Elsa
“There she is, my beautiful daughter-in-law.” Eleonora greeted me in Italian with her usual warm smile as she opened her arms and embraced me.
“How are you, honey? Is my son taking good care of you?” She had her hands placed on either side of my face and took a good look at me.
“Never been better! And don’t worry, he’s always taking good care of me.” I chuckled when she gave an approving nod.
“Good! If he doesn’t, you send him in my way and I will teach him a lesson.”
“Duly noted.” We both laughed and she linked her arm with mine and made our way inside.
“Is it always this empty in here?” I asked, looking around. The boutiques were open but there were no people present except for the ones who were working.
“Oh no, honey. I had them shut down for us to shop in peace.”
“You can do that?” I asked surprised and impressed.
“Of course.” She shot me a wink and led me to a gown boutique. As soon as we stepped inside, a well-dressed woman immediately walked toward us with her arms open.
“Buongiorno, Signore Donavan!” She greeted Eleonora with kisses on each cheek.
“Buongiorno, Corinna! How have you been?”
“Wonderful! Oh, and who’s this with you?” Corinna looked at
“This is Elisabeth, my son’s fiancée.” Eleonora said proudly with a smile.
“Oh, could it be Nicholas’s…?” She asked a bit unsure.
“Sí.” Eleonora’s whole face brightened and Corinna’s brows went up in surprise.
“How lovely! Welcome, welcome!” She suddenly embraced me and kissed my cheeks.
“Thank you.” I smiled at her cheerful greeting.
“Let’s find you some beautiful dresses, shall we?” She gestured for us to follow her to a different section of the boutique.
“I hope you don’t mind that miss Miciela is still here. She was here earlier and suddenly, nothing impressed her when she found out you were coming.” Corinna sighed.
“Oh, Miciela? Not at all.” Eleonora dismissed with a smile. Corinna gave a small nod and we entered a room with large mirrors, couches, dressing rooms, and refreshments already on the table.
“What are we looking for?” Corinna asked once we were seated on the couch.
“I need a dress for Dante’s and Tessa’s wedding.” I said, assuming she already knew about it.
“We need three new dresses for her.” Eleanor said and sipped her champagne.
“Three dresses for a wedding is a bit too much, isn’t it?” I asked.
“Not only for the wedding, honey. I want you to come with me to an event tomorrow. The third dress Nicholas asked me to get you for a ceremony there will be held soon.”
“What ceremony?” My brows slightly narrowed. Nicholas did not mention a ceremony to me.
“Time will tell. Now, up you go.” She dismissed me but it still had me wondering what in the world that could be.
Corinna took my measurements and went to retrieve dresses for me to try on since I had nothing particular in mind. While we waited, I chatted with Eleanora and got to know her a bit more. She was such a warm soul and always had a soft expression and a warm smile on her face.
“Are you okay?” She looked concerned and held my hand in hers.
“I am… I was just thinking how you remind me of my mother.” I couldn’t help but smile sadly. I was missing her so badly. Eleanora mirrored my expression but didn’t say anything and just gave my hand a small squeeze in comfort.
“All right, dear. Let’s have you try some gowns.” I turned to look at Corinna and my smile slowly faded when I saw she had returned with five, large racks of dresses for me to try.
The whole experience of me trying on dresses gave me a strong sense of deja-vu. It sent me right down memory lane when I went dress shopping for the first time with Nicholas. He kept sending my ass back into the dressing room.
And apparently, Nicholas and his mother were much more alike than I had ever imagined.
Because now, she kept sending my ass back with a new dress for the same reasons Nicholas once gave.
“We are not trying to give Nonna a heart attack. That is too revealing!”
“It’s unsightly.”
“Simply tedious.”
Eleonora was a harsh critic and I was afraid we wouldn’t find anything that would please her. I then accidentally made a comment about how it didn’t matter what kind of dress I wore as long as I was there for Tessa.
“Oh no, honey! You have a reputation to uphold. You must show that you are the soon-to-be wife of a Don. And not just any Don, but Don Nicholas Donavan. It is now your obligation to also display his wealth and power along with your beauty. You do so through the manner in which you present yourself.” She explained, which caused my brows to rise.
