Page 20 of Velvet Chains

“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.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ISABELLE

Vincenzo and I were waiting on the balcony of the hotel where Sarah and Mark were spending their honeymoon.

Like most of the luxury hotels in Palermo, this one had a beautiful view of the sea. The balcony was fully made of glass so that we could see the view clearly even if we were seated.

We were close enough to the water to smell the slight scent of it. It was something that would normally have helped me focus, but I was too amped up today.

My heart was racing as we walked through the grand entrance of the hotel. The luxury and beauty of my surroundings did very little to calm my nerves. I was so on edge because we were meeting Sarah and Mark for lunch. It was a lot for me mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Sarah and Mark both knew me well, and I still felt guilty about what happened during their wedding. I felt terrible that Mark had approached me like that on their wedding day.

While we waited for Sarah and Mark to come down from their room, I clung to Vincenzo’s arm. It was a subconscious gesture, and maybe I was squeezing his arm a little too tightly, but I didn’t care. He didn’t seem to mind either. I was holding on to him, my fingers digging into his sleeve. And yet, Vincenzo acted like he didn’t notice, though I was sure that he did.

"Nice touch holding on to my arm. It makes us look like a real couple," he said approvingly.

I had to constantly remind myself of the necessity of this charade. I knew that what had been started needed to be finished. But Sarah and Mark’s presence would make it even more difficult. These people knew me, what if they could tell I was lying? To top it all off, I was walking around with a luxurious engagement ring on my finger. The ring that now seemed to be growing bigger with every passing second.

It felt like what I was wearing was a beacon, not a ring. I knew my friend, the likelihood that she would miss an engagement ring on my finger was very low. I found myself fidgeting with my hands. I wanted to hide them behind my back, sit on them, or place a napkin over them, anything to make sure Sarah didn't spot it.

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