(Nina's Pov)
There had to be something wrong with me. Maybe it was being surrounded by all the rich smelling liquor constantly, my senses had been clogged up and I was unable to think straight. That had to be it. Definitely. There was no other explanation that would make remotely any sense with what I had willingly agreed to.
I was going to be attending Lucas' home, where his fiancé and him would be serving his friends and I dinner. Randy was going to be there, with his wife, Hannah, who I had heard numerous things about and was rather excited to meet. Over the course of the past two weeks, I had been seeing Randy's face a lot more often and surprisingly, Lucas' too. The two had spent their Saturday nights sat across from me, the three of us catching up as we mindlessly conversed about things. Although, Randy would randomly drop in constantly throughout the week and we'd speak more often.
I had a feeling he missed our friendship and wanted it back.
I couldn't deny that I felt the same exact way.
Wiping down the counter I had accidentally spilled a glass of orange juice on, I glared at my cat, Coco, for startling me. She had jumped out of nowhere, meowing in my face, leading my hands to tremble and out of shock, let the glass spill.
She was now sitting comfortably on the red couch, that I had managed to purchase from IKEA, a content look on her furry face as she licked herself clean.
Why did I decide to keep her again?
Oh, that's right. Out of loneliness. Two years ago I walked past the pet shop on my way home from a tiresome shift at work and was feeling so oddly down that I ended up doing a double take when I saw her on the display window. I don't know what it was, but I felt this strange connection and relation when I saw her beady, green eyes staring back at me with longing.
It was like she felt the same exact way I did. We were both lonely. And we both needed someone.
I couldn't stop myself from marching determinedly into that store and purchasing her, despite the significant fact I wasn't a big fan of animals and had no idea what I was going to do with her. My apartment was barely fit for myself, forget a pet that was rather dependent on its owner.
But years later Coca had grown on me and was like a little housemate. I couldn't deny the fact she was incredibly frustrating and annoying quite a lot of the times. I could barely cope with her sometimes, to the point I was tempted to throw her out.
I know, harsh.
Sighing, I threw away the soaked kitchen towels into the bin and quickly washed my hands. My eyes briefly darted to the clock hanging on the wall and realized I had only two hours to get ready, before Lucas (who insisted) would send a cab to come pick me up and safely drive me to his home. His words, not mine.
Deciding to start on my much needed change in appearance and attire, I grabbed my towel and a pair of matching undergarments before heading into the shower. The warm water instantly began raining down and I took in a sharp breath as I let it beat down against me, my eyes closing shut in relaxation.
In all honesty, I had no idea why I agreed to attending this dinner. Apparently it was something Lucas held every other month and it seemed like a rather big deal. That wasn't the only thing that made feel intimidated and nervous, it was also the fact I would be meeting an important person in Lucas' life, when just a few weeks ago, I wasn't apart of his.
It felt like this was a huge step that I hadn't thought about until I had a good amount of time on my hands, leading me to mindlessly overthink everything. And now that I had done exactly that, I was beginning to realize maybe this was one large mistake.
A number of times across the week I had thought about backing out, but it felt wrong and guilty of me to do so. Besides, I don't know what it was, but after Lucas and I had privately had dinner with just the two of us, I just felt as if everything was okay between us and all he really wanted was our friendship back. And just like him, I wanted it too.
Turning off the shower once having scrubbed myself clean of any dirt from head to toe, I stepped outside, shivering as I dried myself with the white towel. When I was I finished, I dressed into my matching cotton white undergarments and made my way into my bedroom.
Coco was sitting comfortably on the edge of my bed, petting herself as she shamelessly stared up at me. I rolled my eyes at her lazy behaviour but couldn't stop myself from naturally reaching down to gently scratch the back of her ear. She meowed in response, pleased.
Smiling to myself, I walked over to my wardrobe and pulled out the already ironed, plum purple colored dress that had a v-shaped neckline, fitting with long sleeves and reached a few inches above my knees. I had decided that this would be the perfect dress to wear as it wasn't over the top but simple and sophisticated. Well, at least to me.
Pulling it out, I placed it on my bed for the time being. I went to dry my hair and before dressing into it, a shaky smile curling on my lips when I realized it fit me kind of perfectly. Which was new since most of my clothes were always too tight or over-sized, in hopes I would eventually grow into it. It was rare to find a piece of clothing that fit me just right.
