4. Astor
CHAPTER FOUR
ASTOR
“ S he wants a two-month trial. She’s begging not to make her say I do , just to end up divorced,” Eleanor says. We’re sitting at the table discussing the details of this fucked up arrangement, and the more I hear about it, the more I’m thinking it’s the stupidest shit I’ve ever agreed to.
“She says that we’re making her marry someone who doesn’t like her. That we promised we wouldn’t do that.” Eleanor and my mother look at me and I raise an eyebrow.
“What? This arrangement is dangerous. Why are you all making me do this? Why are you putting me through this torture, after everything that has happened? This is going to blow up in our faces. It’s not a good idea and I don’t want to do it. You see how I struggle being around her as is, and you want me to fucking marry her now?” I push the chair back and down the rest of my bourbon, pushing my hand through my hair. I glare at my father and Ander. “It’s sickening. She’s going to find out what she forgot six years ago. We all know what happened when she realized I was there, the threat she made, what the fuck are we going to do if she makes good on that fucking threat because she’s not strong enough to handle it. I’ll be the target of her anger, and that’s my goddamn heart that’s going to be ripped to shreds again.”
Alessia had an accident when she was sixteen, and lucky for her, she doesn’t fucking remember it.
But we do.
I do, and wish like hell I didn’t.
I walk outside when my phone rings and my best friend’s name pops up. Justin .
“What?” I groan.
“Fuck you, too, then asshole. Let’s go out.”
“Don’t you have an 8:00 a.m. tomorrow?”
“So the fuck what? You do, too.”
It’s almost finals week then it’s time for Christmas break, a month of me having to do duties for the mafia. As the next one to take over for my father, he always makes sure to remind me how important it is for me to show up and do the work when I have the time. He says that it’s imperative for the Bratva to know they should fear me as they do him.
“Fuck it, I’ll meet you in an hour. But I’m not alone.”
“Who are you fucking now?”
“I’m hanging up.” He laughs as I hit the end button. I look up to the sky and let out a long, low groan when I hear the door open behind me.
“Some dinner, huh?” Alessia says, standing beside me. I look down at her and nod slowly. “I’m not marrying you, Astor.”
“It’s funny that you think you have a choice in the matter.”
“I do have a choice. If they force me, I just won’t show up, I’ll—” I turn to her, looking down at her. Her breath catches as I wrap my hand around her little throat.
“You’ll what? Run away? Run, malyshka, I dare you . It’ll be fun to catch you.” I push her backward and head for the door. “Get your stuff, we’re leaving.”
I grab my dress coat and throw it on as Els walks down the stairs. She frowns when she sees me and I tilt my head at her. “Something wrong?”
“Why wouldn’t you tell me this was the plan?” she asks.
“Because it doesn’t concern you.”
“Spare me the bullshit. She’s one of my best friends, of course it concerns me. How are you ok with this?” I step closer to her and pull her into a small room next to the kitchen.
“Elsi, listen, there are things that you do not know. Things that I couldn’t tell you because I couldn’t dare ask you to keep it from her. Just understand that this is bigger than anything you can imagine and I don’t have a choice, either. It may seem like I do, but trust me, I’m just as fucked.”
“So that’s it? You’re going to marry her?” I shrug and the door opens. We both catch a glimpse of Alessia sagging through the door, her arms wrapped around her. “Be nice to her, please. And try to really make it work,” Elsi whispers. I ruffle her hair like I always do and pull her into a hug, thinking to myself if being nice is a good idea. I know I’ll have to talk to Alessia, so I guess tonight is when the ice breaks.
“We’re leaving, I’m going to meet Justin.” Elsi scrunches her nose up at his name and I shake my head. Seven years of us being friends she still despises him. “Hey, be nice.” She rolls her eyes and walks back into the room with our parents.
Alessia is saying something to her mom as she grabs her stuff. I can’t make out the words, but they look to be in deep conversation. She looks at her dad and he nods at whatever Eleanor said to him. The confirmation makes Alessia give a small, subtle smile to her parents before she marches away from them, brushing past me towards the door.
After saying goodbye to my parents and promising my mother to be on my best behavior , I find Alessia standing next to the car door, her arms wrapped around her again. This time she’s shivering, her perfect, red plumped lips chattering against each other. The sight of it shouldn’t bring me the feeling of enjoyment that it does, but it’s there anyway.
“Cold, malyshka?”
