CHAPTER TEN: Family Heirloom

EVE'S POV: 

"Take it off." The beautiful lady orders once we step into the room. 

"I'm sorry what?" I ask in a confused tone as I clutch my dress tighter to my body. 

"A prude. He just had to send me a prude." The lady whispers in an exasperated tone, causing the girls behind her to giggle. 

"I've been tasked with dressing you, and I would appreciate it if you could make my work easier. Can you do that for me?" The lady asks with a strained smile on her lips. 

"That would be hard considering I don't understand your orders." I respond with a daring lift of my brows. 

"You can take off your dress or I could call Alessandro." The lady says as her face tightens into a frown. 

I swallow loudly as I grimace. My hands go to the edge of my dress and I take it off swiftly. "What next?" I ask snarkily. 

I know it must look pathetic that I'm this scared of him, but I've literally watched him kill someone and I refuse to be his next victim. 

"Good. Get clean." The lady says in a triumphant tone as she heads into the spacious bathroom. 

I wrap my hands around my body as I try to ward off the cold. I step into the bath the moment we get into the bathroom, eager to clean off properly for the first time in days. 

"I think gold will work better with the colour of your eyes. I know they are dull, but we can actually work with that." The lady says with a menacing smile on her lips. 

A red hue envelope my cheeks at the embarrassment of her subtle jab. "Not that yours are brighter." I say in a sudden burst of anger. 

"Look here, I don't care about what the dimension of your relationship with Alessandro might be, but I'm Eloisa fucking Mardolf and you will respect me." She says through gritted teeth. 

"Is the name supposed to be special to me?" I ask in a mocking tone, not caring one bit at the possibility of incurring Alessandro's wrath. 

"I will go with the black dress." I respond in a condescending tone as Eloisa stutters in shock. 

The rest of the dressing session passes swiftly enough with Eloisa working angrily. 

I touch my face as a gasp of surprise escapes my lips. "Who is this gorgeous lady staring back at me?" I ask myself in confusion. 

My eyes fly to Eloisa who is still ignoring me, but I can't help but feel grateful for her showing me this part of me. 

"Thank you." I murmur to Eloisa who nods her head sharply. It turns out that, when she's not trying to put me under her control, she's actually easy to work with. 

"Alessandro! I didn't know you were standing there." Eloisa says with a pleased look on her face. 

Her soft smile and lusty gaze do not go unnoticed by me. Could it be that her mild hatred or annoyance towards me was as a result of her Jealousy? 

I can't help but scoff at the thought, drawing both of their attention towards me. If there was a way we could switch positions, I would happily do so. 

My eyes meet Alessandro's and I can't help but hold my breath. The expression of pure shock, surprise and admiration quickly morphs into disgust, changing his whole demeanour. 

"Leave us." Alessandro says in a cold tone to Eloisa who looks flustered. 

"Now? I just have to do some finishing touches—" Eloisa starts to say before she is brutally interrupted by Alessandro. 

"Now." He says barely sparing her a glance. I don't miss the bright sheen of tears in her eyes as she hurries out of the room. 

Our positions might be different but if there's one thing I'm absolutely sure of, is that we were both scared as hell of Alessandro. 

"Let me make myself clear, this is nothing more than a transaction which is totally for my benefit, do not get too comfortable." Alessandro orders as he steps closer to me. 

"How can I get comfortable with the man who killed my best friend?" I ask as tears fill my eyes at the memory of Olivia's unfortunate end. 

"Good, we are on the same page. This will continue till I no longer have use for you." Alessandro says in a distasteful tone. 

"I don't want to get married to you." I say as the tears threaten to escape my eyes. 

"It's a good thing you have no choice. Like I said earlier, it's either this or death." Alessandro says in a grim tone of finality. 

The light catches on an object in his hand and when I get a closer look, my breath leaves me in a whoosh. 

I have never seen or come across something so breathtakingly beautiful. It looked out of this earth. Considering my lack of expertise when it comes to jewellery, I have no idea whether it is diamond, sapphire or moissanite.

"Turn around." Alessandro orders in a captivating tone. 

"I can put it on myself." I croak out in a shaky tone, too scared to turn my back on a killer. 

"I didn't ask." Alessandro bites out as he stares me down. I find my legs turning of their own accord and my breath freezes in my lungs when he stands directly behind me. 

My hand flies to the piece of jewellery lying on my neck as he clasps it together. 

