all three pictures that I had taken to Alexander, along with a text: "Hey, which one do you think looks best on me?”

To my surprise, he replied in less than a minute.