I did a small twirl in the floor length mirror before laughing at myself for being such a dope. My eyes once again darted to the clock and I was reminded of the time I had left, which was roughly over forty minutes. So I took a seat at my dressing table and began putting on a light dusting of make up, opting for gloss instead of lipstick.
By the time I was done with everything, I smiled lightly at my reflection, happy with the outcome and inwardly prayed tonight would go smoothly and wonderful like I hoped as I put on my jewellery.
Although, I feared the worst would end up happening.
---
I had no idea what I was walking into. The large extravagant house with its European décor looked outstandingly beautiful from the outside, but the inside was a whole other world. It was incredible, every little aspect about it.
The polished wooden floor, the high ceilings with bright chandeliers hanging from them, the crisp, in-tacked wallpaper with lavish designs on it and the wondrous furniture that looked all so expensive and I definitely knew it would be.
Lucas had a maid and butler. The butler had opened the door for me a few minutes ago, asking for my name before ushering me inside with a warm look in his eyes. Now, I was stood in his sitting room, patiently awaiting for someone other than his butler to turn up. I kept myself occupied by aimlessly glancing around, unable to control my eyes that were simply amazed by nearly everything in here.
A frown pulled at my lips as I acknowledged the fact there were no pictures, other than a few paintings, hanging on the wall. Surely Lucas had to have taken a few pictures with his family that he had reunited with after so long and especially his fiancé.
Maybe he just didn't find the need to frame them and hang them up on display.
I inwardly shrugged it off and took a sip from the fine red wine, handed to me by Lucas' kind, old butler. There was no need to be looking into this so deeply. I should just be thankful Lucas thought of me highly enough to invite me to a dinner party in his extremely grand home. That said something, right?
My thoughts were suddenly cut short, because footsteps sounded in my ear and as I turned to face the doorway, I realized he had arrived. And when I took in Lucas 'appearance, I could barely stop myself from staring. He wore a perfectly fitting dark grey suit, paired with a white under shirt and no tie. His hair was slicked back and his face was clear of any stubble or facial hair. He looked clean, wealthy and nothing like the Lucas I once knew.
As now, he was a man.
I watched as his hazel eyes swept across the room, eventually landing on me and pausing for a lingering second. I offered him a small smile, feeling my heart strangely pick up its pace as he returned it softly.
"Hi," I absently mumbled out, straightening out and noticed that wearing these three inch heels had boosted up my height and I was just a little closer to his.
"Hey," He walked forwards, eyes trailing over me from head to toe. "You look amazing."
"Thanks," I was truthfully taken aback by his compliment, not expecting it at all and felt my cheeks heat up from his words. "You clean up well, too."
He grinned at me, the little glint in his eyes indicating he knew he was making me feel nervous with his stare and sudden compliment.
"Where is everyone?" I asked, fishing for a topic to talk about, feeling a little intimated by the way he was watching me.
"Randy and Hannah are running a little late," He explained, eyes darting down to the diamond wrist watch he proudly wore. "They should be here soon."
"Oh," I acknowledged before smiling at him proudly. "Lucas, your home is lovely."
"Thank you." He responded, a glint of appreciation in his eyes.
"Seriously, you didn't tell me you lived in a castle! This is incredible!" I exclaimed, using my free hand that wasn't holding a wine glass and gestured around the place. "And you have a butler! A maid, too! This is just... I'm happy for you, Lucas . I can only imagine how hard you worked to achieve this all. You were always a striven, hard working boy. This is just amazing."
Although he smiled in response at my words, I noticed it didn't quite reach his eyes. There was just something sullen about the way he reacted to my words, an almost strange guilty expression on his face.
Clearing my throat, I realized I was getting a little ahead of myself. "Uh, so where's your fiancé? Veronica, you said her name was?"
"His fiancé is here. Right here." Answered a high-pitched voice, it sounding rather irritating to my ears, and I had to hold back from openly grimacing. My eyes darted behind his shoulder and found my stomach clenching when I saw a gorgeous blonde with long hair, a slender body with long legs and full lips. I had to do a double take when I realized her chest wasn't in proportion with her body and was slightly larger. Most likely a plastic job.
