Chapter 37 Valeria & Giorgio
"You're finally here. What took you so long?" Antonio asks. Valeria and Giorgio immediately get into their seats next to Antonio. Valeria smiles apologetically at Antonio.
"Sorry. I got caught up with my final project," Valeria says.
With how much time Valeria has left, it's not surprising that she's been working longer and harder on her final project. She's probably busier than ever with making her designs come to life. Genuinely, I can't wait to see her dresses. I've stalked her social media before, and she's absolutely talented. Whether it's haute couture or pret-a-porter, she definitely knows how to turn a design into reality.
"And you must be Alessandra," Valeria says with a smile.
"And you must be Valeria. It's nice to meet you. Antonio has told me a lot about you," I say.
On our weekly dates, Antonio and I usually talk about random stuff that comes to mind, including our families. Antonio told me Valeria is four years younger than he is, Giorgio is seven years younger than he is, and Mariano is four years older than he is. That means Valeria is now 23, Giorgio is 20, Antonio is 27, and Marian is 31. Unfortunately, their mother, Chiara, died in an accident. Actually, no. She was murdered. Antonio said her mother was collateral when a gang of Spanish origin attacked them while they were on vacation five years ago.
The gang has been keeping their eyes on the Ricci for some time, and they forced Fabio to make a deal with them. He refused to do it, so one thing led to another. The leader killed Chiara right in front of Fabio in cold blood with a bullet straight to her head before reinforcements came to save them. Fabio ended the leader's life as well as the members of the gang to avenge her death. Mariano and Antonio were also involved in the bloodbath, taking turns to torture the leader for taking their mother's life.
Back to Valeria, she's always been a gifted and creative child. She's been interested in fashion design ever since she was seven years old. Out of all the articles of clothing in the world, she loves to sketch dresses the most. She also loves everything about fairy tales, myths, and mythical creatures. That's why, in her final project, she decided to make dresses inspired by fairy tales and mythical creatures. I admit, her dedication is remarkable. Even though she got into fashion school a bit later than most people, she still does everything by herself, from gathering the materials, sketching the designs, to sewing the dresses, while some people order other people around to do the job and take the full credit for other people's work.
"Nice to meet you, too! Antonio didn't lie about how gorgeous you are. If mermaids exist, you could be one of them. You look so enchanting. Maybe just maybe, you could be my next muse," Valeria says.
Valeria's compliment sounds genuine, but in the deepest part of my mind, I don't believe it. I blame it on my lack of confidence and being self-conscious about my looks. I'm not as skinny as others since I was younger. I even got bullied about it at school. I've tried to be more confident in how I look, but sometimes I still feel people staring at me in a judgmental way, and that shatters my confidence once again. Maybe it's just my anxiety, but I'm still not confident in my own looks, mostly because of what happened in the past.
"Oh, you flatter me. You're definitely so much prettier than I am. Anyway, how's your final project going? Antonio said you'll be showing off your designs in a few months," I say. Valeria's face lights up at the mention of her final project. She's definitely passionate about her designs.
"Everything's good so far. I just finished the fourth dress earlier," Valeria says, seemingly proud of her achievement.
"That's amazing. How many dresses are you planning to make?" I ask.
"Just five. Ugh, this final project is stressing me out. I still haven't found the exact materials I need for the last dress," Valeria says. With how much time she has left, not having the much-needed material is bad. It'll only make her lose more time to make the dress.
"What do you need?" I ask.
"It's this translucent, flowy textile, not the usual stiff one. I've asked every textile manufacturer that makes it, and they said they're currently out of stock. So I need to make a custom order for it and wait another week. More time loss for me," Valeria sighs with a frown.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you get to finish it before the deadline. Antonio said your final project will be fairytale themed. Is it true?" I ask.
I'm a fan of the fairytale and mythical creature theme myself, especially fairies and mermaids. That's why I'm interested to see Valeria's design in the first place. I want to see her designs so badly, but I don't think Antonio and I will be together anymore by the time of the fashion show. So unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to see the dress with my own eyes.
"Yes. Each dress is inspired by mythical creatures like mermaids, fairies, sirens, nymphs, and elves," Valeria says. It's unfortunate that I won't have the chance to see them. I can only imagine how stunning the dresses would look. They would definitely be exquisite pieces of art.
"I love the theme. I'm sure your dresses are absolutely stunning and lovely," I say.
"Thank you so much, Alessandra. If you want to, you can visit our house and see them for yourself," Valeria says.
Visiting the Ricci's house? Could this be my second chance at finding out the truth? Perhaps. If we fail tonight, I should use the excuse as my last resort for revealing their secrets. Yes. I should definitely do it. However, there's also a chance this invitation could be a trap for me. I'd be lying if I said I'm not scared, but it must be done. We're running out of time, and this could be my last chance to find out the truth about the Ricci.
"Oh, I'd love to, but are you sure? I don't want to ruin the surprise," I say.
"You're a part of our family now, and I share everything with my family. So, of course not. You won't ruin anything. In fact, I'll be honoured to hear your thoughts about my designs," Valeria says.
Yes. I should definitely take this chance to get more information about the Ricci. I can't waste it. Besides, I'll have Dante to protect me, so I shouldn't worry about this too much. What I need to focus on is gathering as much information as I can about the family. My family's life is on the line. If the Ricci turns out to be colluding with the Romanos, then we're fucked if we find out about it later than sooner. I don't want any more casualties because of the Romanos and their greed. I want them all to die. And if the Ricci turns out to be involved in the death of my mother and my brothers, I'll make them pay the price as well. No one will escape my vengeance.
"You're too kind. I'll come and visit your house then. I'd love to see the dress as soon as I can," I say.
"You can come next week. I'm still waiting for the fabric, so I'm kinda free next week. If you can't, you can come and see the show! I'll be happy if you can come and see me show off my final project designs," Valeria says.
"Next week is great. And actually, Antonio mentioned the show to me before, and I'd love to come and see it," I say.
"He did? Well, that's great! But still, if you want to get a sneak peek at the dresses, come and visit our house next week. You can stay a couple of days with us so we can spend time together too," Valeria says.
"Next week, right? I'm sure I can stay a couple of days there," I say.
This could be my last chance at speaking with the Ricci, so I can't let it go to waste. This opportunity could be the one that lets me find out the truth about them.
"Why don't we exchange numbers now? It'll be easier for us to reach out to each other in the future," Valeria says.
I definitely need to do that. Perhaps I can utilise her phone number for something, like spying on her. Hopefully, we won't get caught tapping on her phone, or else, we'll be fucked. Yeah, our family might be close because of our fathers' partnership, but once they know we've broken their trust by spying on them, everything could go to ruin within seconds, and a war could break out between us.
"Sure, absolutely," I say.
"Alessandra? Is that you?"
My heart stops at the sound of the familiar voice. Just as I expected, the girl I've been dreading to see is standing behind me. Marianna grins brightly at me. Her hair is styled into tight curls, and she's dressed in a pastel blue dress, making her stand out in the crowd of dark coloured dresses and suits. Didn't she know the dress code? The invitation clearly said only black, dark red, and dark green clothes, with the exception of white for the shirt under the suit. Just looking at her makes my blood boil because it reminds me of the time Dante complimented her. Even though I now know Dante likes, or even loves, me, the memory of that night still pisses me off.
Let's see what she has to say now.