“I need time. P-please just give me—"
A loud crack makes me jump as Salvatore is thrown against the door. Thank fuck it’s strong enough to withstand his weight. “You don’t get any more time, paisano. We had an arrangement and you tried to stiff me. Now, I want the big prize, and lucky for both of us, she’s here. A guest at the event upstairs. So, for the next thirty minutes, all you need to think about is how you’re gonna make good on our arrangement. Don’t think about anything else. My guys will take care of whoever decided to crash. And you, if you don’t fulfill our agreement.”
“O-okay,” Salvatore whimpers. “I’ll handle it. I promise.” Fucking pussy. He always crumbled like a stale breadstick under pressure.
“You’ve made your last empty promise, Salvatore. I don’t want to hear any more of your bullshit. I just want her.”
I scrub a hand down the front of my face.
Her who?
Chapter Four
Serena
I smooth the front of my black gown and wiggle my toes in my glittery Jimmy Choo sandals, fighting a loud yawn. My left foot just fell asleep, and if I don’t start to move around quickly, I’m afraid my right foot might fall asleep, too. Then I’ll be stuck here, immobile, listening to these vacuous women talk about which celebrities they hosted at their elaborate villa in Lake Como, which of their families will be attending the Rose Ball in Monaco this spring, who is so excited to be heading to Cannes with her new two-hundred-foot yacht.
A waiter passes with a tray of champagne flutes and I grab one, guzzling it down, happy to have something to take my focus off of the conversation.
Is it classified as a conversation if it’s technically just people talking about themselves and how amazing their lives are?
I don’t know. Jury is still out on that one.
“Oh, tell me about the doctor who did your thighs. They look amazing in every picture you post! No cellulite at all!” Cami Fiore exclaims to Ariana Giacomo. “And your boobs look amazing! Not one man in this room hasn’t taken a good long look at those titties tonight!”
The group cackles like a bunch of hens, and I swallow another yawn.
What I do know is that my head feels as if it is being filled with oatmeal, and with every passing second, I’m afraid it might explode.
Actually, that’d be a good thing. It would get me away from here.
I spot my mother a few feet away and wave at her. Thank you, God! “Girls, would you excuse me for a moment? I’ll be back.”
Lies. I won’t ever be back, girls.
But if I tell them I need to run to the ladies’ lounge, I’m petrified the convo will follow me in there. And right now, I need silence, even if it’s only for a single minute.
Elliana DeSanti flashes a bright white smile at me. Veneers, which she’s proudly been displaying all night.
Any excuse to blind her inner circle.
“It was so great catching up with you, Serena!” she gushes, squeezing my arm. “Let’s go for a ride next week, okay? Down the coast. I’ll pick you up in my new Maserati and we’ll stay at my family’s hotel in Positano!” Then she turns to the rest of her court and squeals. “Yes! What an amazing idea! Road trip, ladies!”
The women clap their hands and pull out their phones to check their schedules and yap about switching appointments for facials, waxings, manicures, pedicures, fat sculpting…
Yep.
This is my life.
And I’d much rather jump off a cliff than ride shotgun in Elli’s Maserati for a ‘girls’ weekend.’
Thank you, no.
Tonight gave me my fill for the year.
I give the group a little wave and back away.
“I’ll text you this week!” Elli calls out to me before blowing me a kiss.
I blow one back and smile, twisting around and practically running for my mother. “I have to hide!” I whisper in a loud voice. “Now that I’ve managed to escape!”
Mama laughs and strokes the side of my face. “You’ve always been so much more down to Earth than those girls.”
I roll my eyes. “Understatement of the century. Listen, I’m going to run to the ladies’ room. If anyone asks, please don’t give up my location!” I snicker. “I’m planning on staying in there for the rest of the night. Just keep the bottles of champagne coming.”
With a loving swat on my arm, Mama grins. “I’ll alert the bartender.”
“Thanks!” I take the long way around the room to avoid being yanked into another group chat. Finally, I slip outside and let out a deep breath. I lean against the wall, the door to the room firmly closed behind me.
It’s not that I’m anti-social or anything. I enjoy talking to people, discussing politics, current events, and business. But I’m the princess. People respect me because of who my father is, not because of what I know or what I can do on my own. I’m expected to keep company with the women, to exchange pleasantries, to gossip — basically the exact opposite of what I’d rather be doing at any given moment.
I want to start my own business. It’s my passion. I love to read about entrepreneurial women and their success stories, women who achieved their goals and dreams without any help, women who didn’t have infamous mafia bosses as fathers who could make just about anything happen with the snap of a finger because of who they are and what damage they can inflict.
I wish I was one of them.
But that’s not my lot in life.
I know I should be grateful, and I am. I have amazing parents and a very cushy existence.
But I still need more.
I wish I could be like my ‘friends’ inside that dining room, women who are happy with all they have and not interested in the least to accomplish a goal any more tedious than losing ten pounds for an upcoming luxury vacation to Bali.
Sometimes I feel like the walls are closing in on me, and it’s gotten to the point where I need to make a change.
Immediately, if not sooner.
I’ve played my part. I’ve done the time.
Now it’s time for me to start my next chapter. I know the risks, I’m aware of the threats.
But I have to learn how to stand on my own two feet.
And that means Papa and I need to have a little talk.
First thing tomorrow morning.
I let out a deep sigh and push myself off of the wall, wondering how much longer we need to stay. I have a new book I’m dying to dive into, and I’d love to squeeze in a few chapters tonight.
A dry chuckle escapes my lips. Here I am at one of the biggest events of the season, and I can’t wait to leave so I can snuggle under my covers with my Kindle.
I doubt any of those women even own a Kindle.
I walk in the direction of the lounge, my heels sinking into the plush carpet. I reach the door and grasp the brass handle to twist it open when I hear whimpering nearby. I furrow my brow and creep in the direction of the quiet sobs. I round the corner and spot a darkened room that looks like a coat check a few feet away. The crying gets louder and I pick up speed, my heart thumping against my chest.
“Hello?” I whisper as I get closer to the open door. “Is anyone in there?”
A loud sniffle jolts me and I take a tentative step inside of the room. “Are you hurt?”