ARIANA
"Is he here today?" Aleksei pressed, his face tight with cold fury.
He.
I was right, after all. Aleksei thought a man had given me the bracelet. Even if I was 'dating' someone else, why would I bring him to the wedding? That sounded stupid.
Before I could string two thoughts together, he'd turned on his heels and walked out of the bathroom, all traces of the man who'd just wiped the blood off my face gone.
The swift change in his attitude left me with whiplash. Was this the same man who wiped the blood off my face a few minutes ago? I found it hard to reconcile both 'versions' of him.
I followed behind him before I could overthink myself to death because of his sudden attitude change. Trying to understand the way his mind worked would only leave me more confused, so it was better to steer clear. That, and I hated him. I would always remember that.
When I rejoined the party, the dead body was gone. Not a single trace of blood could be found on the now pristine floor, and the servers acted like they hadn't just witnessed a death a few minutes ago.
I wondered how many traumatized workers he'd have to pay off tonight so this didn't get out to the press, but then I remembered how he'd abruptly left me in the bathroom, and all traces of sympathy for Aleksei Tarasov dissolved.
That served the asshole right. He could spend the night cleaning up his mess.
My heart slammed against my rib cage when a hand tapped my shoulder.
"Sorry," came Giselle's voice from behind me. She sounded like she was fighting back a laugh.
I brought my hand up to my chest, turning to face Giselle as my accelerating heart rate slowly came back to normal. She'd shaved ten years off my life with that scare.
"I didn't mean to scare you. So… interesting wedding, huh?"
I groaned insufferably. I was more than ready for this miserable day to be over and done with.
"Now, I'm glad Nicholas didn't want a reception. What if it had turned out like this?"
She looked so horrified, I couldn't help but laugh.
She didn't know how lucky she was. I'd rather be anywhere but here right now. Hell, I'd even pick staying in a room with Rocco over this.
"Niko and Matteo approved of Aleksei's handling of the situation." She rolled her eyes. "Men."
I laughed. That one word held so much meaning behind it, and I could relate.
"What even happened?"
She handed me her phone so I could type out my reply. "They were being disrespectful. He said Italian girls made good sluts, and he wondered if Aleksei would pass me onto them after 'stretching my tight cunt'."
A look of disgust crossed Giselle's face when she was done reading. "What a fucking asshole! I think I'm on board with Matteo and Nicholas on this one."
I huffed out a laugh. From the brief interactions I'd had with her, I knew Giselle was all rainbows and sunshine. It had been surprising at first because I heard she didn't have the best childhood.
It was amusing to see a different side of her.
"You look tired. Do you wanna toss the bouquet and go home?"
Yes, please! I needed this disaster to end.
I bobbed my head aggressively, pulling a laugh out of Giselle.
"I'll go inform Daniella."
Just as quickly as she arrived at my side, she disappeared, leaving me alone at the edge of the dance floor. Against my will, my eyes sought Aleksei out in the crowd.
He was back at the table, engaged in a deep conversation with an unfamiliar man. The man said something to Aleksei that had both him and Mikhail laughing.
His laughter seemed genuine, too, unlike the taunting one I heard under the gazebo.
My lips pursed in a frown. So, the devil was capable of such emotions. From where I stood, seemed almost… human. Like he wasn't effortlessly ruining lives by going forward with this union.
The DJ announced it was time for the bouquet toss, and I quickly averted my gaze before I was caught staring.
Mamà and several of my aunts walked towards me at the announcement. A resigned smile was on Mama's face. She wasn't happy with the union, but she'd accepted that there was nothing we could do. At least, until Matteo and the rest came up with a plan.
She cupped the sides of my face with her hand, a sad smile curving her lips upward. "You look beautiful as always, stellina. I'm so proud of you. You are my brave, little girl. This wasn't how I planned to give you away to your husband, but things happen for a reason. You'll be strong for me, won't you?"
My vision blurred as tears welled up in my eyes. I buried my face in her neck to hide the tears that slid down my cheeks, inhaling her familiar scent that brought back memories. Good ones before the world tainted everything. Me.
It felt like this was the first time the reality of my situation was settling in. I was a married woman now, and I was married to a monster, no less.
You're doing this for your family, I reminded myself, fighting to get control over my emotions.
