Cataleya Valentina Velez:
Today's the day. The day we fly over to America. Tomorrow is the mysterious party Rio told us about. He simply forced us to accompany them and didn't say anything else about it.
I look over at Neveah who is still peacefully sleeping in the ginormous bed. This bed is not as comfortable as the one in Paris or Rome, but it's bigger. It's way bigger and grants both of us enough room to roll over a million times.
A soft knock on the door turns my attention to it. I silently jump out of the bed and rush to the door, hoping to not wake Neveah. She needs her hours of sleep since she barely slept the past few days.
Her sleeping schedule has always been fucked up. But ever since she and Leon kept talking till late in the night, she's been sleeping even worse than ever.
'Goodmorning, are you coming to eat breakfast before we leave?' Celine asks softly. She knows Neveah is still sleeping and tries not to wake her as well.
It's weird that she's here this early, it's not even seven am, but I think I know why she came here.
Ever since our last night in Paris, the one where she lashed out on Rio, she's been avoiding him. Celine is pissed over things that I'll probably never understand. But so far, I know that she has every reason to be mad at him. He's a monster.
Rafael said that he needed to get up early today, so he's probably in the kitchen eating his simple breakfast. Celine being Celine, doesn't want to eat with him. She doesn't want to be alone with him in the same room.
The fact that Rio doesn't seem bothered by Celine's anger shocks me a little. She could leave him, give him to the police or maybe even his enemies, but he doesn't seem to care. I think deep down he thinks she'll turn around at some point.
'Sure, just let me get ready.' I whisper and move to the side so that she can enter the room. Brandon picked out our outfits last night. He wanted us to go to San Diego in style.
He picked out a cute white top with puffy sleeves and light blue, distressed denim jeans. It's the most summery shit ever for the beginning of fall.
'Do you have a jacket to match with that?' Celine jokes, slowly sitting on the bed. I shrug and quickly brush my teeth. When I'm done for today, I walk back into the room and notice that Neveah is slowly waking up.
'Come on, let's go before she wakes up!' I joke, pulling Celine with me through the door. The hallway is dark since the sun hasn't arisen yet. It's cold and dark, like every other morning.
This is my least favorite house so far. It's too modern and doesn't have a homey feeling at all. It feels like a museum, where you're not allowed to touch anything. Every hall is filled with abstract paintings. Stripes and dots everywhere.
No one seems to like this house, which is weird since they own it.
'Goodmorning.' Celine groans as we enter the little kitchen. This house has a small kitchen. Bigger than the kitchen Neveah and I had, but smaller than the other ones.
Rio, who is seated in one of the chairs, looks up and smiles at Celine, before turning to me. 'Goodmorning ladies.'
I nod and walk over to the fridge as Celine grabs a few bowls for us. I notice she grabbed an extra bowl, probably for Neveah.
'When are we leaving?' I ask as I hand Celine her yogurt. She always eats the same thing, every morning. Yogurt with some type of berries. Today it's raspberries. 'In two hours.' Rio answers directly.
I reach for the cereal, just plain breakfast, the way I like it. Rio snorts from the other side of the room and sighs deeply. 'You know Luca could make you something right?' He asks before taking another bite from his salad.
'I'm fine with what I have.' He rolls his eyes and shrugs. 'Your loss.' Oh, fuck off...
Celine sighs deeply and turns to me, waiting for me to finish my cereal. 'What does Neveah want?'
'Probably your yogurt stuff.' I answer, thinking back to the times she's eaten with Celine. She usually steals some berries from her and that's it, but lately, she's been eating the yogurt as well. 'Okay, I'll make her some.'
I nod and wait for Celine to finish the bowl for Neveah, standing awkwardly as Rio continues to eat his breakfast. His eyes are on me, I can feel it without looking at him.
'Keep your eyes on your food, Adriano!' I hear from behind me. Leon walks into the kitchen and rushes to Celine, hugging her tightly. 'Goodmorning little one!'
