Chapter 53 LESSON ONE.
\~~~RAINA.
Beautiful? Damn, she is drop-dead gorgeous!
Her skin was pale, almost porcelain white, and smooth and flawless under the office lights. Her lips were deep, confident red, and perfectly shaped, like she never smiled unless she meant to. Long blonde hair spilled over her shoulders, glossy and straight, framing a face that looked carved rather than born.
Her eyes landed on me, sharp and curious, studying me like I was something she was trying to figure out.
She wore a short cargo skirt that had no business passing her thighs, paired with black boots that hugged her legs snugly. Her long legs were crossed lazily, one over the other, and her chin rested on her fist as she leaned back in the chair, completely relaxed.
She looked like…
“Rafael called me,” Alessia’s voice suddenly cut in sharply and loudly. “He told me to pass on a message to you.”
Before I could even react, she grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the office.
“What are you doing?” I hissed, stumbling after her as she pulled me down the corridor, away from prying ears.
“You are going to leave a mark!” I yanked my hand free once we were far enough, rubbing my wrist gently.
“This is no time to be cranky,” Alessia snapped, turning to face me. “That woman in there…”
“Who is she?” I cut in, my chest tight, and my voice low.
She clicked her tongue in irritation. “I was going to tell you before you interrupted me.”
I pressed my lips together. “Fine. Go ahead.”
Alessia crossed her arms, studying my face carefully, like she was trying to decide how much damage the truth would do.
“That,” she finally said, lowering her voice, “is Irina Volkov.”
The name hit me harder than I expected.
“Irina… Volkov?” I repeated slowly.
I have heard the name before…
Where?
Where?
“Yes,” Alessia nodded. “Luciano’s past.”
“P… past?”
“His ex-girlfriend, fiancée, betrothed, give it whatever name you like.”
“W… wait, what?!” I exclaimed, widening my eyes.
“They were together for ten years, before Luciano suddenly called off the engagement.”
“Wait, what?!” I screamed, this time louder.
“Shut up,” Alessia shot me a dead stare.
“Ten years? Are they fucking twins or what?!”
“Well, if you understand how things are in our world, you’d know ten years is little. Some get betrothed right from birth.”
I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. “So… why is she here? In your office?”
Alessia’s lips curled into something close to a smirk. “Because she asked for you. Specifically.”
My heart skipped.
“For me?”
“Yes,” she said flatly. “She wanted to see the woman who married Luciano Moretti.”
A cold chill crawled down my spine.
“I don't… I don’t understand?”
“We have a common enemy, sister in law. I don’t like her, either. She is the worst person for my brother. She was literally his ruin, and I’d do anything to drive her away from him.”
“Why worry? He’s married now, so…”
“Married?” Alessia laughed, but there was no humor in it. Not even a little.
“That doesn’t stop Irina.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
She leaned closer, lowering her voice even more, like the walls themselves might be listening.
“When Luciano was with her, no woman could breathe in his direction without consequences.”
My brows pulled together. “Consequences… how?”
“She once had a waitress kidnapped and tortured because Luciano said thank you,” Alessia said flatly.
“And that was one of her lighter moods.”
My stomach dropped.
“She didn’t just get people fired,” Alessia continued. “She ruined lives, careers, and families. If a woman smiled too long at him, Irina would make sure she regretted ever being born pretty.”
“That is… insane,” I whispered.
“No,” Alessia corrected. “That is power.”
I swallowed. “How was she able to do all that? Luciano wouldn’t just allow…”
“She didn’t need permission,” Alessia cut in. “Irina Volkov doesn’t ask.”
I shook my head slowly. “You’re exaggerating.”
“I wish I were,” she said sharply. “Do you know who her father is?”
I hesitated. “No.”
“He is the Underboss,” Alessia said.
The under… Boss?
“Second in command,” Alessia said, like she could read my mind.
“So when Irina loved Luciano,” Alessia said slowly, “she loved him like property. Like something that belonged to her.”
“And Luciano?” I asked quietly. “What did he feel?”
Alessia looked away for a moment and then crossed her arms across her chest like she was reminiscing.
“Who knows? My brother is a tough man to understand.”
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to process the weight of her words. “But… why are you telling me all of this?” I breathed out, scratching my forehead.
Alessia’s eyes locked onto mine, sharp and serious. “Because you’re my brother’s wife, and that woman… she wants Luciano back.”
OH MY LOVING GOD.
If that wasn’t the BEST possible news, I didn’t know what else was.
“So?” I asked, my voice rising a pitch too high with faux nonchalance.
Alessia stared at me for a beat, smacked her lips, and then said, “First, let’s put aside our differences.”
A smirk tugged at my lips, and I shrugged my shoulders. “You don’t mean… like, how you promised to kill me or something, right?”
Alessia’s glare was sharp enough to cut glass. “I never said I was going to kill you!”
“Oh, right. You just agreed to being Cinderella’s evil stepmother,” I shot back, leaning against the wall.
She snorted, rolling her eyes. “Cinderella survived her stepmother, didn’t she? Besides, this is not a fairy tale. We have a common enemy.”
I tilted my head, studying her. “So… what do we do?”
I asked, though every fiber of me hoped some divine miracle would let Irina win in her quest and take Luciano.
Just don’t kill me in the process, please.
Alessia’s voice sharpened like a blade. “We stay on the same side, of course!”
I blinked, trying to match her intensity, but all I could do was force a laugh that sounded far too nervous. “Right… stay on the same side,” I muttered, my mind racing.
Welcome to the mafia’s survival school. Lesson one; Don’t die, or get killed by a blonde ex-girlfriend.
God, please, what sort of life is this?