Chicago

To Kate’s surprise, instead of heading to the check-in counter, she found herself following the men through another exit toward the hangar.

“Where are we going?” She asked Tony suspiciously.

“To the hangar to board the jet,” Tony answered casually.

“The jet? What jet?” Kate asked in confusion.

“My jet,” Tony answered calmly.

Kate was stunned. They reached the hangar and behold, a white Cessna Citation M2 jet with ‘DaCosta’ written on it was right there, waiting for them. The porter loaded their bags in the jet and left.

A pretty blond lady who was the air hostess was waiting at the foot of the steps to welcome them. Charles went ahead of Tony and Kate.

“Shall we?” Tony asked Kate softly.

She simply nodded and let Tony escort her into the aircraft.

“Good evening, Mr DaCosta. Welcome on board,” the air hostess greeted him with a wide smile.

“Good evening, Patricia,” Tony answered her. “Meet Kate DaCosta, my wife.”

Patricia’s perfect smile faltered. She looked from Tony to Kate and then back again.

“Pardon me, sir, did you say she’s your wife?” Patricia asked.

“Yes, that’s what I said,” Tony clarified and gently helped Kate up the steps.

“W-welcome, Mrs DaCosta,” Patirica stuttered after recovering from her surprise.

“Thank you,” Kate answered absently and continued her climb into the jet.

The interior was cool and cozy with cream-colored furniture. Charles was already seated in the back beside the window and was flipping through a newspaper. He looked irritated.

Tony and Kate settled in the middle seats facing each other. The pilot, a middle-aged Asian man, came to greet them before returning to the cockpit. Within a few minutes, they took off.

Kate did her best to maintain her composure. She was so excited to be riding in a private jet for the first time in her life, but she didn’t want to embarrass herself by showing her excitement. She couldn’t wait to tell Wendy about this.

Patricia showed up with her perfect smile back in place.

“Would you like a glass of champagne, sir?” She asked Tony.

“Yes, please,” he answered.

“What about you, ma’am?” Patricia asked Kate.

“Uh, I’ll have a glass of orange juice instead,” she answered.

“It’s your wedding night, Mrs DaCosta. You might as well celebrate your good fortune with a glass of champagne,” Charles called out from his spot.

Tony gave him a hard look and Charles returned his attention to the newspaper.

“I’ll have a champagne, Patirica,” he announced without looking up from the papers.

After Patricia left, Kate leaned toward Tony and lowered her voice to say, “He doesn’t like me.”

Tony smiled warmly at her and said, “It doesn’t matter. I like you. That’s all that matters.”

Kate didn’t feel reassured, but she held her peace. Their drinks arrived and Tony raised his glass to her.

“To a new life,” he said pleasantly.

Kate clinked her glass against his and repeated, “To a new life.”

Charles ignored them for the rest of the flight. Tony asked Kate questions about her childhood and she gladly shared her fondest memories from back then with him.

Kate enjoyed how easy it was to talk with Tony. He was an attentive listener who appeared to be very interested in knowing more about her.

Two hours later, they landed in Chicago and disembarked from the jet. A chauffeur-driven black Rolls Royce was waiting for them at the hangar.

Kate followed Tony into the car in a daze. She still couldn’t believe that she was married to a man who owned a private jet and a Rolls Royce. How rich was this guy?

They drove in silence through the city to the suburb of Hinsdale where Tony’s palatial gated estate was located.  The gate leading to Tony’s property was a ginormous structure with intricate designs and a giant crest on top with a ‘D’ in the middle.

As the Rolls Royce approached, the gates swung open and they drove through an avenue of tall trees, a winding asphalt road bordered by perfectly trimmed lawns. There were tall vintage street lamps at intervals, lighting the way for them.

Kate counted three large fountains as they drove up to the house which turned out to be a grand stone structure built like a palace.

“This is your home?” Kate asked Tony in wonderment.

“Yes, Kate. This is my home and now yours, too,” Tony answered.