She walked her way over to us, a grin curling onto her full lips as she took in my appearance.
"I'm Veronica. It's nice to meet you, Linda?" She questioned with her brows.
"Nina," I corrected, flashing a forced smile. "It's nice to meet you, too."
Nodding at me in response, she curled her hands around Lucas' broad shoulder and leaned into him. My eyes daringly glanced at Lucas and picked up the fact he was rather tense. His jaw was clenched and his eyes seemed strangely thoughtful.
"Your home is beautiful," I said to her, watching as she beamed in response. Lucas murmured something under his breath that I didn't quite catch, but it made Veronica narrow her eyes on him, before she turned to face me with a grin. A flashy grin.
"Thank you so much, sweetheart. My lovely fiancé here was apart of all the inner décor." She shared with a twinkle in her eyes. "He has good taste, doesn't he?"
"Absolutely." I murmured, eyes glancing over her.
He sure did.
"Would you like a tour of the entire home?" She offered, squeezing Lucas' bicep. "I'm sure your friend would appreciate that, Lucas ."
"I'd love one." I managed to get out, inwardly praying that Randy would hurry the hell up and arrive already.
---
Eventually Randy and his stunning wife did arrive and we shortly began digging into dinner, the house tour cut short.
Thankfully.
I didn't think I could take another second of Veronica obnoxiously and arrogantly going on about how much certain things cost and where they were imported from. There were moments I was more than tempted to slap her mouth shut, but held back from doing something so obscene.
However, the only thing I really learnt other than the leather on Lucas' bed frame was real and imported from Greece, was that their relationship was... strange. It seemed strained and had this weird attachment to it that was hard to miss. It was just the moments Lucas would shift and clench his jaw when Veronica spoke too much and the way she was so invested with how Lucas built his name and everyone respected all that he done, it made me wonder if it was all genuine.
But they were engaged, for God sake. It had to be real and I was just deliriously good at overthinking every little situation.
Another good thing about the day, was that the food was exceptionally amazing. There was a whole three course meal, it tasting like it came from a five start hotel rather than the large kitchen Lucas' home had. His maid did a wonderful job.
Now as everyone dug into their slice of fudge chocolate cake, a scoop of home made vanilla ice cream placed beside it, there was a small silence hovering in the air. I had the pleasure to finally meet Hannah and she was just as incredible of a person as Randy made her out to be. She was kind, understanding and rather funny. I liked her instantly when she made a small dig at Veronica when she was murmuring on about how she had plans to purchase a certain villa in Mexico that she had her eyes on and turn it into a summer vacation home. I had to hold in my laugh but ended up snorting, my eyes briefly catching Lucas' smile.
As I took my last bite, I put down my fork and realized a certain pair of eyes were watching me. My face instantly heated up and I worried my bottom lip, refusing to return the eye contact that would only make me die inside.
"Lucas ," Veronica abruptly called, her voice sounding rather snappy.
"Yes, Veronica?" He all but sighed.
"You never did tell me where you and Nina met." She raised her brows at me when I turned to look at her, a curious glint shining her hazel eyes. "Care to share?"
Parting my mouth, no words left my lips and I clamped it back shut. I turned to face Lucas who sighed, took a swing from his glass of rich scotch and exhaled.
"We used to go to school together," He vaguely told her. "We were best friends."
"That's adorable." Hannah piped up, smiling. "I just love seeing friendships that last for so long, practically life time. All of my friendships come to an end way to soon. It's hard to find a friends that really appreciate you."
I flashed her a small smile.
"Agreed." Veronica spoke up from the other end of the table. "It's nice to see Lucas has some true friends. Well, other than Randy of course."
"Yeah." I whispered, licking my lips that suddenly felt dry.
However, there was something about Veronica's tone and words that made me shift in distaste.
There was just something not so.. genuine about her. Throughout the night I had learnt she was really obsessed with money and even more with Lucas' name - Accardi. It just made me wonder why.
What was so special about the name Accardi?
•••••
(AN) Hey guys! I hope you're all having a wonderful day! I also hoped you enjoyed the chapter! What are your thoughts? Nina finally met Veronica and you all got to see a little more about her character, what do you think of her? Do you Nina will realize why the Accardi name is so respected or will she find out accidentally herself?
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