ROSALINDA. Sofia’s dress was complicated, so I couldn’t help her pull it off on my own; I had to call Lily to help her out since she designed it.She was standing in front of the small room when I stepped out. She must have understood that Sofia was not in the best of moods and waited for me to comfort her, hence why she stood outside and didn’t go in with us."Is she okay now?" Lily asked concernedly the second she saw me."Yes." I nodded slightly. "Her dress is still on. Can you help her pull it off?""Sure." She said as she hurried towards the door and pushed it open.I strolled back to where I was seated and sat on the sofa while trying my very best not to glance at Antonio. A walking temptation.The scene of what he did to me before Sofia and Lily walked out of that small room kept replaying in my head, and I wanted to know why he did that. Was he also attracted to me?Before I could stop myself, I cleared my throat and asked. "Why did you sniff my neck the other time? You shoul
ROSALINDA. When we entered the pub, I immediately spotted Oliver sitting alone at the bar, and a wave of relief washed over me."Where are they?" Antonio asked, scanning the pub intently.I yanked my hand away from his grip and shrugged. "I don’t know what you are talking about. I came here alone.""I know you didn’t come here alone." He firmly grasped my shoulders, intently staring into my eyes. "After you followed her into that room, I followed you and overheard your conversation." He admitted, and I shot my brow at him.How creepy. I shrugged again, trying to appear nonchalant. "After you warned me about sneaking out, I changed my mind about going with Sofia. I didn’t want to get her into trouble.""Where is she?" He persisted, emphasizing each word.I looked around the room, desperately hoping Sofia wouldn’t show up until he left. Where the fuck was she, by the way?"I told you the truth." I stood my ground as I started walking away from him."Where the fuck are you going?" He g
ROSALINDA.Not even for a second before I fell asleep did the thoughts of what happened between me and Antonio leave my mind. I fell asleep thinking about him, and now that I’m up, thoughts of him were the first to cross my mind.Was he also attracted to me, or was I misinterpreting things? Did he sniff my neck so sensually only because he liked my scent?Could it be that he was only under the influence of alcohol? I kept asking myself endless questions. Questions I had no answers to.I could still remember the way I involuntarily pressed myself against him as I allowed myself to feel his hard, defined body. I could still remember how intense my arousal was as he rubbed his thumb over the red sting spot and sniffed my neck.As those memories coursed through me, I caught myself absentmindedly rubbing the same red spot, feeling my folds contrast as I let out a short moan.I quickly snapped myself out of it, shaking my head in disbelief at what I was doing. He was out of bounds for me, a
ROSALINDA. The past few days have been really overwhelming for me. I've been deeply involved in assisting with the arrangements for both Sofia's wedding and her Engagement party. Today, however, was the engagement party.I was dressed in a red lacy dress that boasted an off-shoulder neckline, gracefully revealing my décolletage and an enticing amount of my cleavage. The lower part of the dress had a thigh-high slit, exposing just the right amount of my legs. The entire look exuded flirtatiousness, but did I care? I simply dressed in what I felt beautiful in.The moment I stepped into the garden where the party was being held, I sensed the gaze of unfamiliar eyes upon me, which made me feel slightly uncomfortable.Everyone appeared cheerful, dressed in their elegant and expensive dresses and tuxedos.I looked around, anticipating seeing the one person that I had been longing for. The groom-to-be. It’s been a week since I last saw him in the kitchen, and not even a day has passed that
ROSALINDA.Antonio might be crazy, but I’m even crazier.He ruined my dress just because he wanted me to change into something more decent, but I defied that cause. I went back into my room, swiftly removed the ruined dress, and slipped into something even more daring—a silver sequin mid-thigh dress with striking waist-high slits on both sides.After I finished dressing, I stood in front of the mirror and spun around in a complete 360-degree turn, marveling at my own reflection. Boy, do I tempt myself?I looked so hot, and I was well aware that my father would disapprove of my outfit, but I couldn't care less as long as I got to spite Antonio.Grabbing a silver clutch, I made my way back to the garden. I looked around, searching for Antonio, and before I could figure out where he was, I heard a familiar voice call my name.Oh, shit. Not again. I had hoped to avoid encountering him again, but luck was clearly not on my side. I pivoted to face the source of the voice, forcing a fake sm
The music came to a stop, indicating that dinner was about to be served. Everybody took their seats at the tables, and Rosalinda was sitting directly across from me."Antonio." Camilla, who was sitting beside me, called, and I swung my head to the side to look at her."Stop it. Your attention should be on your bride, not her." She scolded me, and I let out a sharp breath.Sitting across from Rosalinda and not staring at her was difficult, but Camilla was right. My attention should be on my bride-to-be, not her sister.So, leaning in, I rested my arm on Sofia’s seat but retrieved it almost immediately when she started fidgeting in her seat, showing her discomfort."My favorite wine isn’t here. And that’s the wine I want to make toast with." Roberto suddenly raised his hand to signal for one of the housemaids to come, but before he could do that, Rosalinda quickly rose to her feet."I would get it, Papà." She offered, and before her father could protest, she started walking away from th
ANTONIO. Yesterday, I crossed a line I shouldn’t have crossed. I almost lost control of myself, and it became clear to me that she was as attracted to me as I was to her. If not for Matteo, who interrupted, I would’ve fucking fucked her in her father’s office.He barged in, thinking I was hurting his sister. Like hell, I would never hurt that woman. As a matter of fact, I feel very protective of her.A knock sounded on my office door, pulling me out of my thoughts."Come in." I muttered, clearing my throat.I was in my office, working on some important documents, when I drifted off, thinking about Rosalinda.The door was pushed open, and Marco, my consigliere, came to view."Good morning." He greeted me as he approached me."Morning," I replied.He pulled the visitor’s seat out and settled on it. I studied his face, and the look he had on it indicated he had something to say.I raised a questioning brow. "What?" "You are treading on a dangerous path, Don." He suddenly said, and I cl
Ruby was already seated at a round table when Giovanni and I arrived at Tasty Haven, and her face immediately lit up as soon as she saw me."Hey, best friend." She beamed as we approached her, causing a smile to spread on my lips.She leapt to her feet when we came to a stop in front of her and embraced me warmly.Pulling away from the hug, she darted her gaze at Giovanni and raised a brow. "And who is this?""I’m Giovanni. Her favourite cousin." Giovanni introduced himself as he extended his hand for a handshake.Taking his hand, she muttered in a sweet voice. "Hi, Giovanni. I’m Ruby. Her best friend."A few seconds passed, and they were still holding hands while staring intently at each other."Giovanni, don’t you think the ladies would need some privacy?" I quickly interjected, snapping them out of their trances, and they quickly withdrew their hands.What was that about? They couldn’t have possibly fallen for each other at first sight.I looked around the restaurant, and when I sp