Lorena
„and what are we going to do now?", I ask while hanging my head over the sofa. I'm so bored. I'm locked up in this huge villa and they won't let me go out.
"Can't we go sightseeing or at least eat ice cream? I thought Dante said you had to do what I tell you!" "That was before the tequila escapade," one of the guards mutters. "I didn't expect you to run crying to Dante right away. Admit it, you had fun too," I say.
They remain silent. No answer is also an answer.
Sighing, I get up and am about to go to the kitchen when the doorbell rings. "Can I open the door?", I ask Dumb and Dumber before they shout at me that I can't. "No!", Diego says and walks past me and opens the door.
"Salve, sono qui per Lorena. Vuole che le faccia compagnia", says a pretty girl.
Diego slams the door in her face and takes his phone out of his pocket. "Hey, that was really rude of you," I say and cross my arms in front of my chest.
"Don, there's a girl standing outside the mansion who says she's here to keep Mrs. Russo company." "I don't know her name." He opens the door and asks the girl for her name. "Daniela can I now-" before she can finish her sentence he slams the door shut again.
"Diego!" I call out. He continues to ignore me and then ends his phone call. He opens the door for the third time and lets the girl in. "Finally, I could have waited inside while you were on the phone with Dante, couldn't I?" she says annoyed and rolls her eyes.
She turns to me and says with a smile: "You must be the beautiful Lorena. My goodness you have beautiful cheeks." "Um...thanks." "Oh, you must be confused and wondering who I am. Communication is not Dante's greatest strength," she says with a laugh.
Why does she know Dante's weaknesses? Should I be worried that such a beautiful woman knows my fiancé. Before my thoughts go in the wrong direction, she says: "I am Daniela Dante's cousin."
Now it makes so much sense why she looks so much like him. She also has beautiful dark eyes and hair colour. She also has a devilish glint in her eye just like Dante.
"Pleased to meet you. So you're supposed to keep me company today?" I ask as we walk into the living room. "Right! We need to discuss your wedding, dinner tonight and then-" "Wait a minute did you just say dinner? Tonight?", I ask, confused.
"Yes, the whole family wants to meet you before the wedding. Don't worry it's very intimate only about 60-70 people will be there." I think I'm going to puke. I don't even know that many people how can she say it's intimate.
"Okay from the look on your face, you had no idea. Dante really needs to start communicating better with you." I agree with her completely.
I'm about to kill him.
"Well, we have no time to lose. In about 2 hours the house will be crowded with catering and people decorating the house. We need to get you dressed up so you're ready to be presented as the future Mrs. Russo. The wife of the powerful Dante Russo."
When I'm done with him, he's anything but powerful.
—-
"Don't you think that's all a bit too much for a family party?", I ask Daniela while a hairdresser works on my hair.
"Oh, sweetheart, you're new to the family. Half the women present today are your age with men three times your age. They'll all be half naked and sucking up to you so hard you'll puke. If you don't look presentable, Dante looks bad."
"So you're telling me that if I don't look like I'm going to the Oscars, my fiancé will look bad."
"Exactly! Unfortunately, that's how this messed up world works. Men get to look dirty and worn out while their wives have to stand next to them always presentable and smiling."
The thought of always being dolled up and closely watched gives me a fuzzy feeling in my stomach. Dante had warned me that I had to accompany him to events and make him look good. But it makes me feel like a woman without a brain, with only her body to offer.
"Don't worry too much. You'll get used to it," Daniela says with a smile as she picks out a dress for me.
"Have you got used to it?", I ask.
Sighing, she puts a light pink dress on my bed and turns to me.
"I am the black sheep in the family. When I was just 18, I was married to a 64-year-old. Unfortunately, he died shortly after and no one wants to marry a widow. But enough of that we have to hurry up now." I think there is much more to her story, but it is not my place to question her, so I will leave it for today.
When the hairdresser has curled the last curl, I put on the light pink dress with long sleeves. It goes down to my knees, so it's not inappropriate for a family celebration.
Smiling, I look at myself in the mirror. I look really pretty.
"Dante has really chosen a pretty woman," Daniela says with a smile. My smile fades. Annoyed, I agree with her. He has chosen a pretty woman. Looks must apparently be my only quality.
