LEV PETROV (Wild Men Series #3) Book 2

Chapter 15

LEV

OF Course it's a freaking Masquerade. One that's been pulled out straight from a book. A textbook fairytale with a twist of darkness here and there. Hell, why am I not shocked? The Council didn't disappoint.

Sprawling Spanish mansion tastefully decorated with dazzling lights, flowers and shits?

Check.

A quartet band to serenade the entitled members of the Councils who are now sporting their expensive gowns, tuxedos, and creepy masks?

Double check.

Overflowing booze, hors d'oeuvres, loud peals of laughter, filth, and fake smiles?

Triple fucking check.

It's perfect. A fairytale come true from the outsider's perspective. For me, it's bullshit.

But I won't lie. Gusto kong purihin si Don Nap for pulling this old tricks on me. Kung hindi lang dahil sa asawa ko, nungka akong lalabas ng isla at tatapak sa party ng hinayupak nilang kulto. You do what Romans do when you're in freaking Rome, right?

If I'm being honest, the real reason for my shitty mood in this shitty place is not really the shitty party nor the shitty people, it's my wife.

Or, the fucking fish net she called gown!

Calm down, Lev. Get a grip. You can't rip it off.

You can't.

I want to fucking ruin it. Set it on fire. Tang'na. Gusto kong mag amok.

Marahas akong napabuntong hininga. Mariing pumikit, pilit na kinalma ang sarili. I tapped my cane four times and then some more. I count backward, think of my annoying meetings this lunch. I focus on anything but my wife and her freaking gown. The sound my cane made against the floor gave me something to focus on other than my rage.

When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by the busy grounds. I scwoled and zeroed in the interesting couple na mas pagkakamalang mag-ama kaysa magkalaguyo.I counted how many times the known senator groped the ass of a known starlet–who gate-crashed this party by fucking the governor who happened to be the brother-in-law of the filthy senator.

Spell complicated, right? And yes, I know these people. I did my due diligence and enough reconnaissance before I set foot on their filthy grounds.

I let out a harsh breath and flexed my hands. Finally, a sliver of calmness started to seep in.

Sinipat ko ang Rolex. Kumunot ang noo. Gaano ba katagal kami paghihintayin ni Don Nap? Anong klaseng welcome party ba ang hinanda ng matandang hukluban na iyon? That old man knows how to get on my nerves.

He knows I hate waiting and not knowing. And yet, that's exactly what he did the moment my Rolls Royce arrived. We were ushered into one of the rooms on the second floor the moment we arrived. They told us to wait because they are still preparing for some shit program they called La Inducción.

That was twenty minutes and fifty-two seconds ago.

"We can still cancel this. Go home. Pwede akong mag dahilan kay Don Nap–"

"No. I know what you are doing. You choose to wear that fishnet knowing well what it'll do to me. I'll gouge every eye that dared to look at you, that you can count on. But we're staying. End of." I said without bothering to look at her.

"I choose this gown over yours dahil mas gusto ko ang design. Talo ko pa ang madre doon sa damit na pinagawa mo. Nasasakal ako. Ba't hindi matanggap ng kukute mo 'yon? At hindi ito fishnet. And I'm not naked, for crying out loud. This is fashion. We're in 21st century. My God!"