Althaia We were still lying outside when the sky started to brighten. I pulled the blanket up closer to my chest while resting my head on Damiano’s chest, his hand caressing my back as I went back to admiring the ring on my finger. I was on cloud nine. I looked up at Damiano and he was already looking at me with a smile while he was playing with my hair. “I was just thinking when did you get to place such a unique order.” I said and held up my hand to show the gigantic oval-shaped diamond ring. He must have planned this weeks ahead to get the ring handcrafted on time. “I placed the order while you were visiting your father. I went to retrieve it when you were still sleeping.” “You can get it done that fast?!” I asked in surprise. “You can say I’m kind of well-known around here. It has its perks and things get done a lot faster that way.” Damiano gave a cheeky wink, making me laugh. “Right, being the biggest fearing Mafia Don makes you only ‘kind of well-known’. People hear the
Althaia “I thought you got kidnapped! I was about to send out a search party! But then Lorenzo told me Damiano took you to Italy. You could have said something!” Cara scolded me with a frown as I watched her all cuddle up in bed while we were facetiming. I was outside by the pool, sunbathing and drinking my beloved iced coffee when I decided to call Cara but I had forgotten about the timezone. “I didn’t even know he was taking me to Italy to meet his family. He made it a surprise.” I tried to explain to her. “You could have sent a text or something.” She continued to sulk. “I’m sorry, but I’ve been kind of busy these days.” “Oh, yeah, I can see you’re so busy looking fucking hot while sunbathing in Italy.” Her sarcasm had me giving her a blank look. “Busy with what? Fucking Damiano all day?” “That too.” I wiggled my brows before we burst out laughing. “I’ve been getting my ass kicked a lot lately. Damiano has been training me and Giovanni and Luca showed me absolutely no mercy
Althaia“I must admit, it is some exceptional wine.” Mr. Roberts complimented as he tasted the different wines.Chiarina and Vico had done an amazing job in touring us around the vineyards and explained everything in detail on how they harvest the wine grapes and when to harvest them. I was so intrigued by it all and I got even more fascinated when they explained how they measured the sugar, acid, and tannin levels to base the style of wine they wish to produce.“However, I’m not sure if I like the wine bottles. They are a little dull to my taste.” He commented and took a look at the bottles. Damiano and I shared a look and I mentally rolled my eyes as Mr. Roberts had been trying to drive the price down by finding ridiculous excuses. Such as how he finds the wine bottles boring. And I found it hilarious how Damiano pretended not to hear him by checking his watch every time he made such comments. It was obvious Mr. Roberts wanted the products, he just didn’t want to pay the full price.
Althaia The whole experience of me trying on dresses gave me a strong sense of deja-vu. It sent me right down memory lane when I went dress shopping for the first time with Damiano. He kept sending my ass back into the dressing room. And apparently, Damiano and his mother were much more alike than I had ever imagined. Because now, she kept sending my ass back with a new dress for the same reasons Damiano once gave. “We are not trying to give Nonna a heart attack. That is too revealing!” “It’s unsightly.” “Simply tedious.” Eleonora was a harsh critic and I was afraid we wouldn’t find anything that would please her. I then accidentally made a comment about how it didn’t matter what kind of dress I wore as long as I was there for Cara. “Oh no, honey! You have a reputation to uphold. You must show that you are the soon-to-be wife of a Don. And not just any Don, but Don Damiano Bellavia. It is now your obligation to also display his wealth and power along with your beauty. You do s
Althaia Since I had to attend an event that was taking place tomorrow, we had to spend the night at Nonna’s place. This also meant we still had to sleep in separate rooms because they didn’t know we were married yet. Now, I was in bed, tossing and turning as I couldn’t seem to find a comfortable spot. I was used to having Damiano sleep next to me. I sat up, let out a sound of frustration, and got up from the bed. An idea came to mind when I looked at the wrapped ring box I had. I grabbed it and shoved it in between my breasts since I had no pockets, and made my way to the door. I carefully opened the door and peeked out in the hallway to see if the coast was clear. It was as quiet and I thought I would take this as my chance and carefully closed the door behind me. I moved silently through the dimly lit hallway and made my way downstairs. I stopped at the end of the staircase and took a look around in case Nonna was up. I almost wanted to chuckle at how two adults had to sneak ar
AlthaiaI stared at the phone in my hand, not too sure if I should take the call or not. I didn’t have anything to say to him but I kept thinking maybe something happened to my father and he was calling to let me know. I took a deep breath to calm my pounding heart and hoped there wasn’t anything serious.“Hello?”“Althaia! Are you okay?!” Michael asked frantically,“I’m okay.” I said, confused why he was reacting like this.“Why didn’t you answer your phone? I thought something happened to you!” His voice was laced with frustration but also relief.“I was getting ready and didn’t have my phone on me… Is everything okay? Did anything happen to my dad?” I asked nervously.“Listen, I need to talk to you. Can I see you tonight?”“We can’t.”“Thaia, please… I know I said some fucked up shit to you and I’m sorry. I really am but I need to see you.” He sounded almost desperate.“I can’t, Michael. I’m not in the states right now…” I muttered.“What? What do you mean you’re not in the states?
Damiano “All preparation is ready.” Antonio informed me once we got inside the office. “Good.” I said and took a seat on the couch. I looked at the different files and pictures spread out on the table. I was now convinced each attack was connected with the other. But the question was how and why. “So, you’re confident he’s got something to do with this mess?” Rafaelle asked and sprawled on the couch. “I found a microphone in the pendant of her necklace.” Rafaelle sat up straight and looked at me. “And you think it’s him who did it?” He asked in surprise. “I know he did it. He told her she forgot it in the hospital. That’s fucking bullshit. She wasn’t wearing the necklace once we got to the hospital. She either left it at their house before they got chased or she lost in the woods. That’s what I was thinking. But when we went back to clean the house, it was nowhere to be seen.” I explained. “And suddenly it just happened to have a microphone in it.” Antonio commented and shook hi
Damiano I walked fast through the house until I heard muffled voices coming from the den. The door was already slightly open, and I saw Althaia sitting on the couch with a doctor attending to her hand. Her gaze was on the floor, her usually bright green eyes seemed dull and her expression was blank. I stepped inside, her head snapped in my direction and I watched her take a sharp breath and got up, ignoring the doctor as she quickly walked up to me. I immediately wrapped my arms around her, holding her close to my chest and I felt the tension slowly melt away. I leaned slightly back and put my hands on her cheek, looking around at her face to see if she was hurt. “Damiano, I’m sorry… I didn’t -” “Shh..” I shook my head as I saw her eyes glisten with unshed tears. “Don’t apologize for anything.” I told her softly. “Are you hurt anywhere else?” I gently took a hold of her hand, examining i. She had a few pieces of glass stuck to her hand, and she had several deep cuts, but nothing