24. Theá
Chapter twenty-four
Theá
S tate Louis is a lot bigger than I imagined, and I quickly realise that I don’t know just how big of a deal Natalia actually is.
“So how long has Nat been singing and performing?” I ask Valerie as security guides us to the box seats we’ll be sitting in for the concert.
“For as long as I’ve known her, which is basically forever. My papá made her enter a singing competition when she was nineteen, and that’s where she signed her first record deal. It’s been full steam ahead ever since.”
“That’s so cool! I’m so excited to see her perform.”
“Apparently it’s a sold-out show, so it should be a good one.” Valerie smiles at me.
Ambrose joins her side as we arrive in the hospitality area just behind our seats, and I take it as my cue to leave them alone.
The hospitality area is filled with anything and everything you could ever dream of, the perfect excuse to not miss a single moment of the concert. A part of me knows normal people don’t get to experience a concert this way, and I find myself wishing I could experience it in the crowd first before getting used to this. But then again, billionaires don’t strike me as the crowd type.
Our seats have a perfect view of the stage, as well as of the rest of the stadium.
I feel a presence behind me, and it doesn’t take me much effort to figure out who it is since he comes to stand next to me.
“You look stunning,” he says.
We haven’t spoken more than four words to each other since this morning, and the tension would be suffocating if it wasn’t for Valerie being able to talk enough for all of us.
I haven’t been able to keep my eyes off of him, either. He’s in what I’ve deemed his normal people clothing—because it’s the polar opposite of his usual business casual. He’s wearing a pair of black cargo pants, a black Luminoso Moda t-shirt with the sleeves cut off, that puts his well-sculpted biceps on display, along with a backwards cap that barely contains all of his curls.
He looks like he walked straight out of any woman’s fantasy—specifically mine. He looks relaxed for the first time since I met him, and I surmise it might have something to do with the little chat he and Ambrose had on the balcony.
“You don’t look too bad yourself, Mr. Perfect.”
A smirk creeps onto his face, and it’s the first time I’ve gotten to see his usual sunshine persona since last night.
“I know this isn’t the place to talk, but I just wanted to say sorry for what happened last night. I didn’t handle it correctly and I didn’t even consider how it may make you feel. There’s more that I want to say, but I’ll save it for when we’re at home.”
Home . He says it so casually, like that penthouse apartment has been ours for years.
“I look forward to hearing it. Until then, and for the sake of tonight, I’ll accept your apology. But depending on what you say later, I might reconsider,” I say, and he nods slowly.
“Fair enough.” He grabs onto the railing and every single muscle in his arm flexes. I can’t stop my eyes from nearly bulging out of my head at the sight.
Thankfully, Valerie calls me over before I can embarrass myself. “C’mon, we’re heading backstage to catch up with Nat before she starts her sound check,” she says. I nod hesitantly, following behind her, disregarding Antonio and any thoughts about his large biceps.
“It’s my last show, Stacy. I need a break.” Natalia’s voice rings through the hall as we approach her dressing room.
“And Vogue needs a cover. It’s just one shoot,” a female’s voice fires back. “You know how huge this is, Natalia.”
Valerie extends her arm, stopping me from walking any further, and pulls me against the wall so we can eavesdrop a bit easier.
“It’s in the middle of my time off, which defeats the purpose. There will always be another cover,” Natalia presses back, but her manager seems adamant.
“No one is going to want you if you turn down Vogue. But you do whatever you want since the work I do is for nothing.”
With that, Valerie seems to jump into action, walking straight into the room. I follow hot on her heels, partially because I’m interested to see what might happen, but more so because she’s been dating Ambrose for long enough that I have to worry just what she might do.
The manager is a small middle-aged woman who looks about as scary as Mrs. Clause. She immediately changes her entire demeanour when Valerie and I enter, and Natalia seems almost relieved at our sudden appearance.
“Valerie, lovely to see you again,” the lady says, yet Valerie scowls at her.
