Chapter 149 Her and I
Serena’s POV
I can't remember when I slept off the previous night, but I woke up this morning with the ball already sitting heavy in my stomach.
It had been roughly four days since I told Dante I’d go. Four days of watching the house turn into a busy traffic.
Guards swarmed everywhere, delivery trucks kept rolling in every now and then with crates labeled “security equipment.”
From every angle I turned, phones kept ringing nonstop. I heard Dante's hectic voice so much that it got stuck in my head.
He himself barely slept again, hell, I barely slept.
I couldn’t stop thinking of how it would actually be, how it would feel to be in the same room with so much power.
From what I've been told, it's more like a vault with gold inside. The only problem now was that I'll be the only coal in there.
I sighed as I pushed the thought away. Whatever happens, I can't keep sitting still.
I rolled out of bed and walked to my desk, spotting the notebook I had left open from last night.
It was filled with rough sketches of the ballroom layout from the pieces I had been able to get together.
The unknown number helped me to mark out the main doors, the quick exits, and even the balconies, places I could sneak out from.
I’d marked the family table in red pen, and the spot where Luca, I mean the Moretti family head usually sat.
I was able to spot enough access routes so if I needed to skip out, I would do so unsee.
I wasn't yet sure if my main goal going there was to escape Dante, or have my revenge on Luca.
But my mind kept tilting towards the second option, further away from the first.
So I flipped over to a blank page and drew the building again, this time from the memory of the online floor plan I’d pulled up three nights ago.
I drew the main entrance for guests, the parking underground, the officials’ entrance at the back and even the loading dock for catering.
I also mapped out quick emergency exits on every floor and added arrows showing possible escape paths if things went bad with Luca or otherwise.
I stared at the page, then closed the notebook with my hands more steady now.
A soft knock came from the door and I turned immediately.
“Serena?” Valentina’s voice came through and I jogged over to pull it open.
She stood there smiling and holding out a cup of water. “Thought you might need some water, and maybe a little company,” she muttered as she walked in.
I took the cup from her hands before giving her way to step in. “Thanks,” I replied.
She stepped inside, looking around a bit and I was sure she saw the notebook, but she didn’t comment. She just sat on the edge of the bed.
“Dante’s been running around like crazy,” she said. “Figured you might want to get out of the house for a bit.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Out?”
“Shopping,” she said. “For the ball. You need a dress, shoes, and mask. Some accessories too, just us. Okay, yes, a guard, but mainly us.”
I hesitated, then smiled. “Yeah. I’d like that,” I replied.
Then quickly changed into a pair of jeans with a top and sneakers, then pulled my hair back tightly.
Valentina waited all the while and after I'd finished, we went down together.
“Is Dante aware of this?” I asked as we stepped towards the exit door.
“Yeah, tell him already,” Valentina replied. “He was more than pleased with it, said he thought of it but didn't have the time to tell you.”
I nodded carefully as we reached the door where a guard was already there waiting for us.
We went to a large boutique downtown, it had everything and each looked to cost a fortune.
I made no comment about it as I remembered it was neither my money, nor is it hers.
The woman inside greeted Valentina by her name and led us to a private room.
They were racks of gowns lined up along the walls, Slick, velvet, bold colors and styles I’d never worn before.
I tried on the first one, a deep emerald green, long sleeves. It fitted through the waist with a flowing skirt.
And I stepped out.
Valentina’s eyes lit as they fell on me. “Beautiful. But not quite it yet.”
The next one was a bright red one with an off-the-shoulder hand. It had a high slit on the thigh.
I turned in the mirror as I stepped out and stared as it hugged every curve of my body.
Valentina nodded the more I smiled. “That’s the one,” she muttered and I agreed.
We added a few shoes to the cart, a pair of heels which Valentina picked out, and black strappy heels with a low block so I could run if I had to.
Serena raised a brow at my choice, but didn't question it all the same.
We stopped next for the mask, spending more time here as all looked the same to me.
I finally decided on one with a black lace, covering half my face. I also picked out a red one and another white one, just in case.
Valentina paid as we reached the counter and I tried to avoid seeing the total figure
But my eyes strayed anyway and I nearly collapsed. It was safe to say that my dad's home back then would need to be sold twice to reach half the money.
Insane.
She paid off easily and I took note of the extra designs on the cars, certainly Dante's.
We left there with bags and boxes with the guard loading them up.
Valentina looked at me. “You hungry?” She asked and my tummy reacted before my tongue could.
She chuckled and swayed the card out a bit. “While we’re already out, let’s grab something to eat,” she exclaimed.
I smiled. “I’d love that.”
We went to an Italian place nearby, picking the outdoor tables with soft music playing behind.
We ordered whatever Italian dish they had there, Val just assured me I'd like it.
We talked for a while waiting for the food to come. She ordered a bottle of wine and I flashed her a smile.
She shrugged with a chuckle. “What? Dante loads this card monthly for house expenses and we don't even use half of each deposit per month,” she explained and I joined in with a chuckle.
After a while, the food arrived and we lowered our heads to eat.
She was right, the food was amazing, I barely stopped digging in.
“Let me tell you some of my experience at the ball,” Valentina expressed and I nodded her on.
“Okay, so my first ball was a disaster,” she started. “I was nineteen and new to the family. I’d never worn anything that expensive in my life,” she continued.
I nodded, giving her room to continue.
“That night, I spilled red wine all over my dress and even some on Dante’s dad’s shoes. I thought I’d ruined everything. I stood there frozen, ready to run out the door,” she paused.
“But he just laughed this big, warm laugh and took off his jacket, tied it around my waist like a skirt, and told everyone it was the new style. The whole room laughed with him, maybe at me. I don't know, but that man would do anything to keep the ball going back then,” she continued.
I laughed softly. “He sounds like he was fun,” I exclaimed.
“He was,” she said, eyes softening. “Till he wasn’t.”
She took another sip and continued.
“The second ball I went to, I was twenty. I was so nervous I practiced walking in heels for weeks. I wanted to look perfect, at least to make up for the mistake of the previous year," she started.
“I did everything right, my hair, makeup, dress, then halfway through the night I realized my heel got caught in the hem of my gown and I tripped,” she exclaimed and my mouth went wide.
“I fell right into a crowd, spilling chocolate everywhere, on my dress, on my face, and worse, on the mayor’s wife!”
I laughed louder. “No way!” I exclaimed m
“Yes way. I so wanted to die. I started apologizing over and over, but the mayor’s wife legit looked at me, wiped mousse off her cheek, and said, ‘Darling, if you’re going to fall, fall spectacularly.’ Then she and everyone else laughed,” she continued and I shook my head.
“Dante’s father was quick to come over anyway, he handed me a napkin, and said, ‘Val, you’ve got more courage than half the men in this room.’ I never forgot that actually, he taught me that power wasn't about being perfect, it was about always showing up,” she muttered.
I smiled, feeling the warmth of her words settle in my chest.
The candles burned lower, and the sky turned dark as we shared the last of the wine after the meal.
Valentina reached across the table and squeezed my hand.
“You’re going to be fine,” she said. “You’re stronger than you think.”
I squeezed back. “I hope so.”
Then she leaned in with her eyes sparkling. “Oh — I just remembered one. This one is going to be very good…”