𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

♥ ♥ ♥

𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞

Dear Diary,

Today is March 14th, 1997.

Tonight is Devon's party. He has invited over five hundred guests to celebrate his wife's birthday. Hestia went dress shopping today. She has a fashion designer's eye. I would've gone out with her, but I got caught up in a meeting with Devon Night. He discussed the party tonight, and Devon pulled me aside to hand me files that belonged to Roman Russo.

While sorting through the files, I learned about different aspects of Roman Russo's life. He and Devon used to be close friends until a fallout a couple of years ago. Roman's file explained the negative impact his father had on him. His mother also died a couple of years ago from a disease that was caught too late. Her death poorly affected the family. It created a division in the Russo family. It tore everyone apart. Beatrice Russo was loved by many.

Reading Roman's files made me feel remorse towards him. It had the opposite effect that Devon intended. Some areas in the file made my blood boil. Devon included information about the Russo family's involvement in the gas line explosion that killed my family and many others who lived near me. The explosion intended to kill Devon's family, who lived less than ten minutes from me. That image will never escape my mind. I watched the chaos and smoke in the air. It felt like a nightmare that I couldn't escape. It's a pain I'd never wish upon anybody, even people who caused the explosion. In less than ten minutes, everybody I loved was dead. I felt sick to my stomach. I learned to be grateful for the little things. Gratitude is a gift death gave me. I cherished the good and bad memories I had.

Hestia Garmez has been the most extraordinary gift death has given me. I'll always have the most gratitude for her. She's my inspiration.

Sincerely Blaire Allaire,

♥ ♥ ♥

I closed my journal at the sound of the front door opening. Hestia had two dresses hanging over her arm. I stood up from the sofa and approached Sia. She sighed, "I spent over four hours trying to find the perfect matching dresses for us." She took a deep breath before continuing, "But it was worth all the dreadful hours because we will show up tonight with the best dresses." I glanced down at the two Scarlett red dresses. They were both the same color but in different styles. Sia's dress was a two-piece, while mine was a one-piece. A smile grew across her face. She handed me my dress, and Sia said, "I bought these from a fashion designer in Milan. Her taste in fashion is impeccable."

Hestia lightly pushed my shoulders and exclaimed, "Go get ready, and I'll meet you outside in two hours." I smiled. Sia makes me smile. Her laugh. Her personality. Everything about her is extraordinary. Sia holds a strong barrier over her heart, but once Sia lets people in, you'll never want to leave.

♥ ♥ ♥

Devon had a car sent to bring us to the hall where he was hosting the party. Hestia locked the door behind us and wrapped her arm around mine. A smile lit on her face. She confessed, "The party is going to be fun. Devon can be a pain in the ass. But he does have the best bartenders in Sicily." I chuckled, "He is a pain in the ass." We both got into the car and relaxed while the driver drove to the large hall on the other side of Sicily.

When Hestia and I pulled in front of the building, the hall was full of people. I leaned back into the seat and sighed, "This will be hell." Sia wrapped her arm around my shoulder and pulled me close to her. She reassured me, "After a couple of shots, it'll feel better. Trust me."