Chapter 71 My impending marriage.
CHAPTER 71
My impending marriage.
ROMAN – POINT OF VIEW
Scarlett smiles and looks at me.
My heart skips a beat. I get up and pull the chair for. She sits beside me, smelling strongly of vanilla and strawberries. Her smile remains, and her eyes are bright. Gone are the sighs of a panic attack. I am in disbelief. She looks so different. I didn’t even expect to see her out today. She’s supposed to be in bed recuperating, but here she is, in a painfully short dress.
“You should be asleep.” I lean in, inhaling her essence.
She turns to me and whispers, “This is a job, is it not?”
Her tone hits me like a siren’s song. I blink, regaining my senses.
“Let’s get the introduction over with,” Milana says, and gestures to her daughters, “My daughters, Francesca, and Chiara. Francesca is in Med School, and Chiara is training to be a Pilot.”
“You’ve met Alessandro. Beside him is Stefano. They’re brothers and are in the army, ours. Now, as you can see, our beautiful guests have joined us. The future Lady of the house. My son’s wife.”
I glance at Adeline, who doesn’t even smile. Damian and I exchange a look. Luca sits as rigid as a log, face turned in a frown.
“I’m Adeline Salvatore. My parents couldn’t be here, which is why my older brother is. He is Vincenzo. We’ll be here for the next couple of days before returning home for the wedding. I know who you all are. Since that is out of the way, can we eat? I have so much to do, and would prefer to get this over with.” Adelina articulates, already digging in.
The tension curdles like sour milk. Luca’s face grows hotter, and Milana looks irritated.
I’d rather be anywhere else.
Silently, we all eat. Light conversation serves to cover up the tension, but it falls flat almost immediately. Scarlett doesn’t eat; she just moves the food around on her plate, stabbing at it.
Does she think I wouldn’t notice?
I notice everything. I see the way she feels uncomfortable in her dress. The dress is made of pearls, so of course, she’s awkward. She keeps picking at her hair, which makes me wonder if she tied the bun too tightly. She also keeps stealing glances at Adeline, shoulders squared as though she’s expecting a train crash. It doesn’t make me feel better about the way Milana is looking at her. There’s so much going on, and it’s so hard to keep up.
“I love your dress, Scarlett. Can I call you Scarlett?” Chiara breaks the strained silence, and everyone looks up.
Scarlett blinks in surprise, then smiles beautifully, “Of course you can call me Scarlett, as long as I can call you Chiara.”
Chiara chuckles, face lighting up like a Christmas tree, “Yes, please.”
“Well, Chiara, thank you for the compliment. I can’t take all the credit, though; that’s all Elena and Eve. If you do like the dress, you can have it.” Scarlett tells her warmly.
“What?” Chiara gasps.
“Really?” Her sister seems just as shocked.
“Oh, yes. I have a thousand dresses thanks to my husband and best friends. I wouldn’t miss this.” She leans forward, her shoulders dropping as if a weight has been lifted off her shoulders.
“Is he your husband now?” Adeline cuts in with a frown, looking at us.
Scarlett realises her error, glances at me, then shrugs, “We might as well be married already, but let’s not talk about my impending marriage. Tell me about yours.”
Adeline flops on the seat, shoulders rising and falling dramatically, “Impending is a perfect word. It is doom!”
“Oh, I’m sure it’s not so bad.” Scarlett offers awkwardly, glancing at Luca, who looks like he would be anywhere else.
I’m sure he would even prefer to be dead rather than endure this conversation.
“You must tell me how you’ve done it, Scarlett. How have you got your husband to obey? How do I train a bulldog to listen?” Adeline leans forward, frowning as if she didn’t just refer to Luca as a bulldog. It’s fitting, if you ask me.
“Adeline,” Luca grits out, dragging his collar aggressively.
“What?” She barks at him, eyes filled with spite.
“Adeline,” her brother sighs, massaging his forehead. She’s a storm, it seems, and Luca won’t survive her.
“I’m just asking. Scarlett seems to have her husband under control; he’s basically putty in her hands, sniffing her and shit. I need to know what to do. Maybe I should just run away!” She exclaims dramatically.
“Run, I dare you.” Luca seethes.
Adeline pushes her chair backwards loudly and takes off running. Luca doesn’t waste a second before he’s chasing her.
Humour bubbles in me at the absurdity of everything. How incredulous.
The sisters try their best to hold their laughter in, but it bursts out of them. Then, the whole table is laughing, even Scarlett is. My humour dies out when I remember Adeline’s words. If only she knew. Scarlett is putty in my hands, not the other way round. I have so much control over her, and it doesn’t matter that I’m still worried about her panic attacks and how often they are becoming.
“That is enough. We only have six days left for the wedding, and it must happen.” Milana sighs.
“It will happen,” Vincenzo assures her with a polite smile, and she nods.
“Maybe I can raid your wardrobe, Scarlett?” Francesca asks softly, almost shyly.
Scarlett notices and nods, “We have a week.”
“Technically, we have just four days before we have to go to my home. How have you been liking Milan, Ms Sterling?” Vincenzo asks, his full attention on my wife.
“I haven’t had enough time to explore the estate, but I hope to.” She responds, smiling.
She never smiles at me like that. Her face is always rigid and irritated when she’s looking at me, and now, she’s smiling at him? My ribs flare in irritation. It burns hot and heavy in my chest.
“Why don’t you take Adeline with you, Scarlett? You can take your beautiful friends.” Milana suggests, a bit desperately.
Scarlett blinks in confusion, “T .. Take her with us?” She looks at Eve and Elena.
“Do girly things, and maybe a couple of things, double dating and more? I’ll have Sofia prepare everything and send you a schedule.” She expresses, hopefully.
Scarlett doesn’t respond, so Eve does, “Of course, we’ll be pleased to get to know Adeline better.”
Elena nods, “Yes, yes, she … she seems … fun.”
“Can we come?” Chiara asks, basically vibrating in her seat.
I look at Damian and Caleb. What the fuck are we doing here?
“Perhaps you can begin something this morning while the men stay out of the way? What do you say, Scarlett?” Vincenzo asks, obviously flirting with my wife.
My head pounds, and my fingers press deeply into my palm.
“Alright. Sounds like a date.” She responds, looking straight at him.
I get up immediately.