Chapter 58: Chapter 58
\[ SOFIA’S POV \]
The air in the ballroom had turned from tense to lethal. Through the crowd, I saw him, Simone. He moved with a cold, jagged arrogance that earned him his title: the Mafia Prince of Sweden. He didn't just walk; he carved a path through the guests, his presence as sharp as a sub-zero winter.
"Simone," my father said, forced warmth coating his voice as he stepped forward for the traditional greeting. They exchanged a brief, stiff embrace, the kind men share when they are both hiding knives behind their backs.
Simone didn't waste time on pleasantries. His light eyes scanned the room like a predator looking for a kill. "Where is Iris?" he demanded, his voice cutting through the music. "Where is my bride?"
"Uhm, she will soon be here," I stepped in, my voice smooth despite the sweat pooling at the small of my back.
Simone’s gaze snapped to mine, freezing me in place. "Then get someone to call her for me. Now."
"Calm down, Simone," my father said, his tone warning. "I will ask someone to call her right now."
Simone stepped closer, his shadow falling over us both. "So, she’s truly not in this estate?"
The question hit me like a physical blow. I tried to keep my face a mask of confusion. "What do you mean?" I asked, forcing a small, mocking laugh. "Iris is right in her room."
"Shut up, you bitch," he spat. My face heated with a mix of shock and fury, but I stayed silent. He leaned in, his voice a low snarl. "My spy told me she’s not in this estate. If she’s gone, I want my money. I want every penny back, plus interest for the insult."
Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked away, his long coat billowing behind him like a shroud.
I turned to my father, my heart hammering against my ribs. "What do we do, Father?"
My father didn't look at me. He was staring at the space where Lorenzo had stood, his eyes bloodshot and filled with a terrifying, cold light. "I’m going to kill Iris," he swore, his voice a hollow rasp. "She has humiliated this family for the last time. If she isn't a bride, she's a corpse."
Later, as the guests began to thin out, the cleanup crew moved in like vultures. I know this was the worst party they ever attended.
\~~~~~~~~~~
I stood in the shadows of the hallway, my chest tight with a rage I could barely contain. Different plans, ways of killing Iris keep flooding my mind.
I heard a click of heels on the ground and I turned to look in the direction it was coming from. Esther was finally at the party that had already ended, strolling toward me, looking entirely too relaxed. I had asked Paul and Peter not to come because I didn’t want Salvatore to notice how close we were. But Esther..Esther was my bestfriend and yet she chose to come late for my party, I didn't wait for her to speak. I feigned a flare of pure, hot anger, stepping into her path to block her way.
"Where the hell have you been, Esther?" I hissed, my eyes flashing. "Why are you just coming now when the world is burning down around us?"
Esther didn't look bothered. She leaned back against the wall, a lazy, satisfied smirk playing on her lips. "I’m so sorry, Sofia. I know how special this night was for you. But this is a gathering of very powerful, very hungry men. I had to get myself some 'D,' you know? Just to keep myself together through all this tension." She winked at me playfully, the smell of expensive cologne and sweat clinging to her.
I didn't move. I didn't laugh. I just stared at her with a look that could have curdled milk.
The playfulness died in her eyes instantly. She straightened up, her gaze darting across my face and then to the empty hallway behind me. "Now that I’m looking more closely... the room feels kind of hot even though all the guests have left," she muttered, her voice dropping. "What the hell is going on, Sofia? Why do you look like you're about to execute someone?"
"Iris is gone," I said softly.
Esther let out a sharp gasp, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. Her eyes went wide, but the expression in them wasn't grief, it was a twisted kind of hope.
"Iris is dead?" she whispered, leaning in closer. "How? Finally! I mean... how did the bitch die?"
I closed my eyes for a second, rubbing my temples. Right now, I feel like slapping her. Esther could be so incredibly dumb at times. She didn't realize that a dead Iris was a tragedy, but a missing Iris was a goddamn catastrophe.
"She's not dead, you idiot," I snapped, opening my eyes to glare at her. "She’s gone. Taking. And Simone knows she isn't in the estate. He's demanding his money, and Father is currently swearing to turn her into a corpse the moment he finds her."I rasped all at once.
“Can you calm down and fucking tell me what went wrong. Who is taking and who is demanding money?”
I took in a deep breath and let it fill my lungs to calm my fucking burning heart. “Salvatore took Iris just when the party was going on just to humiliate my father and me. And Simone asked my father to send his money back, the one he sold Iris for. Do you understand now?”
“You mean your father sold Iris to Simone the fucking hot ass mafia prince of Sweden?”Esther asked, her jaw nearly hitting the floor. “Oh, Sofia. You do me bad. What about me? Why couldn’t you just tell your father to sell me instead? I would have said yes without batting an eye.”
“I know you’re mad Esther and now I’m just confirming it. We both know who Simone is. Iris would have been his tenth wife and who knows if she would even use one week on earth.”
“Well, anything to have the Swedish prince dick in me you know. But the death path nah count me out. Let’s be serious, what do we do?”
“I did not care about Simone. He can demand his money for all I care. One he wouldn’t be getting. If he needs war then he gets it. But it's the end of me if I do not fix my engagement. What would people say?," I said.
“I did not want to believe this is you talking. You know what to do bitch. So calm down and let's do what we always do.”
I looked at her and a smirk tugged at the lower part of my lips. If Iris thinks she can take what’s mine and destroy my reputation then she lied.