Chapter 133

Isabella’s POV.

Tonight marked Dad's birthday party, the primary reason for our gathering in Italy. Rene had invited Rosa, Seyra, and me to go shopping with her. While waiting for Rene, I glanced down at my phone and scrolled through my social media feed. I noticed that Daniela and Emilio had already made their way to L.A. because Daniela wasn’t responding to my messages so I assumed she was probably knocked out on the plane since she planned on drinking her melatonin. Seeing the twins again brought back fond memories, and I was genuinely excited about the idea of catching up with them properly. They meant quite a lot to me once and they were still as friendly as ever.

Daniela and Emilio served as reminders of an alternate path my life could have taken. At around 20, I had to make a decision that would alter my life's path. However, I opted to stay in the United States, continue my college education, earn my degree, and pursue my dream job. Looking back, I have no regrets about those choices. I found myself in a fulfilling career that kept evolving, met the love of my life, and became a mother to my own little human. I did not want another life, I merely wondered just how different it would’ve been.

As of now, I have everything I could have wished for. Glancing over, I noticed Rene had joined us. It marked the first time we'd be going shopping together, and it sparked some worries in me. While I would never turn down her invitation—doing so would be plain rude—I couldn't shake my concerns. Nevertheless, we found ourselves in one of the most expensive stores, and it was Rene who had led us there.

"Rene, these are all beautiful, but I'm not sure if we should be shopping here," Seyra expressed her uncertainty, surveying the fancy, elegant store. It was empty, and locked until Rene showed up and had the staff open it for us. There were only two ladies inside, whom she went to talk to. On top of that, this store was way out of our budget.

"Oh, come on, can't I spoil you guys?" Rene asked, placing her hands on her hips, her smile radiating warmth. Despite leaving her years of modeling behind, her beauty had never decreased. She still glowed, exuding pure gold with the most alluring lipstick.

"Wait, what?" I frowned. The Volkovs and spoiling weren't something I loved because they often went above and beyond.

"Everything is on me," she declared, clapping her hands.

"But..." I started to protest.

"This is why I didn't say anything before," Rene walked over to the rack the ladies had just brought in.

"I knew you'd refuse my gift, but I refuse to let you refuse my gifts," she scoffed, and Rosa chuckled at my side whilst I narrowed my eyes on her for a moment.

"These are wonderful, but are you sure?" Seyra asked, her fingers delicately tracing the gems on the elegant gown.

"Are you kidding me? Of course, I am," Rene scoffed. "It's also the newest collection that's going to be released in a few hours, so I think you might be the first to get their hands on them," she revealed.

"These are yours?" I gasped, finally seeing the fine work up close. Each piece was meticulously thought out, the design immaculate, and the quality top-notch.

"My work, yeah, unique to Milan," she said proudly. "I'm having different catalogs in every store this year again," she continued.

Her strategy was working great because every year people raved over her clothes, going crazy for them. There was even a blog that ranked all the collections. Last year, first place went to Barcelona, second to Milan, and third to Paris. The blog has been going on since the first collection like this dropped, which was six years ago.

"This is actually incredible," Rosa marveled.

"Thank you, these were the last collections I had submitted. I worked a lot more on the Milan collection than the rest; I just had so much inspiration when it came to making designs for this one," Rene spoke with a soft smile on her lips.

"These all look incredible," I complimented.

“I want to spoil you ladies because I feel like it. I never had any daughters, and I love my boys, but I do wish that I had a girl too. I had a daughter-in-law, but she wasn’t uh– you’ve seen how that ended. I just want to enjoy today because I never had anyone to enjoy things like these with,” Rene revealed, and her reasoning warmed my heart a little.

Now I’m stuck wondering whether I wanted a daughter too– wait. Does Ares even want a second child? For now, I was content with just one child, but I do think that when Slade’s older, I’d want another child. Was that even in the cards for us? Was it too soon for Ares and me to have that conversation? I didn’t want to ruin what we had. Everything’s going so damn well.

“Well… If you insist,” Rosa winked and looked through the options.

“Thank you, Rene, this is really sweet,” I smiled and copied Rosa.

Soon we started getting into it. Rene demanded we try the dresses we liked on and sat down on the couch with a flute of champagne as we cheered for each other every time one of us came through the door dressed to perfection.

There were shoes too which made Seyra and Rosa go crazy; there’s nothing they loved more than some high heels, and I, of course, had to pick out a few too.

As we wrapped up our shopping spree, I found myself the proud owner of five exquisite dresses and six pairs of stunning high heels. In the past, such a shopping haul might have triggered worries about finding the right occasions to flaunt these new additions to my wardrobe. However, ever since I started dating Ares, a cascade of galas, charity events, and upscale parties with formal dress codes had made their way into my life.

Now I don't need to worry about clothes for such events. It was tiring to go shopping with Ares because he had the urge to buy everything I touched. If he could buy me the planet, he would’ve bought me the damn planet.

Returning to my home after our delightful shopping day, I found Slade catching a nap while Ares engrossed himself in a book. Asking for Ares' help to bring in the bags, he finally reappeared with all the spoils of our shopping adventure.

"So, spill the beans. Did you leave the Italian boutiques empty, or did they survive your fashion assault?" Ares teased, eyeing the multitude of bags he had just brought in.

"Almost. I left them with a fighting chance," I replied with a wink, securing the door behind him.

"Good to know," he chuckled. "You guys had fun, huh? If you'd given me a heads up, I would've handed you my card," he added, narrowing his eyes playfully. Ares still couldn't shake the slight discomfort when I refrained from spending his money, a sentiment that never failed to amuse us both.

"The surprise was all thanks to your mom," I admitted, observing Ares as he inspected the shopping bags.

"Ah, got it," he hummed thoughtfully. “What’s in here?” His attention then shifted to a specific bag from my favorite store, renowned for its collection of the best and occasionally sexiest nightwear. This time, it happened to feature both comfort and a hint of allure.

"I believe you know exactly what's in there," I said, smirking.

"Will I be treated to a little fashion show of your new pieces?" Ares inquired with a playful wink.

"That depends. It might cost you a little," I teased.

"I'm prepared to pay," he chuckled, pulling me down onto his lap.

"Ares, we really should start getting ready," I reminded him, receiving a brief kiss that tasted as sweet as chocolate.

His firm grip held me in place, and I couldn't help but succumb to the touch of his kisses. My legs wrapped around his strong frame, and my hands found solace in his hair. Ares knew all too well that I couldn't resist his kisses, and the truth was, I couldn't resist him in any aspect. His lips, soft and teasing, left a trail of passion as they explored my throat and neck. I placed my hands on his shoulders, giving them a tight squeeze.

"What did you say, Bella?" Ares looked up at me, his fingers gently tracing over my breast.

"We could save time by showering together," I muttered, crashing my lips back down onto his in a hungry kiss.