Chapter 24
Ariel
Being with Guilia in the past twenty-four hours was like seeing a ray of sunshine on a rainy day. The depression that I heard in her voice when spoke to me on the phone the last time had disappeared and her eyes each time I gazed at them, sparkled with determination and resilience.
I wished that she didn’t have to see through what she was planning, but I’d seen how adamant she was about the matter and there was nothing I’d say that would change her mind.
The only thing I owed her was my support and protection which I wouldn’t fail to give.
We were both dressed and ready to go out. I opted for a dark blue sleeveless jumpsuit while she wore a two-piece outfit; dragging the skirt to her waist so that her creamy thighs would be properly exposed.
Tonight, we were to go to the club and in my mind was a roller-coaster of emotions. Though I was giddy with excitement, I couldn’t help the fear reared its ugly head when I thought about the things we would have to do to make our plans a success.
“You look hot, girl. Are you sure the guards would let us out of the house looking like this?” Guilia snickered, smacking her lips after applying a red lipstick.
I rolled my eyes and crossed my shoulder bag over my neck. “I’m the Capo’s wife, duh. That should give me some authority over them, except they want to get into trouble with their boss,”
“What about Fedor?”
“I’ve informed him already so he should be waiting for us downstairs. Come on, let’s go stir up trouble,”
She giggled and sprayed some perfume over her body. “You should take off your ring if you want to do that,” She suggested, walking out of the room while I trained my attention on the diamond stones that formed a band around my finger.
Even though I hated our marriage, I’d never thought of taking off my wedding ring like I didn’t with the engagement ring, but I doubted Dmitri wore his and I wanted to be adventurous today so I pulled it off my finger and kept it on my vanity table.
My legs froze on their steps when I saw Guilia at the facade, swaying her ass at Fedor who looked like he was having a hard time looking away.
I mean, who wouldn’t?
She was breathtakingly stunning with a good crop of blonde hair that complimented her brown eyes, and she had a great body that everyone would want to look at twice. If not for the kind of world we found ourselves in, I’d have advised her to chase a modeling career.
I folded my hands and watched her flirt with him while he held back a smug grin. It was funny to watch but if anyone else had their eyes on us, it wouldn’t be good for her so I cleared my throat loudly, alerting them of my presence.
“Fedor…” His name came out as a drawl from her lips. “Do you have a girlfriend? Is she as beautiful as I am?” She mused, wiggling her brows at him with a cheeky smile on her face.
Quickly, I dashed toward her and dragged her from him. “Guilia, stop it,” I chided her quietly. “When did you become this bold? I used to be the crazy one,” I ushered into the car and signaled him that he could start driving.
She shrugged and folded her arms. “I started becoming bold when I realized that acting dumb and being quiet would do nothing for me. So henceforth, I’ll live my life on my terms,”
“That’s a good one. I’m proud of your growth,” I laughed and the car drove off.
We arrived at a boutique that Fedor had recommended to us while we were debating on which clothing stores to go to. If he knew that we were shopping for dresses to wear to a club, he wouldn’t have responded.
Scratch that! He’d be driving us back to the house.
I asked him to wait by the car as I didn’t want it to be obvious that we came with a bodyguard and I also didn’t want him to see the kind of clothes we would select.
“I’ve not seen Dmitri since he left last night. Is that how he is?” She questioned, going through the dresses in front of her.
“I’m used to it. That’s how they all are and truthfully, I don’t want to be around him most of the time. He doesn’t care about me, you know, and I’m trying to replicate the same feelings,”
She picked a dress and stared at me sedulously. “We’ve been friends for ten years, Ariel. Why does it seem like you’re affected by his absence? Are you starting to fall for him?”
My eyes popped and a chuckle hummed in my throat. “Fall for him? That’s not happening at all. He has not even given me any reason to fall for him,”
“I’ve been in love before and I can tell you for free that you don’t need a reason to fall in love with someone. What if he’s with someone else?” She questioned and my breathing ceased instantly.
Her eyes ran over my face with a knowing smirk and I looked away, my face red with embarrassment.
“That would be perfect. At least he won’t have to think of sleeping with me,”
It was her turn to be surprised because her lips parted widely. “Hold up, there. You’re still a virgin? He hasn’t touched you yet?” She asked, thoroughly gobsmacked.
“It’s a good thing, isn’t it? Come on, let’s go pick some dresses,” I deflected and led her to another section.
A slutty black satin dress caught my attention and I picked it up immediately, staring at it in awe. I could imagine how sexy I’d look on it but why was I afraid to wear it?
Guilia snatched the dress from me and scanned it with the same admiration. “Don’t tell me you’re not taking this. You’d look so gorgeous in this,” Her brows were creased.
“I-I don’t really know. What if he sees me wearing this?”
She clicked her tongue and sighed in irritation. “And what if he does? He’s been away for the whole day and he didn’t bother to check on you and now that you have a shot at happiness, you’re considering his feelings? That’s unlike you,”
“You’re right,”
She held my hand and peered at me reassuringly. “You don’t have to worry about him. We’ll find a club that’s far away from the house so you don’t have to be worried about being caught. I’ve got you,”
I drew in a deep breath and nodded, knowing that she was right. For a man who barely looked at me, he must surely be with another woman and even though it didn’t matter, he was breaking the vows of our marriage so I shouldn’t be afraid of doing something as harmless as clubbing.
“I’m taking the dress,” I agreed and she pumped her fist into the air.