68 | Femme Fatale
"Wow." Oliver cringed, eyeing me with his grandpa disapproval.
"Told you. Now deal with it." My newly appointed personal bodyguard mocked me with a smirk.
Yes, fellas. I won the bet.
Rafael's hasty footsteps thudded against the stairs as he rushed down checking his wristwatch.
And then he stopped. All of a sudden.
Charcoal eyes went wide for a split second before a well known darkness crept into them. His hot gaze fell over the new tattoo on my collarbone.
Femme fatale, it read.
His eyes remained glued to the spot and his tongue darted out to wet his lips.
God help my sanity.
I quicky snapped out of my daze and he too, as muddled as me looked here and there.
Good thing Oliver had left already. Being punctual was not so bad after all.
"So amusing, isn't it Harrison?" He curled his lips up, taking slow and stealthy steps towards me. "I bet you don't know that I called her that, do you?" He tapped a finger over the tattoo. The ephemeral touch ignited a gazillion sparks inside me.
Who was teasing whom exactly?
But I wasn't going to back off. No way, mister.
"Let's go, Harri boy." I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the back door.
A surprisingly sleepy Alli passed by us, whistling as she trained her eyes at our connected hands and then looking up at Rafael.
"Are you two eloping already?" She giggled, her side glance trained in Rafael's direction.
I pretended brooding over it. "Doesn't sound so bad. What do you say, Harri?" I winked.
"No but seriously, where are you two sneaking from the back door?" She asked.
Rafael who was apparently getting late didn't feel like moving his legs now.
"We aren't sneaking, Alli. We were just going to burn some calories in the woods." I bit my lip, giving Harri's butt a light spank.
My action got him to jump back, his eyes grown wide in horror. "I think I'm a victim of harassment at my workplace."
I stared at the flower vase in response as if not hearing his comment whilst desperately waiting for Rafael to speak something. This was getting tiring.
I suddenly doubted this entire thing.
"Why do you need him for a jog? To save you from spiders?" Alli said, tying her long hair into a ponytail.
"Yes." Harri sighed. "That's a big deal for her. The mere sight of a spider would have her running for-"
"Yes we know that. You aren't the only one." Rafael frowned and then muttered some unclear words under his breath which ended with why am I wasting my time on her.
I wish I hadn't heard those words. They just confirmed what his Mila told me yesterday.
Fuck him.
Not wanting to be anywhere near him, I dashed out into the woods, trying to get it all out along with the calories. Never in my life did I even imagine I'd willingly run.
"Vittoria!" Harri called out, quickly following me. I increased my speed. My throat ached, partly because of the sob I'd trapped inside me and partly because of running uphill with all I'd got.
But then I stopped. I had to. I'd reached the dead end.
The ocean stretching until eternity glimmered as the golden rays of the morning sun touched it's waves. But my ray of hope was slowly dying. I was standing at a hilltop, above everyone. But I felt like I was slowly drowning.
"You might need this, princess." Harri panted, handing me the bottle of water which I downed wholeheartedly.
"Please have a seat on your throne." He gestured dramatically towards the rock like the royal servant, trying his best to make me smile.
Today it wasn't working.
"Aye." He shouldered me, settling down next to me. "Vittoria." He butted his head with mine. "Leia Skywalker." He poked me in the ribs and then huffed and gave up with a childish pout when I didn't respond.
And I broke into a small giggle.
"Oh no, what am I seeing." He smiled widely, making me realize soon after how contagious it was. "Now that were smiling, tell me what's wrong. Why did your mood flip like Mason does hearing Camila's name?"
He couldn't have said it more perfectly.
"Harri!" I crossed my legs. "Yesterday I accompanied Camila to buy her wedding dress, bought my own dress which I'll be wearing at their wedding and tonight I will be teaching them to dance on a song we decided for us for our wedding." I let it out in a single breath like doing so would make it all go away.
Maybe being her maid of honor wasn't the best decision. So much for trying to make him believe I've moved on and threaten him to lose me if he didn't acted now.
I don't think he wanted me anymore.
"Let's give up. I feel stupid doing this."