I smile at him and stare at my cereal. The crisp seems to get a little soaked. 'Rio is thinking about fucking you, just so you know.' Leon whispers in my ear and my eyes widen. My cheeks flush red and when I look at Rio, I notice that his eyes are still on me.
'No, he's not.' Leon chuckles and points at his cousin. 'That, little one. That is horny Rio, trust me.'
Rio finally stops watching me and rolls his eyes. 'Stop scaring her, will you?'
'The only one scaring her here is you. Asshole.' Celine groans, before grabbing both bowls and walking back into the hall. I want to follow her, but Leon is standing in my way and grins at me.
'What is it, Leon?' 'Do you want Rio to fuck you?' What?! He burst into laughter at the sight of my reaction and stalks over to the fridge. 'No- Never in my- You're absolutely disgusting!' I sneer at him before rushing out of the kitchen.
'Ignore both of them, they're idiots.' Celine mumbles before opening the door to our room. I sigh deeply and follow her inside. Neveah is sitting on the bed and staring at her phone.
'Goodmorning sleeping beauty!' I exclaim before jumping on the bed without spilling anything. She smiles at me and looks at the bowls in Celine's hand. 'Is that for me?' I nod and hand her a spoon since she needs it to eat.
'What did I do to deserve this?' 'Well, I thought we might as well eat here since the boys are in the kitchen and we don't want to be around them.' Celine quickly explains.
I nod her way and take a bite out of my bowl, enjoying the crunchiness of the simple cereal. I haven't eaten it in a long time. Ever since the Curzio's abducted us, we've been eating freshly made food every day. Now, that we're leaving in a few hours, I'm finally able to enjoy the simple things.
Not that I'm complaining about the other breakfasts I've had with the Curzio's, it's just nice to eat something old-fashioned every once in a while.
Neveah smirks and gulps down on her bowl. She certainly wouldn't mind eating in the kitchen. Especially since Leon is there right now.
'You wouldn't mind, would you?' I ask, waiting for her to answer. She shrugs and keeps eating so that she won't have to answer me, but I already know. She likes Leon again.
'Well, you better get ready because we're leaving in two hours.' Celine states as she takes a seat on the bed as well. 'Alright, I'll just-' The door swings open and Leon rushes in.
'Get your shit, we're leaving now.' He sneers, walking over to the bed. He pulls me up and turns towards Neveah. She was just taking her last bite and stares at him strangely. 'Why?' 'What's going on?' Celine asks, but he ignores her.
'Just go and grab your stuff, we have to go.' He demands and Celine rolls her eyes, but does as he says. She rushes out of the room, probably towards her own to grab her bags. 'Neveah get up.'
She jumps out of bed, revealing her bare legs since she's not wearing anything but an oversized shirt. One of Leon's shirts I think...
Leon's eyes widen and he can barely contain himself. 'Stop staring at her you creep!' I shout, stepping in his way so that he has to look at me. 'What's going on?'
'I'll explain when we get to the plane, come on!' He turns back to the door and grabs some of our bags. I stare at Neveah for a second as she jumps into the dress Brandon picked out for her.
It's a dark gray hoodie dress, something that she loves to wear all the time.
'Can I-' 'No, we have to go!' Leon rushes out of the room and we follow him. Everyone in the house seems to panic and I wonder why.
Rio and Marco are throwing bags into the trunk of different cars. Brandon is helping Celine with a list and Leon seems to push Neveah towards one car. His car.
'What's going on?' I ask as soon as I get close enough to talk to Rio or Marco. They ignore me and continue throwing the bags inside cars, almost leaving no space for anyone to get in. 'It won't fit.' 'Shut up and get in one of the cars.' Rio sneers, suddenly talking to me.
'What's going on?' I ask again, angering even more. He immediately turns to me and almost closes the gap between us. He's close again, too close.
'Get in a fucking car Velez.' He thunders angrily. Whatever is going on, made him angrier than usual.
Just a few seconds ago he was all smiley and shit, and now he's this. This angry person I hate.