Kate thought she heard Charles snorting in the passenger seat, but she wasn’t sure. The driver parked in front of the mansion, and when Kate got out of the car, she realized that the building looked even larger up close.

She was in absolute awe of this place and she couldn’t hide it. Who lived like this?

“Shall we?” Tony asked Kate politely as he extended his elbow to her.

She took hold of his arm and let him lead her to the front steps. For once, Charles was behind them, and not ahead. As they got closer to the front door, they could hear the sound of music coming from inside.

The large double doors with golden knockers suddenly swung open. A middle-aged man dressed formally in an evening suit appeared there and smiled broadly when he saw Tony.

“Good evening, sir. Welcome back home,” said the man.

“Good evening, Fredrick,” Tony answered. “What’s going on inside?”

Fredrick suddenly looked a bit uncomfortable and he nervously scratched his bald head. “Er, Miss Athena is entertaining a guest,” he said.

“All this noise is for one guest?” Tony asked with displeasure. “Where is her brother?”

“He hasn’t been home in two days,” Fredrick answered and then looked pointedly at Kate.

“Fredrick, this is Kate, my wife,” Tony introduced her. “Kate, this is our butler, Fredrick.”

“Hello,” Kate greeted Fredrick but he couldn’t answer because his jaw was on the floor.

As Tony led Kate into the house, she heard Charles telling Fredrick, “Snap out of it man, get with the program.”

Kate noted how the front hall was the same size as her parents’ living room in Sommerville. There was an abstract painting on the wall, large flower pots on either side and a console table with an ornate mirror above it.

Tony led her toward what Kate presumed was the living room where a modern punk rock remix of Mozart’s Confutatis was blaring from surround speakers. They could make out the sound of a woman’s laughter and a man’s voice shouting, “Go, baby, go!”

Kate felt Tony’s muscles tensing under her hand. She knew she was about to walk into a confrontation and it made her uneasy.

Once they reached the entrance of the living room, they saw a man standing on the Blackwood coffee table, wearing only a pink thong and dancing recklessly to the obscene rendition of Mozart’s masterpiece.

A stunningly beautiful woman was sitting on the plush white couch in front of the dancer, with a drink in her hand, laughing drunkenly. She was wearing a short silk dress that looked as if it was sprayed on her.

When she spotted the newcomers in the room, she stopped laughing and picked up the remote control beside her to shut off the music. Her dancer quickly got off the table and covered his middle with his hands.

“What is the meaning of this?” Tony asked the woman.

“Take a wild guess,” she answered him rudely. Her eyes landed on Kate and she asked, “Who’s this?”

“Take a wild guess,” Tony answered her tersely.

The lady slowly rose to her feet and sashayed to where Tony and Kate were standing. Up close, she was incredibly beautiful with her mahogany skin, hazel-green eyes, straight nose, and full lips. There was not an ounce of extra fat on her curvy body.

Her light brown wig with blond highlights cascaded down her shoulders in rich waves. She was nearly as tall as Tony, and her prominent cheekbones and elegant bone structure reminded Kate of those gorgeous Sudanese supermodels.

“So, you finally got yourself a live-in lover, have you?” She asked in her silky husky voice.

“She is not my live-in lover,” Tony clarified. “This is Kate, my wife. Kate, this is my daughter, Athena DaCosta.”

Athena stared at her father unblinkingly for a few seconds before looking at Kate. She slowly lifted the glass of wine to her lips and took a sip while still studying Kate.

Suddenly, Athena started to laugh as if someone had said a very funny joke. She laughed so hard that she held her sides to try to contain her mirth.

When Athena was done laughing, she looked at Tony and said, “You are out of your mind.”

She turned around, walked into the living room and she switched the music back on. Then she ordered the half-naked man to start dancing again.

Charles chuckled and said, “Home sweet home, eh? Well, I’m out of here. Good night folks.”

Kate felt the urge to run after Charles as he left the mansion, but she knew she couldn’t do that. She realized just then that she had bitten more than she could chew, but it was too late for her to back out now.