29. Bay
Bay
“And here I thought the Spallo family’s building was enormous.
What is this gigantic house?!” I exclaim, jaw dropped, as I step into the sprawling De Rosa family home—Cora’s family estate in Vegas.
A woman raised among criminals—I’ve got to admire her mental fortitude.
I’ve been living with the crazy trio for about a month or so now, and I feel like my sanity’s already packing its bags, ready to leave me behind.
“You might want to close your mouth in case my cousins come charging into the house,” she says, placing a finger under my chin, gently pushing it up to close my mouth. “They love innocent-looking women, and your face right now will make their day—they won’t stop pestering you.”
“What’s new? Males are the same everywhere,” Alin replies with a heavy sigh, as she strides toward the living room on the entrance floor, wheeling her small pink suitcase behind her. “But I have to admit, this place is enormous—even for someone who lives in a castle.”
I chuckle in agreement, knowing that the castle back in our city could probably fit at least five houses like this. Still, I never imagined humans lived in such vast spaces. Don’t their feet hurt from all the walking?
The entrance floor is so vast that, if it weren’t for the minimal white and gray furniture, one could easily get lost in here.
“This is Alin’s first time here too,” Cora informs me with a smile, leading me to a long white sofa in the living room, located at the center of the floor. It faces a strange opening in the wall, with a layer of gray ashes at the bottom and a small iron grate. “What’s that?” I ask curiously.
Cora laughs as we sit on the sofa. “It’s called a fireplace.
In the winter, when it’s cold, you light a fire in it.
It keeps the house warm. But they don’t really need it, they mostly use it for decoration in the winter,” she explains, and I wonder what winter feels like here.
Underwater, our bodies are built to survive in the coldest depths.
We don’t suffer from the cold or illness—not the kind humans get from bacteria, at least.
“Have you ever struggled through cold winters here?” I ask Alin, curious about what I should expect in the coming months. Fall is already just around the corner.
“Yes. Our human bodies are just as vulnerable to the cold as theirs are. It’s nothing like the water,” she turns to me, “We’ll need to go shopping for winter clothes—you can’t keep wearing shorts when it’s cold. Especially not in New York.”
I wonder when we’ll have time to go shopping. Alin mentioned that the guys are here for business, to deal with a few problems, and we’ll need to stay at Cora’s house for a while since it’s the safest place.
“Perfect! Another excuse to go shopping!” Cora exclaims, bouncing with excitement. Suddenly, a voice surprises us from the direction of the curved staircase that starts at the side of this entry floor.
“You arrived faster than I expected,” a stunning woman, looking to be in her late forties, descends the staircase. Her hands glide along the golden railing that spirals down its length, using it for balance in her high heels.
Her blonde hair is elegantly pinned up in a neat bun, and her green eyes light up her fair face as the daylight streams through the large windows lining the entrance walls. Pearls adorn her neck and ears.
I used to love wearing pearls when I was younger. So did Elyr… I pause, my breath hitching at the thought.
“Mom!” Cora leaps from the couch, excitement clear in her voice as she rushes toward the woman with open arms. Her mother greets her with a warm, deep smile, pulling her into a tight embrace while gently stroking Cora’s hair.
“Why do you only come to visit when there’s trouble brewing outside?” She’s teasing Cora and pulls back from the hug, her tone now slightly reproachful as her gaze shifts to me and Alin.
“And which one of them is the famous Alin, Luca’s wife?” She raises an inquisitive eyebrow, looking between the two of us, but the question was meant for Cora.
“That, unfortunately, would be me,” Alin responds with a diplomatic grin; one that her own mother would be proud of. It’s hard sometimes to reconcile the rebellious Alin I grew up with and the one who’s now stepping into responsibility—it’s like they’re two completely different people.
“Your husband has no patience; he dragged my husband straight to the casino without even stopping by to say hello,” she teases with a chuckle, but her smile is warm. “Welcome to the crazy family.”
Alin laughs now. “Thanks! And this is my cousin, Bay,” she introduces me, catching me off guard. I quickly stand up from my seat. “She’s staying with us in New York.”
“Nice to meet you,” I smile politely, though this whole introduction feels a little too awkward, like I’m meeting my boyfriend’s parents—not Cora’s.
