AURELIA'S POV:
Alessandro stormed away after our heated confrontation, leaving me to continue the shopping on my own. However, I'm too scared to pick anything out of the style he had chosen for me.
I'm fuming mad as I think up ways to get back at him. I catch myself absentmindedly touching the finger prints on my neck more than once.
"That's all." The sales lady says as she places the bag on the ground before me.
My cheeks turn red when I realize that I don't have the means to pay for all these things.
"About that— could I drop them here and pick them up later when I have the money to pay?" I ask in a nervous tone.
"Oh no. Mr Santino has already paid for everything." The sales lady says hastily.
I hurriedly thank her and leave with the shopping bags, my face heating out of embarrassment.
"Alessandro won't take kindly to you cheating on him with the shop lady." Nicolo calls out with a smirk on his lips.
"Cheating with who?" I ask in a confused tone.
"Why are you so flushed if you aren't enamored by the lady. Didn't take you as one to fancy your own gender." Nicolo says with a sneer on his lips.
I ignore him as I climb into the car. From our little interactions together, I just know that Nicolo will be one of my main enemies in the Santino household. Not that I cared anyway.
"Where are you taking me to?" I ask in a concerned tone when I notice the driver taking a different route from the one we used in getting here.
"Mr Santino requires your presence at his family home." The driver responds in a very civil tone with his eyes straight ahead.
I'm going to meet his family?! I'm not nearly prepared for that. What am I even going to say to his mother or his father?! What would be his story on how we met?
By the time the car rolls to a stop in front of an extremely gorgeous mansion, I'm almost hyperventilating.
Alessandro is on a call as we make our way towards him. He pins me to my spot with a single glare while simultaneously ignoring my existence.
The other men maintain a respectful distance from us while Nicolo casually strolled into the building leaving me behind.
"Let's go." Alessandro orders as he places his hand on my back, guiding me towards the door.
"Don't you think this is moving too fast?! I think I deserve some more time because you just sprung this on me." I say in a nervous tone as my back starts to feel tingly.
"The wedding is tomorrow." Alessandro orders in a gruff tone that has me spiraling down the black rabbit hold of anxiety.
"I need more time. I never even agreed to this marriage!" I demand in an angry tone.
Alessandro stops so abruptly I almost lose my footing. He spins me around, clasping my cheek in his hands.
"It was never an option. It's either that or death." Alessandro reminds me with a glare.
"You keep saying that but it's clearly obvious you need me." I respond in a smug contemplative tone.
"If you didn't need me, then why would you be getting married to the lady you suspected of having something to do with your wife's disappearance?" I ask with a lifted brow.
Alessandro stares at me for a few minutes before a smile breaks out on his face. "You are right. I need you."
I take an unconscious step backwards at the threatening edge in his smile. He somehow made his acceptance look more sinister than normal.
"We can come to an agreement. Three things. I will have them done by the end of tomorrow." Alessandro says in a solemn tone as he matches my retreating step, moving closer to me.
My heartbeat speeds up as I try to think of three extremely important things. "My freedom. Just this one."
"We are discussing our wedding agreement. Your freedom is not on the table." Alessandro says as his hands drop to his side, his whole demeanor changing.
"Fine. I want you to reach out to my dad and tell him that I didn't leave of my own accord and that you kidnapped me." I say through gritted teeth.
"Done. What else?" Alessandro asks again.
"I want to have one conversation with my friend Olivia." I respond.
"Done."
I'm a little bit hesitant to voice out my next request. "I want you to let me live my own life. I don't want to become a shadow of your wife."
Alessandro is quiet as he glares at me. "Outside of the house and at events, you will act and dress like her. I don't care what you do inside the house in your spare time."
Alessandro walks away, leaving me gaping behind him. I don't know whether to take this as a win or not.
"Alessandro! Is it true what I'm hearing?! That you are getting married again?!" A frail but strong looking lady pulls Alessandro in for a hug.
"Mother." Alessandro responds to her horde of questions with a single word.
His mother goes rigid when she sees me standing a few feet away from them.
"Non è la benvenuta qui. Giulia rimarrà sempre la mia unica vera nuora." She's not welcome here. Giulia will always remain my one true daughter-in-law. She says with a stoic expression on her face.
"Dimentichi con chi parli, mamma." You forget who you speak to, mother. Alessandro responds with a tight smile on his lips.
