BLACK LACE | ONGOING

dodici.

BLACK LACE
−−−−− DODICI ; DINNER

ADELINA LOST HERSELF IN THE SWEET ROSE WATER SHE SUNK IN. The bath was tainted with sin, scars forced upon her skin. It'd been about a week since she moved into the penthouse, and she couldn't have felt more suffocated. Every time she stepped out of the house, either the crowd came up to her, greeting the billionaire's wife, or her bodyguard was next to her.

She'd avoided Lorenzo, it wasn't hard since he spent his time in the study. If she wasn't so intent on denying the marriage, she would've rode him in the seat he loved so much. She was glad he wasn't old and wrinkly, but it didn't help the pain that stabbed her heart every time she thought about her family- people she used to live with, people she used to trust.

Adelina threw her head back on the bathtub, groaning at the pain of her past. Lorenzo didn't know about her dinner with Aliya Dhar Valen- a mixed princess. She was part of the Lebanese, and though the Arabian mafia was allies with The Familia, she didn't feel the need to tell Lorenzo. She was a grown woman, she didn't need to tell someone where she was going, especially her husband.

The two met at the annual ball two years after Daniella died, their meeting was an accident, especially since The Outfit wasn't keen on interacting with The Lebanese. Adelina was told to stay away from anybody from their mafia but when she saw the beauty coming up to her in gold, she ignored their warnings.

"Why are you so pretty?' Were Aliya's first words to Adelina.

The duo's interactions over the year's grew, they used excuses to meet up and if someone found out- their

guns were always on them. Aliya had always been the rebellious kid who grew up to be someone her parents despised, but she never cared. She could get anyone with her looks, and being a trained assassin, she was skilled enough to get away with things far greater than killing one of her father's men.

Adelina stood up in the tub, the water trailing down her body as she grabbed a towel, stepping out of the bath. She walked over to the vanity, dropping her towel and placing a matching set of black lingerie on her body.

No, she wasn't dressing up for someone, she was wearing it for herself. Grabbing the curling rod, she brought it up to her hair, going around her head until soft curls were present, contrasting against her usual straight hair. Her hands moved to apply her make-up, her agile fingers moving fast and precise.

Adelina's mind roams, the way Daniella did her make up when they were getting ready, before she was rushed away, the young girls quietly giggling to themselves as their maid softly glared at them. Their relationship truly was beautiful, they were an inseparable duo, with their dream life. But not all good things last, it wasn't Adelina's fault. It was Daniella's for being so selfish, for leaving her sister all alone in this cruel world. She broke her, and there was no one around long enough to pick up the pieces.

Adelina slips on a short black silk backless bodycon dress that curves around her frame, it was short, but

long enough where it allowed people's minds to wander. She shrugs on an oversized white acid washed jean jacket before getting her strappy heels. Her eyes stayed on the clock as she walked out of the room, she was going to be late.

"Where do you think you're going dressed like that?" Emilio Rossi asks her, preventing himself from

scanning her body again. He had always been loyal to his boss and starting something with his wife wasn't going to get him anywhere. Lorenzo had told them to keep Adelina in the penthouse until he came back home, and he had no intentions of breaking that rule.

"Would you believe me if I said to Lorenzo?"

No." Emilio says emotionlessly.

"Then why're you asking?" Adelina's voice held obvious sarcasm, as she rolled her eyes trying to side