Chapter 3: Who was he talking to?

Aurora

“Aurora darling…the exhibit is breathtaking,” Signora Rizzo gushed. "Your team has outdone themselves."

"Grazie mille, Signora Rossi. We're thrilled to share these masterpieces with the community." I beamed at her, accepting the compliment graciously. I had been doing this all evening and I must admit, it wasn’t easy….but if you think about it, nothing was easy when it came to pleasing the public.

Lucia who had been standing a few feet away from me ever since the guests started arriving, discreetly nudged me, whispering, "The mayor has arrived." I immediately flashed an apologetic smile at Rossi before making my way through the crowd with Lucia beside me, whispering into her headset.

We both ended up exchanging warm greetings with the mayor, esteemed collectors, donors, art enthusiasts and other dignitaries. It was exhausting…especially when I had to be somewhere else in….

I paused, reaching into my purse for my phone again.

An hour!

Oh fuck.

I was about to round up my greetings when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Aurora, you're a rockstar!" Emily exclaimed, grabbing my attention. I smiled as she reached closer air-kissing my cheeks. "This exhibit is stunning!"

I let out a small laugh embracing her warmly. "Thanks, Em! I'm so glad you could make it."

“Are you kidding?” Her brows shot up as she glanced around. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world…” her eyes wandered around again before landing on my dress. “…Speaking of stunning, you look amazing.” She grinned circling around me, her eyes never leaving my dress.

“Thanks Ciccina,”

I had chosen a tailored black evening dress for tonight and styled my hair in a sleek updo. I wanted to exude elegance, a perfect blend of professionalism and sophistication. From the way Emily was oohing and aahing at my dress right now, I guess I succeeded.

“Raff…” Emily called out, looking over my shoulder. “There you are…” she sidestepped me, causing me to turn in her direction. Raffaele was a friend of Emily’s that she had introduced to me a few months ago. We talked and hung out once in a while but we didn’t really….click. It wasn’t surprising though…I hardly found people intriguing.

“Where have you been Amica? I’ve been looking….” Raffaele stopped mid sentence when he noticed me standing behind Emily and I felt a wave of heat wash over me as he took in my appearance. I hated it when people stared at me. Emily said it was a good thing and that they were admiring me and all of that but no matter how hard I tried to fit into their shoes…I just couldn’t.

Yes, I understood the fact that seeing a white skinned woman with sapphire blue eyes and bright red hair was well….captivating….I mean Emily once said I would have made a better Mera in Aquaman than Amber Heard since I wouldn’t even need to wear contacts or dye my hair. But seriously….didn’t they all know it was rude to stare.

“….Aurora…..wow. Your dress…you look so beautiful.”

“Thanks Raffaele.” I flashed him a half hearted smile as I wrapped my arm around Emily who was standing beside him. “I’m sorry but can I steal her for a bit…thanks.” I smiled again, not waiting for his answer before I pulled Emily away.

“Did you see the way he was looking at you?” Emily wiggled her eyebrows as she glanced at Raffaele again.

“Not now, Em.” I rolled my eyes as we stopped by the corridors.

“What’s wrong?” Her playful tone switched to a worried one the second she realized I was serious.

“I need your help…I need you to cover for me.” I added when she lifted a brow. I began explaining everything to Emily since she didn’t fully understand the whole thing. As expected, she wasn’t happy when she heard I was leaving the exhibition I had been planning for weeks just to go attend some stupid ball because of my father but like I said…I didn’t have a choice.

“So now instead of me enjoying the exhibition I’ll be doing your job while you’re out enjoying yourself at a ball in a princess dress?” Emily crossed her arms over her chest eyeing me with a frown.

“Now first of all…” I held up my finger. “I will not be wearing a princess dress. Secondly, Lucia and the other employees will be here to help out and thirdly, even though I know that nothing fun is going to happen at the ball, weren’t you the one telling me the other day that I should have a little more fun?”

“Okay but you owe me…” She pointed at me before turning to join Raffaele at the food table. “….a really big one.”

“Whatever.” I let out a small laugh before checking my phone again. Oh shit. I have exactly fifty minutes to get there. I quickly scurried out the door after saying hi to some of my other friends who also wanted to congratulate me on the exhibit’s success. I really wished I could stay and enjoy the event but I couldn’t.