'Fine.' I huff before turning towards all the parked cars. All of them are sportscars, the ones you see in the movies.
Leon is trying to get Veah into his since he wants to be close to her like always. There are three more cars. One of them is so stuffed, a red one, that there's no room for a passenger. So that leaves two. Two cars.
A black one and a light grey one. I move over to the light grey one and pray to god that Celine or Brandon will be driving so that I won't be stuck with Rio for the whole drive.
Everyone moves to a car. Leon and Neveah go to the dark grey one, Marco enters the red one, and Celine and Brandon head to the black one. Shit...
I want to jump out, but it's too late. Rio already opened the door and stares at me. 'You just had to pick this one, didn't you?'
'How was I supposed to-' 'Shut up and put on your seatbelt.' He sneers, jumping in the car. I roll my eyes and do as he says, knowing that he'll do it himself if I don't.
He starts the car, letting the motor roar underneath him, and smiles. 'What's going on?' I ask one more time. He sighs and waits for the others to drive so that we can follow them. 'TMZ knows we're leaving.'
'TMZ?' 'Yes, TMZ.' He sighs, racing after the others. He's driving like a maniac as he tries to keep up with the others.
'What does-' He reaches to the dashboard and turns on the radio, cutting me off by turning the volume almost all the way up. "You need to get done, done, done, done at work, come over"
Work by Rihanna and Drake starts blasting through the speakers and I turn to the window. Rio is an absolute asshole and doesn't deserve an ounce of my time. 'Asshole.' I mumble but he's too busy to notice. "We just need to slow the motion"
He races past the others and turns to the left, making me press against the window in fear. 'Can you stop driving like a maniac!'
All he does is chuckle as he continues to drive like a psychopath. This man does not care about any of the rules at all, he doesn't care about getting all those tickets. Probably because he could easily pay them off.
'Scared Velez?' He asks, slowly turning his gaze towards me. 'Eyes on the road!' I shout, forcing him to face the road again. He continues to chuckle and slowly stops driving like a complete idiot. 'And yes, I don't want to be found dead in a car with you.'
'I think it should be the other way around.' He smirks, slowly turning his gaze towards me again. Asshole. 'The press would go insane if they found us in a car. I would be ruined.'
'You would also be dead.' I sneer, trying to hide the fact that his statement annoys me more than anything in the world.
It's not like I want any of this. He's the one keeping me here. He's forcing us to stay with him for no reason. So he doesn't get to fucking complain.
'Oh no! Did I hit a nerve?' He asks jokingly, annoying me even more. 'Just shut up and drive.'
'Oh trust me, I will.' He chimes before crushing the gas again. We spurt forward, almost crashing against the other cars on the road.
For some reason, he seems to be able to drive past them without stopping or slowing down once. He got some good driving skills...
The moment we get off the highway, towards something that looks like a private airport, he stops driving like a crazy person again. As soon as the car stops, we both jump out.
There is a huge airplane with Curzio on the side of the plane, written in cursive letters. I get as far away from Rio as possible and turn towards the gate.
The others are nowhere to be seen.
'Where are they?' I ask, not turning around because I don't want to face him. I feel Rio coming closer and after a few seconds, his hot breath against my neck. 'I have no idea Velez.'
I turn around and step back, trying to create more space between us. Over the past weeks, I've noticed little changes in him. He turned a little nice, he's still a piece of shit, but a little nicer.
Ever since last week, he's been getting closer. It's weird. He's getting too close as if Leon's words weren't lies at all.
According to Celine, they need to unleash themselves from time to time. Translation: they need to fuck someone.
There hasn't been a single girl at the house yet, so as far as I know, neither of them have done anything.
'Do I make you nervous Velez?' He asks, smirking at me. I shake my head, not wanting him to know that he scares me.
Rafael is the most handsome man I've ever met, probably the most handsome man I'll ever meet, but he's a monster. He probably killed millions of people and sleeps perfectly fine at night. He's a murderer and is the definition of bad.
