Page 77 of Diavolo

With some difficulty, Elyse wrenched herself from her pity party. She could feel sorry for herself later. For now, she needed to focus on preventing the vipers from eating her alive at tonight's gathering.

"I'm not okay, actually," she grunted, "I feel very unprepared. Please help me, Malina. What do I need to know?"

Wise blue eyes gleamed astutely. "I thought you would never ask, Dr. Romero."

As the housekeeper proceeded to prep Elyse for the pitfalls that lay ahead at her future mother-in-law's villa, she endeavored to remember all of the nitty-gritty details regarding Ms. De León, Ms. Berlusconi, and, of course, Mrs. Vitale. All in all, it appeared as though Ms. De León wanted Alessandro for power, Ms. Berlusconi wanted him for love, and Mrs. Vitale was determined for himnotto marry any of them at all.

Was Mrs. Vitale lobbying for her daughter to marry Alessandro? The possibility made Elyse sick in the stomach. Misgivings about Alessandro kept creeping around her consciousness. Elyse wanted to defend her rightful place at his side, her queen to his king, and protect their kingdom until his return, but the man's dubious ties to his beautiful blonde stepsister continued to fuck with her head. Malina claimed that Alessandro was sincere about her.Only her.But what if he was playing her in the same way he played other women? Again, Elyse didn't know whether or not to trust him fully.

As Malina assisted Elyse with her hair and makeup for the evening, she hoped that her efforts tonight wouldn't be in vain. That Alessandro wouldn't make a fool of her. When push came to shove, the bastard wielded power to walk away from her far more easily than she could leave him. He could afford to fuck up. But she could not.

Failure wasn't an option tonight.

18

Mrs. Vitale'ssmallgathering turned out to be a ratherlargeparty of a hundred guests or so. It seemed thateveryonewho wasanyoneon the island was in attendance. Well, everyone except for the senior Mr. Vitale. Elyse learned from Malina that the Vitale clan had been pushing a narrative to buy more time. Apparently, their boss was preparing for a peaceful transfer of power. By taking a step back from his role and letting Alessandro step in. The six-letter C-word was to be avoided at all costs.

Malina had advised Elyse to select a Valentino halter gown in pristine white.

It was bride-like. The fabric was embellished with hand-sewn Swarovski crystal beadwork. Its high neckline and fitted bodice looked breathtakingly elegant on Elyse's hourglass figure. It was also queen-like. High levels of intelligence weren't necessary to grasp the message that Malina wanted Elyse to convey.Shewas going to be Alessandro's bride.Not Ms. De León. Nor Ms. Berlusconi.Shewas going to be their queen.Bow down. Or get the fuck out of her way.

Elyse arrived at Mrs. Vitale's villa a little after 8 pm alongside Malina, Monte, and three out of the six suited-up, tatted-up gentlemen that she had met upon arrival. Rocco, Salvatore, and Duran. Every man was armed.

The villa didn't possess the impressive square footage of Alessandro's palazzo. Yet, the interior was even more palatial and excessive than Elyse could've imagined from her wildest fantasies. Strands of crystal dripped from bronze chandeliers. White and gray-veined Carrara marble floors, gold-framed oil paintings, and masterfully carved stone sculptures stretched as far as the eye could see. Gold leaf detailing lined every inch of the crown molding along the ceilingsandthe trim dividing the frescoed wall panelsandthe ornate carvings upon all of the Baroque-style furniture. Everything glittered too much. Everything seemed to shine too bright.

One of Mrs. Vitale's staff, a grim-faced man named Antonio with beady black eyes, welcomed Elyse at the door and promptly delivered her to his mistress. Elyse's five-person entourage trailed closely behind her.

Mrs. Vitale was seated in a private salon, away from the other guests, at a dark mahogany game table. The woman was as blonde and blue-eyed and beautiful as her daughter. With hardly a wrinkle on her flawless skin, she could've easily passed for Valentina's older sister instead of her mother.

On either side of Mrs. Vitale, there sat two other women. The younger girl on the right looked fierce and feisty. She possessed a strong jawline, glossy black hair, dark eyes, and beautifully bronzed skin. She paused to scan Elyse's gown with a condescending smile. "Bel vestito."

It sounded very similar to Spanish.Vestido bonito.Pretty dress. But Elyse pretended not to understand her. "I'm sorry. I don't speak Italian very well."

Her improving grasp of the language needed to be kept a secret. She didn't want anyone to know that her elementary-level Spanish was good enough to understand some of their Italian. Let them believe she was ignorant. Lowered guards and looser tongues might play to her advantage tonight.

Mariposa scoffed in Italian before switching to English, "TipicaAmericana!It is nice to meet you at last, Dr. Romero. My name is Mariposa. Mariposa De León."

"The pleasure is all mine," Elyse returned.

The redhead, situated on Mrs. Vitale's left side, now eyed her with interest. She appeared to be slightly older than Mariposa and Mrs. Vitale. There were distinct laugh lines and eye crinkles upon her pretty face. She promptly introduced herself, "I am Cara Berlusconi, and, as luck would have it, I am recently widowed."

There was a sting of cynicism in Cara's tone. Yet, her brown eyes were wide-set and gamine-like. The contrast was unsettling. Like an innocent-looking doe with malevolent intent.

Elyse greeted her politely, "It's lovely to meet you as well, Cara, and I'm sorry for your loss."

Cara's eyes glittered like sunlit amber, "Do not feel sorry for me. I am free now. A female in her prime. Ready. Willing.Available."

Elyse's eyebrows rose slightly. Ready, willing, and available? For who?Alessandro?She smiled a cheerless smile at Cara. "In that case, I'm happy for you."

Mariposa piped up again, "I am surprised that an educated woman like yourself can only speak one language, Dr. Romero."

Elyse coughed to cover her lie, "I find it unfortunate as well."

"What a shame," Cara mused, "to suffer such a disconnect from Alessandro's mother tongue."

Elyse shrugged. "He doesn't seem to mind."

"He does not care?"

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