It was embarrassing enough that Aleksei had seen me cry. I wouldn't let him further enjoy this by prolonging my breakdown.
Just as I was about to break away from Mama's embrace, larger arms came around us, squeezing us tight.
"You'll be fine, Ari," Enzo rumbled, rubbing circles on my back. "We'll figure out a way out of this."
I knew they would which was why I agreed to this marriage. My brothers would bleed before they let any harm come to me, but this time, I wanted to be the one doing the saving, even though it was just a temporary solution to the problem.
I felt eyes burning into the side of my face as Enzo brushed my tears away with his thumb. I didn't have to turn to know Aleksei's eyes were on me, but I wasn't brave enough to face him. Not when my emotions were a mess, and I had tears in my eyes.
My aunt Maria handed me my bouquet with a sympathetic smile. "You'll be alright," she said. "Show that little Russian rascal what you're made of. You will not cower at his feet."
"Such a touching speech," Giselle said dryly.
She didn't get along with Maria well, but then again, not many people got along with my aunt. She was… a handful to say the least. Dramatic, too.
Maria lifted her chin haughtily. "Why, yes, Elle. Rossi women are brave women. Even you," she added reluctantly like it physically pained her to compliment Giselle.
Giselle rolled her eyes before focusing her attention on me. "You'll do amazing. Just don't be afraid. Look how Niko and I turned out. He used to be a massive asshole."
She'd told me all about how she got with Nicholas because he wanted to make her pay for a crime she didn't commit. He realized she was innocent, and their love story began from there. After everything they had to face before they finally got to be happy, their relationship was well deserved.
The difference between Nicholas and Aleksei was that Nicholas had a heart somewhere in there. I knew that because I grew up with him. The same couldn't be said for the latter.
"Now let's go toss that bouquet!"
I managed a grin as the women from both sides gathered on the dancefloor to catch the bouquet. The women from Aleksei's side were significantly smaller, but they joined us nonetheless. I turned my back to them, waiting for the count of three before tossing the bouquet over my shoulder.
"I got it!" A bubbly voice shrieked. The dainty woman who caught the bouquet waved it in the air, doing a little dance around Giselle. She had a strapless, sparkly blue dress on that hugged her dainty form. "Hear that, Elle? Your big sister is getting married next."
Her face looked familiar, but I couldn't remember her from anywhere. I probably met her at a family function once, and I forgot about it.
The crowd on the dance floor dispersed after a little cheer.
The bouquet girl ran over to me in six-inch heels at a lightening fast pace that I feared she might trip and break her neck. She didn't. She handed me one of the shot glasses in her hand accompanied by one of the brightest smiles I'd ever seen.
"Shots?" She asked, raising her glass in the air.
I didn't know her, but shots were exactly what I needed at a time like this. I clinked mine with hers before tossing the shot back. My throat burned from the alcohol as the taste of vodka filled my mouth.
"I'm Caterina D'Onofrio. I'm not sure if Giselle told you, but I'm her sister. Well, half-sister. Our daddy cheated when he was drunk, so yup. Your dress at the church?" She blew me a kiss. "Chef's kiss. That was a bold statement."
I smiled at her. The dress was both a fuck you to Aleksei, and a mourning outfit. I might as well have gotten dressed for a funeral; a celebration to mourn the loss of my freedom as a single woman.
"By the way, I'm part of the hate Aleksei camp." She burped, swaying to the side a little.
I placed a hand on her shoulder to still her. She was definitely tipsy or bordering on drunk.
"What he did was a total dick move. Smart, but still a dick move. If it doesn't work out, I have two insanely gorgeous brothers who'd be lucky to kiss the ground you walk on. Nicolo is total marriage material. He knows how to cook. I taught him well. Damiano is kinda scary because he just got out of prison, but we can work on him. Did I mention that they're identical twins? I won't judge if you want both of them. Reverse harem, and now I'm babbling." She giggled, holding onto my shoulder for support.
I couldn't help but laugh at her antics. She was definitely drunk now. I wondered what her brothers would say if they heard she was pimping them out to me.
"I'm sorry. I drank way too many vodkas, but in my defense, this party is awkward as hell. How did you survive sitting at a table with Aleksei? He looks scary. Big and scary. He's taller than Nicolo, and Nicolo is tall. What does he eat? Anyway, want some more shots?" She waved her glass in the air. "It'll make things less stressful for you, trust me."
