Chapter 234 Hot-Pink Lace Dress

Chapter 234 Hot-Pink Lace Dress
When Calla woke up, she found herself alone in bed. A yawn escaped her as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to clear the sleep from them.

Her eyes slowly opened again, and she found Rico standing at the far corner of the room. He was on a call, and his back was partly turned to her and his voice was low, almost quiet enough to disappear into the room.

Calla blinked and watched him for a few seconds, then Rico turned. His eyes landed on her immediately and something shifted in his expression.

He said something quietly to whoever was on the other end before ending the call without hesitation.

Calla frowned at his actions. Rico slipped the phone into his pocket and walked toward her.

By the time he reached the bed, his expression had already softened. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Good morning, beautiful.”

Calla looked at him for a second. “Everything alright?” she asked instead.

His eyes narrowed slightly, then he stepped back from the bed and reached for his shirt. He shrugged lightly as though nothing had happened, his eyes not meeting hers. “No. It’s just a work call.”

Calla watched him quietly. She saw the way his gaze avoided hers. She could sense something was up with him, but she didn’t press further. She simply nodded.

Her eyes moved over him, seeing that he had already showered. His hair was still slightly damp and he looked completely ready to leave.

Her face immediately scrunched. She groaned and reached forward, grabbing the side of his shirt, and that caused him to stop for a second. “Can’t you stay in? Just for today?” 

She gave the fabric a small pull and looked up at him with a pout.

Rico looked down at her, then he chuckled. She looked too cute. “I can’t," he replied.

Her face immediately dropped. The disappointment was so obvious he almost smiled again. 

“But I promise to be back early and take you out for dinner," he quickly added, and her eyes brightened immediately.

Her mood changed so fast he almost found it suspicious. A smile spread across her face and she leaned back against the pillows.

Now she was already thinking. What would she wear? Where would he take her? Would it be somewhere fancy? She smiled to herself.

After a while, Rico leaned down and kissed her again before leaving. The room became quiet once more.

Calla stared at the closed door. She groaned dramatically and dropped back onto the bed. She was once again left all by herself, bored to death.

If this was going to be her life… she really needed to find something more productive to do. She couldn’t be a stay-at-home wife her entire life—

Her eyes widened immediately when the thought crossed her mind, and a blush rushed into her cheeks.

She coughed repeatedly, hitting her chest to calm herself down. She couldn't believe that just crossed her mind. Did she just think about being Rico’s wife?

Her face grew warmer. The thought made something flutter happily inside her.

But at the same time, her stomach dropped. Was she cut out to be Rico’s wife? He was Don now, and she knew enough to understand what came with being the wife of a Don.

There were expectations, responsibility, attention, and people watching every move. Would the council members even approve of her? What if they found out about her past? What she had done for money. Then what? 

There was no way they would accept her. Or would they think she wasn’t worthy enough to stand beside him?

Calla sighed deeply and shook her head. Why was she even thinking about this? Besides, Rico hadn’t shown any signs of wanting her to become more in his life. So there was no use in beating herself up about it.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to stop thinking.

After a while, she got out of bed, brushed her teeth, and took a warm shower. She got dressed in a light red t-shirt, and deep blue denim pants. Then she finally left the room.

As she walked through the hallway, she passed Sophia’s room. Her steps slowed, then came to a stop.

Calla looked at the closed door and her chest tightened. Her heart ached for Sophia.

She slowly walked toward the room and raised her hand to knock but paused. Rico’s words from last night came back. He had told her to give Sophia space.

Calla stared at the door. She sighed and lowered her hand. She turned to leave when suddenly, the door opened.

Calla startled slightly. She turned back around and caught Sophia standing there. Calla’s expression softened immediately when she saw that Sophia's eyes were red. Probably from crying.

Her under-eyes looked darker than usual. Even her nose looked slightly red from sniffing too much.

Calla gave her a gentle smile. “Good morning," she said.

Sophia smiled too. It was small and tired. Calla didn’t want to ask right away if she was okay, and did not want to make things awkward. “Breakfast?” She asked instead.

Sophia looked at her for a second, then nodded. She quietly stepped out and shut the door behind her.

Calla fell into step beside her. Neither of them said anything as they headed downstairs to the dining room.



Night soon came and Rico still wasn’t back yet.

Calla had already gotten ready and was dressed in a hot pink lace dress—one she had bought during one of her shopping trips with Sophia—and black sandals. Her hair was tied in a sleek ponytail. She sat by the window in their room with one leg crossed over the other, occasionally glancing outside.

She wasn’t sure where Rico was taking her. He hadn’t said anything. At first, she had taken her time getting ready, then she changed outfits twice. Then changed her shoes. Then fixed her hair. Then changed her earrings.

Now she was fully ready... and waiting.

She kept checking the time, and over thirty minutes had passed. Her excitement slowly started turning into annoyance.

Calla leaned against the chair dramatically, her fingers tapping against her thigh. She picked her phone up and put it down, a frown on her face.

She wondered if he had forgotten.

Her lips pressed together. No, Rico didn’t seem like someone who forgot things. But still… she opened his chat and stared at it.

Should she call? Her finger hovered over his contact.

Then she saw headlights and her eyes immediately lifted. A familiar black car slowly pulled into the driveway. Calla sat upright so fast she almost dropped her phone. Her eyes lit up instantly.

Rico was back.

Her irritation disappeared so quickly she almost felt embarrassed. She stood immediately and walked toward the mirror, having a quick check.

She adjusted one side of her sleeve again for no reason, then quickly walked toward the bedroom door.

Her hand touched the handle and she suddenly stopped. She frowned to herself. She wasn’t going to look desperate.

So she turned around and calmly walked back, and sat on the edge of the bed. She crossed one leg over the other and uncrossed it. Then sat properly.

She grabbed her phone and pretended to scroll. Like she definitely had not been waiting by the window for over thirty minutes.

A minute later, the bedroom door opened. Calla didn’t look up immediately, pretending to remain busy.

Then she heard Rico stop. “You look nice," he said in a low tone. Calla looked up, immediately forgetting whatever act she had been putting on.

Rico stood by the door, in a black shirt and pants. His eyes moved over her slowly before he looked back at her face. His gaze softened as they bore into hers, and she could see the gentleness in his eyes.

Calla smiled before she could stop herself, then immediately narrowed her eyes. “You’re late.”

Rico stared at her as he walked closer. He stopped in front of her and reached out. His thumb lightly brushed her cheek. “I know.”

Calla wanted to stay annoyed, but she failed. "You said early," she muttered with a sigh.

Rico gazed at her with a certain softness in his eyes. “I’m here now," he responded with a smile. And annoyingly, that worked.