'Don't lie to me.' His voice is so deep and so low that's I shouldn't be able to hear a thing, but I do. I feel the irritation in his voice. I feel it because I feel the same irritation towards him.
We hate each other. And I think that won't change. Ever.
'I'm not.' I lie the best I can. This man reads me like an open book. At least he tries to.
I hear cars behind me and turn back around, the red, grey, and black cars drive up to us and everyone jumps out.
'It wasn't a race, was it?' Marco jokes as he throws open the trunk and starts grabbing all the bags. Rio smiles and does the same to our car. He grabs a sports bag and opens it.
I glance into the bag and see that it's filled with hundred-dollar bills. Holy shit... There are at least a million dollars in the bag. 'If Patrick doesn't want all of it, I'll give you some.'
'I don't want your money. Trust me.' I sneer, stepping towards Neveah. He rolls his eyes for a second and turns back to the other bags. I head to Leon's car since that's the car where my bags are stored, and lift them out of the trunk.
'You okay little girl?' Leon asks smiling like a little kid. I nod and pull Neveah with me, not wanting to walk to the airplane alone. 'Leave the bags at the door, Velez!'
I drop my two bags to the ground and stomp towards the end of the stairway.
'What happened?' Neveah asks as soon as we walk up to the stairs of the plane. 'I am going to fucking kill Rio.' She sighs and drags me inside, pushing me into one of the seats.
I throw my small bag onto the ground and sigh deeply. Rio is an absolute piece of shit who thinks he owns the place. Who thinks he can own me.
The cabin is exactly the same as the last plane, with dark and white parts that absolutely match each other for some reason.
After a few minutes, everyone else enters the plane. As soon as everyone is seated, the motor starts. Neveah almost immediately falls back to sleep and I do too. It's not that I'm tired, I just don't know what else to do.
We sleep for the whole flight, even though Rio is yelling on the phone about a shipment again.
He keeps complaining about things going wrong, but if they go wrong so many times, why does he still work with them? Whoever the fuck they are.
I wake up and look out of the little window on my right. We're slowly lowering to the ground. 'Neveah?' I whisper, shaking her a little. She groans and slowly opens her eyes. 'Are we there yet?' She mumbles trying to stay awake.
'Almost.' I whisper as she leans on my shoulder again. We both stare out of the window and wait for the plane to hit the ground.
The moment the machine touches the ground, everyone gets up. They start grabbing all their bags and other things, and head for the door. 'We have to hurry. TMZ will be here any minute.' Celine informs us, pulling us up from our chairs.
As soon as the door opens, I feel the American air fill my lungs. Trust me, there's a difference. It's way warmer than in Germany.
We step out into the open air and both take a deep breath. 'It's good to be in America again.' I state, smiling at Neveah for a second. 'It really is.' 'I'd hate to ruin your little moment, but we have to hurry.' Leon chimes, pushing us towards a black SUV.
There's another car, the same car as the one we're getting into, just a bit more to the right. 'Wait, I'm not-' 'Rio is going with the other one, little girl. Don't worry.'
I smile at him and hop into the car, waiting for Neveah to jump in next to me. Instead of Neveah, Celine is the one who jumps in the seat next to me. She smiles at me and fastens her seatbelt.
'Are you excited about Marcello's party?' She asks as soon as everyone gets in. Leon looks at her through the rearview mirror, a little annoyed that she started the subject.
To be honest, I forgot why we needed to go to America in the first place. It's because this is all part of Rio's plan. He needs us to create an image. An image where he is capable of loving someone, even though there is no way he would ever be capable of doing that. I don't see how someone would ever be capable of loving him.
'Not really, why?' Neveah asks in my stead. I'm kind of taken back by my ignorance. Every time something happens, I tend to forget about the fact that Rio is still, and always will be, a monster.
'Marcello's parties are absolutely astonishing.' Celine sounds excited and I wonder why she won't be going if she's so passionate about it.
'Why don't you go as Rio's date then?' She rolls her eyes and looks at me again. 'Because people know that we would never date. I'm just his medical friend.'