“Wish I could say the same, but I’d be lying,” she responds. Both Nat and I stifle a snicker as the lady seems taken aback by Valerie’s sharp words.
“I have to check if the sound team is ready for Amelia. Enjoy your time, ladies, and stay away from those cannolis, Nat.” She shuffles out of the room.
“What’s wrong with the cannolis?” I ask and both Natalia and Valerie, who roll their eyes.
“Nothing. They’re from Trescatelli’s, so they’re perfect. She’s just worried about me getting fat,” Nat replies. Valerie walks over to the table, puts three cannolis on a plate, and walks back to us.
“She’s one to talk, the gym and her are in an estranged relationship. Here, try one. The boys own Trescatelli’s, they’re so good,” she says, handing me one. She offers one to Nat, who just shakes her head, causing Valerie to frown.
“Please don’t let her get to you. It’s your last show and it’s a few days away from your birthday. Just ignore her, please,” Valerie pleads with her friend.
“When’s your birthday?” I ask.
“Eighteenth of August, three days from now. Oh, you have to come to my birthday dinner! Antonio has a plus one, and now he has an excuse to use it.”
“Sounds like fun,” I say, turning on a fake smile, still unsure of it all.
“How are things with the two of you? How are you adjusting to married life?” She chuckles towards the end as she gets up and walks over to the extremely full table of even more snacks than the hospitality suite has.
“Uhh, things are okay. We're adjusting okay…” I trail off awkwardly, trying not to meet either of their eyes.
“What’s up? He’s not being a dick to you, is he? Cause I’ll fuck up his pretty little face—” Natalia threatens, but immediately I shake my head.
“Quite the opposite, actually,” I say, and I can feel the heat creeping onto my face.
“Oh shit, I was not expecting that. I thought he was like a prude.” Natalia eyes Valerie and chuckles.
“I wouldn’t know,” she responds, chuckling.
“I just didn’t want to bring it up because he told me about what happened between you two and Ambrose,” I confess.
“He did?” Natalia spits out her water.
“Is that why you’ve seemed hesitant to speak to us?” Valerie asks softly.
I look down at my hands in shame. I was hoping it wasn’t this obvious, but she’s clearly picked up on it.
“How much did he tell you?” Val asks.
It feels horrible knowing I sat around the same table as my dick head uncle and had no idea that he was married, or that he was treating his wife so horribly.
“Everything. I’m really sorry, Valerie, we had no idea about any of, I swear. Or at least I didn’t. I can’t speak for my father.”
She rolls her eyes and chuckles. “Don’t worry about it, the fucker got his karma. But back to what you said, nothing happened between Antonio and I, so there’s no reason for you to feel awkward about speaking about him to us or being friends with us. I have no feelings for him,” she reassures me.
It’s not her feelings I’m worried about.
“Yeah, if anything, please overshare. My love life is so boring, I need to live through you two,” Natalia says.
I watch as Valerie shoots Natalia a look before her eyes soften, and she looks at me again.
“What?” I ask.
“Just don’t get too caught up in this life, Theá. We don’t want to see you getting hurt at the end of it.”
“But you should enjoy it while it lasts, just try to not get hurt in the process,” Nat adds with a wink. Valerie rolls her eyes, but laughs, nonetheless.
A girl maybe a few years younger than me knocks on the dressing room door and pops her head in.
“Hey, Amelia,” Natalia says.
“The sound guys are ready for you to do your sound check,” she says, and Nat nods.
“Be out in a sec.” She drinks some more water. “You guys are welcome to stay until I get back.”
“Nah, we’re going to head out. I want Theá to see this from the box to get the full experience.”
“All good, I hope you enjoy the concert. I’ll see you guys after.” Natalia walks over and hugs both of us.
I let my guard down. Maybe they both are being genuine. I can’t help but wonder how it’s so easy for them to just welcome me into friendship, as if we’ve known each other for years.