The click of her high heels echoes across the light gray marble floor as she walks toward me, stopping just as she reaches the creamy-white fur rug in the living room.
“I’ve never seen such unique eyes before—are you wearing purple contacts?” she asks, leaning in closer to examine my eyes. I can feel my cheeks heat up with embarrassment.
“What are contacts?” I turn to Alin, curiosity getting the best of me.
Cora’s mother looks slightly confused now. “You’ve never heard of colored contact lenses?”
Alin immediately steps beside me, letting out a nervous chuckle.
“She grew up far from here, home schooled. She’s not familiar with a lot of products,” she answers, shooting me a warning glare.
Got it. No questions here. Silence is golden.
At least her response isn’t a total lie. I swallow a tiny laugh.
“Colored contacts are a cosmetic product you put in your eyes to change their color,” Cora’s mother explains, her voice now filled with sympathy, probably imagining I had some rough childhood based on Alin’s description.
I resist the urge to ask why anyone would want to change their eye color, feeling Alin’s burning gaze beside me. Point made.
“They’re her natural eyes. They have great genes in their family,” Cora pipes up from behind us, saving the moment with a grin that stretches from ear to ear. “Both of their eyes look like sparkling gemstones, don’t they?”
Cora’s mother now turns her attention to Alin’s eyes, a sly smile suddenly creeping across her lips. Oh no. The fish doesn’t swim far from the reef—this is exactly Cora Spallo’s smile, the one that puts everyone around her into fight-or-flight mode.
“I’m not sure if Cora mentioned this to you, but I design luxury evening gowns for the Vegas elite,” she says, and every fiber of my being tingles with the effort to hold back the questions swirling in my head.
“I usually rope Cora into wearing my dresses when she visits, but how about you both join me at a charity event tomorrow? You can wear some of my designs.”
“Mom…” Cora groans, exasperated. “They’ve never been to events like that. They’ll be bored out of their minds.”
I have no idea what they’re talking about, but I hear “dresses” and “event,” and I’m all in.
“I don’t think anything involving the words ‘event’ and ‘dresses’ could ever be boring. I’m in,” I declare, raising my hand in full commitment. Alin lets out a heavy sigh, her hand landing on her forehead in frustration.
I furrow my brows at her, annoyed. I’m not a child who needs to be watched over, and I’m not asking questions—I just accepted an invitation, that’s all.
“You’re going to be in for a big surprise…” Cora rolls her eyes, but her mom’s face lights up with joy at my agreement. She then turns to Alin.
“Well, if we’re all going, then obviously I’m in, too. Luckily, my pregnant belly is not showing that far yet,” she replies in defeat, and now we’re all laughing. Looks like we’re going to this event together!
“We’ll do it at Anita’s. You’re going to love the event’s concept,” Cora’s mom claps her hands in excitement. Yeah, Cora can be sure she isn’t adopted.
“Anita is the biggest casino we run here in Vegas,” Cora fills us in before we can even ask. Her grin stretches wide across her face as she adds enthusiastically, “My dad renamed the casino after my mom. Isn’t that romantic?!”
A snort of laughter escapes me. I have no clue what a casino is, but this is what they consider romantic here? Naming a place after someone they love?
“Looks like Luca doesn’t love you as much as I thought. The Q is still called the Q,” I tease Alin, raising a playful eyebrow. She immediately shoves me back, sending me sprawling onto the sofa as Cora’s laughter joins mine.
“You just started a war,” Cora warns me, seeing the annoyed look that still hasn’t left Alin’s face. I throw my hands up in surrender, still giggling.
“Sorry, sorry. I don’t mess with a pregnant woman, especially not one like Alin,” I swallow my laughter just as footsteps echo behind us from the entrance door.
“And what are our women gossiping about here?” Mariano asks, grinning mischievously.
“I was just about to tell them the charity event’s concept,” Anita grins toward the fourth blond, tall man. Is that her husband, Flavio?
“And what would that be?” Pedro asks, completely disinterested, as his gaze falls on me. My body tenses; we haven’t talked much since yesterday. The trio went into Luca’s office, and then we all left early this morning for the airport.
“Mermaids!”
We all turn to her, jaws dropped.
Oh. That’s just great.