“I had no idea…” I muttered as my gaze landed on my engagement ring. That must be why he chose such a large diamond. The thought of having to show his wealth and
power through the way I presented myself was unsettling, to say the least. Sure, I grew up not needing anything and lived a comfortable life, but I was not used to the kind of money Nicholas possessed. Him, spending millions of dollars on me, was just still purely mindblowing to me.
“You will learn with time.” Eleonora smiled.
I was starting to feel hot and if it wasn’t because of the air conditioning in the boutique, I would have melted.
“I really hope you like this one because it’s gorgeous!” I pulled the curtain to the side for her to see. I stepped to the circular stage and did a small spin for her to see the entire dress. I was praying she would approve of this dress, not just because I was tired of trying on dresses, but because it was a beautiful one.
It was a sparkling arctic blue dress with an off-shoulder v- neckline. It went tight down my waist and then slightly loose around my hips as it had a split to the side. I had never worn anything like this before and the color complimented my tan skin. The more I looked at it, the more I fell in love with it but dreaded Eleonora’s answer.
“This is definitely the one!” She said happily and I let out a sigh of relief. Luckily, we had already found the dress I was to wear for the event tomorrow. It was a deep, royal blue dress with a sweetheart neckline and it came with a pair of matching long gloves that stopped at my elbows. The third dress was kept a secret for now for some reason.
‘Oh, that’s a gorgeous one!” I turned to look in the direction of the unfamiliar woman’s voice. A woman, who couldn’t be that much older than me, took off her sunglasses to admire my dress.
“How come you didn’t show me this one, Corinna?”
“Because it was not for you, miss Miciela.” Corinna gave a tight smile and the woman returned a much more obvious fake smile.
“Buona sera, Signore!” She greeted Eleonora with kisses.
“Buona sera, Miciela.”
“It’s so nice to see you again! How’s the family? Nicholas?” My brow went up the minute she mentioned his name.
“My fiancé is doing great, thank you for asking.” I said, giving her a sweet smile when she turned to look at me when I made my way toward them. Everything in me wanted to let her know he was in fact my husband, but I managed to keep myself in check.
“Miciela, this is Elsa ,Nicholas’s soon-to-be wife. And this is Miciela. Her family is in business with ours.” Eleonora explained and I understood what that meant. In other words, an ally to the family.
“Nice to meet you, Miciela.” I purposely gave her my hand with the engagement ring on to shake. Her gaze did land on my engagement ring before she shook it.
“Likewise, Elsa.” She said my name as if she recognized it, having me slightly tilt my head to the side.
" Honey, get changed, and let’s go to the jewelry store to get you something pretty.” I gave a small nod and went to the dressing room, but not before I shot Miciela one last look as she was also eyeing me from head to toe.
Fuck, I really hope she isn’t one of Nicholas’s past lovers.
I immediately shoved the thoughts out of my head. I had to remind myself that it was all in the past and it didn’t matter anymore. I was his wife now and that was what mattered.
I was happy to be back in my own dress, which was nice and light and helped my body cool down from trying what felt like hundreds of dresses.
“You can go right ahead while I sort this out.” Eleonora told me when I was near.
“You don’t have to, I can take care of it.” I tried to protest, telling her I would be the one paying but she lightly smacked my hand when I reached for my card, and then she practically pushed me out to Giovanni and Logan. They had been standing outside the boutique with the two men Eleonora had arrived with.
“This was one exhausting round.” I sighed out to them and hoped we would find something quick in the jewelry store. I was thirsty and hungry.
“We thought it would be. Here.” Giovanni handed me my favorite iced coffee and sugar-glazed Taralli.
“You’re the best, thank you so much!” I took the iced coffee gratefully and gave them both one big hug. I almost wanted to cry in happiness when I took the first sip.
“There you go, getting recharged.” Logan chuckled as he watched me happily eat my Taralli.
“It’s definitely getting me the boost I need.”
“Done shopping?”
“Not yet. We’re heading for the jewelry store now and then I think we’re done.” At least, that was what I was hoping for. It was not that I wasn’t having a joyful time with Eleonora, but if we had to keep going like this with every shop, we would never make get out of here.