“Good luck, babe!” Val yells after Natalia as she walks out of the room.
“Let’s head back.” She beams at me and grabs my wrist, rushing to get back to the box in time.
When we arrive back at the hospitality suite, Antonio and Ambrose are joined by a female with long, light-brown hair.
Valerie slows down her steps and redirects us towards the bar. “We’re going to need this if she’s here.”
“Who is she?” I gaze back at the three of them. The woman is stunning, to say the least. Tall, perfectly proportioned, the ideal model type.
“That’s Leila. She’s a model who moves in the same circle as Sel, but they don’t get on, either. She’s been trying to snag a Vitale since their family’s business blew up. A groupie, of sorts. She tends to show up at very inconvenient times.”
“Interesting, I wonder why.” I raise a brow as her hand lands on Antonio’s shoulder.
“The same reason half of the female population does—they’re good-looking and rich. But I wouldn’t worry too much; the boys just about tolerate her. She’s the real problem. She never really knows how to take a hint or a blatant no as an answer.”
“Hmm, great.”
An uneasy feeling settles in my gut. She looks like the ideal type of woman any of the boys would love to be seen with. Any man would, so I’m surprised to know none of them have ever entertained it.
The bartender hands Valerie a Negroni Sbagliato and then passes me my Aperol Spritz. “Are you two beautiful ladies here alone?”
Valerie tenses up and my eyes shift between her and the bartender.
“Do you like this job?” I hear Ambrose’s voice boom, and both the bartender and I jump at his sudden appearance.
“Ye-yes, Mr. Vitale,” the bartender stutters out.
“Then I suggest you stop flirting with two married women and get back to work.”
The bartender’s eyes flash wide as he looks down at Val and me and then over our heads again. It dawns on me that he’s looking at something other than just Ambrose, and from the sudden presence I feel behind me, I realise Antonio must’ve joined him.
“We’ll take two double whiskeys, a single block of ice in each. Since you clearly don’t have enough work to keep yourself busy.” Antonio’s voice is cold as it comes out, and I’m sure the bartender is wishing he could be anywhere else right now. He disappears relatively quickly.
“We’re not married yet.” Valerie turns to face Ambrose.
“That fucker doesn’t need to know that,” Ambrose says in a voice that sends chills down my spine.
“And here I thought you two would be too consumed by Leila’s beauty to even notice us,” Valerie fires back. I look between her and Ambrose nervously. I never expected her to just point it out so directly.
A beat of silence follows before a smirk cracks onto Ambrose’s face. “Are you jealous?” Ambrose asks. Valerie simply scoffs before walking out towards the seating, leaving Antonio and me alone as Ambrose follows after her.
I try my best not to meet Antonio’s eye. When the bartender returns with drinks, Antonio reaches over me to retrieve his, allowing his arm to linger around my shoulder in an almost possessive manner. “I suggest you make a special delivery of that one before he gets you fired, just because he can,” Antonio barks, and the bartender scurries after Ambrose.
“Are you jealous?” I repeat Ambrose’s earlier phrase, still not meeting his eyes, but now looking in the direction the bartender left. He is quite attractive by normal standards, but is nothing compared to Antonio.
I feel a tug on my chin as Antonio hooks a finger and forces my eyes back to his. “Yes, I am.”
It’s a simple statement, one that’s dark and commanding, but most of all, it’s honest. And for a split second, it completely shatters my ideologies around this marriage being fake.
I swallow down the lump that forms in my throat. His eyes scan mine, and I’m too consumed by their usual colour to try and figure out what he’s looking for. Emotion flashes through them briefly before his features return to their usual apathetic state.
“Let’s head out for the soundcheck,” he says, still holding my chin. I nod in his grasp before he finally lets go.
The soundcheck was so much fun; I quickly realised that I actually knew a few of Natalia’s songs, but never realised that it was her who sang them. A few fans were allowed into the venue to watch the soundcheck, and she engaged with them all so well that I could just tell she was made for this. The interaction and level of performance she puts on for even just the sound check is so natural, so effortless, just perfect.