I couldn’t even count how many people I had excused myself from just to make it to the other side of the hall. As I closed the door of my office behind me I let out a small sigh.

“Good evening Princess.” My maid, Sofia, who had been waiting for me in my office, greeted. I had brought her along with me so she could help me get ready for the ball because there was no way I was going to get ready by myself in 45 minutes.

“Sofia….how many times have I told you to stop calling me Princess.” I rolled my eyes. Sofia and her mother had worked for the De Lucas pretty much since I was a baby…although Sofia and I were in the same age group.

“But the Don insists….” She said carefully lifting the ivory-colored dress from its velvet hanger, admiring the intricate lace and delicate embroidery that adorned the bodice.

“But I also insist,” I said, wiggling out of my black dress. Thankfully my office was big enough and had everything I needed to change including a huge floor length mirror. I moved to the mirror taking the pins and hair tie out of my hair letting it cascade down my back like a fiery waterfall, as my sapphire blue eyes stared back at me.

“You know the Don is going to kill me if he hears me addressing his daughter by her name.” Sofia stood behind me with the dress in her hand.

“Whatever….I need to get to the ball on time. You know my father doesn’t tolerate tardiness.” I said running my hands through my hair even though it wasn’t tangled.

“No problem, Princess,” Sofia said, slipping the dress over my slender frame. “Sarai la donna più bella al ballo,”

“Grazie amore,” I smiled at her as my thoughts whirled, juggling the evening’s events. I just hope I get to the ball on time…if not, father is going to be furious.

The clock ticked on as Sofia helped me get dressed for the ball. I wasn’t the type that liked bold makeup. I mean I could comfortably give up the smoky eyes, bold lips and glitter for a neutral look but not when my father was around. Some men didn’t even know the slightest thing about makeup and I wished my father was one of them, but sadly he wasn’t. He always told me not to look plain and that as the Mafia Princess I was meant to look fierce and authoritative. If only he understood me.

I took one last glance in the mirror once Sofia had moved to my desk to get my hair accessories.

The floor-length dress hugged my curves, its ivory hue complimenting my porcelain skin. The fitted sleeves and delicate neckline framed my heart-shaped face, accentuating my features.

My eyes locked onto the mirror, as I smiled at my reflection. Even though I had other places I wanted to be at….I had to admit, I did look beautiful. Sofia retrieved the accessories and began styling my hair, weaving a delicate braid adorned with tiny pearls and silver threads.

"Your hair is beautiful,” Sofia said, as she secured the braid with a slender silver pin.

Sofia had also brought some of my jewelry so I could choose from them. She laid them down on my desk, standing in the corner as she waited for me to decide. I ended up picking a delicate silver necklace with a tiny pendant that matched my eyes. Sofia stepped back again, admiring her work after helping me put it on and I couldn’t help but smile again, my lips painted in a soft coral hue, curving into a gentle smile.

“Sei pronta, principessa.” She said with a small smile and a gentle curtsy and I dipped my head in a small nod in reply as I got up from the chair. Getting out of the building would have been more than impossible if I didn’t have Sofia with me. My whole look wasn’t the type that easily blended into the shadows, especially when the color set out for the event was black and silver. I let out a small sigh as we took another turn. I knew I should have picked a silver dress. Oh well…no turning back now.

As expected, the driver and a few guards dressed in all black were waiting for me outside in the parking lot. If someone was to see us right now they’d think I was getting kidnapped instead of accompanied. I let out another sigh as I got into the car. I glanced at my phone again. 7:50

Thankfully, I had one of the safest and fastest drivers in Italy so we got to the ball with only seconds to spare. As usual, I had a lot of people to greet and say hi to...some small talk here and there but no matter how many times I looked around, I couldn’t find my father anywhere. He was normally very early to gatherings like this which meant he wasn’t at home and if something came up, he would have told me about it. So where on earth did he go off to?

I didn’t bother asking anyone if they had seen him since I’d rather not draw any attention to myself. I kept calling his phone but it wasn’t reachable and when it was….he ignored my call. I even waited by the restrooms just in case he had gone in there but I still couldn’t find him. Just when I was about heading towards the main hall, I heard a familiar voice coming from one of the balconies.

“Fine….you can have whatever you want but….”

“I don’t want or need any of your filthy properties, De Luca,” Another voice rang out. Father? What the hell was he doing in this part of the building? And who on earth was he talking to?