"Don't you see he's losing his mind seeing you with me? I kind of pity my boss."
"Yes but that's just it. It's natural to feel that way when you've just broken up with your ex. It's clear he doesn't want to get back with me. He said his life is way better, way stress free without me and that I'm so much of a trouble."
"He said that to you?" Harri asked, bewildered.
"No. Camila did. When we were checking the fit of her wedding dress."
"And you believe her." He scoffed.
I might not. But this was the truth. Nothing he hadn't said before. Camila wasn't so much work. She listened to him. She didn't rebel and get bratty for petty things.
"Get all those thoughts out of your head at once!" Harri commanded, looking at me with those eyes he uses on his daughter thinking he must look scary. He doesn't. Ever. He just looks cute.
"We're fifteen days away from their wedding, Harrison."
"We have half of an entire month remaining. How does that look now, princess?" He raised a brow whimsically.
My annoyed gaze flew up to the pretty boy, trying to throw him what the fuck looks.
"Are you serio-" I opened my mouth to expel some pessimistic shit but he stopped my words from departing from my lips as he pulled me up and held my waist.
"No time for that, princess. Let's practice our dance for tonight. We don't want to make a fool of ourselves, do we now."
"I'm so excited." Camila spun on her heels to face me.
I wasn't.
But I didn't say that. I tossed away the unwanted talk about our first dance rehearsals with an unwilling smile and turned to my wardrobe to extract a fresh pair of track pants.
What was I even doing? I had no right to hurt Vittoria like this. But that's what I do best. I had reached to a point now where I knew I could never change myself to a better person. A person who deserved Vittoria.
Maybe it was good that she took my love for granted and I lost faith in this love. Maybe that's how I would finally keep my sickening self away from her and let her be happy for once. And let me be happy.
With whom? Camila?
The voice from my head mocked.
I huffed, feeling exhausted from all the work and the prospect of what was about to happen in a few days. But I wasn't going to back off this time.
"Rafael! Are you even listening? I said I'll quickly change and meet you downstairs." She screamed into my ears and sashayed out, desperately trying to get me to focus in her hips.
I don't understand why she would still keep trying.
I felt like I could finally breathe when I locked the door of my room after her. Did I really want to do this all my life? No. Was there anything I could do about it. No. It was way too late for anything now.
My thoughts were interrupted by three knocks on my door which opened to an oddly disoriented and antsy Travis.
"Is everything okay, Travis?" I asked, studying his strange behaviour. His eyes wandered around as if making sure no one saw him here talking to me.
"Do you want to come inside, Travis?"
He nodded brusquely and secured the latch as if he was hiding from someone.
"I know what I'm about to say has consequences."
I knew this would be bad.
"Say it."
I saw the way his throat moved as he gulped in vexation. His frantic eyes restlessly wandered around the room like what he wanted to say was something urgent but disastrous.
"Esztar is-"
"I'm ready!" The door flew open once again as Camila dashed in. Her surprised but questioning eyes pitched at the guard before me who drew his hands behind his back and bowed down. He was back to being his normal self.
I knew what was happening here.
"What are you doing here at this time, Travis?"
"Good evening, ma'am. I was here to request boss to come down. Everyone's waiting for the dance rehearsals."
"Oh! He knows that now. Bye." She flashed him a fake smile and began tugging me outside.
I gave him a curt nod as I passed by him, telling him I'd got his message.
Vittoria: *cracks knuckles* Come on, Harri boy! Lets teach these lovely people how to fucking dance.
Harrison: Why don't we calm down first
Vittoria: *screaming her lungs out* Je suis CALM!!!!!!!!!
Mason: Ignore these idiots. Don't forget to vote and comment.
Author: Thanks Masie, you're so sweet.
Mason: And you fucking update on time alright!
Author: *thinks about ways to kill him in the very next chapter*
Mason: Don't even think about it. No one's going to read your book if I'm dead. Again.
Author: *ignores him* The Esztar Code just crossed 100k and I have all you beautiful readers to thank!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oliver: Baffling how you remembered saying this only after all this nonsense.