His mother stares at me for what seems to be hours but is probably seconds before turning her attention back to her precious son.
"I'm hurt that you didn't include me in the wedding preparations." She says with a perfect smile on her face that gives me whiplash.
"You will be present tomorrow." Alessandro says simply, dismissing her concerns.
"I hate that you are so logical all the time." She responds with a scoff.
I follow quietly behind them, sitting quietly at the end of a couch when we get to the lounge area.
"Where is father?" Alessandro asks as he looks around us.
"You know how he is with his hobbies these days. He always talks my ear off about his golfing experiences." She responds with a chuckle that seems fake.
"Or he is out with one of his many mistresses that used to be your friend and you are too scared to say anything lest he replaces you with her." A young and vibrant voice interrupts the conversation.
"Elena Santino!" Alessandro's mother gasps in a loud but comical tone.
"What? Why do you antagonize me for speaking the truth?" Elena asks with a genuinely confused expression on her face.
Alessandro's mother stares down at her daughter who proceeds to ignore her.
"You must be Alessandro's new wife." Elena says in a flat tone as she joins me on the couch.
The conversation continues around me, but I'm thankfully excluded from it. Loud voices from the entrance of the house pull me out of my reverie.
"I forgot to tell you, the Luciano's will be joining us for lunch today." Alessandro's mother says as she shoots me a smug look.
"I'm so sorry I couldn't make it to the burial, Alessandro." A high pitched voice breaks through the tension in the room.
"Mia, darling, all that matters is that you are here now." Alessandro's mother says in an admiring tone.
"Aunty Sara, you are so kind." Mia responds to Alessandro's mother.
Alessandro scoffs in distaste but still proceeds to ignore the both of them, tapping away on his phone.
"Let's go have lunch." Sara, Alessandro's mother says in a chirpy tone as she tries to diffuse the awkward tension in the room.
Mia smiles in response as she starts to head towards Sara only to stop when she sees me.
"And who is this?" Mia asks in a condescending tone as she stares me down.
"No one to worry about. That's Alessandro's fiancée." Sara says in a bitter tone.
"Fiancée?! But he only just buried Giulia!" Mia says as she storms her foot on the ground like a petulant child.
Alessandro's sharp and heavy gaze lands on her, causing her to squirm on her spot. She eventually relents and steps out of the room.
Lunch passes the same way, with Mia and Sara throwing veiled insults my way. Alessandro is however totally oblivious of this while Elena sticks up for me most of the time.
"Please excuse me." I mutter under my breath before making a hasty escape to the restroom. I had taken note of it on my way to the dining area earlier on.
I lean against the closed door, breathing in deeply. The animosity in this house is practically choking me.
I move to the sink, turning on the tap. I'm carefully washing my hands when the door is thrown open and Mia Luciano walks into the restroom.
"So you are the slut that wants to take my man." Mia says in an enraged tone.
"Trust me, I don't want to be here. I was kidnapped." I respond in an exasperated tone.
"Why would he kidnap you or force you when he can have any woman he wants?" Mia asks in a mocking tone.
"Why don't you ask him yourself? Isn't he your man?" I ask in a taunting tone with a smirk on my lips.
"You bitch!" Mia shrieks as she jumps on me. Her hands go around my neck strangling the life out of me.
"Help!" I scream in fear when I realize that she has every intention to kill me.
I hear heavy footsteps heading towards the bathroom and all of a sudden, Mia lets go of my neck and falls to the ground.
"Mother, mother! I just came to use the bathroom and Aurelia said she would kill me!" Mia starts shouting the moment Sara steps into the room.
"Control your wife, Alessandro! She is just jealous of Mia's beauty." Sara says angrily as she glares at me.
"She tried to strangle me! The marks are on my neck!" I try to explain but I'm met with Alessandro's deathly glare.
"Get out." Alessandro orders.
Mia shoots me a triumphant smirk only to realize the order was for her. She leaves grudgingly, clinging on to Sara's arm.
"She's lying. Why would I want to kill her?" I ask in a desperate tone.
"Why do you keep embarrassing me?" Alessandro asks in a cold tone.
"If that's too much for you, why don't you let me go? Call off the wedding!" I demand angrily.
"Never. You are stuck with me. The wedding will hold tomorrow and you will act accordingly or I will be forced to hurt your family and friends." Alessandro says in a deathly calm tone.