Chapter Fifteen
Rays of Venice's morning sun slipped through the shafts of Aria's blinds, making her stir gently in her sleep. A sharp notification ping from her phone on her bedside table woke her up with a start. She looked beside her to find an empty cold space. Major was long gone. That thought frightened her.
When did he leave?
She was usually a light sleeper, so Major getting up in the morning, and dressing and banging the front door close without her knowing was beyond her.
She remembered the last time she woke up and Major was gone. She didn't see him for a good 365 days. No, not again.
Then her phone started going crazy with 6 notification pings per second. As she scrambled to sit upright the phone started ringing loudly. She snatched it up in annoyance. The person at the other end didn't even bother with pleasantries.
'Aria!!' it was Bettina. 'Have you seen what's going off on Instablog? You and Major have pictures planted all over the internet –
Aria didn't even wait for her to continue, she ended the call and logged into her Instagram account.
Until Major publicly declared them official, it wouldn't be good to have any amorous pictures of them staining social media.
Spilling at the top of the blog's news feed were pictures of her and Major the night before, photographed in an angle that revealed a deep intimacy in their close embrace. It was taken just outside Marni's palace, after they had bought pasta. They were outside and she told him thank you in her sweetest voice.
He melted and brought her close to kiss her slightly on her forehead. They were captured just then. A chill brushed through her spine as she read the headlines.
"Billionaire Celebrity Exposed in Scandalous Embrace with Secret Mistress!"
Secret mistress Aria pondered Is Major married?
She read further. Billionaire celebrity Major Knight who got married last year to Sienna Ricci, mafia heir to the Ricci's cartel is captured in a passionate embrace with one of Bordini's brand models identified as Aria Velasquez.
Her phone rang loudly just then, and a pissed Aria picked up. It was Bettina. A low foreboding filled her voice as she spoke up. 'Aria this isn't going to be good for your career. The mafia will target you'.
'I'll phone Major and have him do something about it'.
She clicked the phone off and threw it across her bed, then sank into her pillows with a deep sigh. She wasn't bothered about her career or whatever. What really bothered her, was that for the 365 days she struggled to put Major out of her head, he went and got himself married, and she didn't know.
He came back and shattered the defense she thought she built against his charm, gave her the best fucks in her life that rivalled the last one, made her think that she still had a chance with him when for the reals he just wanted to use her, only for him to go back to wherever the hell he came from to live a happily ever after with his gorgeous mafia wife.
That all it took was a look and a kiss, and he had her exactly where he wanted her to be. Warming his damn bed.
Some things never change a taunting voice sneaked into the back of her mind. Giorgio. Major. You're always the girl that they just wanna use.
The tears she was holding back, silently spilled from her eyes.
Secret Mistress.
It sounded forbidden. Illicit. Raunchy. Aria couldn't decide if she liked it.
She grabbed the phone from where she flung it, wanting to phone Major. But instead she clicked on Google and typed Sienna Ricci in the search bar.
Dejá vù. A year ago it was Giorgio's fianceé she was stalking. Now it was Major's.
*****
Sienna smiled into her pillow as she heard the anxious pacing of Major around their room In the early hours of the morning. 'I don't understand!' he barked into the phone. 'Why should they be pictures of me all over the net and you haven't done anything about it?
He was talking to his tech guy. The one who ensured Major's underground dealings never leaked to the net. He watched the web day and night, and if there was any scandalous information of Major anywhere, 45 seconds and he would wipe it out.
Thanks to Reese yesterday, Sienna had briefly forgotten what an unloving husband she was stuck with. Reese was naturally good at conversation, he still had the muscular frightening build like Major's, but he was friendly – and hella sexy, and he knew just how to make her feel better.
But her little bubble of delusion had burst come morning when Reese had to leave and she had to scrub out all traces of him from her room and from her body.
Across their table at the bar he took her to, a man and his family was celebrating his birthday. It was sweet to watch.