I nod and look out of the window. After everyone is packed and ready to go, we head to the city. San Diego to be precise.
Apparently, Rio rented an apartment big enough for all of us. It's abnormally huge! I have to share a room with Neveah again, which I don't mind. That way I'll know we'll be safe together.
The apartment is modern, yet homey. Unlike the mansion in Berlin. This feels like a home. It doesn't feel like a museum because it's obviously not. This apartment has been used a lot, but still seems to look brand new at the same time.
'The boys left so we should go and order some food.' Celine says as she walks into our room. Her room is right next to ours and we share a balcony. 'Where did they go?'
'They needed to set things straight and told me to send you to bed early.' Celine huffs, obviously annoyed. It must have been Rio who told her to keep an eye on us. 'He keeps treating me like a goddamn babysitter.'
Yes. She's talking about Rio.
She told us once that she hates the way he talks about us. As if we're little children that need to be watched all the time.
'What are we going to order?' Neveah asks, jumping onto the couch. We both stare at her in awe, she seems to be way more comfortable nowadays. 'What? I'm starving!'
We debate about what we're going to eat and order a bunch of different food. Sushi, Pizza, Tacos, and Burgers. We also decide to watch a movie since we won't have to sit at the gigantic glass table in the middle of the room.
As soon as we're done eating, we all walk to our room. I'm absolutely exhausted, even though I slept more than I normally would.
'Celine?' I knock on the glass door to her room and wait for her to open. She has a towel wrapped around her frame and opens the door. 'Yes, Leya?'
I step into her room and close the door behind me. I don't get why I didn't just come to her room normally, like through the apartment itself and not through the balcony.
'Do you think we'll have time to go and visit my mother?' She stops walking back to the bathroom for a second and slowly turns around. Her body language says it all.
She doesn't think it's a possibility. Not because it won't happen, but because it's not safe.
I just want to see her again. Just one more time. I have not seen her ever since that video call with Marco, right after Rio killed Estelle.
We've spoken to each other, but it's not the same. I want to hug her, to smell her, to be with her again. The fact that I'm not allowed to see her makes all of this worse than needed. If life didn't turn out this way, I wouldn't have missed her this much.
'I don't know, but I-' 'It's not safe. I know.' I sigh, letting myself fall on her bed. She nods and walks over to me, still not wearing anything but a towel. 'Look. You can ask Rio if he'll allow it and ask him if it's a smart thing to do. He might help.'
Help... He's the reason it's dangerous. He's the thing I'm afraid of. He's the reason I'm fearing for my mother's life.
'Forget I asked. Goodnight.' I get up and rush back to our room, closing the door behind me. Neveah is already laying in bed when I enter the room. I jump under the covers next to her and almost immediately fall asleep.
The next morning I wake up, early like always. I reach for my phone and look at the time. It's almost eight in the morning, so I'm a little later than usual.
I lay in bed for a second, thinking about the things I might need to do today. I have to put up with Rio for the whole day. I have to act like I love him even though I absolutely don't. I hate him.
If I blow his cover, I'm dead. But how the fuck am I supposed to act as if I love him when I obviously don't? I'm not an actor. Especially not for his stupid lies.
Why couldn't he just pick a girl that actually wants him!?
'Bitch! You better wake your ass up! We have things to do!' Brandon shouts as he bursts into the room. I jump up and look at him in total shock. Even Neveah woke up, and she's a deep sleeper.
'What the fuck Brandon!?' She groans, throwing a pillow his way. It barely reaches his feet, making him smile and move over to my side of the bed.
'Goodmorning beauty, I need you to shower so I can work with you.' Work with me? Brandon grabs my arm and pulls me off the bed before pushing me towards the bathroom. 'I'll put some underwear for you to wear in front of the door! Hurry up!'
I sigh and undress, staring at the girl in the mirror. I seem happier, even though I still feel like shit. The bags underneath my eyes finally seem to fade. Thank god!
I quickly hop in the shower and wash my body. The moment I'm done, I open the door just a little. Brandon placed a black lace set in front of my door. Neveah definitely helped him with this...