"The Luxe Garnet Cascade. It has been in my family since the 18th century." Alessandro says tonelessly. 

The necklace suddenly feels very heavy on my neck, its history adding to its weight. 

"It belonged to my grandmother and then my mother as well as all the other women who marry into the family." Alessandro continues and I'm too scared to even gulp loudly. 

"It signifies a long lasting relationship." Alessandro says as his eyes slowly meet mine in the floor-length mirror. 

"Guilia rejected it. She saw it as a form of shackle which tethered her to the cruel members of my family." Alessandro says in a stormy tone as his hand traces the form of the necklace against my neck. 

I gasp in fright and surprise when his hand tightens across my neck, his fingers digging into my skin. 

"Don't think you are special. You are just like this necklace. Beautiful but useless." He spits out before pushing away from me, causing me to stumble. 

My breathing is still messed up by the time I'm alone in the room. 

"Let's go." A guard orders as he steps into the room, barely giving me the time to regain my steez and composure. 

The guard leads me carefully down the stairs, the train of the black flowing dress slowing me down. 

I take a deep breath before I step into the car where I can already spot Alessandro at the other end. 

I squeeze the life out of my fingers during the ride. 

"It's an art exhibition. Do I need to worry about you embarrassing me?" Alessandro asks and I shake my head sharply. 

He retrieves what seems to be a pad from the seat and he turns it on, handing it over to me before stepping out of the car. 

My breath hitches in my throat when I see Olivia. She is currently working, while completely oblivious to being watched. Oh my God! She's okay! She didn't die. 

Alessandro pulls open the car door on my side. "Consider that your engagement present."

Alessandro's lips widen to a doting smile and my heart stops for a second before I notice the paparazzi taking pictures of him. 

I school my features as I step out of the car, clinging to Alessandro's arm for support. 

I smile until my face aches. We soon pass the red carpet and we head into the main event. 

"Don't embarrass me." Alessandro growls at me as a scary looking man approaches us. 

"Alessandro!" The man greets excitedly as he steps towards us with an extremely beautiful lady in his arms. 

"Cormac." Alessandro responds in a less enthusiastic tone. 

"And who might this gorgeous beauty be?" Cormac asks in an excited tone as he takes my hand in his.

"My Fiancée." Alessandro says in a growly tone, not offering up my name. If I didn't know better, I would say he is possessive of me. 

"Let's go for a bathroom break, and leave the men to talk." The lady standing beside Cormac says before pulling me away with her. 

"You must be really special." The lady speculates as she grabs two drinks off a waiter's tray. 

"What do you mean?" I ask with a nervous laugh as I politely accept the glass from her. 

"The necklace. It's very important to the Santino family. Rumour has it that Giulia was never seen with it because she was never fully accepted." The lady says as she takes a sip of her drink. 

I smile politely, saying nothing to encourage the gossip. 

"I wish my man looked at me the way yours do." The lady says with a wistful look on her face. 

I whip my head around, my gaze zeroing in on Alessandro. I find his intense gaze on me and if I didn't know our circumstances, I would miss the deathly threat in them. 

"I'm Mira." The lady says interrupting my stare off with Alessandro. 

"I'm Aurelia." I say in return. 

"Come on, I have to greet some of my friends across the hall." Mira says with a kind smile. 

Mira keeps glancing around her in a suspicious manner that makes me cautious, however nothing prepares me for actions. 

When we get close to a door that clearly says storage, she pushes me inside it. 

"What the hell?!" I scream as I try banging on the door. 

Someone grabs hold of me in the dark room and I struggle desperately, fighting for my life. I'm suddenly let go, and thrust outside the room and into the large hall. 

I don't need a mirror to feel how dishevelled I am. 

Everyone in the room stares at me in a disparaging manner as I struggle to my feet. My eyes meet Mira's who is currently standing beside Cormac. She gives me a condescending look that chills me to my bones. 

The whispers become louder as Alessandro stalks towards me. He grabs me by the hand and pulls me along with him. 

He flings my hand away when we step outside. "Just one rule. Just one goddamned rule! Don't fucking embarrass me!" Alessandro screams at me. 

Before I can say anything to defend myself, Alessandro goes still. "Where the fuck is the necklace?" 

My hand flies to my neck, only to find it empty. "I don't— I don't know, it was on my neck!" I try desperately to explain. 

"If you do not find it, I will strangle you with my bare hands." Alessandro threatens as he steps closer to me.