'Its weird that today is Major's birthday' he spoke up and she turned away from looking at the happy family.
'Huh, why?
'Its too quiet. Back at Uni, Major usually threw loud parties to celebrate his birthday'.
'He had friends then. His life now is very quiet'.
'Yeah, at a time things changed. Eventually the pressure of being the heir of a conglomerate as big as Bacuzzi got to him and he started pushing people out to focus on being the best there could be.'
'Such a position demands rigid excellence' Sienna concurred.
'Do you get? Reese laughed. 'That's why he lives such a quiet lifestyle'.
Sienna did not reply, she quietly sipped the drink in front of her.
'How did you find out that he was cheating on you? He broke the silence.
Sienna breathed in and related the account of events that happened earlier that evening. Reese was shocked to say but the least. 'He didn't even bother to stop the flings after marriage.'
'I'm not sure I want him to get away with it'. She raised her head from sipping her cocktail. 'I don't care how long it's been going on, but he can't just trample on my feelings and get to walk around scot-free.'
'It's not Major you should be mad at. It's the lady. She should be aware that Major is married.'
Sienna shook her head. 'I dunno. He never wears his Ring out.'
Sienna ran her glossy manicured nails round the rims of the glass tumbler. 'How do I get back at her without stooping low to her level?
'I'll help you out with it' Reese leaned into his chair and smiled at her. 'It will be at Major's expense though'.
Sienna tittered at the back of her mind. At this point she didn't even care whatever happened to him.
Reese promised to keep in touch but she wondered how that was possible, when Major had a tight surveillance on her.
Fucked up. That's what it is. He can go out, fuck whoever he wants, and he cages me.
So that's why she was smiling like it was a good day into her pillow as Major paced the room back and forth, debating with his social media manager and his publicist.
She decided to stop pretending to be sleeping. Her loud yawn caught Major's attention, and he turned back to look at her briefly like she was an eyesore before speaking into his phone again.
She whistled a cheerful tune as she leapt out of her bed to pull back the curtains to let light into the dreary room.
Major looked at her curiously. She met his stare head-on. And suddenly she felt it. Hate. It coursed her veins and darn nearly burned her. Rage.
How did she even fall in love with this monster of a man?
'You've seen the pictures on the net.' No apologies in his voice. Indifference. Hurt.
She only glared heatedly at him. Scared to speak, cause the tears in her voice would betray her.
'Go make some coffee for me.' He said with disdain, nodding towards the door. Like she was nothing but a servant.
The slash of the hot coffee on her skin. The bitter, black liquid seeping into the lush nightwear she bought especially for him, ruining the material.
Pain.
'You should let the housekeeper do it.' Her voice was low. She hoped all the bitter emotions she'd felt from 10 minutes ago was laced in that one single statement.
Then after a condescending once-over, she reached out for the door. She being in the same room with him felt repulsive.
Major reached the door before she did. He tossed her around to face him. She balked as she saw the flames of fire licking from his eyeballs.
He raised his hand and Sienna flinched thinking he would hit her. But he roughly grabbed her neck and pulled her up so they would be at the same height level.
'Never ever again should you disrespect me.' The hate was evident in his facial features. 'This is your first and last warning.'
Then he roughly pushed her against the door.
Sienna reached the kitchen, tears brimming her eye lids. As she put on the coffee grinder and set his mug under it, one brief thought flashed through her mind. Poison.
She had a Ricci drug made by her father's cartel. Tasteless, undetectable and melts easily in food. Potent, but slow. And he would die with no trace of poison in his bloodstream.
Her phone rang, rudely jarring her from her murderous thoughts.
It was her dad. 'I've heard of the scandal, Sienna.'
Huh. Do nothing ever escape your ears?
Her dad's voice was always grave. Morose. Chipped.
But this time it was different. There was pure glee in his voice. Like he couldn't wait to prove her fucking wrong. 'You know what you'll do for me now. You'll bring him to his knees.'