Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
ISABELLE
I felt nauseous, because the reality of what we were about to do was truly dawning on me.
Vincenzo had lied to someone that he feared and now we had to get engaged. This was never the plan when I first arrived in Italy and the more things unfolded, the more I could tell they were spinning out of control. I was just trying to take things one step at a time with the objective of going home and putting all this behind me, but I had no idea if that was still possible. During the car ride, I couldn’t stop myself from glaring at the man I considered the culprit of this all.
“If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll have to wipe that look off your face with a knife.” He spoke in a low voice. My heart pounded at his words until I looked at him and realized that he was teasing me. His words had made my face turn pale with fear. Although it was a joke, it was still a threat. However, as I locked eyes with him, my face grew warm. I pushed those confusing feelings aside to focus on my frustration. I wanted to turn around and refuse to go to the jewelry store, I wanted to refuse to go along with this charade. After all, he was the one who made the decision to tell that lie to Elia without even consulting me. I had agreed to a fake relationship to get the raise my boss promised, but this was a new thing entirely
I felt a deep unease. With this fake engagement, I would be pulled deeper into Vincenzo’s life. These thoughts consumed my mind on the drive, and it wasn’t until he tapped my arm that I finally snapped out of it.
“We’re here.”
Before us was a stunning brown building, decorated in an ornate fashion, with intricate designs carved into the wall. As if that wasn’t enough, through the glass doors I could see some display cases, and I felt my jaw drop just looking at the jewelry from afar.
Once I stepped into the building, I couldn’t stop myself from feeling out of place. I was standing in the most luxurious-looking place I had ever been in.
The moment I entered, the bustling noise from the city outside faded away. The store was elegant, the kind of place only rich people frequented. There is a faint scent in the air, just enough to be refreshing without overpowering my senses.
I was in wonderland. Just a glance at the display of refined jewelry collections would have blinded anyone. Everywhere I looked, there were gems twinkling in the light. I had jewelry, but nothing as fancy as what was on display here. The most expensive piece I owned was an antique necklace that my mother had given me. The elegance of the shop made want to shrink.
There was an attendant behind the counter and two black-clothed guards stood beside the door. The absence of heavier security made me raise an eyebrow with all the jewelry that surrounded me. I expected way more than two guards.
The soft lighting in the store made all the gems look even more brilliant, and I found myself moving from one display to another just to stare.
“Sarah won’t believe this.” I said to myself in a hushed tone as I took a picture of one of the most colorful and majestic displays in the store. My friend Sarah loved luxury items, and she could afford them. She would have felt like a kid in a candy store here.
“Sarah won’t believe what?” I felt a warm breath on my ear as Vincenzo leaned in to speak. I immediately jerked away from him, still not wanting to speak to him. “Remember what we’re here for,” he then said as he took my hand and pulled me to a display case filled with engagement rings.
With those words, I felt the blood drain out of my face. Mesmerized by the glamour, for a few moments I had forgotten why we were here.
Of course, I had thought about getting engaged before, but never under those circumstances. The situation I was in felt ridiculous, like something out of a movie, but Vincenzo’s presence beside me reminded me that it was all too real. I felt a bubble of panic rise up my throat. I wanted to run away, but I knew that if I did, I wouldn’t get far.
Vincenzo held my hand in his as we walked from one display case to another, looking at the rings. They were all beautiful, with gems on them that looked like they were worth more than a medium-sized house.
I winced just thinking about their price, but Vincenzo didn’t even blink as he asked for rings with large gems. I found myself staring in shock and a bit of awe. Once again, I realized just how rich he was.
He approached the task seriously as he examined the rings carefully and even had the attendant pull out some to see how they would look on my finger. I could see his determination to make sure our story didn’t get doubted. It would have been inspiring to watch if I wasn’t one of the parties involved.
I wanted to sigh, but I tried to cheer up. There was nothing I could do about it, I only had to focus on not blowing up our cover. However, just as I thought that, I felt Vincenzo’s grip on my hands tighten. I looked up in confusion to see that he wasn’t looking at me, he was looking at his phone’s screen with a furrowed brow. A text had just come in, and I had a feeling that he didn’t like whatever was on it.
“Stay close.” He whispered urgently and before I could ask him what had happened, his attention had shifted to a man who had just stepped into the store. I felt a shiver run down my spine at his words and my heart began to beat so fast in my throat that it felt like I had been sprinting.
The man was wearing a suit and a smile, but from the way Vincenzo tensed up as he drew closer, I began to feel nervous too. Out of all the people in Vincenzo’s world I had met, he was the one who resembled a killer the most.
I recognized him from the pictures I had seen online when I had attempted to do some research on Vincenzo. He was Antonio Bartolo, Vincenzo’s rival for the Cupola. They were practically enemies. I didn’t know how their meeting here would end, and my heart stuttered at the thought.
The pictures hadn’t done him justice, but it would have been hard to capture pure aggression in a photo. He was a man in his fifties, with graying hair and a slight limp. However, it was impossible to mistake the limp for weakness, not with the way he carried himself and looked down on everyone around him. He wore a simple silver wedding band and no other jewelry. That was enough for me to guess that he didn’t come here to shop for himself.
