Chapter Twelve
Olivia
The woman who stared back at me from the mirror looked like me, but there were minute differences which screamed that I was not who I was this time last week.
I didn’t know who I was anymore, although later today I would become the wife of Maximus Rossi.
That was both terrifying and exciting in equal measure, and butterflies beat against my stomach at the prospect of seeing him waiting for me at the end of the aisle.
The door rapped, prompting Mama to go and answer it. Poppy walked in, her deep pink dress highlighting her natural beauty, the gold accents adding class.
“I promised Maximus that I’d give this to you this morning.” She smiled as she walked further into the room. “You look beautiful. There is nothing more exciting than your wedding day.”
She squeezed my hand as she held a box wrapped in a red ribbon to me. My first thought was that it was too small to contain a head.
Inside was a diamond and emerald necklace and bracelet to match my engagement ring. Poppy plucked them out of the box and proceeded to help me put the jewellery on.
“Maximus has impeccable taste in jewellery,” Poppy continued to chatter. “These are part of our families diamond collection. They are a stunning selection he had set. I believe he purchased the emeralds a few years ago.”
That shocked the hell out of me as I thought the ring had been stock in the jewellers.
If Poppy was correct, the ring and these accompaniments had already belonged to Maximus when we walked into that store, and it had just needed a quick resize.
He had joked that it was as if it was meant for me since it matched my eyes.
Mama and my sisters oohed and aahed over the diamonds, but my emotions spiralled out of control.
This was a moment I had dreamed about in the past, and there had been nothing this past week to make me believe that marriage to Maximus would be the horrendous ordeal that I had been promised by Sam, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was a pawn on the chessboard who had been manoeuvred without me realising it.
“There she is!” Papa strode into the room, his designer suit embellished by the family crest on his tie and the cuffs of his jacket. “This is a proud moment indeed, my last baby fledging the nest.”
I didn’t point out that Roberto still resided in that nest, ready to swoop down and terrorise the other little birdies on a lower branch.
“I’m not going too far away, Papa,” I said, trying to stabilise my emotions since my hands were shaking, and I felt dizzy. “We’ll see each other all the time.”
Everyone in this room knew it was a lie.
My sisters disappeared into marriage, and only appeared at Christmas or family birthdays.
They only answered their phones occasionally, and replied to texts at strange times.
After speaking to Maximus, I was beginning to realise that my sister’s lives were not how I imagined.
Maybe they only had access to their phones when their husband was present.
“Have you seen the main garden?” Poppy asked, taking charge of the conversation again. “It is stunning. Maximus has organised everything with his usual attention to detail.”
There was nothing that escaped his attention, and he saw more than I was comfortable with.
The intensity of his gaze seemed to have the ability to look directly into your soul and see the truth that you tried to hide deep inside you.
He left me feeling naked and bared to him in more ways than the physical.
“Nothing has ever gotten past Maximus,” I replied. “In all the years I’ve known him, he always had his finger on the pulse.”
Poppy gave me a strange look, her brow furrowed. “How long have you known my brother?”
“About ten years,” I replied, indicating the dress maker could fasten my veil.
“Oh.” Poppy said, pouting for a moment before shaking her head and smiling. “Maximus always has been a dark horse who plays the long game.”
I had no idea what she was talking about, and didn’t have time to decipher her comment since my veil was being attached with pins while Mama fussed over my dress. My sisters were my bridesmaids, their dresses a deep gold to create our wedding colour theme.
For the first time in my life, I was the main centre of attention in our family.
I had spent a lifetime hiding in the shadows, and today I stood as the focal point dressed as a princess, including the delicate and sparkling tiara Maximus had left for me last night in the room assigned to me in his massive family home.
There was a lightness here that didn’t exist in the house I grew up in, photographs of Maximus and his sisters growing up – happy, smiling faces through the years as you moved through the house.
“Ready?” Mama asked, grabbing both my hands, and staring directly into my eyes.