—-
"Benvenuti". I say for what feels like the fiftieth time.
I don't think I've been this pissed off in a long time. Firstly, there's a family party I didn't know about, secondly, it's in honour of my future husband and he's not here, and thirdly, if one more old men looks down my neckline, I'm going to shoot someone.
I only half listen to what a woman tells me, whose name I forget already. When I finally catch sight of a familiar face. "Excuse me." Before she can say anything, I quickly walk away.
"Mauro, I really hope you didn't come without Dante," I hiss as I try to maintain my smile.
"You look beautiful Lorena." He says with a smile.
I grab him by the upper arm and squeeze as hard as I can. "Do I look like I'm kidding? Again, slowly for your pea-brain, where's Dante?"
"Lorena I didn't know you could be so mean. I love it!" "But before you completely freak out. He's upstairs freshening up."
I leave him and rush up. On the way up, I smile at one or two people coming towards me. I go into the master bedroom and slam the door loudly.
Dante looks at me in surprise as he buttons up his shirt. Lorena, concentrate! We don't have time to pay attention to his abs.
"Can I help you?"
"Did you really just ask me that!", I shout, throwing my hands in the air in disbelief.
"Principessa, do you have your five minutes again? I don't have time for your bitching. In case you haven't noticed, we have guests."
Speechless! I'm just speechless. How can he be such an ungrateful asshole? Without saying anything, I turn around and walk out of the room. He'll see what's coming.
—-
Dante
"Thank you for coming in such large numbers today. Lorena and I are happy that we can start our future together with you."
"Do you want to say something?" I whisper in Lorena's ear.
"Thank you from me, too. When Dante had asked me in tears if I wanted to be his wife, I said baby, of course. He really was crying like a baby," she says, stroking my cheeks lovingly.
"Now that I have the man of my dreams, the house of my dreams and of course the private jet, I can die a happy woman. Salute!" she says before downing the champagne all at once.
Speechless, we look at her. "What the hell has got into you?" I hiss in her ear.
"What baby? Stop bitching like that. You're embarrassing us."
"You can start eating," I say to my family.
While we are eating, one of my uncles asks what she likes to do in her free time. "Mostly shopping. I like spending money the more expensive the better. We don't want Dante to marry someone ugly."
Suddenly she starts laughing so loudly that my eyes almost fall out of my head.
It's a grunt and a squeak and everyone looks at her with wide eyes.
"I'm sorry, I just thought of a really funny joke, but I'll keep it to myself."
Enough is enough! She's been acting like this all evening.
I get up from the chair and grab Lorena by the arm and pull her off the table. "We'll be right back," I say before we walk out the door. "What the hell has gotten into you?"
"What do you mean?" She gives me an annoyed look. "You're marrying me for my private jet, your favourite thing is shopping and that laugh. Why are you talking crap and acting like this?"
"I don't see the problem. Shouldn't your future wife be like that?" I mentally count to ten before saying something I can't take back. "I'm going back inside." Before she can take a step towards the door, I grab her by the arm and turn her to face me.
"You're going to tell me what your fucking problem is right now. Do you understand?" I shout.
"You invite your whole family without telling me. You leave me alone all day and don't listen to me."
"You know what your role is in this marriage. You knew that even before you signed the contract. Why are you complaining now?"
"I didn't realise I was your stupid appendage. That I'm just there to make you look good. We don't communicate. I just expect you to share things with me. Is it so hard to give me a heads up that you're organising a family party and then being late for it?"
"Who said you were my stupid appendage?", I ask, confused.
"Don't act so innocent. I'm just your pretty wife. The one without an opinion and without a brain. Isn't that how you want me?"
"When did I say that?"
"Daniela told me that's what women are expected to do and the way you treat me confirms it!" I notice that she is fighting tears.
What do you say in a situation like this? What should I do? I don't care about other people's feelings. I take what I want and don't give a shit about others. But why does my heart hurt when I see her like that? What I would do right now for just being able to google it.
"I won't embarrass you any more and I will take my role as you want. I think it's best if we just don't get in each other's way. I thought maybe we could be friends, but obviously that's not working."
I open my mouth to add something, but she just runs in without looking back.
How could I mess up like that two days before our wedding?