As soon as I put it on, I stare at myself through the mirror again. No bands that hold up the bra, but for some reason, it doesn't fall. Oh god... The fact that I'm not allowed to wear straps might mean that I'm wearing a strapless dress tonight.
'Are you done yet!?' Neveah shouts from the bedroom. I sigh deeply and take it all in one more time. I would never wear this no matter what, but I have to.
'I absolutely hate you, like who the fuck cares what I'll be wearing underneath the dress!' I state as I walk back into the room, wrapping a towel around me just in case Leon is in the room.
'Stop covering! I want to see how sexy you look so I can pleasure myself!' Neveah torts, pulling the towel off of me. I roll my eyes and pull it back. Brandon laughs as he unpacks his little make-up case.
'Oh, by the way, I got your food.' Neveah throws a chicken sandwich my way and jumps back on the bed. 'Don't you have to get ready?' I ask, staring at her through the mirror as I take a bite. She shakes her head and looks at Brandon.
'She doesn't have to go until later.' What? 'Why?' 'Because, apparently, you and Rio are going to a pre-party with the exclusives.' Neveah sighs.
She's not bummed out about it, just annoyed that we hadn't been informed until now.
'Great, so I have to go somewhere else and act like we're dating. Without you?' She nods and smiles at me. 'But you're a great actor, you got this!' She chimes before walking to the door. 'I'm going to see what Celine's doing, I'll be right back.'
Brandon turns towards me and stares at my hair for a second. 'Shouldn't I put on the dress?' I ask, actually curious about the way it turned out. He sounded proud of the way it came out, but never showed me the outcome.
'Not yet, I'm just thinking about what I'm going to do with your hair.' He sighs deeply and walks around me a few times. It feels weird to be looked at like that, but the fact that it's Brandon makes it a little less weird.
'Okay. Close your eyes.' He chimes as he pulls me up from the chair. I finished the sandwich and close my eyes. 'Don't you dare open them!' He warns, before turning me around. I feel disoriented because I have no clue where he is right now.
'Raise your arms.' I follow his commands and smile at his harsh tone. Brandon is the softest person ever, which makes it a little funny to hear him talk like that.
'Step in.' Again, I do as he says stepping into the air. 'What are you-' 'Just wait!'
I feel a soft piece of fabric being pulled over my body and try to fight the urge to open my eyes. 'Almost done?' I ask impatiently.
'No bitch. Just wait!' He smiles as he slowly pulls up the fabric a little more.
'Okay lower your arms.' I do as he says and feel him pull on some cords, before zipping something up. I gasp for air for a second and almost open my eyes, making him stop immediately. 'Don't you dare!' 'I won't, but calm down! I can barely breathe!'
He laughs and turns me around. I feel his eyes on me and get more and more impatient by the second. 'Can I look!?'
'Yes.' I open my eyes and stare into his proud eyes. I've never seen Brandon this proud about anything. Oh god!
I turn around and look into the mirror, gasping for air. Holy shit! I am wearing the grandest scarlet red dress ever.
The dress is gorgeous. Spaghetti straps and a corset-like body with beads, with a skirt bigger than anything I've ever seen. I feel like an absolute princess!
I let my hands glide over the soft fabric and enjoy the feeling. I am lost for words, this dress is absolutely amazing!
'Remind me to hire you for my wedding dress!' I exclaim before jumping into his arms. He smiles proudly at me and nods. 'Oh trust me, I already planned everything!'
I turn back to the mirror and stare at the gorgeous beads on my chest. This is unbelievable. 'Don't go and cry, take a seat and let me do your hair!' I rush to the chair and take a seat, eager for Brandon to finish his masterpiece.
After straightening my hair and pulling half of it up into two braids, he turns to my make-up. He paints my lips in the same color as the dress and lightly puts some gold-looking eyeshadow on my lids.
