Chapter 30 CHAPTER 30

Chapter 30 CHAPTER 30
EMILIA

Shortly after... Lucas and I arrived at a magnificent golden coloured gate that had a trail of bodyguards dressed in smart black suits and dark shades.

“Your name and business here?” one of them barked when our car came to sight.

“Guests,” Lucas said, passing him a card from inside the car. He looked less frightened by him, while I was dancing in my pants.

The man scanned the card before nodding to the others to let us in. The ride from the gate to the actual mansion was another city on its own. Not to compare, but this was actually better than Andrea’s.

And speak of the devil.

I sighted him outside the mansion with a glass of liquid in his hand as he smiled widely at another man beside him.

There were a number of cars in the mansion—estate, whatever; as the driver found a place to park our own car.

“Remember all I’ve told you,” Lucas said, his hand against the door frame.

I nodded subtly. Of course. How could I forget? Act like a trophy sweet wife to Andrea and do nothing to disgrace him.

A smile crept on my face at the undisclosed mission I had in mind. This divorce—Andrea must grant it to me. I was going to make him pay for everything he had done to me.

“I remember…” I smiled, as I mouthed.

His eyes twitched as if sensing my hidden agenda, but he nodded and led the car door open for me.

“There she is.” Andrea smiled, gesturing toward me with the glass in his hand as he approached, his legs already moving.

He had now changed into a clean white shirt and grey shorts. He looked nothing like the mafia don he was earlier. It was as if he lives multiple lives.

I forgot how to breathe as he got closer, and the moment he leaned in, I took a step back. But Andrea held me in place before it got too obvious what I was about to do. “Play along,” Andrea muttered between gritted teeth before placing a kiss on my forehead.

“I must say…” a voice called from behind us, and Andrea shifted to my side, holding my waist tight with one of his hands, the other taking the bag I was holding—the bag Lucas gave to me when we got down from the car. “You look really beautiful, Mrs. Emilia.”

Andrea then passed the bag to Lucas as he led me closer to the man who had just complimented me. The man looked a bit older than Andrea. He was an inch or two shorter, his hair visibly dyed, and I thought his blue eyes were his most outstanding feature.

“Honey,” my stomach twisted as Andrea uttered the word, “this is Mr. Vindeigo, our host for the upcoming event in two days’ time.”

I see.

Lucas had briefed me a little about it. How convenient was it for the devil beside me. We were together in the car to the airport, at the airport itself, and he didn’t deem it fit to let me know where he was taking me, asking his right-hand man at the dying minute to inform me of everything.

“You’re quite the materialistic type, I guess,” Mr. Vindeigo muttered as his gaze settled on Lucas, who was taking the bag somewhere. “Andre told me you had to stop at a mall on your way here because you wanted to get some new outfits.”

A dry chuckle escaped my lips as I turned to face Andrea before returning my eyes to Vindeigo. He got closer to us, stopping before me, then he took hold of my free hand and placed a kiss on it, and I could feel Andrea’s grip tighten on my other.

“It’s a pleasure being in your beautiful home, Mr. Vindeigo,” I gave a light bow to him. “I must say, it’s the most beautiful I’ve ever seen,” I added, knowing my words were going to be like stab wounds to Andrea. And I was right, as he sent daggers my way with his eyes.

“Oh please,” Vindeigo retorted with a satisfying smile, then he pulled me to him. “Wait until you see inside.”

Just like that, Andrea was left standing as Mr. Vindeigo showed me around his estate and everything he owned, and my guard lowered around him so much that I actually laughed at some of his jokes. He was funny.

“When my father was just twelve...” he said as we walked through one of the flower gardens. Yes, you heard me right—this was the sixth he was showing me, and though my legs were beginning to bleed, I couldn’t help but continue to want to grace my feet in such a lovely rose paradise.

It wasn’t as if I got the opportunity to be outside Andrea’s mansion… I was like a glorified prisoner in his home.

“He inherited this place from his father,” Vindeigo continued.

“Oh wow,” I brought myself back to the conversation we were having. The sun had fallen now, making the walk more blissful. “So how old were you when you inherited it from your father?”

His laughter lacked humour as he spoke. “More like what did I do to acquire my dad’s properties.”

“Tell me,” I asked, my eyes wide with curiosity.

“Well, I had to clear off all unnecessary threats, like my brothers,” he said before going into another fit of laughter.

Blood drained from my face as my feet refused to move. “Just kidding,” his voice came again, loud and clear. But I knew too well to laugh at a joke that was true.

I had to laugh regardless—a short, raspy chuckle. We walked some more as his mouth moved, but I couldn’t make out a word he was saying.

“Thank you for showing me around your beautiful mansion, Mr. Vindeigo, but I would like to get some rest now.”

His eyes studied me for a moment before he took two steps back so we were now on the same lane.

“Don’t tell me you are scared, Mrs. Emilia.” His brows cocked as his voice deepened. I met his eyes, and there was no light in them.

“W-what? No,” I said, taking a step back.

He straightened, a dark smirk at the edge of his lips. “Well, good,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I would be surprised if you said so… Besides, what’s there to fear if you can settle for Andrea as a husband?”

He didn’t wait for me to speak as he gestured for someone toward the far end of the garden.

Something in his words scared me. Yes, I knew Andrea was no good, but Vindeigo made him seem worse— Like our marriage was a disaster in the making.