The sky is now painted a beautiful mix of yellow and orange as the warm day slowly melts into night. The stadium is packed to the brim, and even the hospitality box that we’re in has slowly filled up.
Antonio’s phone rings, and with one displeased look, he excuses himself to answer the call. It’s easy to assume who the caller is purely based on his reaction, and I presume the reason for him wanting to take the call away from us is for Ambrose not to hear whatever stupid task my father is going to have him doing.
In his absence, I throw back the last of my drink as I watch the stadium buzz to life with excitement as Amelia, the opening act, comes out.
Someone drops into the seat next to me and I nearly jump, only to notice another Vitale brother is occupying it.
“Hello, my beautiful family, how are my favourite people doing?” he asks, leaning over me to meet Ambrose and Valerie’s eyes, as well.
“What are you doing here? You are supposed to be at a meeting in Tevici right now,” Ambrose barks, irritation clear in his expression.
“Don’t get your Armani pants in a twist. They rescheduled for tomorrow, so I decided to pop in for some quality family time,” Adriano says.
“Yeah, and to see Nat,” Valerie says in a hushed tone, but Adriano must catch wind of it by the way he glares over my head.
“Where’s Gus?” I ask, diverting his attention to me before he can fire any comments back.
“In Milan with Sel,” he says, returning his focus to the stage.
Almost on cue, Amelia wraps up her performance and starts hyping up the crowd for Natalia.
Just as the lights turn down, Antonio returns and appears looking less than impressed. He barely greets Adriano before meeting my eyes; they hold an apologetic expression.
“We have to go, your dad wants to meet back at the apartment,” he says, and I suddenly feel everyone’s eyes on us. I pout. Leaving now is the last thing I want to do, especially to just be paraded around in front of my father.
“She can stay and we can drop her off after the concert,” Valerie offers, and I watch as Antonio weighs up his options.
“Okay, fine,” he hesitates before moving to leave.
I’m on my feet a few seconds later, and he freezes. Honestly, I’m unsure of why I stood up, but something in me compelled me to do it, and now that I’m standing, I fear I have to commit to the thought that lingers in my mind. “Let me walk you out,” I say and he nods awkwardly before gesturing for me to walk first.
“Are you going to have time to change before he gets there?” I ask, making small talk.
“Probably not, but it’s supposed to be rather informal,” he says, placing his hand on the small of my back, guiding me through the large crowd in the dining area of the hospitality suite.
“I’m sorry he’s dragging you away like this. It was supposed to be an off day for all of you,” I find myself apologising, looking up to meet his eyes.
He scoffs. “Did you really want to walk me out just to talk about your dad?” He raises a brow as we step out of the suite into part of the main stadium.
“Well…uhm…I just wanted to make sure you were okay going by yourself and to remind you to be careful of what you say to him.”
“I’m a big boy, I’m sure I’ll manage,” he says, stepping a bit closer. “Anything else?”
“Nope, that’s all. I’ll see you later,” I say, spinning on my heels, but he grabs my forearm and pulls me back.
When I get back into his grasp, I’m pressed firmly into his chest, his one hand resting very low on my back and the other cupping my face. “If you won’t bring it up, then I will.”
Then his lips are on mine. I’m sure it’s supposed to be an innocent kiss, and it barely lasts longer than ten seconds, but the fire that runs through my veins feels anything but innocent. It feels like passion and adrenaline, it feels warm and inviting. It feels all too comfortable, but as he pulls back, letting his gaze pour into mine, the moment ends.
“Thank you for walking me out, tesoro . I’ll see you later tonight.” He winks before backing up.
My body takes a few seconds to catch up with what just happened before I nod and turn to walk back into the suite.
“And stay away from that bartender,” he yells after me, and I can’t help but smile like an idiot.