Brandon gives me a golden necklace with a golden rose and matching earrings. I stare at them in awe and can't stop smiling. 'Oh and please wear these!' He rushes to the bed and opens a shoebox, before pulling out the most gorgeous heels I've ever seen. Gold with a little cord that you can tie around your calf.
'Okay, I think you're done!' He exclaims proudly. I look in the mirror and smile. I've never felt this pretty in my entire life. 'Holy shit! Brandon what the fuck!?' 'It was easy since you're a natural beauty!' He smiles, making me blush even more.
'Thank you so much!' I jump into his arms once more and can't stop smiling. 'Leya, Rio wants to- Holy shit!' Neveah shouts as soon as she sees me.
I smile and nod proudly as if all of this is thanks to me. 'I know right!'
She rubs her eyes and opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. 'You are absolutely stunning, oh my god! And-' She rushes over to me and touches the skirt with both hands, 'And you made this?!' She asks excitedly.
Brandon nods and stares at both of us. 'I can't wait to see what you made for me!' Veah exclaims, making me giggle a little. I can't stop smiling at myself, I look absolutely stunning.
'You were going to say something.' I say after a while of us staring at my dress. 'Oh right. I-' She takes a step back and thinks for a second. Her thoughts are all over the place, 'Rio. He's waiting.'
I sigh and grab the little purse Brandon bought for me. It's a darker shade of red but matches my dress perfectly.
'Let's go.' I mumble before heading to the door. We all walk to the hall and all heads turn to me. 'Holy shit-' Celine smacks Marco before he says something stupid and smiles at me. 'You look stunning!'
'Thank you.' I smile at her, before turning to the only person that's not facing me. Rio is wearing a black suit, yet it seems to fit him more than usual. This suit is different than all the others he wears all the time.
He slowly turns around, his eyes fixed on the gold watch around his left wrist. 'Took you long enough-' He stops when he sees me. His eyes glide up and down my body before they stop at my face. 'Why did you do that to her hair?'
I roll my eyes and walk over to him, trying not to sprain my ankle because of these heels.
'It's perfect, stop complaining!' Brandon sneers at him, following me to the door. He makes sure the dress falls perfectly, even though I'm walking. 'You took five hours, for this?' I stare at Rio in total awe.
Just a few seconds ago he was staring at me as if I was the prettiest woman he has ever met, and now he has the nerve to complain about my appearance. 'Fuck you. And let's just go.' I growl at him, unable to keep in my anger.
I want to smack him across the fucking face again. He expects me to act friendly to him the whole night? It's going to be a long night...
'Good luck and call me if you need anything!' Neveah shouts before Rio closes the door behind us. We walk into the elevator, neither of us saying a word.
He stares at me though, I feel it. Was Leon right? Does he want to- 'Walk.' I didn't even notice the doors already opened en rush out of the little space.
I follow him to the garage in silence and hop into his car, almost taking up all the space because of the dress.
The whole drive goes by in silence. I hear him huff from time to time because he can't reach the gearstick because of my dress, but it's not my problem. No one told him to take me with him. So it's not my fucking problem.
I didn't even notice the car has come to a stop until Rio grabs my face and tilts it to look him in the eyes.
'Listen. I have three rules.' He starts, before letting go of my face. I nod and wait for him to continue, which takes longer since he's staring at me again. 'Are you going to continue, or?...'
He shakes his thoughts out of his head and takes a deep breath, before turning back to me. 'Never talk when I'm talking.' I roll my eyes, but nod since there's going to be no debating this. 'Always stay closeby.' I nod again and try looking the other way.
He grabs my face again and leans a little closer. 'And don't talk to strangers' I try moving away, but he's stronger and waits for me to nod or say something. 'Okay, let go of me!'
His grip loosens, but he doesn't let go of me yet. He stays close, staring at me one more time, before jumping out of his car. I huff and also get out of the car, turning towards a beautiful garden with only white flowers.
Roses, tulips, daffodils, poppies, orchids, and cherry blossom trees, everything is white, making it seem divine and innocent. But I know better.
I know that every person that will attend this party today is evil. Otherwise, they wouldn't be here.
