The slow music filled the ballroom of Amorielle Mansion. They kept a safe distance from each other. Ellis was nervous and a bit tense, unsure how to act around Vittorio. Vittorio, on the other hand, was quiet and seemed to be lost in thought. His eyes, however, followed Eleonora as she whispered in Tommaso's ear. He knew Eleonora would find a way to bring Tommaso as requested, but now seeing her accompanied by one of his enemies, he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
"Are you okay?" Ellis asked, trying to break the silence.
"Yes, I'm fine," Vittorio replied, looking directly into Ellis' eyes for the first time since the incident with Tommaso.
Vittorio reached out his hand to Ellis, who hesitated for a moment before finally accepting. They approached each other slowly, their bodies touching for the first time since they got married.
"Do you know how to dance?" Vittorio asked softly.
"A little," Ellis replied, without looking at him.
Ellis felt a shiver run down her spine as Vittorio held her by the waist, a soft and gentle touch she didn't expect from the mafioso. He guided her across the dance floor with smooth, slow movements.
"You dance very well," Ellis complimented, trying to fill the silence once again.
"Thank you," Vittorio replied with a shy smile. "You look beautiful tonight."
"Even in black?" Ellis raised one of her eyebrows.
"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Miss Barker," Vittorio whispered almost inaudibly in his wife's ear.
"It's Mrs. Amorielle now," Ellis corrected with a smirk, looking at Vittorio who smiled.
Vittorio took Ellis' hand, swaying to the music, and pulled her closer.
"You look stunning tonight, Mrs. Amorielle," he said softly, his voice husky with emotion.
Ellis felt her cheeks blush as she looked up at him and smiled shyly. She had never received such a sincere compliment before. As they danced, she began to realize that Vittorio was not the cold and distant man she thought he was. He seemed genuinely interested in her, even if it was just a matter of business.
"Thank you, Vitinho. You look very elegant too," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
"That nickname won't do, Ellis," Vittorio said, staring at Ellis.
"You'll get used to it, Vitinho," Ellis teased.
They continued to dance, now with more confidence and comfort with each other. As they moved together on the dance floor, Vittorio began to notice Ellis' beauty. Her eyes were intense, and her hair cascaded in soft curls on her shoulders. They moved in harmony, their bodies adjusting to each other, and he began to feel a growing attraction to her.
Ellis, in turn, felt her heart racing inside her chest when Vittorio held her more firmly and pulled her closer to him. She had never danced with someone who made her feel so safe and protected and certainly did not expect it to be the man she had just married. She could feel his body heat and the scent of his cologne. The new Mrs. Amorielle nestled closer to him, taking in his masculine fragrance with a deep breath.
"You smell good," she whispered without much thought. Then she realized that the mafioso shivered, indicating that he had heard it. "I'm sorry, it slipped out."
Vittorio smiled a genuine smile that made Ellis' heart race even faster.
"You smell good too," he replied.
They continued to dance together, their bodies getting closer and closer until there was no room for anything but a delicate touch. They looked deeply into each other's eyes, unsure of what to do or say, yet feeling drawn to one another. Ellis could feel the heat emanating from Vittorio's strong body. She felt a thrill of excitement run through her when his hand slid down her back, pulling her even closer. As they twirled across the dance floor, Ellis found herself falling deeper under Vittorio's spell.
The slow song came to an end, and they stopped dancing, still holding each other's hands. Vittorio leaned in and brushed his lips against Ellis's ear.
"It's a shame the music ended, it was very enjoyable," he whispered.
Ellis shivered at his words and looked up at him with wide eyes.
"I thought so too," she replied softly.
"It was quite enjoyable," commented Vittorio.
"It was... enjoyable," said Ellis, blushing.
Vittorio nodded, smiling again.
"It was," he agreed. "Perhaps we can do it again? Would you like me to ask for another song?"
"Negative, now it's my turn," said Antonietta, approaching the couple.
The other guests began to enter the dance floor, causing Vittorio and Ellis to let go of each other's hands and step apart. Both seemed hesitant to say anything, but there was something there, something they couldn't quite explain.
"By the way, Ellis," Antonietta continued, staring at her daughter-in-law. "Black? Why a black dress?"
"It's just a color," Ellis began to respond. Then she looked at her mother-in-law and said disdainfully, "I promise that at my next wedding, I'll take it more seriously and wear white."
"Next wedding?" Antonietta repeated, widening her eyes at her son. "She hasn't even finished marrying you, and she's already thinking about the next one?"
"She's just joking, Mommy," Vittorio explained, controlling himself from rolling his eyes. He turned to his wife and asked, "Isn't that right, Ellis?"
"Am I?" Ellis asked, raising her eyebrow challengingly.