My fate was sealed as there was no way I could stop what was about to happen today, the ring on my finger tying me to the most dangerous man I knew, who made Roberto look like a pussy cat beside a tiger.
“As much as I can be,” I replied, giving her a shaky smile. “What am I going to do since I’ll not be living with you?”
She had been the one constant in my life, protecting me from the storm of our family.
“What am I going to do without my baby?” she asked, dragging me to her to hug me as if she was holding all the broken pieces of me together.
“Now is not the time for sentiment,” Papa said, intervening. “My girls are too beautiful to ruin their make-up.” He held out his arms as if he was commanding an orchestra.
All my sisters stood to attention, smoothing their already perfect dresses into place. Mama straightened her back, her hand cupping my cheek as she smiled and nodded once, settling strength into me.
“Let’s go,” I said, glancing around the room at everyone gathered.
Maximus had been my choice, and now I would have to live with the consequences of that choice. At least I wouldn’t spend my wedding night locked in a basement while my new husband trained me.
I knew Maximus was in the higher echelons of power, but I didn’t know he had the ability to command the weather as well.
Outside, the sun shone as if it was a beautiful summer day instead of the early stages of spring.
A marquee in ivory and gold stood in the distance, but it was the ceremony area that stole my breath.
Maximus had had the area decorated in ribbons drifting in the breeze and crystals glittering and shining.
An altar had been created at the top of the first part of the garden, an arch of white roses signifying where we should stand to say our vows before God.
Pillars of flowers made a circular ceremonial place, reminiscent of an ancient Greek grove from a time gone by. The scent of the herbs in the floral displays added to the atmosphere, their aroma elevating my mood when I inhaled a shaky breath as I took my place beside Papa.
My sisters, nieces, and nephews started the processional parade, my flower girls throwing rose petals on the ground from the baskets they carried. Annabella’s eldest daughter Maria ran off into the crowd, waving her basket over her head, and screaming at someone she knew close to the front.
“That child has no discipline,” Papa grumbled beside me.
“I see how you spoil her,” I replied, nudging him. “You have helped create that tiny monster.”
He huffed out a laugh, covering his mouth with his hand so no one could see his rare moment of mirth.
Papa spoilt his grandchildren in a way he had never spoilt his own children.
He had been stern with us, moulding us into chess pieces he could manoeuvre across his board of power.
Maximus was the dark king, and his accumulation of power was the only reason Papa overruled Roberto to permit this wedding.
The last of the bridesmaids had made their way down the aisle in front of us. Papa tucked my hand through his arm.
“Roberto will not allow this rebellion to go unpunished,” he said under his breath.
“I doubt Maximus will allow him to push him off a roof,” I replied. “In a feud, I would not put my money on Roberto.”
“That is my fear,” Papa replied, turning to look at me. “I only have one son.” His words were a double edged sword with more than one meaning.
“Then he should learn that peace is more beneficial than war.” I stared at Papa for several moments.
He patted my hand, his smile in contrast to his words. “And now it is time for me to give my baby away.”
My legs wobbled for the first few steps until my gaze met a steely blue one that infused strength into me, and forced me to walk one step at a time toward him. Maximus had a commanding presence, but today he created gravity that drew me to him with a power I couldn’t fight.
He was dressed in a beautifully tailored black suit, which made him look like a dark and dangerous god, who had descended from Olympus to stand in judgement of all those gathered.
My heart beat erratically, and I couldn’t help but wonder if everyone could hear it. Roberto sat beside Mama near the front, his face a frozen mask of anger. Normally, I would be terrified of that expression, but today all that mattered was the man standing waiting for me at the top of the aisle.
Maximus had always been tall, broad, with a physique that men would pay for, and women salivated over.
He had gained all the Italian genes of his ancestry, culminating in a face which deserved to be on the cover of a top fashion magazine.
His only flaw was a slight crookedness at the top of his nose from when he had broken it years ago.
He had arrived at a party with two black eyes and a story of how the other man looked worse than him.