“Open the fucking door.”
“First off, don’t curse at me. Secondly, say please.” She twists her mouth up in refusal and I lean against the hood of the car. “I have a jacket on, I can sit out here for hours.”
“I could always just go back inside and make someone else drive me home. My driver is here, after all, and I’m sure he’d love to take me for a ride. He always was eager to pick me up from class on family dinner nights.”
“You could, but you won’t.”
She unfolds her arms and starts to stalk back towards the house as I wrap my arm around her waist, yanking her to me. “Don’t ever ask another man to take you home, unless they are instructed to do so by me. Understood?”
She fights against my hold and I tighten my grip on her waist, enough to leave my marks there.
“You do not own me. I won’t just do what you say.”
“Oh, malyshka, you have so much to learn. Now get in the fucking car.” I let go of her, unlocking the car as I slide inside. She stands there for a moment and I wonder if she’s really going to make me drag her out of the house in front of our families. I tap my finger on the steering wheel as I watch her weigh her options. The strength deflates from her as she rounds the car and slides into the passenger side.
“Good girl,” I praise as I pull out into the road.
Even though it’s a Wednesday night, Redcrest University is still crawling with students out on campus even at 10:00 p.m. This University is where any and every one with money and a powerful last name sends their fuck ups for kids. It’s where their parents went and it’s where their kids will come when they reach college, too. The social scene here is full of drugs, bad decisions, and no consequences for actions. Even off campus housing is a fucking shitshow.
The ride back to Alessia’s apartment was deathly silent, just how I like it. She refused to look at me the entire drive, keeping her arms folded like the fucking brat she is.
I don’t miss the sigh of relief she lets out when we pull into the parking lot. I can’t wait to piss her off more.
I kill the engine and round the car, yanking the door open. She blinks up at me in confusion.
“I can walk myself up,” she mumbles.
“You’re coming out with me tonight.”
“No, I have finals coming up. I need to study.”
“You can study tomorrow. You don’t have class.”
She climbs out of the car and brushes past me as I follow behind her, ignoring her death stare. When we get into the elevator, she glares at the floor, her hands tapping away on her thigh. She’s uncomfortable . Good. When the elevator dings for her floor, she can barely wait for the doors to open before she’s slipping through them.
“Ok, I made it home safely. You can go now,” she says, sticking her key into the door as a group of guys walk by.
“Hey, Lessia! Are you coming to Addie’s tonight? She promised not to do truth or dare this time,” one of the guys call out.
She laughs and waves him off. “Not tonight. I’ve gotta study, but I’ll be at the next one.” I raise my eyebrow at her and she shrugs.
“I’ll text you the details in case you change your mind,” he says.
I turn to him when I realized I’m grinding my teeth so hard that Alessia stares at my jaw.
“You won’t text her. Matter of fact, you’ll lose her number.”
He looks at me and his eyes widen when he realizes who I am. That’s how it is on this campus; everyone runs away from me once they learn my last name. They hear the stories and don’t bother asking me if they’re true, which most of them are. But still, the only people who aren’t afraid of me are the small group of four friends I have, which I’m sure is because they’re just as fucked up as I am.
He glances at Alessia, who I’m sure is giving me her best death stare, then back at me as his friend yanks him away, mumbling to him that it’s not worth it.
I push Alessia into her apartment, slamming the door behind me. When I face her, her face is flushed and her breathing is visibly quickened. Her fist is balled up as she fists the side of her dress. I stride over to her couch, leaning back with my leg over my knee.
“Go ahead, let me have it.” She opens her mouth and I hold up my hand. “But remember, before you yell, we are going out tonight. How well your night will go is depending on this conversation…now proceed.”
“Fuck. You.” She storms into her room and I chuckle to myself, following her. She’s pulling her dress over her head when she spots me watching her in her door frame. “Turn around.”
“Don’t flatter yourself, malyshka .”
Get it together, Astor . You have to learn how to be around her again .
She rolls her eyes at me and yanks out an oversized t-shirt.
“I told you we’re going out—you’re not wearing that.” She stops and curses under her breath, reaching for the dress she had on earlier. “Fuck no, you’re not wearing that, either. Pick something else.”
“Why do I have to go? I’ve had enough of your energy sucking presence for a day. I want to study and go to bed.”
“Too fucking bad. Get dressed and get out here in the next ten minutes, or I’ll drag you out.”
Goddamn brat.