Her lips curved into a smile. “I’m glad you like it. I picked it up for you. Oh, and I brought a necklace. I wasn’t sure what to choose, so I got this.” She opened a small box and handed it to me. My eyes widened at the sight of the pendant’s shape. “I was torn between a star pendant and this little gemstone.”
My breath hitched. Rodion’s nickname for me echoed in my mind. He loved calling me Little Gem.
I pulled the necklace from the box and brushed my fingers over the pendant. “I love it,” I whispered. “Thank you, I really love this.”
Savina’s face lit with relief. “That’s good. Here, let me help you.”
She stepped behind me as I lifted my hair. She clipped it, and as the necklace settled against my skin, a warmth spread through me.
“Thanks for choosing this,” I said.
“You are welcome,” she replied, smoothing the strands of myhair into place. She didn’t know it, but I intended to keep this necklace close. It reminded me of Rodion, and that was enough.
When I finished getting ready, we stepped out into the hall. Voices carried from the sitting area, where the guests had already gathered. Laughter and chatter filled the air, but beneath it I caught Leonid’s booming voice echoing from his office. I slowed, straining to catch a word, but Savina turned to glance back at me. I quickened my pace to follow, and when we reached the sitting area, she slipped away quietly, leaving me to face the guests.
As I stepped into the sitting room, every eye turned toward me. I forced a smile and began to move closer, but before I could greet them, the sharp crash of breaking glass tore through the house.
Everyone froze. All attention shifted toward the direction. It had come from Leonid’s office. Panic rippled through me, pulling me back to the last time I had stood in his mansion in California. That night had been an engagement party. I was drugged and dragged away. What if something like that happened again while I was miles from anyone I could call?
Fear clenched my chest as low murmurs spread among the guests, their voices stirring my unease. Before it could spiral, Vincenzo appeared with a wide grin stretched across his face.
“My father will be joining us shortly. Business is becoming hectic,” he said lightly. The guests relaxed at once, their shoulders dropping, heads nodding in relief.
But I knew better.
“This is Alessia,” Vincenzo announced. “You already know who she is.”
I kept my smile fixed. “Hello,” I said softly, letting their gazes press against me. “It is nice to meet you.”
A woman leaned forward. “So, which family are you from? From which town?”
Before I could answer, Leonid strode in. “That is enough. Let us eat. I have an emergency to attend to.”
We gathered around the dining table, and it was exactly what I expected. The conversation was about the wedding. The women eagerly assigned themselves roles in the preparations while the men slipped into business talk. I listened and watched. Leonid kept receiving calls, frustration showing through the cracks in his composure, no matter how hard he tried to mask it.
Dinner blurred into the rhythm of forks against plates and the soft clinking of glasses as the guests lingered over drinks. At last, Leonid cleared his throat, drawing every eye to him.
“I will leave you to continue with the preparations. Something came up in California, and I must leave in the morning.”
The table fell silent. Not even Vincenzo spoke, and he looked as though he didn’t care in the slightest.
“Alessia knows exactly what she is expected to do,” Leonid said, his gaze locking on me. There was a warning in his eyes, one I didn’t dare ignore.
Chapter Forty-nine
Alessia
That dinner marked the beginningof the wedding journey. Preparations took over, pulling me in without giving me a choice. Growing up in California, I forgot how Italians turned weddings into something far greater. Tradition piled on tradition, endless occasions unfolding before the ceremony itself. Nothing about it was simple.
The one good thing was Leonid’s absence. He left after that dinner three days ago, business dragging him back to California. From the urgency in his tone, the situation seemed serious. With him gone, I could manage Vincenzo more easily than I ever could him and his father together.
Vincenzo was unpredictable. At times, he defended me when his relatives pressed too hard with their questions. In another life, under different circumstances, he might have passed for afriend. The kind Matvet had been.
The car stopped outside an elegant bridal boutique, its windows gleaming with light and gowns on display. Savina stayed at my side as always, while one of Vincenzo’s aunts climbed out first. She had made herself the planner of everything. Last night she announced she would take charge of the cakes. Today, she dragged me out to find the gown. Tomorrow, I wouldn’t be surprised if she declared herself my flower girl.
Trying on the dresses felt like torture. Not because they lacked beauty. They were exquisite, each one flawless in design. But every time I looked at myself in the mirror, all I could see was Rodion. I wanted him to be the one waiting for me in white. I could almost picture that subtle smile of his, the one that melted me every time.
I wondered how he was healing. It had been some time now, but I was aware of the risks. His body was fragile, his immune system suppressed so it wouldn’t reject the kidney. One wrong move, one infection, and everything could collapse. He had to be patient, though patience had never been in his blood.