Papa stopped, tapping my hand with his, all my sisters lined up to the side of the floral arch. This was the moment my life changed, and I felt the enormity of the situation as I stood here.
Maximus held his hand out, his warm fingers curving around mine as he drew me toward him. My breath caught in my chest at the expression in his eyes, the burning blue flame scorching everything in its path. His gaze travelled over me until his eyes met mine, his full lips tipping up in a smile.
“You look stunning,” he said, ignoring the fact that everyone was watching us. “Beautiful.”
I had never felt beautiful in my life, until this moment, because I knew with certainty that this man didn’t lie. Every muscle in my body stilled when he lifted my hand that he still held to his lips, pressing a kiss to my ring finger.
The minister cleared his throat, bringing everyone’s attention back to him as he began to speak, but I couldn’t drag my gaze from Maximus.
His thumb casually massaged the side of my hand, his touch soothing my nerves and centring me.
All the people gathered faded away until there was no one left but the two of us.
This had been a teenage fantasy of mine, even as I dressed my barbie doll, pretending she was me and Ken was Maximus. He had been my deepest, darkest fantasy who had evolved from Barbie and Ken to the first man I had touched myself to the thought of.
Maximus’ deep voice washed over me as he said his vows, tying himself to me before God and our families. His hand squeezed mine, and I pursed my lips together for a moment before I repeated my vows. With every single word, everything fell into place.
I was supposed to be with Maximus, a path I had been on from the moment I walked into that hall and found him lying on that staircase, staring at the ceiling.
“To love, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part,” I repeated.
His lips twitched when I promised to obey.
In the world we lived in, Maximus was king, and his word was law.
Obedience wasn’t something I could fight against, but with Maximus it didn’t feel like the task it was with Papa and Roberto.
He reminded me of an iron fist in a velvet glove, one that sent shivers down my spine every time he touched me.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the minister said. “I invite you to seal this union with a kiss.”
Maximus blinked once, his full attention on me.
My stomach tightened as his fingers trailed down the side of my face until they rested under my chin.
He tipped my head back, and nothing else existed in this universe except him.
I had never felt this way about anyone else but Maximus, and I was lost in his gaze.
All the air evaporated from my lungs when his head descended to mine, those soft, full lips skimming over mine in a barely there kiss which left me craving more. His deep kiss earlier this week had stolen my breath, but this was something different – a solemn vow that seared itself into my soul.
“Later,” he said against my mouth as clapping and cheers erupted around us.
Maximus slid his arm around my waist, tugging me against him as he waved to those gathered. “You’ll need to give us a few minutes as the photographer is standing by to record this moment so our grandchildren can admire my beautiful bride in years to come.”
He said it so casually that I could almost imagine grandchildren running around this garden as he played with them.
I had convinced myself that I didn’t need children, but Maximus made me hope for a full life filled with everything I had wanted earlier in life.
He grabbed my hand, moving me to follow him away from the crowd.
My heart fluttered when he widened his eyes at me and pulled a face. This was the Maximus I remembered, the one who I could share stories with, and laugh alongside. Hope was a tender bud, but it unfurled slightly in my chest when I saw evidence of the old Maximus.
I posed for photographs, my sisters fussing around in the background as they tried to herd their children together. They were worse than goats, one of them disappearing to eat something every time their mother’s back was turned. I even noticed Antonio wiping his nose on my sisters dress.
“They are worse than gremlins,” I said, nudging Maximus.
He glanced in the direction of my errant nieces and nephews. “Let them have their fun. They have to grow up too quickly. Willow used to be wilder than me, climbing trees and kicking the ass of everyone who got in her way.”
“We’ll never get them all in the photos,” I replied.
“As long as you and I are in the photographs, I don’t give a fuck who isn’t in them.” He shrugged one broad shoulder, making me smile. Maximus leaned forward and kissed the tip of my nose, making a flock of butterflies take flight in my stomach.