Naitee
Aria's bedroom is as big as the apartment I had in Atlanta. Her walk-in-closet is enormous and she's throwing clothes at me. The enourmous pile now in my arms doesn't even make a dent in her closet.
"I have too much here, most of it I haven't used in years. You should see my closet in Milano." She smiles at me over her shoulder and I'm starting too question just how much money Alessio gives her. Every single piece I've seen is designer and it must be 20.000 euros just in this room.
"Thank you, Aria this is perfect. I'll go change right now." Aria nods and keeps on throwing clothes around.
"Just say if you need anything else Bella." What is it with Italians and not calling me by my name?
"Yeah totally!" Aria showed me to an empty room only a little smaller than hers before we came here and I walk back carefully as to not drop anything. I finally put the pile down on the bed and start going through it. There's not a single pair of casual jeans or a t-shirt. She even gave me underwear and it's all red and black lace.
I pull off the jeans, underwear and tanktop. It feels like every single piece of clothing is stained with sex and I throw them in a corner of the room. Hoping that it will dissapear if I don't have so see it. I pull on the red underwear because it actually covers my ass and one of the black dresses that goes past my knees. I stand before the mirror and I look good. Like really good. The last months I've been living in as much clothes as possible because of the cold but now I am in Italy dressed in Chanel and Hunke Möller underwear. It's like a fever dream. I have gone from a stripper dating a thug to FBI agent on the run to a prisoner of the future Capo of the Spaglia Familia.
I pile the clothes into my own smaller wardrobe and then throw myself on the bed. I have absoloutley nothing to do. There's a TV but I don't have anything to watch, no job, no hobbies and I can't even go on a run. I'm sure they won't let me out of the house without someone and I'd rather just be alone. My new room is white with gold details and the inside seems to be inspired by old buildings because the ceiling is painted. I lay there for a while before someone knocks on the door.
"Who is it?" The door opens and there stands the man himself.
"Piccolina--" The door closes behind him with a bang and I sit up carefully on the bed.
"You know I have slept with a considerable amount of questionable men, but you made the top of the list you know. I have sold my soul for my job but you made me the other woman. You, a man, who for some reason wants a woman who despises him!" Suddenly I'm standing before him my finger pointing at his chest.
"You think you are the only who sold your soul Piccolina? I married a woman who only thought she loved me and then she, she cheated on me. I will not let you scream at me after I endured four years of being the clueless husband." I flinch back. His face is twisted in anger and something akin to pain. But that would be imposible because sociopaths like him don't feel pain.
"Really? But that doesn't change anything, everyone else will know I'm your mistress and I won't be that. Just keep me locked up here instead!" I try to spin around but he grabs my shoulders turning me back.
"Right now Piccolina you are my consultant, one who will follow me around and help me for five months before you leave for New York again. No one except my brother and second hand man knows about your actual reason for being here and it will stay like that. So stay away from my wife, she is not good for anyone, not even herself." I stare into his angry eyes before shrugging out of his stony hold.
"Ignore me all you want now Piccolina but I will have again tonight. Dinner is at 7 be down or I will punish you. Brutally." He leaves out the door without another word and for some reason I feel guilty. I was wrong about him and Aria, if he's telling the truth atleast, and that could be the expleanation of his cold demeanor and Arias almost apologising one. She cheated and is trying to rebuild while Alessio is pushing her away. Four years is a long time of trying to apologise and now I'm wondering if they are only together because Alessio wants to punish her. I can't read him to know if he is or not. I'm out of my element.
7 pm comes by faster than I thought and I'm trying to find my way to the ridicoulously large dining hall when I bump into Dean.
"Ahh Signorina Naitee, my brother was just about to send for you." I try to smile at him. He looks younger than me, maybe 22 years old and he so alike his brother it's almost uncanny.
"Yes well I'm lost so-- show me the way." Dean nods, a bright smile on his lips but I feel like it's a little fake. He's definitly aware that I'm a threat to his brother. He leads me down one of the corridors I didn't even see before. The doors to the dining hall are open and when we step in an entire family of dark haired beautiful people and Aria turn around to look at me. I refuse to be embarassed.
"Good evening." I say and walk toward one of the empty places longer down the table next to Aria in spite of Alessios words earlier. I'm almost expecting Alessio to command me to come over and sit in his lap, but he doesn't. Instead he starts eating as soon as I sit down. He's sitting at the short end of the table, there's a man on either side him. One is Dean and one is some blonde guy. The rest of the table is occupied by an older woman, a teenage girl and Aria. I'm guessing the teenager is his sister and the older woman maybe his mother or aunt. I don't see an actual resemblance but family doesn't always look alike. I don't look anything like my dad. I basically got my entire appearance except for my height from my mother.
I take some food from the different plates with food. It's a weird mix of Italian and fries for some reason.
"Did the clothes fit you fine?" Aria asks and I choke a little on my food before answering.
"Err-- Yeah it was fine, thank you." Aria smiles and I can't convince my brain that she would be a cheater. She's been so nice that it's weird hearing that. Like it's to much information for someone you knew for such a short time.
"You are welcome. I have too much here anyway, I mean I havn't used it in a while anyway." Her words die a little again and my suspicions about her not actually living here usually gets stronger.
"It's great I mean look at this dress." I gesture down at myself and to my embarassment every single one at the table looks. They really have been listening to our conversation the entire time.
"It looks good, is it Chanel?" The teenager asks and I think back.
"Yeah I think so..." I say at the same time Aria confirms it by saying, "Si." The teenager looks irritated for a moment before her face clears of emotions again. A throat clears at the head of the table and everyone turns to look at him.
"I'm sorry for not introducing you earliser Ms. Naitee. Gabi, nonna this is Naitee one of the new consultants. Naitee this is my sister and my grandma." I don't miss him not introducing me to the icy guy besides him. The blonde is definetly his murder guy. I'm sure of it.
"Nice too meet you." I say and my voice is even smoother than expected. Usually when I'm in danger I'm not Naitee Joshi. I'm someone made up and it's easier than this. Because then I can make everything up, now they see me as I am and it's terrifying.
"You too." Gabi who I am guessing is a nickname for Gabriella returns but the old woman, Alessios grandmother just looks at me side ways. I pick at my food for the rest of the incredibly akward dinner. What was Alessio thinking? Inviting his actual mistress to eat dinner with his family, I have a sneaky suspicion that everyone except for Aria knows exactly what I and Alessio have been doing for the last days. I wait for everyone else to finish up their plates before I stand and say, "Thank you so much for the food but I'm pretty jetlagged so I'm just going to go back to my room and sleep." There is one single bye thrown my way as I leave and I'm so relieved that I don't even worry about finding my way back to my room.