I nodded, linking my arm with hers. Alcohol was a no-brainer for me in this tense situation. I barely drank anyway, so fuck it. I was going to have the time of my life.
Caterina and I downed shot after shot. She did all the talking, and we both cackled maniacally when she said something funny. Somewhere along the line, Giselle came to join us, but she couldn't drink because she was pregnant.
"Can you believe that Damiano thought I was an interior decorator all these years? I wrote him a letter years ago, and I vividly remember mentioning my friend was the interior decorator. I dance," she informed us, slurring her words a little, but who was I to judge? I was also drunk.
"You should totally come to my ballet show one of these days," Caterina said, pointing a glass in my direction.
Or was it two? I blinked. Or four?
Fuck it. I shrugged. That didn't matter. Mission have fun at my wedding was a success. Finally, something was going my way.
"And if you need help castrating Aleksei, I'm only a phone call away. Obviously, I won't do it myself, but for the right price, I can get Nicolo to do it. He'd do anything for me."
"Including stopping you from hating yourself tomorrow," a masculine voice said before the glass was plucked out of her hands.
I turned to face the intruder. I couldn't make out his features because my gaze was blurry, but I did make out a pearl earring in his ear.
"Nic!" Caterina turned in her seat, throwing her arms around the man. She'd have fallen off the chair if the man didn't have a tight grip on her arm. "This is the husband material I was talking about. He's Nicolo. Don't mind that he has two heads right now. He's definitely good-looking. Did I mention that he cooks?"
Nicolo and Giselle burst into laughter at Caterina's antics. Their laughter was so infectious that I joined in, cradling my stomach when my ribs began to hurt.
Nicolo scooped her into his arms. "I'm gonna take this one home before Father blows a gasket. She's his most precious child." He rolled his eyes as the words left his mouth. "Congrats on your wedding. Your husband is an enigma, to say the least. Enjoy your night, ladies."
He flashed me a charming smile, topping it off with a wink before he turned on his heels and walked away. I blinked twice. Caterina was right. He was gorgeous.
"I think you've had enough to drink, too," Giselle said, pulling me off the barstool. "It's time for you to head home."
She led me to Aleksei's table where he was still deep in a conversation with Mikhail and the other man I didn't know.
"She needs to lie down, Aleksei. I think enough time has passed."
Mikhail and the other guy exchanged an amused look before the former burst into laughter.
"Care to share the punchline?" Giselle asked with a saccharine smile that dripped with condescension. "I missed the joke."
That only made Mikhail laugh harder. Before Giselle could come up with a retort, Nicholas was at her side, placing his hand on the small of her back.
"Amedeo. I didn't know you were invited," he said with a neutral tone that rivaled Aleksei's.
Seriously, what was wrong with them and not showing their emotions?
"Aleksei and I go way back," was the man's reply.
"You two know each other?" Mikhail asked.
The man I just learned was Amedeo leaned back in his seat, a smirk toying with his lips. "I may or may not have ratted Vlad out to him."
"Oh, he was the one who took care of that problem." Mikhail looked up at Nicholas. "What you did to Vlad was fucked up man. His corpse was hardly recognizable. His eyes and tongue were missing."
"His fingers too," Amedeo added. For someone whose brother was killed, he didn't sound a bit put out as he recounted the news. "All because my dearest brother looked at his woman. And Jesus Christ, let the woman breathe. You're always hanging off of her like a leech. Or perhaps this part of your crash course on how to make a woman lose interest fast?"
My cousin's face hardened and he glared down at Amedeo. "Hilarious," he said, dryly. "Coming from someone…"
I tuned everyone around me out when Aleksei pushed his chair back and rose to his feet, significantly shrinking the air around us with his massive presence.
It was as though every part of my body was attuned to every part of his. Everyone seized to exist the moment he caught my attention.
He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his side. "Let's go," he mumbled.
"Not yet!" Mikhail jumped to his feet with the excitement of a five-year-old. "There's still one thing left to do." A wicked grin split his lips, and I immediately knew that we were fucked. "The garter toss."
I was right. The scheming bastard had something planned.