The man had the focused gaze of a viper, and the smile on his face couldn’t mask the aura of hostility that he carried around. His hair was slicked back, revealing a round scar on his forehead, and when his thin lips parted, they revealed a pair of teeth that were too white to be natural.
“Don Vincenzo! What a coincidence. It’s nice to bump into you here. It has been too long.” The man said with a friendly smile before he turned to the display cases. Something about his tone made me wonder if this meeting was really a coincidence. My blood turned cold as he focused his gaze on me briefly.
“Love is such a precious thing, don’t you agree? I’m here for love, too.” He said casually when he noticed the engagement ring I was currently trying on.
He turned towards the display cases as he spoke, as if he wasn’t bothered to face either of us. I felt relieved that he wasn’t looking at me anymore. I mulled over what he had said.
He scanned through the available options before picking two pieces, one was an elegant-looking diamond necklace and the other was an extravagant looking bracelet, studded with diamonds and rubies.
“Pack them separately, so I know who’s getting what, I don’t want any mix-ups.” He said, making it painfully evident that one of those gifts was for his mistress.
I needed something to distract me from this man who seemed to take up the entire room with his looming presence and barely restrained hostility, so I occupied my time by looking at a simple ring with one brilliant diamond on it.
The longer I looked at it, the more it appealed to me. I held it in my hands, admiring how beautiful it was, however, I soon felt the weight of Antonio’s gaze like a phantom tingling on the back of my head. He was assessing me, I could tell.
“So, this is the woman who has captured Vincenzo’s heart,” he finally said to me in a condescending tone. I raised an eyebrow, annoyed and weirded out that he practically said the same thing Elia said to me.
“Tell me, are you ready for the life that comes with this ring?” He asked, still in that condescending tone. He loomed over me as he spoke, it felt like he could lunge at me at any second, like a predator on its prey. The pure malice in his gaze made my mouth run dry and my brain go blank. I was struggling to put together a coherent response to him. Other than that, the weight of the question scared me, I knew I had to say something fast. However, as I was about to speak, I felt myself being pulled into a familiar comforting embrace.
“My fiancée is stronger than one would think,” Vincenzo said, and he sounded so sure of it I almost believed it. His presence was reassuring as I was about to buckle under Antonio’s scrutiny. His words made me smile and stand a bit taller.
“Oh?” He started as he gave me a once-over. His gaze felt like a blade on my skin, but this time, with Vincenzo holding me, I was able to stand my ground and meet his gaze squarely. I felt like I was sweating bullets but something about the way I looked at him must have struck a chord because he let out a short harsh laugh.
“Then I can’t wait to see what surprises you two have in store for me.” The threat in his words was so obvious that even I got it. Without looking, he stretched out a hand and the attendant handed him his packages respectfully. He turned to look at me one last time before leaving, and he shot me a wink as the jewelry store’s door closed behind him.
I let out a sharp exhale of relief once he was out of the store, and felt my body lean more into Vincenzo. If Elia was a somewhat trustworthy party, Antonio made his malice clear to me. I had no idea if he was always like that or if he just wanted to scare me off to jeopardize Vincenzo’s chances in the election. But he was good at whatever he was doing.
I finally found the strength to stand without Vincenzo supporting me. When I looked up at him, my heart skipped a beat. He was looking at me gently, like I was a precious thing.
My heart began to beat faster as I looked at the options before me. I could get something wildly expensive, with a diamond large enough to buy a small island. However, that wouldn’t feel right, it wouldn’t feel like me. My attention was drawn to the ring I was looking at earlier; small and elegant with just one diamond on it. Compared to the rest, it was almost too simple but it felt like it suited me perfectly.
I liked that ring, but I didn't know if Vincenzo would let me have it. Although I knew the road ahead was still rocky, I stood firm. I had been through so much, and yet, I did not feel beaten or broken down, I felt tempered.
“I want this one.” I finally said.
“It is appropriate, you have good taste.” He acknowledged with a condescending tone to his voice. I felt so glad that he had agreed with the one I wanted that I could ignore the subtle mockery in his words. But no satisfaction at the praise was strong enough not to get overshadowed by the rising feeling of panic that I was feeling.
“Good eye. The body of this ring is made of titanium, one of the strongest metals out there,” the attendant said, and I felt a smile grow on my face. The ring didn't look like much, but it held a lot of strength, just like me.
When the attendant scanned it and Vincenzo paid, I felt a twist contracting my stomach. There was no turning back now.
Once the ring was on my finger, I couldn't stop fiddling with it. I touched it every chance I got and with each touch came a feeling of anxiety. Thinking about our encounter with Antonio and how Vincenzo had stood up for me, I couldn't bring myself to hate him, but I still felt wary of him.
The moment we stepped out of the store, the sounds of traffic filled the air. Although I liked how perfect and calm the store was, something about being on a busy street, hearing people and cars go past, helped ground me.
The ring felt heavy on my finger, but I had nowhere to run.