Vittorio stared at her, irritated. In less than a minute, Ellis Barker had returned to being who she was. He then turned to his mother, and pulled her onto the dance floor, leaving Ellis amid the guests. She watched Vittorio dancing with his mother, who was probably talking about her, judging by the way the matriarch looked at the brunette while gesticulating.
"May I have this dance?" Tommaso Grecco asked, stepping in front of Ellis.
Without giving Ellis time to react, Tommaso took her hand and began dancing with her. Ellis felt disoriented, not knowing what to do, but soon realized that Tommaso had a plan.
"What do you want?" Ellis questioned, trying to distance herself from the arms of the mafioso.
"Just dancing with the most beautiful woman at the party," Tommaso replied.
Grecco held her tightly, looking into her eyes as they spun around the dance floor. He had a malicious smile on his face as if he knew something she didn't. Ellis looked at the faces on the dance floor, searching for Vittorio, when Amorielle's rival leaned in and whispered in her ear.
"I'll take everything from Vittorio, including you."
Ellis was shocked and tried to pull away, but Tommaso held her firmly. He continued dancing with her, but Ellis could no longer focus on the music. Instead, she stared into Tommaso's eyes and responded firmly:
"I will never be yours.
Never." Her voice was firm and determined but also filled with hatred.
"Vittorio will never be good enough for you," argued Tommaso, bringing his nose close to Ellis's hair and inhaling deeply. "I have much more to offer you, even in bed."
"And do you really think I'll pay attention to a man who decided to force me to dance?" Ellis questioned. "What's wrong with you mafiosos? Do you think a woman likes to be treated like a piece of meat? Let me tell you a secret: That will never happen! And nothing you say will change that."
"I'll pay double what he's paying you," Tommaso said.
"What? You want to buy me, is that it?" Ellis asked, shocked by the audacity.
"Yes, tell me the price Vittorio offered, and I'll match the offer."
"And why do you think Vittorio bought me?" Ellis asked, curious. Had Vittorio been talking about their agreement?
"Bella mia, a beautiful and intelligent woman like you, who's not from our world, can only have gotten into this for money... Or because you owe us something," Grecco commented, causing Ellis to shudder. "Am I on the right track?"
"It's none of your business," Ellis replied, serious. "My marriage to Vittorio is none of your business."
"Oh, Ellis... You have no idea how much all of this is my business," Grecco said, looking up at the ceiling. "All of this is my business, and now you are too. Take advantage of the fact that I'm being kind to you and trying to get you out of this situation before I destroy this family and everyone in it."
"I don't know if you've noticed," Ellis began, looking deep into Tommaso's eyes. "But my full name is Ellis Amorielle, and this is my family now. And don't threaten my family, because you don't know what the Amorielles are capable of."
"Oh, rest assured that I do know," Tommaso Grecco replied disdainfully.
"But you don't know what I'm capable of," Ellis emphasized.
"What are you capable of, Mrs. Amorielle?" Tommaso asked, tightening his grip on Ellis.
"Oh, my dear... I am capable of this," Ellis replied before pushing her knee forcefully between Grecco's legs, causing him to release her in pain. "Never touch me again."
Ellis stepped away from Tommaso, completely ignoring him, and went after Vittorio, who was still dancing with his mother. She tapped her fiancé's shoulder, and he turned to her and said:
"Can we cut the cake?"
"But already?" Antonietta asked, surprised. "We haven't even made the speeches yet."
"Yes, but I can't wait to go to bed with Vittorio, so... if we can speed up this part," explained Ellis, nervously.
"Okay, I'll check with the wedding planner," said Antonietta, walking away from the couple.
"What was that, Ellis?" Vittorio questioned, serious.
"Nothing, I just want all of this to end soon," Ellis replied, nervous.
"What happened?" Vittorio asked, not believing his wife's words.
"Oh... I just kicked your friend in the balls, and I think that might bring some trouble to your party," Ellis revealed, nervous.
"What friend?" Vittorio asked, looking around the hall.
"The one who was with your ex," Ellis replied, receiving a nervous look from her husband. "In my defense, he came up to me, forced me to dance with him, and said he was going to take everything
away from you, including me."
"What?"
"He also offered me money. Said he would cover the offer he made me, which made me question if you had talked to him about our agreement..."
"Of course not! Are you insane?" Vittorio asked, irritated.
"Well, I realized that later when he said he was going to take everything from you and that he was trying to help me get out of here as soon as possible."
"He, what?!"
"Yeah, but then I told him he didn't know what you were capable of and I kicked him," Ellis explained. "Or rather, kneed him."
"I'm going to get that bastard," Vittorio said with anger in his voice.
"Vittorio, no," Ellis pleaded, holding onto the mobster. "Just end all of this soon, okay?"
"As you wish, Mrs. Amorielle," Vittorio agreed.