I took my time drinking my iced coffee and eating the Taralli before going inside the jewelry store, but with how hungry and thirsty I was, it all went down in mere minutes. Logan and Giovanni stood outside again while I looked for something that would go with my new dress. As I looked around, my eyes landed on one particular ring that caught my attention.
“Can I please have a look at this one?” I asked Mr. Felini, a kind older gentleman who was the store’s owner as he informed me while I browsed.
“Of course!” He immediately took out a key to unlock the display and took out the ring. It was even more magnificent up close. It was a wide, rectangular gold ring with a large. green emerald. It had tiny diamonds on each side of the emerald and even some going down along the band.
Mr. Felini told me a bit more about the ring and its price. My eyes wanted to pop out of their sockets. It was pricey but it was such a unique ring. It is so noticeable on hand and everyone's gonna see this yes that's what I want.
“I would like this one, please. Can it be wrapped as a gift?” I asked.
“Absolutely! It’s no problem.” He smiled and I handed him back the ring.
“And I would like to pay for the ring with this card.” I handed him my card just in case Eleonora showed up and tried to pay for it.
“As you wish.”
“Thank you! I will still have a look around.” I said once I handed him the paperwork I had filled out since it was a large purchase.
“Take as much time, miss.” Mr. Felini replied happily, making me smile. I continued to look around for a necklace but I didn’ t want to buy just anything in case Eleonora didn’t approve of it.
I turned to look when the door to the jewelry store opened, only to see it was Miciela. I mentally rolled my eyes when she gave me her fake smile.
“So, Elsa…” She said as she stepped closer to me while looking at the displayed jewelry.
“Are you also attending the ball tomorrow?”
“I am.” I gave her one curt answer, not hiding that I didn’t want to chit-chat with her.
“I’ve heard of you.” She stopped in front of me and I looked at her blankly.
“Sofia is a great friend of mine.” Miciela smirked.
“Sofia…?” I tilted my head, pretending I had no idea who she was talking about.
“She worked for Nicholas.”
“Ah, Sofia, the housekeeper! How is she? Has her nose healed well? And what about her hands? Poor girl didn’t know what she was up against.” I sighed as I feigned a sad look and shook my head. The smirk on her face got wiped away immediately and was replaced with a glare. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped when Eleonora came into the store. Miciela immediately plastered a fake smile on her face, and I slightly frowned, disgusted with how phony she was.
“There you are. Found anything you liked?”
“I did! I thought of something like this?” I showed her what I thought would be great with the dress. It was a necklace with small diamonds on the chain and slightly bigger diamonds at the end as it was a longer-designed necklace. And it had matching long earrings too.
“Perfect! We will get you this one for tomorrow.” She said excitedly.
“Oh, is this not fitting for the wedding?”
“I have already chosen something special for you. It’s also a gift from me. Do you want to see it?” I nodded, curious to see what it looked like. Mr. Felini opened the jewelry box and I immediately shook my head.
“Eleonora, thank you, truly. But this is not something I can accept.”
“Nonsense! Nicholas aiready told me you would try to protest but it’s not going to work with me.” She dismissed me and I really wanted to tell her it was too much but then again, I didn’ t want us to go back and forth in the middle of the jewelry store. Instead, I let out a small sigh and accepted my defeat.
“It’s always a pleasure to have you here, Signore Donavan.” Mr. Felini said while he handed us the bags.
“Pleasures all mine.” She gave him a warmful smile and we bid him goodbye. We stepped out of the store and a smile immediately found its way to my lips when I saw Nicholas making his way toward us, making me walk faster until I was in his embrace.
“Missed me?” He smiled and lightly caressed my cheek.
“Always.” I leaned in and kissed him, forgetting we had a small audience. I pulled away when his mother started to chuckle and commented how we were cute lovebirds, which had me slightly blushing. I looked in the direction where Miciela happened to stand, sending glares in my direction.
“Oh, and tell Sofia I said hi.” I smiled sweetly before turning around and holding Nicholas’s hand.
“Sofia?” He frowned as he looked at me while we made our way out.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” I reassured him and he gave a nod.
“Did you eat?”
“I had a snack and some iced coffee.”
“Let’s get you something to eat then.” He smiled.
“You know I won’t say no to that.” I chuckled and leaned into him as he wrapped his arm around me...
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