'Velez, you're already breaking the rules.' Rio grunts from a distance. He's already walking up the steps towards a platform with more flowers. This place is absolutely gorgeous.
I rush past the other expensive-looking cars and towards Rio, who's waiting for me to grab his arm. I catch my breath and hook my arm around his, trying to act as if that little run didn't totally exhaust me.
'Stop breathing like that.' He sneers, before plastering a gorgeous smile on his face. I do the same as him and try not to hit him because of his arm pressing against my chest.
'Rafael!' A bunch of older-looking men smile at us, more at Rio than me. 'Come te la passi?'
I simply smile as a bald man walks over to us and embraces Rio in a friendly hug. 'Io sto bene, tu come stai?' I stare as the men talk in Italian.
The sound they make sounds so soothing, making me melt a little. Fuck that sounds good...
'This is my date, Cataleya Velez.' They finally turn to me and I smile at the older man. He holds out his hand towards me. I stare at Rio before shaking the man's hand gently. 'You're absolutely gorgeous, Bambina.'
Rio steps back to me and wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me slightly away from the man.
'I'm Petero, but you can call me Pete.' The man chimes and I nod. Pete keeps his eyes on me but mutters something in Italian, making Rio sigh deeply.
'Do you want a glass of champagne?' A lady with a golden tray filled with glasses of champagne asks. Rio grabs two glasses and hands me one, smiling at me to sell the story a bit more.
It's weird seeing him act as if he cares because I know he doesn't. I take a sip of the champagne and let the bubbles slide through my throat. 'So this is the pretty girl you were talking about in the interview?' A new voice interferes. I turn around and stare into the dark eyes of a handsome old man.
He has black hair, with slightly gray strands, and sharp features, just like Rio. Wow...
'Marcello!' Rio embraces the old man and hugs him tightly, mumbling something in his ear. Marcello smiles at Rio and turns back to me, bowing down a little so he can look straight into my eyes. 'It's nice meeting you, Velez.'
'Likewise, mister Marcello.' I notice Rio staring at me and force a smile on my face. 'This place is absolutely gorgeous.' 'Oh stop, you need to tell my wife about it!' He chimes before people start laughing as if it's the funniest thing they've ever heard.
They're all trying to impress him. Almost everyone in here can talk or understands Italian. Everyone except me.
'Would you excuse us for a second?' Marcello asks after a while. I shake my head and look at Rio, who's too busy to even give me a second of his time. The men walk to a gazebo not so far away and continue their conversation.
So far rule number two...
I take another sip and glance around the room. Please let me survive this night!
Everyone is staring at me because I'm the only woman here. The place is filled with old men, who are all wearing simple black suits with different colored ties.
'Cataleya Valentina Velez, it's a pleasure to finally meet you.' A new voice whispers from behind. I quickly turn around and stare into the brightest, blue eyes I've ever seen.
A handsome, young, man stares at me. He has dark blond wavy hair that's slicked back with some strands trying to escape.
'And you are?' I ask, raising an eyebrow at him. 'I'm Hunter Steel.' I recognize his name, but don't know where from. 'Have we met before?'
Hunter shakes his head and smiles at me. 'No, we haven't.'
'How do you know my name, then?' I ask intrigued by his appearance. He's way younger than any of the men around here, so I wonder what his story is. I wonder who he works for.
'Oh gorgeous,' He steps closer clinging his champagne glass against mine, 'Everyone here knows who you are.' What? I look up, into his blue eyes, and raise an eyebrow at him.
'They just act like they don't.' His words come out slow, making me stare at his perfect lips for a second. I watch as he lifts his glass to his lips and takes a big sip. Oh damn...
He's standing so close I can smell his cologne, and I can't complain. 'Is that so?' I ask, looking at the people around us. 'Mhm. It is.'
I freeze when I see him. His bewitching eyes are filled with anger as he watches me, talking to the mysterious Hunter Steel.
I broke another one of his rules... He's going to fucking lose his shit.