ROSALINDA. The past few days have been really overwhelming for me. I've been deeply involved in assisting with the arrangements for both Sofia's wedding and her Engagement party. Today, however, was the engagement party.I was dressed in a red lacy dress that boasted an off-shoulder neckline, gracefully revealing my décolletage and an enticing amount of my cleavage. The lower part of the dress had a thigh-high slit, exposing just the right amount of my legs. The entire look exuded flirtatiousness, but did I care? I simply dressed in what I felt beautiful in.The moment I stepped into the garden where the party was being held, I sensed the gaze of unfamiliar eyes upon me, which made me feel slightly uncomfortable.Everyone appeared cheerful, dressed in their elegant and expensive dresses and tuxedos.I looked around, anticipating seeing the one person that I had been longing for. The groom-to-be. It’s been a week since I last saw him in the kitchen, and not even a day has passed that
ROSALINDA.Antonio might be crazy, but I’m even crazier.He ruined my dress just because he wanted me to change into something more decent, but I defied that cause. I went back into my room, swiftly removed the ruined dress, and slipped into something even more daring—a silver sequin mid-thigh dress with striking waist-high slits on both sides.After I finished dressing, I stood in front of the mirror and spun around in a complete 360-degree turn, marveling at my own reflection. Boy, do I tempt myself?I looked so hot, and I was well aware that my father would disapprove of my outfit, but I couldn't care less as long as I got to spite Antonio.Grabbing a silver clutch, I made my way back to the garden. I looked around, searching for Antonio, and before I could figure out where he was, I heard a familiar voice call my name.Oh, shit. Not again. I had hoped to avoid encountering him again, but luck was clearly not on my side. I pivoted to face the source of the voice, forcing a fake sm
The music came to a stop, indicating that dinner was about to be served. Everybody took their seats at the tables, and Rosalinda was sitting directly across from me."Antonio." Camilla, who was sitting beside me, called, and I swung my head to the side to look at her."Stop it. Your attention should be on your bride, not her." She scolded me, and I let out a sharp breath.Sitting across from Rosalinda and not staring at her was difficult, but Camilla was right. My attention should be on my bride-to-be, not her sister.So, leaning in, I rested my arm on Sofia’s seat but retrieved it almost immediately when she started fidgeting in her seat, showing her discomfort."My favorite wine isn’t here. And that’s the wine I want to make toast with." Roberto suddenly raised his hand to signal for one of the housemaids to come, but before he could do that, Rosalinda quickly rose to her feet."I would get it, Papà." She offered, and before her father could protest, she started walking away from th
ANTONIO. Yesterday, I crossed a line I shouldn’t have crossed. I almost lost control of myself, and it became clear to me that she was as attracted to me as I was to her. If not for Matteo, who interrupted, I would’ve fucking fucked her in her father’s office.He barged in, thinking I was hurting his sister. Like hell, I would never hurt that woman. As a matter of fact, I feel very protective of her.A knock sounded on my office door, pulling me out of my thoughts."Come in." I muttered, clearing my throat.I was in my office, working on some important documents, when I drifted off, thinking about Rosalinda.The door was pushed open, and Marco, my consigliere, came to view."Good morning." He greeted me as he approached me."Morning," I replied.He pulled the visitor’s seat out and settled on it. I studied his face, and the look he had on it indicated he had something to say.I raised a questioning brow. "What?" "You are treading on a dangerous path, Don." He suddenly said, and I cl
Ruby was already seated at a round table when Giovanni and I arrived at Tasty Haven, and her face immediately lit up as soon as she saw me."Hey, best friend." She beamed as we approached her, causing a smile to spread on my lips.She leapt to her feet when we came to a stop in front of her and embraced me warmly.Pulling away from the hug, she darted her gaze at Giovanni and raised a brow. "And who is this?""I’m Giovanni. Her favourite cousin." Giovanni introduced himself as he extended his hand for a handshake.Taking his hand, she muttered in a sweet voice. "Hi, Giovanni. I’m Ruby. Her best friend."A few seconds passed, and they were still holding hands while staring intently at each other."Giovanni, don’t you think the ladies would need some privacy?" I quickly interjected, snapping them out of their trances, and they quickly withdrew their hands.What was that about? They couldn’t have possibly fallen for each other at first sight.I looked around the restaurant, and when I sp
"You look like a mourning widow, bitch. Losen up and find yourself a man that would fuck you until you forget about your attraction for that cold human." Ruby slurred as she took a shot of vodka. I didn’t know how many she had taken, but she was clearly drunk.It was Sofia’s wedding eve, and me and Ruby were at the club as planned. The idea of coming here was to help me clear my head and lighten up my mood before tomorrow, but it wasn’t working. Ruby ended up being the only one having fun.Ruby gestured for the bartender to come, and I shot my brow up at her. "That’s enough, Ruby. I don’t want to have to carry your ass home.""I am not ordering for me." She grinned. "It’s for you."I sighed. "I’ve told you multiple times, Ruby. I don’t want to have to deal with a hangover tomorrow. It’s my sister’s wedding.""Right." She slurred, and a laugh emanated from her throat.How drunk was she?"Ruby. My precious gem." A voice suddenly said, and I turned to look at the source of the voice.Harr
Gazing at Sofia in her stunning wedding dress, the guilt on my chest from yesterday weighed even more heavily.I was supposed to have put an end to the inappropriateness that has been going on between Antonio and me a long time ago, but I didn’t, and I hated myself for that.When he called me a hypocrite, I wanted to be mad at him for calling me that, but I didn’t even have the right to be, because he was damn right. I was a hypocrite. Even worse, I was disgusting. When I caught him cheating, I didn’t even think of my sister. I only thought of myself, how insanely jealous I was, and how desperately I wished I was the one doing that to him. I disgust myself!I was never supposed to fall for him; I was never supposed to crave his touch; his mere captivating eyes weren’t supposed to do the things they do to me, setting my body on fire. And I definitely wasn't supposed to feed my attraction to him."A wedding day is supposed to be the best day of a woman’s life. But it is the opposite for
ANTONIO.The situation between Rosalinda and Sofia was awkward, as Sofia realised that Rosalinda and I admired each other. It was even more awkward for me because I found myself questioning why I had chosen to protect Rosalinda instead of my own bride."Oh, my God." Roberto’s voice pierced the air, and I swung my head to the side to see him approaching us with worries saturating his features."Rosa, Sofia." He addressed his daughters when he came to a stop in front of us, darting his gaze between the both of them. "Are you both okay?"They both nodded gently without uttering a word.He let out a sigh of relief before flicking his gaze at me, a scowl masking his features.Before he could open his mouth to talk, I spoke first. "What happened?""Why don’t you go and ask your men who ruined everything?" He groaned, pointing an accusatory finger at me.Fucking hell! I was going to kill whoever started the fight. I was infuriated that my wedding was disrupted, but the revelation that one of